Despite a marathon two-hour semi-final battle less than 24 hours
earlier, Spaniard Borja Golan stunned title-holder Alister
Walker in straight games to win the EBS Dayton Open, the
PSA World Tour International 35 event in its ninth year at the
Dayton Squash Center in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
"After
last night's two-hour marathon match to defeat world No11 and top seed
Omar Mosaad of Egypt, everyone in tonight's packed gallery knew
that world No18 Golan was focused on the ultimate prize: champion," said
tournament promoter Charlie Johnson.
"Last
year's EBS Dayton Open champion and current world No12 Walker, of
Botswana, found out the hard way how truly focused the Spaniard was when
he went down in three straight games in 44 minutes.
"The
enthusiastic crowd thought they were in for a long evening when the
first rally of the match was a 50+ exchange that ended with Walker
hitting the tin. Golan went on to run off five straight long rallies to
take a 6-0 lead and Walker seemed like he couldn't find an answer to the
Spaniard's quick anticipation and attacking style of play.
"Walker finally won a rally off a brilliant forehand crosscourt nick
kill shot to get in the match at 1-6 but if it was going to take 10 more
of those to win this first game, with the way Golan was playing the odds
were not good," explained Johnson.
Golan
went on to win the match 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 to take his career PSA World
Tour title haul to 27 - two more than both Nick Matthew of
England and Ramy Ashour of Egypt!
After
the match, both players were gracious in wishing each other the best for
the rest of the season and thanking the sponsors and tournament promoter
Charlie Johnson of cjsquash.com. Last year's champion passed off
the EBS Dayton Open trophy to the 2012 champion and Golan will have his
name added to an illustrious list of winners for this 10-year-old event.
Golan
was delighted with his success: "I tried to play tight and put pressure
on him, moving the ball around the court - and that worked well.
"I
felt comfortable in that court from the first day, but yesterday with
Mosaad I had to be focussed all the time and after 200 lets finally I
went through!! Really happy for that," added the 29-year-old from
Santiago de Compostela.
"I
want to congratulate Ali for a great tournament and say thanks to
Charlie and all his team for make such a great tournament."
Walker
responded: "Borja was too strong on the night. He was incredibly tight
and played at a high tempo. There were not many opportunities for me to
get in front and dictate.
"He is
a deserved winner of the Dayton Open title this year."
Golan Upsets Mosaad To Make Dayton Final
In a dramatic semi-final lasting more than two hours, fourth-seeded
Spaniard Borja Golan upset favourite Omar Mosaad in five
games to make the final of the EBS Dayton Open, the PSA World
Tour International 35 event in its ninth year at the Dayton
Squash Center in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Mosaad, the world No11 from Cairo and a finalist in last week's PSA
International 75 Abierto Mexicano de Raquetas in Mexico, twice led
the world No18 from Santiago de Compostela.
But 29-year-old Golan, a former world No10, was determined to maintain
his unbeaten Tour record against the younger Egyptian and held his nerve
to close out the match 8-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 15-13 after 128 minutes.
"It was crazy stuff with a packed house," said tournament promoter
Charlie Johnson. "Incredible points, but Omar seemed a bit flat when
it really mattered and Borja has played inspired squash all week."
A disconsolate Mosaad told his Twitter followers later: "More than 2
hours I lost my match against Borja Golan 3.2 15.13 :( i am
frustrated :("
Golan, now celebrating his 36th final on the PSA World Tour, will face
second seed Alister Walker.
The world No12 from Botswana brought to an end the brave run of Ryan
Cuskelly, the unseeded Australian who ousted his higher-ranked
compatriot Cameron Pilley to reach the semis.
"Alister Walker finally won a match in under five games,"
exclaimed Johnson. "He went overtime to win game one, fought hard to
keep control and win game two, saw game three go to Cuskelly due to a
lapse in concentration, and then Walker poured on in to win 11-3 in the
fourth - winning seven straight rallies to take the match."
The 12-10, 11-8, 7-11, 11-3 victory in 59 minutes takes the New
York-based 30-year-old into his 12th Tour final.
Interestingly, Golan's 128-minute semi-final was the second longest
match of his Tour career. And his longest, a 131-minute battle for the
Berkshire Open title in the USA only seven months ago, was
against Walker!
