Final player list has been announced - check out the final cut. This year, besides our own international squad of varsity players, the Rochester Pro will see players from Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Botswana, Guatemala, England, Sri Lanka, France, Spain, Ireland and Pakistan. Please contact us if you would like to host a player, there a few spots left. (Learn more about hosting a player.)

On April 3rd-6th 2008, Rochester will be witness to the seventh installment of the Rochester Pro tournament. Th tournament has been scheduled a couple of months later than the usual January time on purpose to allow our player guests to sample Rochester in relatively better weather in April. The tournament is currently registered and sanctioned on the PSA calendar and we’re looking forward to having a host of international pros come back to Rochester.

Final recap by Thomson Chew

The 15 F (-9.4 C) weather did not keep the Rochester squash fans from the 2007 final between Jorge Ferreira (Mexico) and Kristen (Kris) Johnson (Scotland). The fans filled the University of Rochester squash facility to see two of the top tournament seeds play. Both players made it through the draw with just one game lost to their opponents. The crowd anticipated a close and exciting match between the 76th PSA ranked Ferreira and the three time Scottish Junior National champion Johnson.

After an introduction from the tournament organizer and RSRA board member Mithun Mukherjee the players entered the court for their match. Johnson, lanky and about a foot taller than Ferreira, looked rested and relaxed. Ferreira looked a bit tense, but after knocking the ball around for a few minutes he showed the fluid strokes that gained him winning shots in his previous three matches.

Game 1 started with a long two minute rally. Both players worked the rails and cross courts, finding their length and moving their opponent left to right. Ferreira wins the points and picks up the next quickly to go 2-0. Johnson regains his form and works hard to get back to 2-2. Two strokes are awarded to Johnson to give him a 4-2 lead. Both players proceed to hit low hard cross courts and tight rails with Johnson getting the better results. At 6-3 Johnson tries a backhand cross court volley boast but hits the tin. Ferreira takes advantage of the opportunity to catch up 6-6 thanks to additional tins from Johnson’s attempts at winners. The next point is a long rally with both players attacking and retrieving tough shots in the front corners and in the back. The point goes to Ferreira after his deep tight backhand rail gets past the outstretched Johnson. Johnson fights back to regain the lead at 9-7. At 8-9 Ferreira crushes an overhead volley into the side wall. The game is 10-9 with Ferreira serving game ball. He controls the point with tight shots to the front and ends it with a deep rail to win 11-9.

Game 2 sees Ferreira jumping to a quick 3-0 lead thanks to Johnson’s tin and a Ferreira drop shot and deep rail winner. Johnson regains his form to catch up thanks to Ferreira’s turn to offer some tin shots to Johnson. At 4-3 Ferreira serves in but ends up getting passed by a low, hard cross court from Johnson. Ferreira gives Johnson two points from his unforced errors into the tin. At 6-4 Johnson is looking confident and working the rails and front left corner drops. A long rally starts. Both players are hitting tough drops and rails, forcing each other to make incredible retrievals. Johnson puts the point away and follows up with a cry of satisfaction as the packed crowd goes wild with cheering. The score is 8-4 in Johnson’s favor. Despite the exhausting points Ferreira still looks calm and collected. He shows the crowd why he is the #1 seed by staying focused and by avoiding risky shots. Johnson is forced to push harder, but a tin and some well placed shots by Ferreira changes the score to 8-9. Ferreira ties it at 9-9 with a cross court winner. Another deep, tight rail gives Ferreira the lead at 10-9. In the next point Johnson is holding his own until he tries a drop shot from the back corner, missing by a millimeter and giving Ferreira the game 11-9.

Game 3 sees Johnson making two errors to give Ferreira a 2-0 lead. Ferreira is looking fresh and strong as he retrieves everything that Johnson hits, much to the crowd’s entertainment. Johnson earns two strokes against Ferreira to get to 2-2. Another error by Ferreira gives the lead to Johnson. But history repeats itself as Game 3 sees Johnson’s lead end with a focused attack by Ferreira. His constant retrieving is pressuring Johnson to take more risks. Both players trade points before Ferreira pulls ahead for good with great placement to the front and back corners. Some more mental errors by Johnson take the game to 10-5 with Ferreira serving for the match. A great rally begins as both players hit attacking shots. Ferreira puts the game and match away with a deep winner.

Ferreira wins 11-9, 12-10, and 11-5 in 50 minutes.

