A slight change in schedule, this year’s edition gets rid of the morning rounds. With only evening sessions beginning with the first round of qualifiers on Tuesday April 20th night right through the week, local squash fans will not miss a single minute of the action. The Rochester City Championship, the amateur component of the ProAm, will take place the the weekend of April 9th-11th so the amateur participants be free to watch each and every pro match.

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR MORE DETAILS IN THE COMING WEEKS!

2009 ProAm finalist Amr Mansi and champion Ryan Cuskelly

2009 ProAm finalist Amr Mansi and champion Ryan Cuskelly

The sunny Spring morning did not keep the local squash fans from packing the University of Rochester squash facility to watch Ryan Cuskelly of Australia play Amr Mansi of Egypt. Both players made it to the final with 3-1 wins the night before. Cuskelly overcame Bernando Samper and Mansi outlasted Adrian Waller.

Game One began with steady rails from Amr to Ryan’s backhand and low cross court drives that moved Ryan to the back corners. Amr uses his boast to catch Ryan off balance and to force him to scramble for the ball. A 3-1 lead for Amr erodes after his two tins in a row. At 3-3 both players keep each other moving to both sides of the court. The long rally ends in a let, much to the chagrin of Ryan. He felt that a stroke was in order for Amr’s loose shot. Play resumes and Ryan goes on to win the next point and to take the lead 4-3. Another 1 plus minute rally ensues with both players making great retrievals from front rail drop shots to high cross court volleys. The point ends with Amr’s tin. Amr fights back to 4-5 with a fantastic boast from the backhand corner that nicks the front side wall before Ryan can reach it. At this stage of the game Ryan starts taking control of the play and seams to be in a comfortable lead at 7-5. Amr shows his tenacity and confidence with his continued use of the boast to move Ryan off of the T and into the front corners. Both players trade points and at 9-6 Ryan objects to the referee’s denial of his let and request for a stroke. Amr gains two more points to get to 9-8. Ryan responds with a soft drop shot to the front corner to end the next point and to set up match point at 10-8. The game ends with Ryan placing a winning counter drop shot that rolls into the side wall nick beyond the reach of a stretched out Amr. Ryan wins game One 11-8.

Game Two starts off the same as Game One with Amr using his rails and cross courts to move Ryan. Amr applies more power to his shots while Ryan appears content to retrieve and to keep his rails at a medium pace. Amr jumps to an early lead and is 2-0 before he gives Ryan two unforced errors to even the score at 2-2. Amr regains the lead due to a stroke against Ryan and moves to 4-2 with his continued use of the back court boast. Ryan wins the next point and gains another from Amr’s tin. At 4-4 Ryan uses a nice racquet hold at the front wall before driving the ball past the unsuspecting Amr. Ryan continues to push Amr to make riskier shots and benefits with a 6-4 lead. Amr appears strong physically, but Ryan is showing more spring in his legs. Both players trade points and end up in a similar situation as in Game One. Ryan has the lead at 9-6 thanks to another shot into the tin from Amr. A great 2 minute plus rally begins with both players using all types of shots against each other. The crowd is mesmerized by the amazing ball retrievals and recoveries by both players. Ryan looks in control until Amr was able to get him into the back corners and force Ryan to leave him a weak return that Amr pounded deep into the back corner. Ryan regains his form and wins the next point to go 10-7. Match point ends with Amr hitting his rail into the tin. Ryan wins Game Two 11-7.

Game Three was crucial for Amr to keep his errors down. Both players come out strong with the first three points traded between them. At 3-2 in favor of Amr the audience sees a similar pattern begin. Amr hits two tins to give Ryan the lead at 4-3. It appears that fatigue is showing up in Amr’s body language as he begins to struggle with Ryan’s aggressive playing. Ryan gains the next two points before Amr counters with a fantastic cross court volley into the nick. Both players tin their shots and at 8-5 the game is still too close to tell who may win. Ryan uses a reverse corner shot to fool Amr. At 7-9 Amr benefits from a loose ball into the middle of the court and wins a stroke. After a great rally ends in a let call Ryan wins the point with a well placed backhand cross court nick. At 10-8 Ryan is playing match ball with a visibly tired Amr. Despite his exhaustion Amr shows his mettle by keeping up with Ryan. Four long rallies end in lets before Ryan wins the last point after a minute plus rally pushes Amr to the end of his energy level. Ryan wins 11-8 and the match 3-0.

