15-Nov, Final:
Cuskelly collects Toronto Cup as Razik retires

It was an unfortunate conclusion to the Toronto Cup tonight as top seeded local hero Shahier Razik was forced to concede at a game and 7-1 down.

Razik had been hampered by a calf injury before Wednesday's semifinal against Nafiizwan Adnan of Malaysia, but was able to use his experience and intimate knowledge of the court to maneuver his way through. Cuskelly was undoubtedly aware of Razik's impeded movement and made the opening rallies long and testing.

The Canadian competed well but the Aussie always had a lead and finished the game with a comfortable 11-5 margin. He raced out to a commanding lead in the second as Razik's movement became visibly pained. A 3-minute injury break was not enough time to treat the problem, and although Shahier played three more rallies, the concession handshake was now inevitable. The win completed a great two weeks for Cuskelly, who reached the semifinals in Dayton prior to this. Hopefully Razik can recover quickly, both from the injury and effort of organizing the entire event!

A big thanks to Squash Revolution for sponsoring the tournament, Shahier for taking care of logistics, and the hosting clubs/pros for welcoming the event into their clubs. This was a unique event on the PSA Tour, with a total of 9 clubs hosting matches throughout the week.

The format exposed substantially more fans to the excitement of pro squash than most events. It was the first time many people have seen such high-level action. A city with a diverse squash community like Toronto was an appropriate host for such an event.

Hopefully these clubs have been inspired to host events of their own.
 

12-10, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9 (84m)

[3] Nafiizwan Adnan

11/5, 7/1
 retired injured

[2] Ryan Cuskelly

11-6, 12-10, 7-11, 11-4 (83m)

[2] Ryan Cuskelly

11-Nov, Qualifying Finals:
 
Farhan Zaman (Pak) 3-1 Gonzalo Miranda (Arg)    9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (50m)
Clinton Leeuw (Rsa) 3-0 Scott Arnold (Aus)                    11-9, 11-9, 11-9 (53m)
Eric Galvez (Mex) 3-1 Danish Atlas Khan (Pak)       2-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 (67m)
Jaymie Haycocks (Eng) 3-0  Ben Coleman (Eng)             11-9, 11-4, 11-9 (48m)

10-Nov, Qualifying Round One:

Gonzalo Miranda (Arg) 3-1 Micah Franklin (Ber)        11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9
Farhan Zaman (Pak) 3-1 Tyler Hamilton (Can)          9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4
Scott Arnold (Aus) 3-1 Robbie Downer (Eng)          13-15, 12-10, 11-7, 11-4
Clinton Leeuw (Rsa) 3-0 Matthew Serediak (Can)               11-6, 11-4, 11-4
Danish Atlas Khan (Pak) 3-0 Michael McCue (Can)             11-8, 11-4, 11-4
Eric Galvez (Mex) 3-0 Declan James (Eng)                         11-8, 11-7, 11-5
Ben Coleman (Eng) 3-01 Steven London (Eng)                   11-5, 11-8, 11-7
Jaymie Haycocks (Eng) 3-1 Adrian Dudzicki (Can)    8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-5

Venues:
BR - Badminton & Racquet Club,        CM - Club Meadowvale, 
DC - The Dunfield Club (Extreme),     ML - Mayfair Lakeshore
NS - National Squash Academy,         OC - Oakville Club
PC - The Parkview Club (Goodlife),    TC - Toronto Cricket Club
TL - Toronto Lawn & Tennis Club

More Details: www.raziksquash.com/view/Squash-Revolution.aspx

Razik v Adnad

Uncharacteristically, Shahier Razik got off to a great start, jumping to an early 4-1 lead in the opening game. Nafiizwan Adnan wouldn’t let it go easily though and battled back to take a 7-6 lead. Razik dug in as he is known to do, keeping the ball tight and wide and was able to take the 23 minute first game in extra points 12-10.

Adnan seemed to up the tempo in the second with some key holds from the front court that caught Razik flat footed on numerous occasions. He held steady and took it in half the time of the first game, 11-5.

The third game was critical for both players, they traded points all the way up to 7 all. Adnan seemed to get sucked into Razik’s slower pace game and was no longer forcing the tempo higher which would have worked in his favour. A stroke and a deft forehand volley drop put Razik ahead 10-8. A long rally saw both players covering all four quarters and an attempt short by Adnan found the tin, game to Razik 11-8, he was up 2 games to 1.

The fourth was even closer, point for point all the way up 6-6, Adnan knew his back was against the wall and surged ahead with three quick points to reach 9-6. It looked like a 5th game was in the cards.

The look on his face suggested Razik could sense his opportunity to close out the match was slipping away. He dug deep, made some amazing gets, and fought back to take the game 11-9. Adnan’s disappointment was palpable as he realized he let the opportunity go without as much resistance as he had been hoping for. Razik through to the final after 84 minutes of hard fought squash."-

Andrew Thompson (Toronto Lawn)

Cuskelly v Grayson

Grayson was coming off two tough matches in the opening rounds, while Cuskelly had made the last four playing the minimum six games. It didn't seem to factor heavily in the opening rallies, but there were hints that Campbell wasn't in optimal condition.