The Rochester Squash Racquets Association thanks all of the players who traveled here to play. We wish you good luck in your upcoming matches and hope to see you either in Rochester next year or higher up the PSA rankings.

Check out the Photos section for a slice of the action.

The snowy afternoon and night provided a great excuse to head to the University of Rochester squash courts and watch the first round of the 2007 Rochester PSA Pro-Am. The matches spread were played over three hours with top seeds and qualifiers giving the fans some great squash.

In the early matches Imran Khan upset 6 seeded Fernando Lopez (MEX) 11-3,11-7,12-10. A Rochester favorite and familiar face at the Rochester Pro/AM, Imran showed how experience can still hold off youth.

Jorge Ferreira (MEX) def. Aqib Hanif (PAK) (11-3,11-7,11-10(2-0)):
In the second half matches the #1 seed Jorge Ferreira (MEX) cruised through his match against Aqib Hanif (PAK) 11-3, 11-7, 12-10. Both players were surprisingly in great form considering one had arrived straight from Mexico City just in time to make his match a half hour earlier and the other had arrived all the way from Pakistan late the previous night. During the match Ferreira looked calm and confident in his movement and shot selection. He worked Hanif around the four corners with lobs, drops, and varied pace on his cross courts and rails.

James Snell (ENG) def. Michael Reid (CAN) (11-5,11-10(2-0),11-7):
Qualifier James Snell showed his patience over 3rd seed Michael Reid by keeping his rails tight and mixing in low boasts to stretch Reid to the front. Both players kept the pace fast with points being exchanged back and forth in each game. In game 3 Reid pulled out in front only to hit several tins to give Snell the advantage. At 10 - 7 three long rallies ended in lets. On the fourth try Reid misplaced his low rail into the tin to give Snell the win.

Kristen Johnson (SCO) def. Alex Ingham (ENG) (11-8,11-8,11-9):
The left handed Johnson played steadily through all three games, winning 11-7, 11-9, and 13-11. His patient rails and periodic boasts kept Ingham off his step enough to create unforced errors. Kristen was able to keep his errors to a minimum and cruise through to the quarterfinals.

Chris Tasker-Grindley (ENG) def. Ryan Thompson (NAM) (11-9,11-9,11-10(2-0):
Qualifier Tasker-Grindley started slowly but pulled out a tough win against the tenacious Thompson. The first point of the match lasted three minutes and left Tasker-Grindley out of stride. He hit tins five times to give Thompson a quick 5-1 lead. Tasker-Grindley got his act together and regained his composure to win the game 11-7. He completed his work with an 11-9 score in game 2 and 13-11 in game 3.

After the last match of the day, everyone headed over to the sports bar in Karen and Cole Behringer’s lovely house. Great food and great hospitality made for a fun evening and gave the Rochester squash fans a chance to mingle with these young professionals and get to know them better. Thanks again to the Behringers for hosting such a wonderful evening. The players seemed to enjoy it immensely.

With qualifier action under way, Rochester was treated to a sneak peak of what the rest of the squash world is to expect in the years to come. This qualifier draw on Thursday was teeming with world class junior talent most of who have represented their nations in the junior rankings emerging as champions and are now making their way into the senior squash circuit.

The morning session saw one of the three locals and also a UR squash team member, freshman Jim Bristow, comfortably make it to the next round beating Colombian Esteban Espinal. Jim met fellow Englishman, Chris Tasker-Grindley in the next round and fought through a long and breathtaking first game. In the end Chris prevailed and took the match to qualify for the main draw.

Another young lad from England (and probably the youngest in this tournament), Alex Ingham, shone in his first ever PSA match overcoming Ben Oliner through some very patient rallies and a hard fought match. He continued his great form in the evening beating Arturo Castillo from Mexico to end the day on a successful note and enter the main round. Rochester prediction: Watch out for Alex Ingham in the years to come!

Canadian Matt Serediak overcame young Karim Samy from Egypt who had earlier won his first match against UR team member Yohay Wakabasyashi. But Karim wasn’t having the best day trying to ward off an illness and finally succumbed to Matt’s play.

The Englishmen were having a great run as James Snell continued his great form from the morning to beat Bernard Reid and earn a place in the main draw.

For pictures/video of the qualifier action check out the photos section.

All players and hosts, please note that the pro qualifier draw is slated for 10:00 am on Thursday 01/18 morning. All qualifiers are expected to be present 10 minutes earlier at 9:50 am at the UR squash courts.