Peter Lyman, a Rochester Squash Coach legend, presented the tournament trophies and checks to Ryan and Amr.

The Rochester Pro Am ended the weekend with a successful event in terms of player quality, match excitement, fan participation and support, and the organizational support of the Rochester Squash Racquets Association.

Photos © 2009 Jonathan Michael Davis

		Peter Lyman presenting the champion’s award to Ryan Cuskelly	Peter Lyman presenting the finalist award to Amr Mansi
	2009 ProAm finalist Amr Mansi and champion Ryan Cuskelly

Both players started out at a very high pace, hitting only few errors and making their opponent work hard. After losing a long first game, the columbian took the second in only 5 minutes, astonishing the crowd with some amazing attacking shots. The Aussie however came back strong, playing very steady in the third and fourth, keeping the ball tight to the wall, forcing his opponent to hit it loose. After a series of tins by Samper, Cuskelly finally got through and booked the first spot in tomorrow’s final round.

Mansi vs Waller (Match report by Will Newnham)
Amr Mansi (EGY) bt. Adrian Waller (ENG) 11-8, 11-6, 13-15, 11-6

The semi final match featured Adrian Waller who had come through qualifying and Amr Mansi from Egypt. Both players in the first were sticking the ball to the wall, but Mansi seemed to be the more attacking in the first as he prevailed 11/8.
The second was a higher pace than the first with both players finding some good nicks, but Mansi pulled away in the second to win the game 11/6
Waller came out all guns blazing in the third after some wise words from countryman Lewis Walters. Waller took the third game on a tie-break and put on a real show for the great Rochester crowd.
In the fourth, the players were level pretty much all the way until Mansi pulled away to take the match in the fourth.

Photos © 2009 Stephen Colby

This match pitted the #1 seed, Cuskelly, versus the qualifier, Lezaud. Both players were very quick and fit. Numerous rallies in the opening game were lengthy. Cuskelly kept Lezaud in the back corners with relative ease and was quick to volley anything in his reach. The game was close but Cuskelly prevailed. The second game saw the top seed step forward even more and pressure Lezaud off the volley. Drop shots to the front right (both players’ backhands) was the order of the game. Lezaud’s quickness kept him retrieving while Cuskelly would continue to lob out of trouble and reset points. The attacks to the front began to tire Lezaud and Cuskelly ran away with the second game. The third and final game saw Lezaud come out with renewed resolve. He pushed the pace to Cuskelly’s backhand and fearlessly dropped all balls within reach. Lezaud also continued to retrieve all balls just to stay in every point and force Cuskelly to play better shots. Cuskelly defended a game ball against him before squeezing out a tight 12-10 victory.

Quarterfinal 2 – Bernardo Samper (COL) bt. Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 11-7, 11-6, 11-4(Match report by Mark Mijangos)

Rochester’s Pro Am quarter final round began Saturday morning with third seeded Arshad Iqbal Burki of Pakistan, facing Trinity Alumnus and the 2002 Intercollegiate Singles Champion Bernardo Samper of Colombia. From the opening game Samper controlled the rallies with great length and an high pressure tempo which allowed him to dictate Burki’s movement from the T. Critical points in the middle of each of the first two games held a bit of frustration for the Pakistani, as his volley opportunities found tin rather than nick, and found himself on the wrong side of a few calls. Samper pushed the pace creating openings for his excellent shot making thus continuing to twist and exhaust the remainder of Burki’s will. PSA’s 93rd ranked Burki displayed his own flashes of brilliance with exciting finishing and an excellent crosscourt return of service. Burki’s inability to gain control of the center and constant retrieving broke his desire to grind out longer points as he instead opted to shoot early and often. Bernardo’s movement stifled Arshad’s attempts to shoot while his volleys allowed him to relentlessly pressure Burki. As the scoreline indicates Samper’s pace ultimately drove Burki to exhaustion by early in the third, allowing Samper to string points together while only dropping four points in the final game. Samper has a new energy after taking a brief hiatus from the tour and his game seems well suited to support his return.

