During the Mayacamas Ranch North American Open semi-finals at the Bay Club last night the capacity crowd had the pleasure of seeing 2 very different types of game.
First on court was the World No.9 and tournament No.1 seed, John White, from Scotland now living with his wife and 4 kids in Philadelphia. Matched against Shawn Delierre (World No.44 who the night before ousted the No.4 seed and world #25, Shahir Razik), White was on top form giving the crowd, and the lower ranked Delierre, a first class lesson in Squash. White's ability to control the ball at whatever speed he chose and pin Delierre in the back corners with perfect width and length proved the deciding factor in a frenetic and high paced match. Rarely were the rallies more than a few shots long but when it mattered White's ability to get the ball in the corners tight and away from the middle gave nothing for Delierre to counter punch so it was a White wash 3-0 in double quick time, 11-9,11-6, 11-5.
The second match of the night proved to be a real nail biter with one of the longest tie breaks on record.
It was between an evenly matched Aslan Iskander of Malaysia and Adrian Grant of England. Both players are known for their speed and court coverage so it was inevitable that there were going to be some great rallies with tremendous retrieving and athleticism. The first game went to the Iskander 11-5 as the Brit hadn't quite found his range. But then it was clear, as the 2nd game went point for point from the start, we were looking at an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. For every great shot one player hit, the other was quickly on to it ane able to retrieve it with ease and get back on level terms in the rally. It reached the tie break at 10-10 and point for point they went with the occasional display of frustration because it was clear that winning a point was challenging. 14-14 and both players were covering the court so well it was hard not to give a let for almost every point that was stopped by a 'let' call. It was clear that both players were reaching every ball, reading the game so well. 19-19 and surely something or someone must give. The crowd were completely absorbed by the whole experience - often yelling out their own decisions in the hope that their favored player would sneak this incredible 2nd game.
It was Iskander who broke the dead-lock as he led 20-19 and held his nerve to take the game off a Grant error.
Suddenly it was 2-0 and Iskander looked firmly in the driving seat. However, Grant had other intentions and came back, to his credit, with a great performance in the 3rd game where most people would have flailed and took it convincingly 11-4.
The match, it seemed was far from over! Aslan would have to find another gear and reproduce some the focus and quality he did to clinch the 2nd game against his higher ranked opponent.
That's exactly what he did in the 4th game and after a period of high quality work he sneaked ahead to lead 10-7 with victory in sight. One final push saw Aslan victorious and it felt like by the end Aslan had little energy left in him for any kind of celebration. It looked more like relief on his face as he shook Grant's hand after a great game of squash. The crowd were pleased!
The Final tonight threatens to be a fitting climax to the event. White and his incredible array of shots, angles, power and touch. Iskander and his phenominal speed, court coverage and counter punching. Let the game begin!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Delierre spoils a top seed white wash
It was Shawn Delierre's night at the Bay Club in the Mayacamas Ranch Quarterfinals. Delierre, the french-Canadian, was the only player to over throw a higher seeded opponent in an other wise night or relatively one-sided matches.
In ring with him was fellow Canadian Shahier Razik. It may have been the local rivalry that produced a high contact match that could have been settled by 2 submissions and a knock-out had it been another sport. Delierre was in no mood to let it slip. After winning a close first that went to the tie-break, Razik came back strong to win the 2nd before Dellierre stamped his authority on the 4th game winning that comfortably. Razik was not to be out done and proceeded to give Delierre the same treatment in the 4th winning that in a similar fashion. So it went to the fifth and final round where Razik eventually succumb to the fierce Delierre attack. The final score being a Delierre win 12/10, 8/11, 11/3, 3/11, 11/9.
The other 3 matches proved tame by comparison and all the higher seeds came through unscathed.
The number 2 seed, Adrian Grant put his 5 set battle from yesterday behind him and closed out his match against Miguel Rodriguez 11/9, 11/7, 11/5.
The No.3 seed, Azlan Iskander, set up a semi-final clash with Grant after dispensing with Englishman, Chris Simpson, 11/9, 11/3, 11/4.
And the wirey Scot John White, our No.1 seed, closed out David Philips of Canada in a fine display of quality Squash winning 11/4, 11/6, 11/8.
So the semi-finals are heating up to be 2 great matches:
John White v Shawn Delierre
Adrian Grant v Aslan Iskander
We'll see you there!
In ring with him was fellow Canadian Shahier Razik. It may have been the local rivalry that produced a high contact match that could have been settled by 2 submissions and a knock-out had it been another sport. Delierre was in no mood to let it slip. After winning a close first that went to the tie-break, Razik came back strong to win the 2nd before Dellierre stamped his authority on the 4th game winning that comfortably. Razik was not to be out done and proceeded to give Delierre the same treatment in the 4th winning that in a similar fashion. So it went to the fifth and final round where Razik eventually succumb to the fierce Delierre attack. The final score being a Delierre win 12/10, 8/11, 11/3, 3/11, 11/9.
The other 3 matches proved tame by comparison and all the higher seeds came through unscathed.
The number 2 seed, Adrian Grant put his 5 set battle from yesterday behind him and closed out his match against Miguel Rodriguez 11/9, 11/7, 11/5.
The No.3 seed, Azlan Iskander, set up a semi-final clash with Grant after dispensing with Englishman, Chris Simpson, 11/9, 11/3, 11/4.
And the wirey Scot John White, our No.1 seed, closed out David Philips of Canada in a fine display of quality Squash winning 11/4, 11/6, 11/8.
