Northern Ontario Open 2016
18-23 Apr, Sudbury, Canada, $10k

23-Apr, Final:

[2] Arturo Salazar (Mex) 3-1  [6] Shahier Razik (Can)
           11/5, 9/11, 11/4, 11/4 (52m)

Arturo denies home winner

Mexican second seed Arturo Salazar had reached the final without dropping a game or spending more than 40 minutes on court in a match. His tactical approach was similar to begin the final; quick, sharp rallies and taking the ball in short from all angles.

This runs contrary to Shahier Razik's well-known attritional style, but the Mexican was better able to impose himself early on.

Salazar's attacks were made even more severe by a slow ball. Razik was finally able to extend some rallies late in the second to save himself from a 2-0 deficit.

However, the Mexican upped his focus and intensity in the third, making the court look particularly large. His choices and execution were purposeful.

Every ball was either held and snapped, or taken early. ‎The constant pressure was very taxing on Shahier, who hit several uncharacteristic tins.

The fourth was a formality as Salazar secured another $10k title and sent notice that he is returning to the form which took him to #36 in the world.

22-Apr, Semis:
Down to the final in Sudbury

The run of upset results came to an end in the semi-finals as sixth seed Shahier Razik ended the run of qualifier Nick Sachvie in four long all-Canadian games, and second-seeded Mexican Arturo Salazar dashed hopes of an all-Canadian final with a straight-game win over Mike McCue.

21-Apr, Quarters:
Canadians on fire in Sudbury quarters

The quarter-finals of the Northern Ontario Open in Sudbury saw three Canadians progress to the semi-finals.

Qualifier Nick Sachvie, having beaten top seed Shawn Delierre in the previous round, beat Bermuda's Noah Browne - also a qualifier - in straight games; Shahier Razik's three game win over third seed Martin Knight took exactly an hour to complete as Razik's control of the pace eventually wore out Knight; and tournament director Mick McCue followed up a first-ever win in the event with a comeback from match ball down in the third to beat fourth seed Eric Galvez in a five-game thriller.

Sachvie and Razik meet in an all-Canadian semi while McCue comes up against second seeded Mexican Arturo Salazar, who beat Lewis Walters in straight games.
 

Twitter: @sudburysquash

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Qualifying:

19-Apr, Qualifying Finals:

Noah Browne (Ber) 3-1 Kale WIlson (Tri)                   11/6, 11/5, 12/14, 11/3 (47m)
Nick Sachvie (Can) 3-0 David Haley (Wal)                           11/8, 11/3, 11/5 (40m)
Micah Franklin (Ber) 3-2 Babatunde Ajagbe (Ngr)  11/7, 5/11, 11/8, 5/11, 11/7 (60m)
Albert Shoihet (Can) 3-0 Thomas King (Can)                        11/4, 11/4, 11/3 (22m)

18-Apr, Round One:

Noah Browne (Ber) 3-0 Francisco Mendez (Mex)                  11/3, 11/0, 11/4 (24m)
Nick Sachvie (Can) 3-0 Dan Bergin (Wal)                            11/4, 11/6, 11/2 (26m)
David Haley (Wal) 3-2 Marco Torriz-Caddo (Mex) 11/8, 9/11, 9/11, 11/7, 11/5 (71m)
Micah Franklin (Ber) 3-0 Charles De La Riva (Can)                11/4, 11/4, 11/4 (23m)
Babatunde Ajagbe (Ngr) 3-0 Ryan Abresch (Can)                11/4, 11/9, 11/1 (24m)
Thomas King (Can) 3-0 Dave Starling (Can)                      11/5, 12/10, 11/5 (24m)

19-Apr, Qualifying Finals:
Two Bermudians through in Ontario

For the first time in history, two Bermudian players have qualified through to the main draw of a PSA event.

Noah Browne maintained his perfect record on the world tour with a victory over Kale Wilson. Browne dictated proceedings in the first two games before Wilson tidied up his hitting and scraped the third in a tiebreak. Browne reasserted in the fourth and comfortably booked his main draw spot, where he will play Joe Chapman.

His compatriot Micah Franklin overcame Babatunde Ajagbe in a see-saw five games. After sharing the first four sets, a series of brutal rallies midway through the fifth left Ajagbe weary. Franklin capitalized on the Nigerian's loose play with some clinical backhand drops to clinch victory. He will meet Sudbury native Mike McCue in the main draw.

The other two main event spots were claimed by Canadians Nick Sachvie and Albert Shoihet. Sachvie ended Welsh interest in the event, comfortably disposing of Dave Haley in 40 minutes. Shoihet won the night's shortest match over young pro Thomas King. Sachvie's reward is a match with top-seed Shawn Delierre, which will be marked as a marquee match tomorrow night, while Shoihet will take on Mexican veteran Eric Galvez.

18-Apr, Qualifying Round One:

The 7th Northern Ontario Open PSA event got underway at the Sudbury YMCA Monday night with several local players and Canadian pros in action. Bermuda's Noah Browne, making his PSA debut, convincingly dispatched Francisco "Paco" Mendez in the opening match.

His reward is a matchup with fellow Carribbean player Kale Wilson for a spot in the main draw. The Welsh contingent was fully represented in the second set of matches, but only one Cymru player survived. Dave Haley managed to overcome unorthodox Mexican Marco Torriz in a let-filled five games. Haley controlled most rallies with classic straight hitting but was unsettled by Torriz considerable reach and retrieving. Meanwhile, Haley's compatriot Dan Bergin was overwhelmed by the pace and aggression of Nick Sachvie.

Local junior Charles De La Riva was also playing his maiden PSA event and enjoyed the vocal support of Sudbury's squash community. He gave a good account of himself and managed a few crosscourt nicks before logically succumbing to Bermuda's Micah Franklin. It is worth noting that this appears be the first time two native Bermudians have featured in the same PSA event (not withstanding the World Series events held in Bermuda many years ago).

Another Sudburian, Ryan Abresch, came very close to stealing the second game from Babatunde Ajagbe. Clawing back from 1/8 down, Abresch found himself at 9/10 before crippling fatigue set in. Thomas King overcame the final local, Dave Starling, in the nightcap.

Unfortunately, noted tournament photographer Meghan McCue is currently studying abroad in Germany and as such will not be taking action shots this year...perhaps a Bundesliga team is in need of a photographer.

Special mention is also extended to Matt Serediak, who is missing this event for the first time in a decade, dating back to its days as a weekend invitational!
 

Twitter: @sudburysquash