Quarterfinal 3 – Adrian Waller (ENG) bt. Gilly Lane (USA) 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8 (Match report by Eric Hernady)

Lane also displayed superb retrieval skills along with his strong fitness and quickness around the court. Although a tightly played game, Lane won fairly easily. Waller looked to be out of the match after the running required in the first two games. His physical demeanor belied his ability to smoothly move around the court and retrieve all balls. Lane meanwhile tried to push the tempo and attack the front court more, but made some costly errors to give Waller the advantage. Waller took advantage by shooting to the front court at opportune moments and game himself enough cushion to win another tight game. Lane came out fast again in the fourth, but made sure to push Waller deep in the back court before attacking. His clinging drop shots gave Waller fits in the fourth game. At 8-8 the tension was palpable. Several lengthy rallies later the match was tied 2-all. Waller started the final game aggressively and a few errors from Lane gave him a measurable lead. Lane continued to fight and up the pace to drive Waller to the back court, while generating weak returns to the front. Lane tried to change the pace and but Waller was up to the challenge. Waller also changed tempo by slowing the game down with soft cross court lobs. This seemed to give him a chance to catch his breath and throw Lane off a bit. Waller’s patience paid off in the end with a very entertaining and had-fought victory.

Quarterfinal 4 – Amr Mansi (EGY) bt. Jens Schoor (GER) 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4 (Match report by Nick Greaves-Tunnell)

Jens was forced to hit many extremely aggressive and well-placed balls in a row in order to finish the point, and Amr would frequently be able to respond with his own pressure, including several perfect drop-shot nicks. In the end, Jens made an increasing amount of errors as he felt the pressure to produce consistently brilliant shots, and Amr was finally able to take control of the match. The next two games were very exciting, but it was clear that Amr was dictating a majority of the points. He was able to finish the match with confidence in four games.
Photos © 2009 Paul Schwartz:

(More pictures to follow!)

ProAm hosts Bob Good and Steve Craxton pondering the meaning of life with Pakistani squash pro, Arshad Burki at the Friday night "Party with the Pros"

(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.”

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)

Final qualifying round – evening session
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt. Lekgotla Mosope (BOT) 11-6, 12-10, 11-6
Joan Lezaud (FRA) bt. Lefika Ragontse (BOT) (retired)
Dane Sharp (CAN) bt. Lewis Walters (ENG) 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7
Benjamin Fischer (SUI) bt. Fernando Lopez (MEX) 11-7, 15-13, 11-4

First qualifying round – morning session
Lekgotla Mosope (BOT) bt. Jose Angel Becerril (MEX) 11-7, 11-5, 11-4
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt. T.G. Raubenheimer (RSA) 11-6, 5-11, 11-4, 11-1
Joan Lezaud (FRA) bt. Brendon Bascom (USA) 11-6, 11-7, 11-8
Lefika Ragontse (BOT) bt. Fred Reid (CAN) 11-7, 11-5, 13-11
Dane Sharp (CAN) bt. Jonas Laursen (DEN) 11-5, 11-7, 11-8
Lewis Walters (ENG) bt. Hameed Ahmed (FIN) 11-5, 5-11, 11-6, 13-11
Fernando Lopez (MEX) bt. Matt Domenick (USA) 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10
Benjamin Fischer (SUI) bt. Michal Reid (CAN) 12-10, 4-11, 8-11, 11-5, 12-10
(Photos © 2009 Paul Schwartz)

		Waller vs. Raubenheimer
		Waller (ENG) vs. Raubenheimer (RSA)

From a Challenger event with 6 entrants in 2002 to a $6K Super Satellite event with 28 entrants on the PSA circuit, the ProAm has come a long way. In its first Super Satellite edition this year, the tournament will feature Ryan Cuskelly from Australia as the top seed. Ryan is currently ranked 69 on the world PSA rankings and with six of the main draw entrants ranked in the world top 100, the event promises some spectacular professional squash! Also on the cards is the ever popular Friday night “Party With The Pros” and the amateur city championship (more details on this soon).