So the semi-finals are heating up to be 2 great matches:
John White v Shawn Delierre
Adrian Grant v Aslan Iskander
We'll see you there!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The big boys arrive!!
The first round of the event proper got under way today.... and what a feast for the eyes it was for the San Francisco fans.
The matches at the Bay Club opened with Liam Kenny and David Philips (the Canadian Qualifier). Philips was on fire from the off and gave Kenny a real handful of challenges with his attacking style and tremendous use of short, hard cross-court kill shots that really unsettled the Australian born Irishmen. Control of the match switched several times between the two as Philips took the first, Kenny sneaked the second in a tie break and then Philips replied winning the 3rd convincingly before Kenny proved his metal and claimed the 4th to level the match. It was inevitable that the match should go the distance and indeed it did. As the 5th game progressed the players traded point for point until it reached 10-10 and it was anyones match. It was Philips day, after battling through qualifying he held his nerve and clinched the match 13-11 in the first game much to the crowds pleasure. A great match to really kick the tournament off.
Second match on was Shawn Delierre, the seeded French-Canadian, who was up against the several times retired Chris Walker (ex-world No.4 from England) 2 weeks shy of his 40th birthday. An intriguing battle, Delierre won the first game without much fuss but then Walker got the better of the Delierre on-slaught to the front of the court and played himself back in to the game by stepping up the court. Delierre suddenly found that his frontal attack was being countered with drops and lobs from the experienced Walker. Walker took the 2nd and worked hard to notch up the 3rd to lead 2-1 after a tie-break. The extra efforts of the tie-break took it's toll on Walker as Delierre continued to attack and keep the pressure on through the 4th and 5th games. Closing out the match, never relinquishing the lead again, in the 5th 11-6.
Then the crowd was treated to a display of Squash by the world No.9 (and ex-World No.1), John White, that moistened the taste buds for what might be coming later in the week. His opponent, Wade Johnstone, competed well and certainly game John and good run but the highlights were some world class shots and creative angles by White that left Johnstone searching for answers. White's pace, power and use of the angles always seemed to give him the edge in an entertaining match which White closed out in 3 games. The thought of more John White at the Bay Club is something the sell-out crowds are lookng forward to over the next few days!
Last match on the main court was Shahier Razik from Canada and the recent Princeton graduate, Yassar El Haliby from Egypt. Shahier is one of those players that just won't go away and today was no exception. A great demonstration of smooth movement and patience, Razik was able to control the pace and enthusiasm of his younger opponent answering most of Yassar's attacks with exceptional lobs and counter drops. In the end Yasar ran himself in to the ground. Shahier simply absorbed all the pace and pressure that Yassar could offer before closing out the match in 3 games.
At the Olympic Club the crowd had the pleasure of another great match between the Aussie Qualifier, Raj Nanda, and the No.2 seed Adrian Grant. Nanda, the under dog on paper surged to a 2-0 lead and was looking strong. However, Grant kept his cool and used his experience to hang in there while Nanda continued to press for the victory.
Grant's patience paid off as he dilligently worked his way back in to the match and took the last 3 games to claim victory - much to Raj's frustration as he has now played in San Francisco the last 3 years and squandered 2-0 leads every time!!
Let's hope next year proves to be different!
Meanwhile at Bay Club Marin, Azlan Iskander the Malaysian No.3 seed, wa faced with Omar El Borrolossy who was finalist in the Atlanta PSA event last week. After a slow start and dropping the first game, Aslan found his game and took control to claim a 2-1 lead. The fourth game proved to be the game of the night for the Marin crowd. Reaching 10-10 the tie break insued and El Borolossy extended the Malaysian to 12-12 before going down 14-12 in the closest finish of the evening.
The final match was between Chris Simpson and the US wild card entry, Ryan Donegan. Simpson was in fine form and confidently put Donegan in his place with a comfortable win. Donegan gaining experience, Simpson gaining a second round position in the draw.
A great nights squash accross the San Francisco Bay!
Results summary:
San Francisco Bay Club:
David Phillips beat Liam Kenny, 11/8, 12/10, 2/11, 6/11, 13/11
Shawn Delierre beat Chris Walker, 4/11, 11/9, 14/12, 4/11, 6/11
John White beat Wade Johnstone, 11/8, 12/10, 11/5
Shahier Razik beat Yasser El Haleby, 11/8, 11/3, 11/6
Olympic Club
Adrian Grant beat Raj Nanda, 5/11, 8/11, 11/5, 11/8, 11/3
Miguel Rodriguez w/o Eric Gomez
Bay Club Marin
Azlan Iskander beat Omar El Borolossy, 8/11, 11/6, 11/7, 14/12
Chris Simpson beat Ryan Donnegan, 11/6, 11/6, 11/8
The matches at the Bay Club opened with Liam Kenny and David Philips (the Canadian Qualifier). Philips was on fire from the off and gave Kenny a real handful of challenges with his attacking style and tremendous use of short, hard cross-court kill shots that really unsettled the Australian born Irishmen. Control of the match switched several times between the two as Philips took the first, Kenny sneaked the second in a tie break and then Philips replied winning the 3rd convincingly before Kenny proved his metal and claimed the 4th to level the match. It was inevitable that the match should go the distance and indeed it did. As the 5th game progressed the players traded point for point until it reached 10-10 and it was anyones match. It was Philips day, after battling through qualifying he held his nerve and clinched the match 13-11 in the first game much to the crowds pleasure. A great match to really kick the tournament off.