Cuskelly Cracks Pilley In Dayton Upset
Ryan Cuskelly
earned his first ever win over compatriot Cameron Pilley when he
beat the Australian number one in the quarter-finals of the EBS
Dayton Open, the PSA World Tour International 35 event in its
ninth year at the Dayton Squash Center in Dayton, Ohio,
USA
Cuskelly, the US-based world No34 from New South Wales, has twice before
faced Pilley on the Tour - and in both cases fellow New South Welshman
Pilley, the world No17, came away with 3/0 wins.
But it
was left-hander Cuskelly's day in Dayton: the unseeded 25-year-old twice
resisted comebacks by third seed Pilley before triumphing 13-11, 8-11,
11-9, 6-11, 11-9 after 89 minutes.
"Bad
day at the office today. Out in the quarters," tweeted Pilley later.
"Looking forward to HK and Qatar already!!"
Cuskelly will now face second seed Alister Walker, the world No12
from Botswana - also based in New York - who survived his second
five-game battle in succession when he ended French qualifier
Gregoire Marche's run 4-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-2, 11-7.
In the
opening match of the day, Egypt's top seed Omar Mosaad beat
Mathieu Castagnet 8-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 in 49 minutes after a
15-minute delay when an accident gave the Frenchman a severe cut to the
lip in the fourth game of the closely-contested match.
"Castagnet came back on court down 8-10 match ball to compete, won an
incredibly long rally but then succumbed to lose 9-11," explained
tournament promoter Charlie Johnson. "A local doctor and friend
of squash then took him to hospital and got his lip stitched up and
brought him back to the club. The Cincinnati/Dayton squash community is
close and it was great to have the support on hand."
It
took Spain's fourth seed Borja Golan only 37 minutes, the night's
shortest quarter-final match, to despatch Egyptian Marwan El Shorbagy
and move on to the semi-finals, where he will face Mosaad.
Marche
Marches Through In Dayton
French
qualifier Gregoire Marche claimed an unexpected place in the
quarter-finals of the EBS Dayton Open after upsetting England's
Chris Ryder in the opening round of the PSA World Tour
International 35 squash event in its ninth year at the Dayton
Squash Center in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Ryder,
a former World Universities champion and once ranked 33 in the world, is
now 32 years old and slipping down the rankings - whilst 22-year-old
Marche, who had to battle for 76 minutes to topple Canadian Shawn
Delierre to make the main draw, is in the early stage of his career
and regularly taking experienced scalps.
And
since the draw was made, the Frenchman has overtaken Ryder in the PSA
world rankings. The new world No40 was keen to prove the computer
correct - and did so in his 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 dismissal of the world
No48-ranked Englishman to become the only qualifier to progress.
Marche
will now face defending champion Alister Walker, the second seed
from Botswana who had to come back from two games down to overcome
Mexican qualifier Cesar Salazar 9-11, 7-11, 11-0, 11-7, 15-13.
"It
was the 88-minute final match of the night between Alister, last year's
EBS champion and world No13, against qualifier Cesar, the world No52,
that thrilled the packed crowd," said tournament organiser Charlie
Johnson.
"Salazar had looked strong in the qualifying draw and continued his
quick and aggressive play tonight and took Walker to a place that few
top athletes can return from," Johnson continued. "Salazar was quick,
Salazar was accurate, Salazar anticipated and he hit nicks almost at
will. After the first two games, Walker found himself down two games and
facing a quick exit from Dayton.
"With
a change of strategy, changing the pace, lobs from the front instead of
drops, and better shot selection, Walker got himself back in the match
winning the third game 11-0.
"Now
down 1/2, the second seed had some soul searching to do. Salazar needed
a rest in game three, the change of strategy had worked, but with a 1/2
deficit, Walker still faced a challenge and although Walker was playing
well, Salazar seemed to have an answer for every question on the court.
What would game four produce?
"It
was almost a repeat of game two except this time Walker won. Salazar
continued to try to "shoot" to victory and who can blame him as he'd
played two matches prior to meeting Walker tonight. The tin, however,
proved to be his enemy in this game as he had to risk the volley short
from the back of the court due to fatigue. At the end of this game where
now Walker had battled back from 0-2 to 2-2 veteran players sitting with
me spectating said 'he's done' - meaning Salazar.........far from the
truth.