So mark your calendars, come down to the University of Rochester squash courts between April 2nd-5th and jump in on the action!

Tournament poster (Design by Pacey+Pacey Design)

These finalists need no introduction to Rochester. Between Patrick and Ahmed, both have already been here a total of eight times – three for Ahmed and five for Patrick.
As for the final, the excited Rochester crowd could not have asked for a better scoreline.
For the Egyptian from Alexandria, this was his maiden PSA tour title success, which makes it that much more special. He promises to return next year to defend his title.

VIDEO (by Paul Schwartz) – Chifunda-Hamza in the final:

Final match report by Eric Hernady:

Patrick Chifunda vs Ahmed Hamza in the 2008 Rochester ProAm Final

Patrick Chifunda vs Ahmed Hamza in the 2008 Rochester ProAm Final

As many now know Patrick and Ahmed have a long history of closely contested matches. One reason rests in the differing styles each plays. Neither conforms to the other’s style while relentlessly trying to impose their game on the other; this lends itself to exciting squash often going a full five games. This match was no different.
The opening game was played at a frenetic pace at times, which Patrick clearly favored. His fitness and attacking shots served him well jumping out to an early lead. Ahmed was a step slow and unable to match Patrick’s tempo. Patrick was able to dominate the center of the court and slip in a few crosscourt kills to put an exclamation point on the first game.
Ahmed adjusted his game a bit in the second by playing better length and taking advantage of loose balls that his tight length created by attacking to the front. This game was marked by scintillating retrieval and reflex shots by both players. This was the game that electrified the crowd and got everyone into the match. Patrick was unable to answer without making several unforced errors that kept Ahmed ahead by a point or two throughout the game. Ahmed also slowed the tempo and frustrated is opponent slightly and took the second. This was a glimpse of things to come.

In the third game Patrick reaped the rewards of the high tempo he maintained in the first two games of the match. Ahmed was visibly tired and tried to delay and create let situations, but Patrick would have none of it. Patrick was again pushing Ahmed to the back of the court with good length and volleying anything coming across the court, and ultimately forced errors from Ahmed. He ran away with the third game 11-5.

Playing more desperate squash, Ahmed picked up the pace with penetrating straight lengths along with some appropriately timed boasts to keep Patrick off balance. As both players pressed the pace, fatigue crept in to cause more physical contact and stoppages, which clearly favored Ahmed. Although Patrick steadied his game and played more basic squash to cut down on errors and tire Ahmed, it was not enough to counter Ahmed’s opportunistic crosscourt kills and tight drop shots. Once again these two would have to go to the fifth game to decide a winner.

The players played cautiously in the final game neither one wanting to make mistakes or open the court to their opponent. Both played medium pace up and down both walls to keep rallies neutral with some drops thrown in for variety. The score was always within two points as the game wore on. Everyone was on the edge of their seat with each long rally. Late in the game Patrick decided to pick up the pace again and moved Ahmed around the court with dying length balls to the back wall and short kills to the front. Patrick drew even at 9-9 and it looked like he had finally broken through and Ahmed would fold, when he tinned a ball giving Ahmed match ball. Ahmed sensing victory did not take long to capitalize, when on the next rally he hit a short straight kill that Patrick could not reach. As always they produced a memorable match and one certainly worthy of a final match. Congratulations, Ahmed!

Qualifier to semifinalist – Lekgotla Mosope

Qualifier to semifinalist – Lekgotla Mosope

The Rochester crowd was treated to an all-African semi-final tonight. The two gladiators in the squash arena were Patrick Chifunda from Zambia, the #1 seed and Lekgotla Mosope from Botswana, who earned a spot in the semi final by emerging victorious in the qualifying rounds and then upsetting the #4 seed, Fernando Lopez.
The unranked Mosope, making his PSA tour debut, grew up playing squash in Botswana following the ranks of other successful squash professionals from the continent such as Lefika Ragontse and his opponent, Chifunda.
The first game saw Mosope come out of the gates with guns blazing. He got off to a great start scoring four unanswered points before Chifunda gave proof of his presence on the court by registering his first point on the board. Mosope displayed his attacking skills and had Chifunda on the back-foot for most of the game and weaved some magic as well with some volley crosscourt backhand nicks in reply to respectable serves by Chifunda. A few tins by Mosope let Chifunda back in a little bit but Mosope closed it out 11-7 when Chifunda tinned at 10-7.
Chifunda stayed on the court throughout the 2 minute interval and kept practicing his touch shots. As expected, Chifunda started in an entirely different gear as compared to the first game and though Mosope was hanging with him till 6-6, Chifunda raced to eleven.

