23-Sep, Final:
 
[1] Adrian Leanza (Usa) bt Mason Ripka (Usa)
            11-2, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9, 14-12

Leanza survives Ripka scare
to capture Buffalo Wild Wings title

Adrian Leanza won the Buffalo Wild Wings Open at Club at 800 in Rye Brook, NY on Sunday afternoon in a hard fought match against rising star Mason Ripka.

Ripka is just 16 years old, but he won't be catching any pros unaware again as word will quickly spread about his current level of play.

There is also an unmistakable similarity in his style of play to that of reigning PST World Champion Wael El Hindi. The tour's champion is a masterful shooter, who uses his body on court better than anyone on the planet. Ripka trains with Hindi and the master has taught him well.

Leanza dominated the opening frame as the junior seemed overly energetic. His coach (and father) must have righted the ship because the second and third games were all Ripka. He moved Leanza around the court by controlling the tempo of play and capitalizing on Leanza errors.

Leanza showed tremendous resolve in game four and jumped to a fast 8-2 lead. But Ripka won the next six points to pull the game level. Leanza's confidence seemed shaken.

But an unforced error from Ripka ended the streak and Leanza seemed settled again. He won the next two of three points to close out the game and force a deciding fifth game.

Leanza was the first to reach match ball as he pulled ahead 10-8. Ripka won the next three rallies and had a match ball of his own, then another at 12-11. On each of these rallies, he appealed to the referee for the point and each appeal was denied.

These decisions appeared to frustrate the young star who was in search of his first PST title, and Leanza closed out the match at 14-12.
  

"It doesn't get closer than what we saw today."

"It's interesting to watch Mason play. I tell juniors who compete on tour that they will gain experience with us.

"Our tour will make them tougher because the pros do things that they don't see on the junior circuit.

"However, Mason was the one frustrating our pros this week. He's mentally tough, he's big and he is getting so strong.

"I think he very well could be playing the best squash of any junior in the U.S. today, and I expect he will win some PST events this season."

 Joe McManus
PST Commissioner 

11-13, 11-4, 11-7, 11-4

Mohamed Nabil

11-2, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9, 14-12

Mason Ripka

3-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-6

Sean Wilkinson

Nabil works off the soreness ...

Phil Wilkins and Sean Wilkinson played a fast paced first game which featured Phil jumping out to a fast 9-5 lead.

Wilkinson righted himself and fought back to fend off a few game balls and escape with a win. Despite some moments of brilliance from Wilkins, games two and three belonged to Wilkinson.

Mason Ripka received a walk over when Kyle Jens was not able to take to the court due to an asthma attack.

A slimmed down Assem Salem entered the court after a summer of training and looked sharp beating elite U.S. Junior Jordan Brail in three games.

The closest match of the night featured Sat Seshadri battling tooth and nail again elite junior Pierson Broadwater.

Broadwater took the first game, his aggressive shooting style gave Seshadri trouble, but in later games Seshadri looked to extend rallies, with ultimate success.

"I needed to be patient," said Seshadri. "His shots are great and I needed to adjust in the middle of the match."
 

Tonight's winners join the top seeds in the quarter-finals, set for Saturday morning.
 

The PST opens its 2012/13 season at Club at 800 in Rye Brook, NY. Several top players will return to action and meet a new group of future stars.

Headlining the tournament are 2011 Philadelphia Open Champion Adrian Leanza (USA), 2011 Boston Open Champion Mohamed Nabil (Egypt) and 2012 Pyramid Open Champion Shahid Khan (England).

Opening round matches begin Friday night and tournament action continues through the weekend.

The Club@800 is a unique venture offering Squash and Fitness Programs in the Westchester and Fairfield area. They are located within the largest office building in Westchester County.
 

The Newcomers:

Mason Ripka, Anders Larson, Pierson Broadwater, and Jordan Brail have entered the tournament. All are elite players with international experience, yet none has reached his 17th birthday.

Mason Ripka is from New York and two years ago was the first junior to ever compete in a PST tournament. He has won several US junior national championships. This past summer he represented the US at the World Junior Team Championships.

Jordan Brail is a Top 5 US Junior in his division. He competes out of Riverdale Country School and is a former Canadian Junior Open Champion and US National Champion. Brail said, "I've been working really hard with my coaches in the offseason, and I'm excited to get a chance to play with the big boys."

Pierson Broadwater received the William T. Ketchum Award as the most improved junior male player of 2012 and is currently ranked as a Top 5 junior in his division. Broadwater has twice represented the U.S. in international competition.

Broadwater said, “I am so happy to have the opportunity to test my game against professionals . . . It is wonderful that PST affords this special opportunity to juniors.”

16 year old Anders Larson is the reigning U.S. U-17 National Champion. The young man brings enormous confidence to the court. Asked about his PST debut, he said I'm "going to show them how we do it in Brooklyn." And the pros should pay attention. Anders, like all of the players above, has extensive international competition experience.

PST Commissioner Joe McManus is looking forward to seeing these young men compete. "I know Mason well and have enjoyed seeing his rapid development.

"Anders, Jordan, and Pierson are some of the finest young squash players in America. As the U.S. seeks to become an international power in squash, the experience these top juniors will receive in our tournaments will be invaluable.

"I'm glad they are a part of our tour," concluded McManus.