15-Oct, FINAL:

[3] Bradley Ball (Eng) bt [2] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned)
      11-6, 8-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-10 (3-1)

Ball Bags Berkshire Title
Chris Tom reports from Williamstown

In a fitting climax to a great week of squash, third seeded Bradley Ball rallied back from a four-point deficit in the fifth game to overtake second seeded Laurens Jan Anjema in a tiebreaker and to win the first ever Berkshire Open championship.

“I’m a very, very happy boy,” said a tired but smiling Ball. “This is the biggest tournament I’ve ever won. I was able to beat two players ranked above me. This will do my ranking a lot of good.”

From the start, both players proved they were up to the challenge of a finals match. Ball took the early lead as he maintained control of the tee and his now-familiar low hard drives and volleys into the nick. While Anjema never seemed comfortable in the first and was unable to mount any sustained attack, Ball continued to hold centre court and won the first game handily.

Anjema came out strong in the second and immediately turned the tables. Becoming more offensive, Anjema began to control the tee as Ball forced a couple of early mistakes. But Anjema could not hold on to his early 4-0 lead as Ball himself upped the pace later in the game and eventually tied the score at 8-8. Anjema responded with a deceptive drop from the backcourt to retake the lead and then received a gift as Ball foolishly guessed off the serve and gave Anjema double game ball at 10-8 and eventually, the game.

By the third game, Anjema’s quickness and stamina had become apparent as he continued to move Ball around the court. As Anjema’s shots repeatedly forced him to move from corner to corner, Ball began to tire and his length and accuracy suffered. Down 6-2, Ball began to press with risky shots from the back, and while he found the nick on a few, he made too many as Anjema won the crucial third 11-6.

“Halfway through, I had to change my plan,” Ball said afterwards. “In straight lines, he’s unbelievable. I had to find a way to move him around and put some pressure on him. It was too late in the third but I used (my new plan) in the fourth and fifth.

In that fourth game, Ball did begin to move Anjema around and the Dutchman began to showfatigue himself. Fighting through his own exhaustion, Ball continued to retrieve Anjema’s attacking shots and kept the score tied up to 8-8. While Ball kept fighting for every shot, Anjema appeared to let up late in the fourth and let two crucial shots pass by him uncontested, giving Ball the game 11-8.

With the title riding on the line, neither player could pick up much momentum early on in the fifth. However, a combination of two errors by Ball and a renewed volley attack by Anjema gave the Dutchman a 7-3 lead midway through the fifth. Four points from elimination, Ball rallied once again.

“I told himself I have to dig deep again,” Ball said. “I just stayed in the points and he made a couple of mistakes to get me back in.”

Ball’s tenacious play was rewarded, and Anjema made two unforced errors to help Ball retie the score at 7-7. From there, Ball picked up three stroke calls and suddenly had triple match ball. Anjema, though, would not go down without a fight himself. The Dutch Open champ stayed focused and hit a gusty cross court drop in the face of game ball to tie the match at 10-10. A poor volley by Ball then gave Anjema the lead back, and a match ball of his own. Once again, Ball responded and hit a backhand volley into the nick and retied the score at 11-11. With his fourth match ball at 12-11, Ball received his big break as his crosscourt bounced awkwardly off the nick and stayed attached to the sidewall. Surprised by the ball’s movement, Anjema could only look on helplessly and the ball hit the ground and ended his championship dreams.

In the awards ceremony, both players expressed the appreciation for the fans and tournament director Zafi Levy for organizing this inaugural event.

“I wanted to thank all the guys I spent time with Saturday night,” Ball said. “They helped me feel relaxed here and I had a real good time. It’s just nice to be rewarded after putting in a lot of work over the last six months.”
 