Cuskelly hit with more severity and purpose to take a 20+ minute first game. Grayson finally hit his stride midway through the second as the ball slowed down slightly, allowing him to attack short more often. He eventually reached game ball at 11-10 and left the Aussie diving in vain at a forehand drive, equalizing the affair after nearly 50 minutes of play.

In the third Cuskelly was able to maintain the pace of the first two games while Grayson began to show the effects of Monday and Tuesday's exertions. Ryan was still getting on the ball very quickly, holding, then punching the ball deep to put even more miles in Campbell's legs.

Errors and loose balls became more frequent, and from 7-all in the third Cuskelly was able to comfortably navigate the final four points, and the entire fourth game. It was never easy, but he finished with increasing authority."-

Mike McCue (Mayfair Lakeshore)
 

13-Nov, Quarters:
Top three through to Toronto semis

Split across several Toronto clubs, the Toronto Cup quarter-finals saw the top three seeds plus the player who beat the fourth seed in round one progress to the semi-finals ..

[1] Shahier Razik (Can) 3-0 Andrew Schnell (Can)
                 11/7, 11/4, 11/6 (50m)
[3] Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas) 3-1 Raphael Kandra (Ger)
                  11/9, 5/11, 12/10, 11/5 (57m)
Campbell Grayson (Nzl) v Matthew Karwalski (Aus)
                 11/6, 10/12, 11/9, 11/9 (62m)
[2] Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) 3-0 [Q] Farhan Zaman (Pak)
                11/9, 11/3, 11/1 (35m)

Shahier Razik bt Andrew Schnell 3-0

It was a battle between youth and experience! Razik was the heavy favourite going into the match as the number 1 seed playing on his home court in front of a partisan crowd. The match started with both players finding their rhythm with some good working shots to the front court.

The long rallies in the first half of the game favoured Razik as Schnell grew impatient in the later stages of each game, finding the tin when he least needed it. Razik jumped out to an early lead in the second and never looked back, taking the game 11-4 with little sustained resistance from the youngster. The third game was much closer than the score line would indicate as every rally was long and physical.

 In the end, much to the home club crowds’ delight, Razik’s experience prevailed, but Schnell showed that he has a bright future in squash." - Andrew Thompson (Toronto Lawn)


Campbell Grayson bt Mathew Karwalski 3-1

Campbell Grayson got off to a great start going up 7-1 in the first game. Mathew Karwalski battled back, but it was too little too late and Campbell closed it out 11-6. Campbell rolled out to a 9-4 lead in the second and looked to be in cruise control, but cut his finger and was forced to leave the court, which gave Mathew the much needed rest since he was already looking pretty bright red in the face.

Mat surged back, tied it at 9-9 after reeling out 5 unanswered points and went on to take the game 12-10 to Campbell’s visible disappointment. The third was neck and neck all the way, with Mathew looking like he found his second wind. Campbell pulled it out 11-9.

The 4th was identical to the 3rd, nip and tuck all the way, some great shot making, but Campbell found a stroke when he needed it most to close out the match 11-9 just as his legs looked like they were about to give way."- Andrew Thompson (Toronto Lawn)


Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 3/1

The opening game was marked by several clipped tins from both players. The Malaysian was able to extend the final three rallies long enough to force errors from the young German and take the game 11-9.

Kandra stuck to his initial plan of assaulting the front corners and lobbing himself out of trouble in the second, this time to better effect thanks to a lower error rate. Adnan seemed lost for ideas and was being forced into repeated hamstring-taxing lunges up front. Kandra rode this momentum to a comfortable 11-5 win and kept it up in the third. He began hitting more outright winners while Wan seemed to be tiring.

Kandra held game ball at 10-9 for a crucial 2-1 games lead. However, two tins in quick succession complemented by an Adnan winner gave the higher seed the game. The close third was the turning point (as ever) and any remaining hopes from the German camp were extinguished when Wan jumped to a 6-0 lead and duly finished the match 11-5. Both players deserve mention for great sportsmanship and clean movement, even at crucial stages of the match."- Mike McCue (Dunfield)


Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Farhan Zaman (PAK) 3/0

It was our 4th day in a row of world class squash at the National Squash Academy but our first look at the #2 seed and world #34 Ryan Cuskelly from Australia. He was set to take on #98 Farhan Zaman of Pakistan who was playing his 4th straight match at the NSA on the heels of upsetting #68 Arturo Salazar in the first round and two qualifying wins.

Zaman had endeared himself to the NSA crowd all week with his exciting shot making and easy going personality, but today most certainly met his match. Cuskelly, a left hander coming into his prime on the tour, took the first few rallies to adjust to the lively NSA courts before starting to show his class with inch perfect dying length, subtle but effective holds and outstanding movement. Down 9-4, Farhan mounted a spirited comeback with an offensive assault on Cuskelly, attacking early and often in every rally mixed in with some nice counters, brought it all the way back to 9-9.

However, with a stroke and yet another dying length into the nick on the left side, Cuskelly weathered the storm 11-9 to go up 1-0. From that point on, the Aussie completely dominated this match putting on a clinic of positional squash with sensational volleying, dying length, and JP-esque hold and flicks from the front. He cruised to an easy 11-3 2nd game and closed the match out with a nearly flawless 11-1 3rd game.

Touring pro Matt “the duck” Serediak who took in the match agreed with this observer that Cuskelly has a great shot to win the 2012 Squash Revolution Cup ."- Jamie Nicholls (NSA)