Oregon Open 2014
17-22 Feb, Portland, Usa, $15k

22-Feb, Final: 
 
[4] Joe Lee (Eng) bt [1] Omar Abdel Meguid (Egy)
            11/7, 11/4, 11/7 (34m)            3rd PSA title for Lee

Lee takes Portland title
Adam Perkiomaki reports

The 2014 Oregon Open concluded today after an entertaining build-up to a fantastic final at the Multnomah Athletic Club.

Less than 24 hours after playing the match of the tournament, the Big Guy - Omar Abdel Meguid - found himself back on court, this time against the in-form Englishman Joe Lee.

Lee started rock-solid, laying the foundation for what was to become an impenetrable brick wall of pressure. Many times the masterful Dr. Meguid tried to slice his way back in, but couldn’t summon the strength needed to stop General Lee’s mounting attack.

Joe Lee took the final match 3-0, and is the well-deserving 2014 Oregon Open champion. All respects to this year’s runner-up Omar Abdel Meguid who put up a valiant effort.

It was a pleasure and an honor to see this level of squash back in Portland, Oregon.

Until next year!

 

4/11, 11/8 18/16, 11/13, 11/9 (140m)

[3] Alan Clyne

11/7, 11/4, 11/7 (34m)

[4] Joe Lee

3rd PSA title for Lee

11/6, 11/3, 7/11, 4/11, 11/6 (85m)

[Q] Alfredo Avila

18-Feb, Qualifying Finals:

Shahjahan Khan bt Joe Chapman                                     12-10, 11-8, 11-5 (36m)
Andrew Schnell bt Rueben Phillips                              11-9, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6 (48m)
Todd Harrity bt Zac Alexander                                   7-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-3 (44m)
Alfredo Avila bt Karamatullah Khan                                     11-6, 11-1, 11-5 (30m)

17-Feb, Qualifying Round One:

Joe Chapman 3-0 Sean Ryan                                                11-4, 11-5, 11-1 (20m)
Shahjahan Khan (Pak) 3-0 [6] Fred Reid (Can)                    11-9, 11-9, 13-11 (40m)
[8] Reuben Phillips (Eng) 3-0 Charlie Wagner (Usa)               11-4, 11-6, 11-3 (33m)
[4] Andrew Schnell (Can) 3-0 Anders Giltvedt                       11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (28m)
[3] Zac Alexander (Aus) 3-0 Ahmad Alzabidi (Jor)                 11-4, 11-7, 11-8 (40m)
[7] Todd Harrity (Usa) 3-0 Adrian Leanza (Usa)                     11-3, 11-4, 11-7 (38m)
Karamatullah Khan (Pak) 3-0 Atticus Jones (Usa)                  11-3, 11-1, 11-9 (25m)
[2] Alfredo Avila (Mex) 3-0 Bradbury Thompson (Usa)           11-8, 11-5, 11-7 (31m)

20-Feb, Quarters:
Quantum Quarters in Portland ...
Adam Perkiomaki reports

The crowd witnessed a glorious showcase of skill and finesse as a quantum quarterfinal round concluded today in the Oregon Open at the Multnomah Athletic Club.

Alan Clyne bt Ali Anwar Reda 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (44m)

The ever clever Clyne demonstrated a cunning clinic of quickness and control as he chiseled away at the resilient Reda.

Sculpting many a lovely length followed by deadly drop combination, Clyne completed his masterpiece 3-0 over the Egyptian.

Omar Abdel Meguid bt Mazen Hesham
                       18-20, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 11-1 (96m)

Meguid versus Mazen. Marvelous… An unbelievable first, Mazen going the distance to 20-18, got the gasping crowd giddy with excitement. What followed was nothing less than spectacular as the fellow countrymen exhibited pure Egyptian ingenuity and grace.

I swear on my great-great-great-grandmother this was the best match of the tournament so far! Meguid taking it in a tremendous 3-2.

Joe Lee bt Campbell Grayson 12-10, 11-3, 11-9 (42m)

Holy moly Joe Lee…

Immaculate pressure propelled the poised Englishman over the killer Kiwi.

After a tight first, the seal broke and Lee unleashed a wave of counter lengths and drops, splashing a few torturous trickle boasts at Grayson, who tried to stay afloat, but ultimately fell 3-0.

Alfredo Avila bt Shawn Delierre 11-6, 11-3, 11-6 (37m)

The lone qualifier lives!

In the highly anticipated final match of the evening, Avila put on a decadent display of delicate drops and devastating drives to dispose of the crafty Canadian in a cool and frighteningly-quick straight-set 3-0 win.
 

19-Feb, Round One:
Delierre defeats second seed in Oregon
James Daigle reports

Today was a great day for squash in Portlandia - although the locals were disappointed that their local heroes did not prevail tonight, they were buoyed by the return of professional squash to Portland after a six year hiatus.

Those who were present for the first dose saw fleet-footed Mazen Hesham take care of Andrew Schnell to start the day.

The second battle pitted one seed Omar Meguid against Shahajan Khan. Meguid did his best impression of a Douglas Fir, the state tree, and established roots at the T. Khan, though extremely quick, had difficulty navigating around the towering Meguid.