Second match on was Shawn Delierre, the seeded French-Canadian, who was up against the several times retired Chris Walker (ex-world No.4 from England) 2 weeks shy of his 40th birthday. An intriguing battle, Delierre won the first game without much fuss but then Walker got the better of the Delierre on-slaught to the front of the court and played himself back in to the game by stepping up the court. Delierre suddenly found that his frontal attack was being countered with drops and lobs from the experienced Walker. Walker took the 2nd and worked hard to notch up the 3rd to lead 2-1 after a tie-break. The extra efforts of the tie-break took it's toll on Walker as Delierre continued to attack and keep the pressure on through the 4th and 5th games. Closing out the match, never relinquishing the lead again, in the 5th 11-6.
Then the crowd was treated to a display of Squash by the world No.9 (and ex-World No.1), John White, that moistened the taste buds for what might be coming later in the week. His opponent, Wade Johnstone, competed well and certainly game John and good run but the highlights were some world class shots and creative angles by White that left Johnstone searching for answers. White's pace, power and use of the angles always seemed to give him the edge in an entertaining match which White closed out in 3 games. The thought of more John White at the Bay Club is something the sell-out crowds are lookng forward to over the next few days!
Last match on the main court was Shahier Razik from Canada and the recent Princeton graduate, Yassar El Haliby from Egypt. Shahier is one of those players that just won't go away and today was no exception. A great demonstration of smooth movement and patience, Razik was able to control the pace and enthusiasm of his younger opponent answering most of Yassar's attacks with exceptional lobs and counter drops. In the end Yasar ran himself in to the ground. Shahier simply absorbed all the pace and pressure that Yassar could offer before closing out the match in 3 games.
At the Olympic Club the crowd had the pleasure of another great match between the Aussie Qualifier, Raj Nanda, and the No.2 seed Adrian Grant. Nanda, the under dog on paper surged to a 2-0 lead and was looking strong. However, Grant kept his cool and used his experience to hang in there while Nanda continued to press for the victory.
Grant's patience paid off as he dilligently worked his way back in to the match and took the last 3 games to claim victory - much to Raj's frustration as he has now played in San Francisco the last 3 years and squandered 2-0 leads every time!!
Let's hope next year proves to be different!
Meanwhile at Bay Club Marin, Azlan Iskander the Malaysian No.3 seed, wa faced with Omar El Borrolossy who was finalist in the Atlanta PSA event last week. After a slow start and dropping the first game, Aslan found his game and took control to claim a 2-1 lead. The fourth game proved to be the game of the night for the Marin crowd. Reaching 10-10 the tie break insued and El Borolossy extended the Malaysian to 12-12 before going down 14-12 in the closest finish of the evening.
The final match was between Chris Simpson and the US wild card entry, Ryan Donegan. Simpson was in fine form and confidently put Donegan in his place with a comfortable win. Donegan gaining experience, Simpson gaining a second round position in the draw.
A great nights squash accross the San Francisco Bay!
Results summary:
San Francisco Bay Club:
David Phillips beat Liam Kenny, 11/8, 12/10, 2/11, 6/11, 13/11
Shawn Delierre beat Chris Walker, 4/11, 11/9, 14/12, 4/11, 6/11
John White beat Wade Johnstone, 11/8, 12/10, 11/5
Shahier Razik beat Yasser El Haleby, 11/8, 11/3, 11/6
Olympic Club
Adrian Grant beat Raj Nanda, 5/11, 8/11, 11/5, 11/8, 11/3
Miguel Rodriguez w/o Eric Gomez
Bay Club Marin
Azlan Iskander beat Omar El Borolossy, 8/11, 11/6, 11/7, 14/12
Chris Simpson beat Ryan Donnegan, 11/6, 11/6, 11/8
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Local star Allen finds it a bridge too far
Mark Allen's challenge on the Mayacamas Rach North American Open came to an abrupt halt last night when he faced the Canadian David Philips in the last round of Qualifying. Even with some vocal support from his home crowd, Philips maintained his composure and kept the game under control. Allen had a glimmer of hope in the 2nd game when he held Philips at 9-9 but the Canadian answered the challenge and closed out the game 11-9.
The other match at the Bay Club also had a local flavor as it was me, Mark's old PSA tour training partner from England (we go back some 30 years now!), and I was up against the Scot, Stuart Crawford. With a little help from the vocal section of the crowd I played my best game for about 3 years to win in 3 games - nervous about keeping the match going too long I was happy to save 3 games points against me in the 3rd before closing out 12-10 after a couple of surprising errors from Crawford.
The Olympic Club paid host to the other two final-round qualifying matches.
Wade Johnstone the Australian, who yesterday took out Decathlon's own Jon Perry, carried on the charge with a convincing 3-1 win over the talented Jose Becceril.
In the second of those matches Raj Nanda, the tall mild-mannered Australian, took out Robin Clarke from Canada in a 'no-messing around' 3-0 victory.
The first round proper begins tonight and matches are split between venues as follows:
The San Francisco Bay Club
5:30 pm: First Round Match 1
6:20 pm: First Round Match 2 – our #4 seed will take the court
7:10 pm: First Round Match 3 – our #1 seed will take the court
8:00 pm: First Round Match 4
Bay Club Marin, Corte Madera Town Centre
6:00 pm: First Round Match 5
7:00 pm:First Round Match 6 – our #3 seed will take the court
Olympic Club, 524 Post Street
5:30 pm: First Round Match 7
6:30 pm: Players Charity Auction & Welcome Party
7:30 pm: First Round Match 8 – our #2 seed will take the court
Come and cheer on the best in the world! Enjoy the squash!
