(Match report by Hameed Ahmed)

Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Eric Galvez (MEX) 10-12,11-2, 8-11, 11-8,11-6 (102m)

After a thrilling night of semifinals, the stage was set for Rochester to witness a final battle between two first timers in Rochester, young Lucas Serme from France taking on the experienced Eric Galvez from Mexico.

Galvez started off very well taking the control of the game from the beginning. He was already 9-4 and 10-6 up but Serme was able to eventually take the game into a tiebreaker. The Mexican started attacking again in the last rallies and was able to win the first one 12-10.

Serme came into the second one with a lot more energy and quickly got a 3-0 lead. Galvez was still not attacking and serme kept picking everything up. Easy mistakes from a tired galvez and great attacking squash from the Frenchman – game to serme 11-2.

Galvez kept on putting pressure to back court and got a quick 6-1 lead. Serme started to use front court more and move Galvez around the court. The Mexican started to look tired and made some easy mistakes. Serme was already a point away at 6-7 but galvez hit a great drop to get to 8-6. Galvez won the game 11-8 in the end.

Serme got ahead in the fourth and kept the lead until Galvez found another gear and got back to 8-8. Serme was able to clinch it in the end though and took it into a fifth.

Serme looked to be the stronger one in the fifth and Galvez made a lot of mistakes especially in the beginning. Serme got up to 6-2 but Galvez quickly got back to 5-6. After that, 3 easy mistakes again from galvez to give Serme a 9-5 lead. The Frenchman eventually closed it 11-6 and was crowned the Rochester ProAm champion of 2013.

Both players displayed great skill, athleticism and sportsmanship throughout the match and were a treat to watch for the Rochester crowd!

Eric Galvez (MEX) bt Alfredo Avila (MEX) 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 (58m)
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Andres Duany (PER) 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 (60m)

Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt. Declan James (ENG) 1-11, 11-0, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8 (70m)
Eric Galvez (MEX) bt Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) 11-3, 11-1, 11-8 (47m)
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Chris Binnie (JAM) 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 (30m)

Andres Duany (PER) bt. David Letourneau (CAN) 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6 (58m)

It was obvious from the start that the pressure was on David Letourneau, who has been playing professionally for 2 years since graduating from Princeton. Perhaps that’s why the Canadian looked very nervous right from the start. Meanwhile, University of Rochester’s senior Duany walked on court confidently and with nothing to lose.

Duany quickly got up to 6-0, mostly by solid pressure and good length. Letourneau got back into the game after this but Duany’s lead was too much. Duany’s corner game worked in the second too and Letourneau couldn’t find a way to turn the momentum.

With Duany being up 2-0 in games, Letourneau slowed down the pace significantly in the third, forcing Duany to take initiative. It was a very close game until 8-8 at which point Duany made 3 unforced errors to give the game to Letourneau.

The Canadian came in to the fourth game with some new energy but Duany was ready for it. The Peruvian continued to use the front of the court more and more and Letourneau started to look tired and frustrated. The game was close Duany made some quick points at the end and Letourneau was forced to hit the tin a few times. The fourth game to Duany 11-6 and a very unexpected semi-final spot for the wildcard.

Some amazing matches tonight, many lasting the full 5 games including a marathon between England’s Declan James and Pakistan’s Hamza Bukhari that lasted two hours and 20 minutes with James ultimately prevailing over his opponent! Photos to follow –

Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt. Mike McCue (CAN) 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 (46m)
Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) bt. Aqib Hanif (PAK) 11-9, 12-10, 11-8 (53m)
Eric Galvez (MEX) bt Scott Arnold (AUS) 11-4, 11-5, 8-11, 11-3 (55m)
Chris Binnie (JAM) bt Thomas Brinkman (CAN) 13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 7-11, 11-6 (62m)
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Lewis Walters (ENG) 11-6, 11-6, 3-11, 2-11, 11-6 (75m)
Andres Duany (PER) bt. Olivier Pett (ENG) 11-5, 11-3, retd.
(Olivier had to withdraw midway through the match due to a persisting illness)