In the third battle of the day, American Todd Harrity had an impressive showing after taking a hit to the chin the night before. It was nip and tuck for a while until Alan Clyne’s pressure and a few too many tins for the otherwise precise Harrity, ended the match that was close than reflected in the score.

The highlight of the afternoon came match four, pitting fellow Egyptians Ali Anwar Reda and Karim Ali Fathi. Reda, drenched after the match, looked like he had been standing out in the Portland rain. Reda’s amazing display of determination won the last two games after trailing 8-7 and 9-7.

In the fifth match, three-time Oregon Open participant Chris Gordon fell to Campbell Grayson despite a valiant effort in the third game to turn the match around.

After many weeks of anticipation, the fans saw local favorite Adam Perkiomaki square off with Joe Lee. The fans in Portland are looking forward to many more years watching Adam work his way up the professional ladder.

Match seven was a marathon battle between repeat Oregon Open participants Shawn Delierre and Ryan Cuskelly. The match was extended by an extraordinary number of lets. Surely the nightcap winner, Alfredo Avila, will be looking to do some running with Delierre tomorrow to test the Canadian’s legs.
  

18-Feb:
Qualifying Finals
Adam Perkiomaki reports

Players treated the ever-growing local crowd at the Multnomah Athletic Club to a wonderful exhibition of squash in the final qualification round of the Oregon Open today.

Shahjahan Khan bt Joe Chapman 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 (36m)

The young Khan clinched a closely contested first game, which seemed to steal the wind from Island Man Joe’s sails. Shah was under pressure but ran like Seattle Sleuth, beating the odds to claim a 3-0 victory.

Andrew Schnell bt Rueben Phillips 11-9, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6 (48m)

“Schnell” in German translates in English to “fast”. “Schnell” in the Oregon Open translates to exactly the same. Rueben showed grit taking the second, but the Canadian made quick work of the final two games closing it out 3-1.

Todd Harrity bt Zac Alexander 7-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-3 (44m)

After the first game, “The Todd” found himself down under immense pressure from the accurate Aussie Alexander. The next three, Harrity got low-down and dirty and put his Princeton degree to good use, demonstrating textbook drops and grade A length to take the match 3-1.

Alfredo Avila bt Karamatullah Khan 11-6, 11-1, 11-5 (30m)

Kama’s comedic persona had the crowd in stitches in what was almost an exhibition style match, and by far the most entertaining of the evening. Although laughter is a good tactic, speed and fitness won out in the end as Avila took it 3-0. 

17-Feb:
Qualifying Round One
Adam Perkiomaki reports

The local Portland crowd showed impressive support at the Multnomah Athletic Club on the first day of qualifying for the 2014 Oregon Open.

Joe Chapman bt Sean Ryan: 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-1) 20 min

Mr. Ryan the local marathon man had a good run against Joe “Chappers” Chapman, but in the end, his second wind seemed to blow the sails of the on-course British Virgin Islander who cruised to a 3-0 victory.

Shahjahan Khan bt Fred Reid: 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 13-11) 40 min

Freddie found himself sleepless in Seattle (Shah’s hometown) at 4am this morning after 4 failed attempts to land in PDX last night due to dangerous winds. Somehow making it for the match, Reid was seeing two Shah’s as the young Pakistani sped to a 3-0 win.

Reuben Phillips bt Charlie Wagner: 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-3) 33min

Charles channeled strong hometown chi in his surprise qualification showing. He held and sliced some great winners, but Reuben wasn’t phased as he calmly applied pressure until the 3-0 “W” was sealed.

Andrew Schnell bt Anders Giltvedt: 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-5) 28min

As if the Tournament Director didn’t already have enough on his hands, the feistily fast Schnell put Anders to work in all four corners of the court on his way to a well-played 3-0 win. To sum it up in Norwegian: “Uff Da!”

Zac Alexander bt Ahmad Alzabidi: 3-0 (11-4 11-7, 11-8) 40min

The hard-hitting Alexander displayed an exquisite balance of skill and power against the equally powerful and soft-handed Alzabidi. The Aussie’s persistent precision and flattening of balls into the nick helped him roll to a 3-0 victory over the Jordanian.

Todd Harrity bt Adrian Leanza: 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-7) 38 min

Looking fresh in a mint-colored tucked polo, the former Intercollegiate National Champion Harrity looked in classic form against fellow former Ivy League competitor Leanza. A 3-0 win was the result of low-down pace and dirty-dog pressure from the Princeton grad.

Karamatullah Khan bt Atticus Jones: 3-0 (11-3, 11-1, 11-9) 25min

The most anticipated match of the day featured the MAC’s own Atticus Jones against Kama Khan. The crowd was having fun and cheered as Jones showed flashes of genius against the entertaining Pakistani, who seemed determined not to force the error. Nearly saving 5 match-balls, Jones made a gutsy late run, but ultimately fell 3-0 to the experienced Khan.

Alfredo Avila bt Bradbury Tompson: 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-7) 31 min

The last match of the day pitted Mexico’s extremely quick Alfredo Avila against Leanza’s former teammate and recent Brown graduate Brad Tompson. Deep in focus, Tompson put up a solid fight, but the fleet-footed Avila refused to let a single ball bounce twice and nimbly negotiated a 3-0 win.