The other match at the Bay Club also had a local flavor as it was me, Mark's old PSA tour training partner from England (we go back some 30 years now!), and I was up against the Scot, Stuart Crawford. With a little help from the vocal section of the crowd I played my best game for about 3 years to win in 3 games - nervous about keeping the match going too long I was happy to save 3 games points against me in the 3rd before closing out 12-10 after a couple of surprising errors from Crawford.
The Olympic Club paid host to the other two final-round qualifying matches.
Wade Johnstone the Australian, who yesterday took out Decathlon's own Jon Perry, carried on the charge with a convincing 3-1 win over the talented Jose Becceril.
In the second of those matches Raj Nanda, the tall mild-mannered Australian, took out Robin Clarke from Canada in a 'no-messing around' 3-0 victory.
The first round proper begins tonight and matches are split between venues as follows:
The San Francisco Bay Club
5:30 pm: First Round Match 1
6:20 pm: First Round Match 2 – our #4 seed will take the court
7:10 pm: First Round Match 3 – our #1 seed will take the court
8:00 pm: First Round Match 4
Bay Club Marin, Corte Madera Town Centre
6:00 pm: First Round Match 5
7:00 pm:First Round Match 6 – our #3 seed will take the court
Olympic Club, 524 Post Street
5:30 pm: First Round Match 7
6:30 pm: Players Charity Auction & Welcome Party
7:30 pm: First Round Match 8 – our #2 seed will take the court
Come and cheer on the best in the world! Enjoy the squash!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
First day and the local star stands strong, by Chris Walker
Mixed fortunes at the first days play for the locals at this year's Mayacamas Ranch North American Open.
Spectators at the Bay Club had the pleasure of seeing two of their local Squash stars compete in the first round of the qualifying last night. First on court was Decathlon Club's own Jon Perry. Up against Wade Johnstone, a regular on the tour, Jon played with conviction and gave Wade some serious challenges (especially with his forehand cross-court flick drop shot from the front right which saw Wade sailing in the wrong direction at least half a dozen times much to the crowds delight. However, just when Jon really needed one more of them Wade started to read and return them with interest. Three close games but Wade came out on top with superior fitness and the ability to 'hang-in' against Perry's front court attacks towards the end of each game. Johnstone came through 11-9, 11-8, 11-9.
Top of the bill for the night was the Bay Club's own Head professional Mark Allen, who only got in to the draw because one of the PSA players didn't show for the qualifying draw. After a heavy day in his office as tournament organizer, on the computer and arranging player transport and the sponsor's beer supplies he managed to make it to the court on time and produce some great Squash against the younger, less experienced Patrick Bedore. Bedore I am sure didn't know what had hit him.... Mallen used all his knowledge of the game to control the match and, after a late flurry from Patrick really tested his composure and aerobic capacity, he was able to close it out in double quick time (much to the relief of lungs, pump and knowing spectators!).
In the other matches around San Francisco last night:
At the OC (being the Olympic Club) Stuart Crawford from Scotland beat the favored Jorge Ferreira 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 15-13 to meet Chris Walker (author of this blog) who won his first PSA match in 3 1/2 years against Ian Power 11-6, 11-6, 11-4.
The Canadian, David Philips, beat another local and Bay Club favorite Armando Oliguin 11-1, 11-2, 11-6 again at the OC.
Meanwhile, at Bay Club Marin, Armando's brother, Marco Olguin was accumulating more points than his brother (despite losing the first game 11-0) against another Canadian, Robin Clarke, going down 11-0, 11-4, 11-8.
Canada 2, Olgiun's 0.
The second match at Bay Club Marin was between Raj Nanda, of Australia, and Regardt 'Reggie' Schonborn of South Africa. The Aussie pulled through in 4 games. 11-3, 11-13, 11-7, 11-6.
The third and final Bay Club Marin match was between Jose Becceril and Andrew McDougall. The Mexican Becceril proving too strong in the end winning in 4, 11-7, 11,13, 11-9, 11-5.
TUESDAY MAY 22, TONIGHT'S MATCHES ARE:
AT THE BAY CLUB:
6PM STUART CRAWFORD V CHRIS WALKER
8PM DAVID PHILIPS V MARK ALLEN
AT THE OC (OLYMPIC CLUB):
5.45PM ROBIN CLARKE V RAJ NANDA
6.45PM WADE JOHNSTONE V JOSE BECCERIL
BE THERE OR MISS THE BEST THING IN SAN FRANCISCO TONIGHT!
Spectators at the Bay Club had the pleasure of seeing two of their local Squash stars compete in the first round of the qualifying last night. First on court was Decathlon Club's own Jon Perry. Up against Wade Johnstone, a regular on the tour, Jon played with conviction and gave Wade some serious challenges (especially with his forehand cross-court flick drop shot from the front right which saw Wade sailing in the wrong direction at least half a dozen times much to the crowds delight. However, just when Jon really needed one more of them Wade started to read and return them with interest. Three close games but Wade came out on top with superior fitness and the ability to 'hang-in' against Perry's front court attacks towards the end of each game. Johnstone came through 11-9, 11-8, 11-9.