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photos by Scott Moscowitz

photos by Scott Moscowitz
 

"I'm still speechless. I can't believe the ball hit the nick. "That's how it is under these new rules, that every point is so important." Laurens Jan Anjema

More reports & photos
on official site from Berkshire

11-6, 8-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-10 (3-1)

Qualifying finals:
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Arthur Gaskin (Irl) 11/3, 11/3, 11/7
Sherif Moustafa Kamel (Egy) bt Siddarth Suchde (Ind) 8/11, 11/7, 11/9, 11/10(4-2)
John Russell (Eng) bt Pat Bedore (Can) 11/8, 11/3, 11/2
Niall Rooney (Irl) bt Ryan Donegan (Usa) 7/11, 11/7, 11/8, 11/5

14-Oct, Semi-Finals:

[3] Bradley Ball (Eng) bt [1] Borja Golan (Esp)
      11/2, 1/11, 11/8, 11/9

[2] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt [7] Liam Kenny (Irl)
      11/8, 10/11(2-0), 11/7, 11/10 (4-2)

Chris Tom reports from Williamstown

For several days the underdogs had been the story at the Berkshire Open in Williamstown, Massachusetts, as qualifiers such as Daryl Selby and Niall Rooney pushed their way into the quarterfinals. After their elimination, attention moved to the top seeded players remaining in the draw as the tournament moved into the semi-finals round Thursday. In the most consistent and exciting squash seen thus far, third seeded Bradley Ball and second seeded Laurens Jan Anjema each survived difficult four-game matches to move on to tomorrow’s final.

Bradley bags Berkshire final berth ...

The day’s first match featured Ball facing off against top seeded Borja Golan of Spain. Previewing the action to come, the players traded hard and tight drives for several minutes and turned their first point into the longest rally of the tournament. While Golan stayed with a traditional deep game, Ball pressed the play early by attacking the court with his hard volleys and kill shots. With three of his first four points coming from nicks, Ball gained the early momentum and did not relent. Continuing to press up front, Ball raced out to a 7-0 lead and coasted in with an 11-2 first game victory.

“I felt real relaxed out there,” Ball said afterwards. “I had lost to him twice before and I was really looking to get him the third time. My swing felt loose early on, and I was just looking to attack at the right time.”

While he was unable to get started in the first, Golan wasted no time in counterattacking in the second. Moving Ball around with a combination of volleys, drops and boasts, Golan established himself in the centre of the court and never gave Ball a chance to find the groove he had in the first. Just like Ball in the first, Golan never relinquished his early lead and tied the match up with a resounding 11-1 win.

With the score tied, both players came out hard in the important third game. While they traded points early on, Ball was able to seize the lead in the middle, helped by a nick on his service return at 7-6. Despite Golan’s best efforts, Ball held off the top seed and took the third 11-8.

Facing elimination, Golan again came out strong in the fourth, taking 3-0 and 4-1 leads. But this time Ball countered with another offensive attack and rallied back to briefly take the lead before the match reached a tense 9-9 late in the game. Aware that one mistake could cost them the match, the players slowed the pace and settled into a long series of drives, as each player waited for their opponent to slip up. This time it was Golan, whose loose drive gave Ball a stroke and the all important 10-9 lead. After a let point, Ball’s serve skipped into Golan in the back corner. Surprised by the awkward bounce, Golan desperately flicked his racquet at the ball, putting the ball into the floor and ending the match in the most unexpected way.

Anjema's Aim is true

The patience and discipline of Ball and Golan’s match made the following showdown between Anjema and Liam Kenny seem like an exhibition in shooting and retrieving. Playing against “his older brother figure,” as Anjema described Kenny afterwards, the second seeded Dutchman matched his former teacher in a display of both shot making and occasional mistakes in the first. While neither player could gain much of an advantage early on, Anjema’s speed and footwork allowed him to track down Kenny's shots throughout the match and eventually carried him to first game victory.

The pattern held in the second and third games, as both continued to attack the front court whenever possible. Using his impressive cut volley drops and drops, Kenny eked out and won a tiebreaker in the second to tie the score. Anjema, though, responded with his own uncanny ability to hit winners off the serve and with reverse boasts and eventually retook the lead with his own close victory in the third, 11-7.