Declan James (ENG) bt. Hamza Bukhari (PAK) 7-11, 14-12, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 (140m)

The longest match of tournament was a battle between two players that didn’t like to do much with the ball. Instead, they relied on solid length, patience and their physicality. And fitness was definitely something they needed: The match lasted for almost 2.5 hours. It might have been a different story if Bukhari could have taken the second game after being 1-0 up. The Pakistani had several game balls but James hung in there and was eventually able to equalize the game score to 1-1. At that point, the match had already been going on for over an hour. After winning the third quite easily, James looked to be the strong favorite to take the match. Furthermore, Bukhari was struggling between games with blisters. While everyone thought the match was over, it was a totally different Bukhari who came on court in the fourth. The Pakistani won the game and was looking very strong at the beginning of the fifth as well. James eventually got a lead at the end and Bukhari – who had cramps bothering him at this point – couldn’t catch up. It will be interesting to see how James recovers for the quarter-final match.

Dave Letourneau (CAN) bt. Hernan D?Arcangelo (ARG) 11-2, 12-10, 8-11, 13-11 (53m)

Letourneau cruised through the first game and looked to be very solid and impossible for D’Arcangelo to beat. The Argentinian stepped up in the second though and took the game into a tie-breaker. Letourneau was able to squeeze it at the end and got a comfortable 2-0 lead. At 8-8 in the third, D’Arcangelo found another gear though and Letourneau made some easy mistakes and started to look a bit nervous. The Argentinian won the third and it seemed to be anyone’s match at this point. The fourth game was very close until 8-8 but Letourneau started to hit the ball a lot harder and it seemed tough for D’Arcangelo to adapt to the speed. The Argentinian was able to take the game to a tie-breaker but Letourneau’s change of tactics paid off in the end and he proceeded to the quarter finals. Letourneau, a Princeton alum, will now face University of Rochester’s senior Andres Duany.

Mike McCue (CAN) bt Micah Franklin (BER) 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 (30m)

Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) bt Matt Serediak (CAN) 3-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (55m)

The first few rallies were long and close but after Serediak got a 4-2 lead, he cruised for the rest of the game. Mehmund got frustrated towards the end and started to make mistakes. Serediak quickly closed it 11-3.
Mehmund started playing much more patiently in the second and lifting the ball higher. This resulted in a lot of long rallies and Serediak started to look slightly tired. Solid squash from Mehmund coupled with unforced errors from Serediak – game to Mehmund 11-5.
The third was close up to 5-5 after which Mehmund started to play more physically especially in the middle of the court. The Pakistani won the third quite comfortably 11-6.
The physical game worked for Mehmund also in the fourth in which he got a 8-2 lead fairly quickly. Serediak got back to 8-6 but the Pakistani was able to eventually win the game with a crosscourt nick 11-8 and take the match in four.

Chris Binnie bt Adam Perkiomaki 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4 (46m)

Syed Hamza Shah Bukhari(PAK) bt Reuben Philips(ENG) 11-6, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7 (70m)

Qualifier 1 Michael Mc Cue (plays Avila)
Qualifier 2 Syed Hamza Shah Bukhari (plays James)
Qualifier 3 Aurangzeb Mehmund (plays Hanif)
Qualifier 4 Chris Binnie (plays Brinkman)

Photos by Paul Schwartz:

Matt Serediak (CAN) bt. Le Roy Leong (MAS) 11-4, 11-8, 11-2 (25m)

(Match report to follow)

Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) bt Yuta Fukui (JPN) 6-11, 11-8, 2-11, 11-3, 11-6 (57m)