Top of the bill for the night was the Bay Club's own Head professional Mark Allen, who only got in to the draw because one of the PSA players didn't show for the qualifying draw. After a heavy day in his office as tournament organizer, on the computer and arranging player transport and the sponsor's beer supplies he managed to make it to the court on time and produce some great Squash against the younger, less experienced Patrick Bedore. Bedore I am sure didn't know what had hit him.... Mallen used all his knowledge of the game to control the match and, after a late flurry from Patrick really tested his composure and aerobic capacity, he was able to close it out in double quick time (much to the relief of lungs, pump and knowing spectators!).
In the other matches around San Francisco last night:
At the OC (being the Olympic Club) Stuart Crawford from Scotland beat the favored Jorge Ferreira 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 15-13 to meet Chris Walker (author of this blog) who won his first PSA match in 3 1/2 years against Ian Power 11-6, 11-6, 11-4.
The Canadian, David Philips, beat another local and Bay Club favorite Armando Oliguin 11-1, 11-2, 11-6 again at the OC.
Meanwhile, at Bay Club Marin, Armando's brother, Marco Olguin was accumulating more points than his brother (despite losing the first game 11-0) against another Canadian, Robin Clarke, going down 11-0, 11-4, 11-8.
Canada 2, Olgiun's 0.
The second match at Bay Club Marin was between Raj Nanda, of Australia, and Regardt 'Reggie' Schonborn of South Africa. The Aussie pulled through in 4 games. 11-3, 11-13, 11-7, 11-6.
The third and final Bay Club Marin match was between Jose Becceril and Andrew McDougall. The Mexican Becceril proving too strong in the end winning in 4, 11-7, 11,13, 11-9, 11-5.
TUESDAY MAY 22, TONIGHT'S MATCHES ARE:
AT THE BAY CLUB:
6PM STUART CRAWFORD V CHRIS WALKER
8PM DAVID PHILIPS V MARK ALLEN
AT THE OC (OLYMPIC CLUB):
5.45PM ROBIN CLARKE V RAJ NANDA
6.45PM WADE JOHNSTONE V JOSE BECCERIL
BE THERE OR MISS THE BEST THING IN SAN FRANCISCO TONIGHT!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Charity Players Auction
In this unusual auction, our 16 main draw players will be paired together. Opening bids for each pair will start at $200. As 100% of the proceeds will go to our charity, St. John’s Educational Threshold Center of San Francisco, we are hoping the auction will be lively, and that all eight winning bids will bring in more than $1,000 each for this worthy cause.
The auction will start on Monday evening at Bay Club Marin, continue on Tuesday at The San Francisco Bay Club, and end at The Olympic Club on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m.
If you make a winning bid, and at the end of the tournament the pair of players you “own” have won more games as a combined team than any other pair, then you’ll win our first prize.* For instance if John White wins the tournament (winning all four of his matches), and his partner Ryan Donnegan, loses his first match 3-2, then the total for the pair is 14 games. Only main draw matches count toward the total.
We also have a second prize for our second highest total, and a third prize for the third highest total.
Come to the early rounds of the tournament, enjoy some fiercely competitive qualifying matches, and make a generous bid in our charity auction. To encourage everyone to come along and support our auction, entrance to the Tuesday evening matches at The San Francisco Bay Club will now be free of charge.
If you can't make it to the early rounds of our event, but would like to be involved in the auction and make a bid, contact me at mallen@sfbayclub.com or 415.901.9335 so we can arrange for you to participate in the final round at The Olympic Club by phone.Good luck and see you at the auction!
Auction Players Pairings
Pair 1. John White and Ryan Donnegan
Pair 2. Liam Kenny and Miguel Angel Rodriguez
Pair 3. Shahier Razik and Qualifier No.4
Pair 4. Shawn Delierre and Omar Elborolossy
Pair 5. Mohd Azlan Iskander and Qualifier No.2
Pair 6. Eric Galvez and Qualifier No.3
Pair 7. Chris Simpson and Yasser El Halaby
Pair 8. Adrian Grant and Qualifier No.1
First Prize (an estimated value of $6,000) Mayacamas Ranch Corporate or Group Retreat for 10, including lunch with wine pairing, massage, and overnight accommodations.
Second Prize (an estimated value of $3,000)Mayacamas Ranch Corporate or Group Day Retreat for 10 including lunch, with wine pairing.
Third Prize (an estimated vale of $1,000)6 Tickets to Teatro Zinzani with limousine service included.
The auction will start on Monday evening at Bay Club Marin, continue on Tuesday at The San Francisco Bay Club, and end at The Olympic Club on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m.
If you make a winning bid, and at the end of the tournament the pair of players you “own” have won more games as a combined team than any other pair, then you’ll win our first prize.* For instance if John White wins the tournament (winning all four of his matches), and his partner Ryan Donnegan, loses his first match 3-2, then the total for the pair is 14 games. Only main draw matches count toward the total.
We also have a second prize for our second highest total, and a third prize for the third highest total.
Come to the early rounds of the tournament, enjoy some fiercely competitive qualifying matches, and make a generous bid in our charity auction. To encourage everyone to come along and support our auction, entrance to the Tuesday evening matches at The San Francisco Bay Club will now be free of charge.
If you can't make it to the early rounds of our event, but would like to be involved in the auction and make a bid, contact me at mallen@sfbayclub.com or 415.901.9335 so we can arrange for you to participate in the final round at The Olympic Club by phone.Good luck and see you at the auction!
