Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Jim Bristow (ENG) 11-5, 11-6, 11-7
Joan Lezaud (FRA) bt. Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) default
Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) bt. Dane Sharp (CAN) 11-8, 11-6, 11-4
Bernardo Samper (COL) bt. Jethro Binns (WAL) 11-2, 13-11, 11-6
Amr Mansi (EGY) bt. Cesar Salazar (MEX) 11-8, 11-9, 11-7
Jens Schoor (GER) bt. Andrew McDougall (CAN) 11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 12-10
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt. Tom Pashley (ENG) 11-5, 11-5, 11-1
Gilly Lane (USA) bt. Benjamin Fischer (SUI) 12-10, 11-7, 11-5
(Photos © 2009 Robert McDavid)
U of R players knocked out in the first round (Match report by Hameed Ahmed)
Two players from the University of Rochester had gotten through to the first round of the Rochester ProAm main draw, which was played late Friday evening at the Peter Lyman courts.
Jim Bristow, who had played number one for the U of R college team throughout the season, was guaranteed the wild card spot in the main draw. The 20-year-old Englishman was not too lucky with the draw though as he had to face the number one seed, Ryan Cuskelly from Australia. Cuskelly is currently ranked 69 in the world.
The Australian stood up to the expectations by controlling the game against Bristow especially in the beginning of the match. The Australian was reading Bristow’s shots relatively easily and he kept the pace high enough to keep Bristow away from the T. Cuskelly won the first game 11-5.
Bristow slowed the pace down in the second and was able to control the game a bit more. However, Cuskelly was able to raise the level of his game towards the end of the second and Bristow was forced to make a few mistakes at 6-6. Cuskelly kept the momentum going and won the second 11-6.
Cuskelly was got an early lead in the third and although Bristow started his comeback at the end of the game, the Australian was too far ahead and closed down the game 11-7 winning the match in three.
The other U of R player in the main draw was Beni Fischer, who had fought his way through qualifying on Thursday. His luck in the draw was not much better than Bristow’s as the Swiss had to play the number two seed, Gilly Lane from the US.
Fischer started off well and was in control of the first game until he had a game ball at 10-9. The workload proved to be too much for the Swiss though and Lane, who did not seem tired at all, was able to take the game into a tie-breaker and win it eventually 12-10.
Lane came back much stronger in the second and did not allow Fischer to take control. Instead, he was giving the 21-year-old Swiss a run around the court forcing him to make mistakes.
After winning the second game 11-7, Lane went on to dominate the third and cruising quickly to a 10-2 lead. Fischer was able to come back to 10-5 until Lane finished off the game to proceed to tomorrow’s quarter-finals.
“It’s always a good experience to play top-players like Gilly,†Fischer said after the match. “I mean he was just fitter than me and better at volleying. I thought I played well though so I can’t really complain. He was just too good.â€
Tom Pashley vs. Adrian Waller (Match report by Will Newnham)
This first round match featured two English players, Tom Pashley and Adrian Waller.
The match started off at a high pace, both players trying to find their length.
Waller, who had come through two qualifying matches to reach the first round seemed to benefit from having a couple of games under his belt. This was evident in the fact that Waller was gluing the ball to the wall, thus not giving Pashley much to attack.
Waller got off to a good start in the first game going 6-1 up, with Pashley making a fair few mistakes. There were some monstrous rallies in the first, but Waller was getting the better of Pashley in most of the long rallies. First game to Waller 11-5
The second told a similar story, although both players were attacking more and trying to take the initiative by going short when the opportunity arose. Second game to Waller 11-5.
Pashley seemed to be a bit jaded in the third as Waller began to put the ball away with some fantastic shots. It was his hold that seemed to hurt Pashley the most as he came away with the match 3-0. An enjoyable well contested match for the spectators.
Andrew McDougall v. Jens Schoor (Match report by Alec Greaves-Tunnell)
This game featured two well-matched players in an impressive display of offensive shot making versus defensive athleticism. Jens fell behind quickly due to some unforced tins while going for attacking boasts – Andrew was consistent enough to keep the points going, and he was rewarded with the error. Jens made an impressive comeback as he found his rhythm. His crisp offensive shots, especially in the front of the court, quickly put him in control and forced enormous pressure on his opponent. Andrew responded beautifully with some fantastic lobs in an attempt to neutralize the pressure, and the match once again looked very close. Both players displayed incredible athleticism in tracking down balls and returning tough drops. In the end, Jens’ relentless pressure was too consistent and too intense, and he was able to finish the latest-playing match of the night in four games.
(Photos by Doreen Smethurst)
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