Opening round qualifying match between Aurangzeb and Yuta started uneventfully with each player winning a game. After that, all hell broke loose. Yuta was stoic, paced, patient and calculating his shots, while Aurangzeb was fiery and hot tempered. This dramatic disparity in temperament resulted in an easy 11-3 win for Yuta, led by precise, attacking drop shots and incontestable deception. Aurangzeb changed his shirt before game 4, to one with the name KHAN on the back. With this came a total personality change in the player. While still fiery, the hot-tempered anger was channeled into aggressive drop shots and ferocious retrieving speed, resulting in an equally lopsided 11-4 win for Aurangzeb. Game 5 brought even more energy out of Aurangzeb. He hit the ball with more pace than any previous game and ran faster in retrieval than in game one. The stoicism of Yuta turned to demoralization at the total transformation of his opponent and he lost game 5 to Aurangzeb. Service nicks, wild swings in momentum and both players diving for balls made this a memorable match.

Mike McCue (CAN) bt Bryan Bonilla (GUA) 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 (30m)
Qualifying match between Mike McCUe(CAN) and Bryan Bonilla (GUA) was much closer than the 3-0 score looks. A quick 5-1 start by McCue was eroded by 3 unforced tins to give Bonilla a 7-6 lead. Then Bonilla returned the tins and the lead back to McCue, losing the game on a stroke ball. Game 2 started with both players already soaked in sweat from the 11-9 first. Long opening rallys led to 2 more quick Bonilla tins followed by another after a 30 shot exchange. A 4th tin soon followed and McCue was up 7-1 on his way to 11-5 victory.Game 3 was notable for perfect width and frustratingly successful retrieving on McCue’s part ulitmately drawing more tins from Bonilla.

Reuben Phillips (ENG) bt Paul Rawden (ENG) 11-9, 10-12, 11-8, 3-11, 11-5 (59m)

Syed Hamza Shah Bukhari (PAK) bt Baba Tunde Ajagbe (NGR) 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (36m)

Micah Franklin (BER) bt. Luke Butterworth (ENG) 13-11, 6-11, 11-8, 2-11, 11-9 (78m)

Chris Binnie (JAM) bt. Oscar Lopez (MEX) 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 (31m)
Playing against the University of Rochester local Oscar Lopez from Mexico, Binnie looked very strong in the beginning but Lopez stayed in the rallies and pushed the Jamaican in the first two games. Unforced errors from Lopez gave the edge for Binnie though and he took the first two 11-7, 11-8.
Lopez got a bad start to the third making several mistakes and giving Binnie a 4-0 lead. The Mexican then started to play better and moving his opponent more to the corners but Binnie’s lead was too big in the end. He won the third 11-4 and closed the match in three. Not a walk in the park for Binnie though.
Oscar: “I played well and pushed hard. I just think he has more control and rhythm. Looking forward to playing more matches on this level – it’s a different experience.”

Adam Perkiomaki (USA) bt. Tyler Hamilton (CAN) 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (30m)
A very quick start gave the attacking Perkiomaki a 4-0 lead in the first game. The Canadian found his rhythm eventually but never caught up – Perkiomaki took the first one 11-8. It was a similar start to the second one but Hamilton hung in and got up to 4-4. Perkiomaki hit some great winners after that and got himself a 9-5 lead in just a couple of minutes. Hamilton controlled the next rally from start to finish but Perkiomaki kept on retrieving everything. Perkiomaki eventually won what was the longest rally of the match and went on to win the second game 11-5.
He continued a solid performance in the third and it seemed that Hamilton couldn’t find a way to win even though he came back fighting. Perkiomaki stayed focused and didn’t let the Canadian back into the game, winning 3-0.
A solid performance by the Rochester senior who is now looking to challenge former Trinity player, Chris Binnie, in the final qualifying round.

It’s almost here!
For the 12th year in row, Rochester will bear witness to an annual squash spectacle this week.
Thanks to all our sponsors, host families, supporters and visiting international squash professionals.
Qualifying action starts at 6:00pm on Tuesday 09 April 2013. (complete schedule)

Tournament Brochure:

2013 Tournament Brochure