|
|
Gawad claims Rochester Crown
 The
18 year old Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad prevailed after four games
1-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8 in 65 minutes against stiff opposition from
Englishman Tom Pashley to emerge victorious as the 2010 Rochester
ProAm Champion.
Another travel casualty of the volcanic ash mess last week after his
flight from Cairo via Germany was cancelled, the Egyptian teenager
eventually made the long trip to Rochester via a direct Cairo-NYC
flight followed by a 7 hour bus ride from NYC to Rochester reaching
in the wee hours of the morning last Tuesday.
With barely a day and a half to recover from travel fatigue and
jetlag, Abdel Gawad played some tough matches throughout the
tournament including two five-set matches, one against qualifier
Olivier Pett in the first round that lasted 111 minutes! This is his
4th PSA title since he joined the tour in 2008.
 |
More
coverage |
  Rochester
ProAm 2010
20-25 Apr, Rochester, Usa, $6k |
Round One
22 Apr |
Quarters
23 Apr |
Semis
24 Apr |
Final
25 Apr |
[1] Cesar Salazar (Mex)
11-8, 11-4, 11-8 (48m)
Benjamin Fischer (Sui) |
[1] Cesar Salazar
11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (36m)
[6] Matthew Serediak |
[1] Cesar Salazar
11-9, 13-11, 5-11, 2-11, 11-6 (91m)
[7] Tom Pashley |
[7] Tom Pashley
1-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8 (65m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad |
[6] Matthew Serediak (Can)
11-5, 11-2, 11-8 (32m)
Rory Pennell (Eng) |
[4] Eric Tepos Valtiera (Mex)
12-10, 11-8, 11-7 (66m)
Josh Cardwell (Aus) |
[4] Eric Tepos Valtiera
11-6, 11-7, 11-3 (42m)
[7] Tom Pashley |
[7] Tom Pashley (Eng)
11-9, 14-12, 11-3 (45m)
Dave Glass (Can) |
[Q] Fred Reid (Can)
11-6, 11-6, 11-4 (30m)
[5] Wade Johnstone (Aus) |
[5] Wade Johnstone
12-10, 11-9, 11-8 (50m)
[3] James Snell |
[3] James Snell
6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (52m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad |
[Q] Luke Forster (Aus)
7-11, 11-6, 11-1, 11-9 (43m)
[3] James Snell (Eng) |
[Q] Jonathan Ramos (Mex)
11-6, 9-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-7 (62m)
[8] Fabien Verseille (Fra) |
[8] Fabien Verseille
9-11, 6-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-3 (75m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad |
[Q] Olivier Pett (Eng)
14-12, 7-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-9 (111m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) |
21-Apr, Qualifying Finals:
Luke Forster bt. Maxym
Leclair
11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 14-12 (48 min)
Fred Reid bt. Joe Chapman
11-3, 11-6, 11-5 (29 min)
Jonathan Uriel Ramos Islas bt. Andres Duany 5-11,
11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 (85 min)
Olivier Pett bt. Jim Bristow
11-4, 11-7, 11-6 (36 min)
20-Apr,
Qualifying Round One:
Luke Forster bt. Luke
Butterworth 11-6, 11-8, 13-11 (33 m)
Maxym Leclair bt. Will Newnham 6-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3, 9-6
retired (50 m)
Andres Duany bt. Salvador Martinez 11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 6-11,
11-6 (66 m)
Jonathan Uriel Ramos Islas bt. Graham Bassett 12-10, 11-2,
9-11, 11-7 (62 m)
Joe Chapman bt. Armando Olguin 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (26 m)
Fred Reid bt. Hameed Ahmed 2-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-5 (40 m)
Jim Bristow bt. Ned Marks 11-8, 11-5, 12-10 (41 m)
Olivier Pett bt. Karim Yehia 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 (47 m)
|
Qualifying complete in Rochester
Will Newnham reports
First up for tonight’s session was Luke Forster from
Australia against Maxym Leclair from Canada. The rallies were
hotly contested from the beginning of the match, with Forster coming
out on top with his attacking style of play. In the first two games
Forster conducted play by controlling the middle of the court and
keeping his opponent at the back of the court. Once Forster had the
young Canadian pinned at the back, it was his delays from the front
that were causing Leclair to work hard. Forster takes a 2-0 lead.
In the third there was a turn of events. Here, Leclair started
hitting the ball tighter, thus preventing Forster from conducting
play with his arsenal of precise drop shots. This was a good game
from Leclair where he prevailed, 11-6. The last game was tight all
the way, with both players finding good length. The fans thought
that they were in for a treat when Leclair seemed to be getting the
better of Forster in the forth. However, Forster dug deep to come
away victorious 14-12 in the fourth.
On at the same time as Leclair and Forster was Joe Chapman,
the University of Rochester #7, and former U of R player Fred
Reid. Reid’s deception paid off from the start, forcing Chapman
to be on the receiving end of some great flick shots from the front.
Chapman, renowned for his competitive spirit, battled hard to keep
Reid at bay. However the talented Canadian proved too skillful for
Chapman of the British Virgin Islands, as he booked his place into
the main draw in three games.
Fred Reid bt. Joe Chapman 11-3, 11-6, 11-5(29 min)
For the second session of the night, Jonathon Islas of Mexico
faced off against the University of Rochester’s #4, the Peruvian,
Andres Duany. Duany came out of the blocks at a rapid pace,
playing precision squash and seemed to be a man on a mission, as he
sailed through the first game, 11-5. As the second game progressed,
the rallies were extended and the pace remained consistent. However,
the tables turned in favour of Islas as he relentlessly picked up
every shot that Duany through at him. To make matters worse for the
Peruvian, every shot that Islas retrieved was coming back in a
clinical manner. Second game to Islas, 11-6.
The following game was a similar story with both players chasing
down every single ball as if it were their last, but again Islas
came out on top 11-7. As Duany entered the court for the forth game,
he seemed to be more focused. Here he played disciplined squash
where he hit all four corners with fading lengths and clinical drop
shots. Although the Mexican ran all balls down, Duany prevailed
11-8. Going into the fifth game, the crowd could tell they were in
for a treat when the first point lasted a good couple of minutes
with both players showing that they both desired obtaining the
victory.
After a few more grueling points, Fabien Versaille, the referee
declared that it was the one of the longest games he had ever
refereed. The length of the game became evident as Islas began to
cramp in his left quad after a long point. At 8-8 in the fifth,
Islas was cramping heavily and the fans sensed a Duany victory.
However, the Mexican somehow managed to carry his leg around the
court for a few more points and somehow picked up a tight Duany drop
shot to seal the deal 11-9 in the fifth.
Good game boys.
The last match of the evening featured the U of R #2, Jim
“piglet nipples” Bristow and Olivier Pett, who were
renewing their junior days rivalry. Both players started the game
off very steadily, both finding good length, but Pett took control
by dominating the “T” and chopping in some stylish drops. Although
Bristow dug deep throughout the match, it became clear towards the
end that Pett’s training regiment combined with Bristow consuming
too many Cornish pasties, ultimately resulted in a victorious Pett
and a pink Bristow. All in all, a fair and good spirited match from
both players.
|
|
|