And on Friday night, come mix and mingle with the players, hosts and Rochester squashers after the first round play.
Thanks to our host Karen Behringer for offering to host this party at the perfect sports bar downstairs in her lovely home.

Venue: 850 Highland Avenue (corner of Highland and Clinton)
Date: 19th January 2007
Time: Approx. 8:00 pm onwards after the first round

Amateur draws are online here.

As we enter the last stretch before tournament week, the stage is set once again to welcome professional squash talent from all over the world. With a stellar young crop of professionals coming in this year, be prepared to see some fresh faces and exciting squash next week.

To join in the action, don’t forget to sign up for the amateur city championships.

Also planned is a social event on Friday night to mingle with the players and community. Many thanks to our host, Karen Behringer. More on this soon.

Another round of acknowledgement and thanks to our housers and sponsors this year.

Welcome to the 6th annual Rochester Pro-Am Squash Tournament, presented by the Rochester Squash Racquets Association. This is a sanctioned $4K Satellite event on the Professional Squash Association world tour and boasts a 16 man qualifying draw and a 16 man main draw. In the past we have had players rated from No. 70 to No. 200 in the world hailing from USA, Australia, Egypt, Pakistan, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Botswana, Zambia, Japan, Argentina, Wales, England, France and Brazil.

Last years event:
2006 Rochester Pro webpage
2006 SquashSite feature
2005 SquashSite feature

Also on the cards this year is an amateur competition in conjunction with the pro event giving local amateur squash players a chance to join in the spirit of fun and competitive squash play.

Proudly brought to you by

(By Thomson Chew)

Photos from the Finals (By Paul Schwartz, Mithun Mukherjee)

On a rainy Sunday afternoon the enthusiastic squash fans packed the University of Rochester squash courts to view the final match of the 2006 Rochester Pro Am. Many of the spectators had witnessed the solid play of both players over the previous two days and were anticipating an exciting finish.

Rochester Squash Racquets Association President Bob Gerace offered a round of thanks to the tournament sponsors, volunteers, and fans for helping to bring pro squash to Rochester. Tournament Director Eric Hernady introduced the finalist Miguel Angel Rodriguez of Columbia and Yasser El-Halaby of Egypt. Miguel is on the pro tour and ranked 73. Yasser is finishing a stellar career on the Princeton University varsity squash team and is preparing himself for the pro circuit.

Game 1:

Yasser serves in and begins to dictate a fast and furious pace. The first point involves dozens of rails and boasts by both players, ending in a point for Yasser. Two unforced errors from Miguel give Yasser a quick 4-0 lead. Miguel gains the service after a stroke is awarded him. He proceeds to win the next point after a long exchange of shots that took Miguel around the four corners of the court before Yasser places his attempted winner into the tin. Despite the error, Yasser responds back with a hard and low service return along the right rail. Back on the service, Yasser continues to enforce his pace, but Miguel is settling down and playing better length. Working Yasser to the front and back, Miguel picks up the next three points to tie the game at 5-5. At this point, it appears that Miguel is stepping up the pressure and feeling more confident in his shot selection. Yasser hits the tin on the next point to give Miguel a 6-5 lead. This lead is short lived as Yasser hits a beautiful backhand volley into the knick to take control of the service again. The next three points are created by errors as Miguel hits one out of court and Yasser hits the tin twice to give Miguel the lead again at 8-7. At 8-7 the fans got a treat watching one of the longer points of the game (and match). Both players push each other around the court with rails, drops, and incredible retrievals from the front and back of the court. The point ends after Yasser retrieves Miguel’s fake to the cross court drop and plays it into the knick. After two rallies and two lets, both players pick up a point to tie 9-9. After another intense rally that ends in a let, Miguel wins the next point on a well executed cross court drop. At 10-9, Yasser fights back to 10-10 when he hits a tight drop that Miguel cannot return. With the score tied 10-10 Yasser hits a tin on the next point. At game point Miguel serves in and a long rally ensues with Yasser pushing Miguel front and back, only to end the point with a tin that gives game one to Miguel 12-10.