Auction Players Pairings
Pair 1. John White and Ryan Donnegan
Pair 2. Liam Kenny and Miguel Angel Rodriguez
Pair 3. Shahier Razik and Qualifier No.4
Pair 4. Shawn Delierre and Omar Elborolossy
Pair 5. Mohd Azlan Iskander and Qualifier No.2
Pair 6. Eric Galvez and Qualifier No.3
Pair 7. Chris Simpson and Yasser El Halaby
Pair 8. Adrian Grant and Qualifier No.1
First Prize (an estimated value of $6,000) Mayacamas Ranch Corporate or Group Retreat for 10, including lunch with wine pairing, massage, and overnight accommodations.
Second Prize (an estimated value of $3,000)Mayacamas Ranch Corporate or Group Day Retreat for 10 including lunch, with wine pairing.
Third Prize (an estimated vale of $1,000)6 Tickets to Teatro Zinzani with limousine service included.
Charity Players Auction
In this unusual auction, our 16 main draw players will be paired together and auctioned off. Opening bids for each pair will start at $200. As 100% of the proceeds will go to our charity, St. JohnÕs Educational Threshold Center of San Francisco, we are hoping the auction will be lively, and that all eight winning bids will bring in more than $1,000 each for this worthy cause. The auction will start on Monday evening at Bay Club Marin, continue on Tuesday at The San Francisco Bay Club, and end at The Olympic Club on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m.
If you make a winning bid, and then on Saturday evening our tournament champion is one of your two players, youÕll win our first prize, and if your player comes in second, then you win our second prize. If you have both players you win both prizes and an additional bonus prize!
Come to the early rounds of the tournament, enjoy some fiercely competitive qualifying matches, and make a generous bid in our charity auction. To encourage everyone to come along and support our auction, entrance to the Tuesday evening matches at The San Francisco Bay Club will now be free of charge. If you can't make it to the early rounds of our event, but would like to be involved in the auction and make a bid, contact me at mallen@sfbayclub.com or 415.901.9335 so we can arrange for you to participate in the final round at The Olympic Club by phone.
Good luck and see you at the auction!
Auction Players Pairings
Pair 1. John White and Ryan Donnegan
Pair 2. Liam Kenny and Miguel Angel Rodriguez
Pair 3. Shahier Razik and Qualifier No.4
Pair 4. Shawn Delierre and Omar Elborolossy
Pair 5. Mohd Azlan Iskander and Qualifier No.2
Pair 6. Eric Galvez and Qualifier No.3
Pair 7. Chris Simpson and Yasser El Halaby
Pair 8. Adrian Grant and Qualifier No.1
First Prize (an estimated value of $6,000)
Mayacamas Ranch Corporate or Group Retreat for 10, including lunch with wine pairing, massage, and overnight accommodations.or Airfare for two to Big Island of Hawaii and four days and three nights in specatacular home on the Kohola Coast.
Second Prize (an estimated value of $3,000)
Mayacamas Ranch Corporate or Group Day Retreat for 10 including lunch, with wine pairing.
Bonus Prize (an estimated vale of $1,000)
6 Tickets to Teatro Zinzani with limousine service included
If you make a winning bid, and then on Saturday evening our tournament champion is one of your two players, youÕll win our first prize, and if your player comes in second, then you win our second prize. If you have both players you win both prizes and an additional bonus prize!
Come to the early rounds of the tournament, enjoy some fiercely competitive qualifying matches, and make a generous bid in our charity auction. To encourage everyone to come along and support our auction, entrance to the Tuesday evening matches at The San Francisco Bay Club will now be free of charge. If you can't make it to the early rounds of our event, but would like to be involved in the auction and make a bid, contact me at mallen@sfbayclub.com or 415.901.9335 so we can arrange for you to participate in the final round at The Olympic Club by phone.
Good luck and see you at the auction!
Auction Players Pairings
Pair 1. John White and Ryan Donnegan
Pair 2. Liam Kenny and Miguel Angel Rodriguez
Pair 3. Shahier Razik and Qualifier No.4
Pair 4. Shawn Delierre and Omar Elborolossy
Pair 5. Mohd Azlan Iskander and Qualifier No.2
Pair 6. Eric Galvez and Qualifier No.3
Pair 7. Chris Simpson and Yasser El Halaby
Pair 8. Adrian Grant and Qualifier No.1
First Prize (an estimated value of $6,000)
Mayacamas Ranch Corporate or Group Retreat for 10, including lunch with wine pairing, massage, and overnight accommodations.or Airfare for two to Big Island of Hawaii and four days and three nights in specatacular home on the Kohola Coast.
Second Prize (an estimated value of $3,000)
Mayacamas Ranch Corporate or Group Day Retreat for 10 including lunch, with wine pairing.
Bonus Prize (an estimated vale of $1,000)
6 Tickets to Teatro Zinzani with limousine service included
Tournament Preview
Our 2007 P.S.A. North American Open tournament looks like being the most exciting yet. Favorite will undoubtedly be current world #9, John White. The hard hitting, 6’ 1” Australian, who plays under the Scottish flag, will be the player that everyone is trying to beat. John has had an incredible career so far, which includes reaching the final of both The British Open and World Open in 2002, and a brief spell as World #1 in March 2004.
Seeded two and in the bottom half of the draw will be London born, left-hander, Adrian Grant. Adrian is 26 years old and has been one of England's most industrious performers on the PSA Tour over the last few year. After a very distinguished junior career, in 2004 Grant was selected to make his senior team debut for England in the European Championships in France, where he became the first black squash player ever to represent England. The left-hander has a smooth style and a very relaxed demaenour on court that always makes him a joy to watch.