"After
being down 0/2 in games, now two-all, Walker made some really bad
unforced errors in game five to find himself down 1-8 in the decider.
Turning to the glass back-wall at this point, he seemed determined to
believe he could come back and you could see it in his eyes. Salazar,
playing like a true champion all night, sensing this might be his moment
to break into the elite tried to close.
"What
happened over the next 13 minutes is the most intense fifth game of
squash I've ever seen," said Johnson. "Walker faced four match balls
before he won 15-13!"
Egyptian favourite Omar Mosaad took 49 minutes to take care of
business against Zac Alexander of Australia, winning 6-11, 11-6,
11-5, 14-12 in the first match of the evening.
But
Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet's victory over Campbell Grayson
of New Zealand took 108 minutes - with Grayson taking the opening
40-minute first game!
World
No36 Castagnet clinched victory 11-13, 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 - and will now
face Mosaad for a place in the semi-finals.
Yasir
Butt Battles On In Dayton
Yasir Butt
edged out US number two Christopher Gordon in a marathon
83-minute qualifying final of the EBS Dayton Open to join fellow
Pakistani Aurangzeb Mehmund in the main draw of the PSA World
Tour International 35 squash event in its ninth year at the
Dayton Squash Center in Dayton, Ohio, USA
The
world No64 from Lahore - the lowest-ranked player to qualify - had
already taken out higher-ranked New Zealander Martin Knight in
the first qualifying round.
Described by tournament organiser Charlie Johnson as a "battle of
giants", the Butt/Gordon match provided an "incredible display of squash
and athleticism from both players".
The
18-minute first game set the tone for the match as it was apparent that
both Gordon and Butt were determined to earn a spot in the main draw.
"With
both players tall, both rangy, both willing to cut the ball off and
attack the front, the crowd was treated to a great back and forth game
that saw Butt victorious 11-8," said Johnson. "In game two that seemed
to be almost a rewind of the first, Gordon, who was urged on by his
supporters in the crowd, turned the tables and won 11-8.
"The
important third game saw both players raise their game to an incredible
level. Words can't describe the extraordinary and often long points
displayed on the court, many ending in lets (much to the groan of the
crowd and dismay of the players!), and after 23 minutes Butt took a 2/1
lead in the match winning 13-11 on a point that featured incredible
retrieves and attacks from both players."
Gordon
took the fourth to draw level, but from nine-all in the decider it was
24-year-old Butt who marched into the main draw, courtesy of his 11-8,
8-11, 13-11, 4-11, 11-9 triumph.
"All
this for $500 and 55 ranking points - now that's commitment!" one
spectating PSA player was heard to comment.
Two
other clashes for places in the main draw took more than an hour to
resolve - Frenchman Gregoire Marche beating Shawn Delierre
11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6 in 76 minutes in his first meeting with the
Canadian, and New Zealander Campbell Grayson upsetting
higher-ranked Egyptian Omar Abdel Aziz 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8 in
72 minutes.
And
Cesar Salazar ensured Mexican interest in the first round after
upsetting Pakistan's top-ranked player Aamir Atlas Khan 9-11,
12-10, 11-6, 11-4.
Dayton Open
Upgrades To International 35 Status
The tenth
anniversary of the first PSA World Tour event staged at the Dayton
Squash Center in Dayton, USA, will be marked by the 2012 Dayton
Open being upgraded to a PSA International 35 event.
This year's
event will take place from 7-10 November, following two days of qualifying.
"The Dayton
squash community is pleased to elevate the 2012 Dayton Open to an International
35 event," said tournament promoter Charlie Johnson. "We will continue
our tradition of providing excellent amenities for the PSA players in attendance
and the raised status of this year's event exhibits our desire to return the
Dayton Open to a premier men's tournament in North America."
The popular
Ohio event boasts a distinguished list of former champions over the past decade
- including world number ones Gregory Gaultier, Peter Nicol,
Karim Darwish, Ramy Ashour, John White and Thierry Lincou.
Egypt's
Omar Mosaad heads the high quality 2012 Dayton Open field. The world No11
from Cairo already has two Tour titles under his belt this year - and arrives in
Ohio direct from Mexico where he reached Sunday's final of the PSA
International 70 Abierto Mexicano de Raquetas unseeded.
Mosaad is
expected to meet second seed Alister Walker, the New York-based world
No12 from Botswana, in Saturday's final.