Patrick Chifunda – No. 1 seed

Patrick Chifunda – No. 1 seed

Undoubtedly, whoever won the third game would be in a commanding position in the match. The players knew this all too well and fought off each other’s ferocious attacks to stay in rallies which they had no right to stay in. Each kept the other in check until 8-8 and then Chifunda flew away with two winners to hold game ball. Mosope was not to be denied so easily and with the help of a stroke and a tin from Chifunda after a captivating rally, the match witnessed its first tie-break. 10-all the electronic scoreboard displayed at the top of the front wall and the crowd braced themselves for the moments to come. Chifunda displaying why he was the no.1 seed, played these points carefully and sensibly. He created his first down the line winner by playing the tightest of drops in the front forehand corner, which Mosope did very well to get to and then after another long rally, he played a forehand reverse boast as such lightning pace that Mosope saw it after it had bounced thrice. Game 3 to Chifunda 11-10 (2-0).
At this point, the match stood 50 minutes old, which is a testament to the consistency of quality these players displayed for the crowd. Unfortunately Mosope couldn’t gather himself to sustain this high quality in the 4th game and went down convincingly as Chifunda really picked up the pace and started going for all kinds of winners from all over the court. He wanted to close the match out and everyone in the crowd knew it. To his credit, he carried out his plan well and with the help of a few consecutive tins from Mosope at the middle stages of the game, ran away with the 4th and thus final game with a score of 11- 4, with the total duration of the match being 59 minutes.
These players competed in the true spirit of the game as there were no arguments with the referee (only four calls during the entire match, out of which only two were strokes) and the respect they held for each other on the court was there for everyone to see. Such a delight to watch such a quality match in the presence of the enthusiastic Rochester squash fans.

Semifinal 2: Ahmed Maged Hamza bt. Andrew McDougall (11-8, 11-8, 11-4)
(by Thomson Chew)
The second semifinal of the evening went quickly to Ahmed Maged Hamza of Egypt. He won 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-4) over Andrew McDougall of Canada. Ahmed controlled the game with patience and with several put-away shots that nicked in the front right corner. In game one the points started going to Ahmed quickly due to several rails that got away from Andrew and a few unforced errors from Andrew trying to end the point too close to the tin. Ahmed held on to the first game despite providing Andrew with the opportunity to tie the game at 5-5. He continued to stay patient with each rally and let Andrew create the opportunities for him to place the ball out of Andrew’s reach.

Game two saw a focused Andrew pressure Ahmed more and force him to hit some loose shots. Andrew used his front left drop to push Ahmed forward and then placed his retrieval deep into the opposite back corner. At 5-1 it looked like Andrew was heading to a good lead over Ahmed until a few long points started going Ahmed’s way. He pulled up to 5-5 thanks to a some unforced errors from Andrew. Both players exchange points up to 8-8 where Ahmed took it to 11-8 with his nicks and excellent length on the left side rail.

The momentum started with Ahmed in game three and did not stop until the end of the match. He gained a strong lead to 7-1. Both players put on some fantastic rallies that involved fully extended retrievals and well placed volleys and drop shots. Ahmed’s “extra long” reach allowed him to stay relax and to pull many balls from behind him back into play. Andrew had a difficult time getting the hot ball to settle down which taxed his patience and wore him down eventually. Ahmed closed the game out 11-4 and earned his place in Sunday’s finals.

Photos by Paul Schwartz:

Patrick Harris

Eric Hernady in the 5.0

Chris Fennell in the 5.0

Yohay Wakabayashi in the 5.0

Dan Carson

Chris Fennell vs Mark Mijangos in 5.0

Cam Conley in the 4.0

Cam Conley vs Patrick Harris

Nick Greaves-Tunnell