If the tournament plays out to the seeding, then Grant will match up against World #19 Mohd Iskander of Malaysia in the second of our semi-final matches. The two players are separated by just four places on the world rankings, and have met 6 times in P.S.A. competition with Grant ahead 4-2; three of the matches have gone all the way to a deciding 5th game. if they both make it, their semi-final match scheduled for Friday evening, is one not to be missed.
Shahier Razik will be our #4 seed. Shahier was a finalist in our 2004 event, and champion in 2005. His game of attrition is well suited to the Bay Club’s slow ASB courts and he will get plenty of support from our local, and vocal, crowd. I am very pleased to welcome Shahier back again and I thank him for supporting our event every year since it’s inauguration.
Liam Kenny, Eric Galvez, and Shawn Delierre; three of our four predicted quarter finalists, are returning visitors too. Eric is one of the fastest and most dynamic players on the tour, and he has played a couple of great matches here at the club. His quarter final loss to Alex Gough in 2005 was one of the best matches of the tournament. Eric’s first round match up versus Miguel Angel Rodriguez of Columbia is full of fierce latin American rivalry. Columbia and Mexico are the top two nations in South & Central America, and Galvez and Rodriguez are their countries number one players.
Once again we have a strong presence of up and coming younger players in the draw, the highest ranked being Chris Simpson of England. Chris made his breakthrough on the P.S.A. tour in November 2006 when he beat world top 20 ranked player, Graham Ryding, in the Merritt Properties Open held in Baltimore. He will be hoping for another giant killing if he makes it through to Thursday’s quarter final matches. In Wednesday’s first round matches Chris will play our only U.S. player in the draw, wild card entry, Ryan Donnegan. Win or lose the valuable P.S.A. ranking points that Ryan will collect in this tournament will add a significant boost to his current ranking of 135, and a first round win would push him up into a career high ranking inside the top 100.
Egyption squash is on an incredible high right now. with 5 players ranked in the world’s top 20, including world #1 Amr Shabana, and world #3 Ramy Ashour. Egyption born, Princeton graduate and the only ever four time winner of the College Squash Association’s Individual Championships, Yasser El Halaby, will be up against Shahier in his first match. Yasser graduated from Princeton less than a year ago, but has already climbed his way to a career high of 62 in the P.S.A. rankings. and everyone is expecting him to rise a lot higher. Our second Egyption player, Omar Elborolossy is a very experienced player that has been competing on the P.S.A. tour for 13 years. Omar reached a career high of 14 in the world in June 2001, and was a member of the first ever Egyption team to win the world team championships in 1999. Those watching our first round matches at Bay Club Marin will see Omar taking on Mohd Iskander on Wednesday May 23 at 6:00pm.
The depth of talent in this years tournament is very impressive; however few people will be betting against the hard hitting, #1 seed, John White to lift the North American Open trophy on Saturday May 26. I hope you enjoy the squash and your last chance to get up close and personal to all the action, as our $50,000, 2008 North American Open tournament will move to the glass court in the centre of Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco.
Seeded two and in the bottom half of the draw will be London born, left-hander, Adrian Grant. Adrian is 26 years old and has been one of England's most industrious performers on the PSA Tour over the last few year. After a very distinguished junior career, in 2004 Grant was selected to make his senior team debut for England in the European Championships in France, where he became the first black squash player ever to represent England. The left-hander has a smooth style and a very relaxed demaenour on court that always makes him a joy to watch.
If the tournament plays out to the seeding, then Grant will match up against World #19 Mohd Iskander of Malaysia in the second of our semi-final matches. The two players are separated by just four places on the world rankings, and have met 6 times in P.S.A. competition with Grant ahead 4-2; three of the matches have gone all the way to a deciding 5th game. if they both make it, their semi-final match scheduled for Friday evening, is one not to be missed.
Shahier Razik will be our #4 seed. Shahier was a finalist in our 2004 event, and champion in 2005. His game of attrition is well suited to the Bay Club’s slow ASB courts and he will get plenty of support from our local, and vocal, crowd. I am very pleased to welcome Shahier back again and I thank him for supporting our event every year since it’s inauguration.
Liam Kenny, Eric Galvez, and Shawn Delierre; three of our four predicted quarter finalists, are returning visitors too. Eric is one of the fastest and most dynamic players on the tour, and he has played a couple of great matches here at the club. His quarter final loss to Alex Gough in 2005 was one of the best matches of the tournament. Eric’s first round match up versus Miguel Angel Rodriguez of Columbia is full of fierce latin American rivalry. Columbia and Mexico are the top two nations in South & Central America, and Galvez and Rodriguez are their countries number one players.
Once again we have a strong presence of up and coming younger players in the draw, the highest ranked being Chris Simpson of England. Chris made his breakthrough on the P.S.A. tour in November 2006 when he beat world top 20 ranked player, Graham Ryding, in the Merritt Properties Open held in Baltimore. He will be hoping for another giant killing if he makes it through to Thursday’s quarter final matches. In Wednesday’s first round matches Chris will play our only U.S. player in the draw, wild card entry, Ryan Donnegan. Win or lose the valuable P.S.A. ranking points that Ryan will collect in this tournament will add a significant boost to his current ranking of 135, and a first round win would push him up into a career high ranking inside the top 100.