Game 2:

The crowd was anticipating a similar fight as game one, but after the first two points are sent to the tin by each player, the game was all Yasser. From 1-1 he proceeds to run up the score to 6-1 before Miguel scores again. Most of Yasser’s points are out right winners or errors from Miguel. It appears that Miguel left his legs off the court as he is one or more steps out of position on each point. (After the match Miguel conceded that his quadricepses were feeling the wear of game one and his previous matches.) Within several minutes Yasser is at game ball. Miguel ends the game with his fourth tin, giving Yasser an 11-2 win and added confidence for the third game.

Game 3:

Yasser starts the game with a convincing volley into side knick to go 1-0. He continues the pressure on Miguel and races to 4-0 after earning two tins from Miguel and a cross court that catches Miguel retreating to the T a step too late. At this point the crowd senses a repeat of game two. Miguel finally scores a point and serves in at 1-5. After exchanging a point each, Yasser returns the pressure on Miguel. At 6-2 both players use attacking shots to the front, but Yasser prevails with a faked drop that he drills to the back corner. Yasser continues to use his tight rails and boasts to drag Miguel back and across the court effectively. At 9-4 Miguel serves in and benefits from Yasser’s return into the tin. On the next point Miguel plays a great counter drop that Yasser cannot reach in time. Another tin by Yasser takes Miguel within two points of tying at 7-9. There is a great rally between the two as each player scrambles to retrieve well-placed shots. Yasser ends the point with a drop into the front left knick to reach game ball at 10-7. Yasser controls game point by moving the ball to the left and to the right sides at Miguel’s expense. Despite a great effort to keep the game alive, Miguel gets caught by Yasser’s tight right side rail. The game ends 11-7 and Yasser has a 2-1 lead.

Game 4:

Yasser serves in and begins to apply his backhand volley drops on Miguel, but instead of falling behind, Miguel picks up the first point. Yasser replies with a backhand volley knick to tie at 1-1. A tin by Yasser on the next point turns the serve over to Miguel. Both players trade points to reach 3-2 in Miguel’s favor. Yasser continues his steady pressure with plenty of drops to keep Miguel running and bending low to retrieve. At 4-2 Miguel gets worked around the court by Yasser, but he makes several incredible retrieves in the front and in the back of the court as Yasser hits deep and then drops and hits deep again and drops again. After losing the point to Yasser the crowd responds with an enthusiastic applause. Even Yasser had to acknowledge the athletic determination that was displayed by Miguel. Miguel hits a tin on his next shot to give Yasser a chance at 3-5. Yasser works himself back into the game to tie 6-6. Yasser wins the next point on a counter drop. Both players are attacking well and forcing errors to occur. At 8-8 a great rally occurs with both players dropping and counter dropping in the front court. A shot into the tin by Miguel gives Yasser the lead at 9-8. Another long point has Miguel benefiting this time with a well placed drop to the front left that a diving Yasser cannot reach before the second bounce. Tied at 9-9, Miguel and Yasser pound the balls down the rails. The rally continues for several shots and appears to be Yasser’s point with a deep rail up the right wall. Miguel scrambles to reach it and makes an outstretched dive toward the back wall. A snap of his wrist knocks the ball off the back wall and to the front left wall where Yasser is waiting. Despite his attempt to push Miguel back again, Miguel recovers well to attack and ends up placing a beautiful drop to the front left to win the point. At game ball Miguel completes the comeback with a winner to end the game at 11-9 and to set up a decisive game five.

Game 5:

The packed crowd is leaning in toward the glass back wall for the anticipated battle between these two great players. Miguel has fought back and is looking refreshed and confident in his new red shirt. The game starts well for Miguel as he benefits from his well placed shots, especially the boast and cross court. Yasser adds a couple of tins that allowed his opponent to reach 4-0 after a few minutes of play. At 4-0 it looks like Miguel will run away with the game. Yasser finally responds with a nifty cross court fake. At 2-4 Yasser calls for a let after he sets up near the T to play a ball with Miguel within his backhand stroke. The let stands much to Yasser’s consternation. Miguel proceeds to take control again and runs the score up to 8-3. Miguel appears to pulling out all of the moves to keep Yasser guessing. At 9-4 Yasser hits the tin on an open drop to the front left. Miguel served in at 10-4, but proceeds to hit a potential winner into the tin. Yasser picks up another point to reach 6-10. On the next match point Miguel benefits from a cross court drive that hits strangely and forces Yasser to miss-time his stroke. Game, match to Miguel Angel Rodriguez 3-2.

Final scores: Miguel Angel Rodriguez def. Yasser El-Halaby 3-2. Scores were 12-10, 2-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6