Egyption squash is on an incredible high right now. with 5 players ranked in the world’s top 20, including world #1 Amr Shabana, and world #3 Ramy Ashour. Egyption born, Princeton graduate and the only ever four time winner of the College Squash Association’s Individual Championships, Yasser El Halaby, will be up against Shahier in his first match. Yasser graduated from Princeton less than a year ago, but has already climbed his way to a career high of 62 in the P.S.A. rankings. and everyone is expecting him to rise a lot higher. Our second Egyption player, Omar Elborolossy is a very experienced player that has been competing on the P.S.A. tour for 13 years. Omar reached a career high of 14 in the world in June 2001, and was a member of the first ever Egyption team to win the world team championships in 1999. Those watching our first round matches at Bay Club Marin will see Omar taking on Mohd Iskander on Wednesday May 23 at 6:00pm.
The depth of talent in this years tournament is very impressive; however few people will be betting against the hard hitting, #1 seed, John White to lift the North American Open trophy on Saturday May 26. I hope you enjoy the squash and your last chance to get up close and personal to all the action, as our $50,000, 2008 North American Open tournament will move to the glass court in the centre of Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Bay Club Champs Quarter Final Results
Main Draw Quarter Finals
Armando Olguin beat Tony Marcell, 9-3, 9-5, 9-7
Andy Brennan beat Jay Kim, 9-6, 9-0, 6-9, 7-9, 9-1
Kevin Jernigan beat Bobby Del Rosario, 9-5, 9-3, 9-5
Dave Levy beat Fabain Skabinski, 10-8, 9-6, 6-9, 9-1
The semi-finals of our club championship will take place on Tuesday May 22, prior to our PSA tournament matches. Armando will take on Andy Brennan at 4:00pm and Dave Levy versus Kevin Jernigan will follow them on court at approximately 5:00pm. The winners will compete in the final that will take place at approximately 3:15pm on Saturday May 26, prior to our North American Open Championship final.
Armando Olguin beat Tony Marcell, 9-3, 9-5, 9-7
Andy Brennan beat Jay Kim, 9-6, 9-0, 6-9, 7-9, 9-1
Kevin Jernigan beat Bobby Del Rosario, 9-5, 9-3, 9-5
Dave Levy beat Fabain Skabinski, 10-8, 9-6, 6-9, 9-1
The semi-finals of our club championship will take place on Tuesday May 22, prior to our PSA tournament matches. Armando will take on Andy Brennan at 4:00pm and Dave Levy versus Kevin Jernigan will follow them on court at approximately 5:00pm. The winners will compete in the final that will take place at approximately 3:15pm on Saturday May 26, prior to our North American Open Championship final.
Bay Club Champs – First Round Results
First Round
Armando Olguin (1) beat Fawad Khan, 3-0
Tony Marcell (8) beat Gary Klausner, 9-5, 9-3, 9-6
Jay Kim (5) beat Alex Gove, 3-0
Andy Brennan (4) beat Paul Hirner, 9-0, 9-2, 9-6
Dave Levy (3) beat Andrew Gale, 9-2, 9-7, 7-9, 9-6
Fabian Skabinski beat (6) Jagrit Malhotra, 7-9, 9-5, 9-0, 9-7
Bobby Del Rosario (7) beat Tom Hicks, 9-1, 9-3, 9-0
Kevin Jernigan (2) beat Raman Thiruvenkatachari, 9-6, 9-2, 9-4
Armando Olguin (1) beat Fawad Khan, 3-0
Tony Marcell (8) beat Gary Klausner, 9-5, 9-3, 9-6
Jay Kim (5) beat Alex Gove, 3-0
Andy Brennan (4) beat Paul Hirner, 9-0, 9-2, 9-6
Dave Levy (3) beat Andrew Gale, 9-2, 9-7, 7-9, 9-6
Fabian Skabinski beat (6) Jagrit Malhotra, 7-9, 9-5, 9-0, 9-7
Bobby Del Rosario (7) beat Tom Hicks, 9-1, 9-3, 9-0
Kevin Jernigan (2) beat Raman Thiruvenkatachari, 9-6, 9-2, 9-4
Former World #1 John White Will be Seeded #1
Entry for our tournament has now closed and I am very excited to announce that John White, former world #1 and current world #9 will be our top seed. John's first match will take place on Wednesday evening, May 23, at approximately 7:00pm. He will be up against one of the four qualifiers that make it into the main draw. Members of the Bay Club will be pleased to welcome White back to the club; he played an exhibition match in May of last year with Jonathan Power. Whilst the crowd enjoyed the entertaining evening I know that everyone will be excited at the prospect of seeing the tall, hard hitting Aussie, playing flat out to win this time.
Our # 2 seed will be Adrian Grant of England (ranked #15 in the world), and our #3 seed is world #19 Mohd Azlan Iskander. Shahier Razik, our 2005 tournamnt winner, will be seeded in the 4th position.
With 3 players ranked in the world top 20 our 2007 event boasts a much stronger entry than ever before. The full draw is now posted on the schedule page of our website.
Our # 2 seed will be Adrian Grant of England (ranked #15 in the world), and our #3 seed is world #19 Mohd Azlan Iskander. Shahier Razik, our 2005 tournamnt winner, will be seeded in the 4th position.
With 3 players ranked in the world top 20 our 2007 event boasts a much stronger entry than ever before. The full draw is now posted on the schedule page of our website.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Bay Club Squash Championships
First round matches in our Bay Club squash Championships start this weekend, on Saturday May 5, at 2.00pm. Second round matches get underway on Sunday morning at 10.00 am, and the semi-final and final matches will take place alongside our pro event toward the end of the month. Armando Olguin is seeded #1 for the tournament, and Kevin Jernigan #2. Come along and watch some great squash!
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