Anjema continued to attack into the fourth and took a commanding 6-0 early on. Refusing to back down to his former pupil, Kenny slowly began to work his way back as Anjema started to struggle with unforced errors and Kenny consistently placed soft drop shots in the front corners. Working against a four-point deficit, Kenny stayed patiently as Anjema continued to struggle and eventually tied the game at nine, only to make his own error, giving Anjema match ball. However, Anjema’s risky, on-the-run backhand drop found the tin and sent another game into a tiebreaker.

With the score at 12-12, the duo played the point of the tournament. Caught up in the front court, both players exchanged a frantic series of volleys as each player tried to pass the other before Kenny sent Anjema into the back right corner. Anjema then sprinted back and made a lunging backhand lob that barely stayed in court, moved back to the front and then hit a perfect drop shot in the right wall nick.

“I wasn’t even trying to hit that,” Anjema said afterwards. “I was just trying to hit a nice tight drop shot.”

On the next point, Anjema put a forehand drop into the nick and clinched an exhilarating four-game victory.
 

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13-Oct, Quarter-Finals:
No Sweat for Seeds
in Berkshire ...
The quarter-finals of the Berkshire Open saw the top three seeds, Borja Golan, Laurens Jan Anjema and Bradley Ball, complete straight game victories while seventh seed Liam Kenny finished off the last qualifier ...

Joanna Leathers reports from Berkshire

Bradley Ball bt John Russell 11/5, 11/0, 11/4

Ball made quick work of Russell. With a stretch that let him put away any shot, Ball was able to control the tee, showering Russell with deceptive cross-courts that forced him to play defensively throughout the match. While Russell entered the third game more poised and focused, Ball quickly regained the lead mentally when he nailed a decisive inverted boast volley winner. It was Ball’s consistent command of his volleys that kept Russell from ever really turning around the match.

Borja Golan bt Daryl Selby 11/4, 11/5, 11/5

With strings of crisp, deep drives from both players, Golan waited patiently for his put away opportunities, frequently calling on his ever-accurate drop and whip of a crosscourt. Both players started out playing fluidly, but as play wore on, Selby became a bit sloppy, having several strings of tins. Selby made a good choice mid-match to switch up the pace of play, lofting many tight lobs and crosscourts, but Golan caught on quickly and contributed his own softer drops to maintain his lead.

In the second game, there were some great gets from Selby from the back corners, but Golan was relentless with the decisive drops. Golan’s most effective and dependable shot of the match was the slam-crosscourt from frontcourt off Selby’s frequent drops and boasts. With this constant crosscourt, Golan plagued Selby and at the end of the game he visibly lost focus, making several unforced errors.

Laurens Jan Anjema bt Niall Rooney 11/7, 11/6, 11/8

Anjema gained control of the match from the start, refusing to move from the tee and slamming sharp, low drives to the back corners. With a quick snap, Anjema had several drops that nicked, but Rooney refused to let the game slip away, fought back from 10-4 to 10-7, but couldn’t displace Anjema, falling 11-7.

Rooney came out strong in the second game, determined not to let any of Anjema’s winners die. The fans were constantly gasping as Rooney flung his body around the court to retrieve any and every shot. He ricocheted off the back and side walls, miraculously returning the shots and continuing play after what looked like serious impacts. Rooney made some incredible gets, twisting and contorting to disguise his shots. Despite his best efforts, Rooney couldn’t prevail over Anjema’s crisp, low short drives.

Liam Kenny bt Kumail Mehmood 11/8, 11/6, 11/10(5-3)

This match proved to be the closest and the most heated of the day’s play. Mehmood seemed the victor at the start, lunging across the court incredibly fast, demolishing Kenny’s attempt to use frequent crosses to control play. Mehmood’s strengths were his crisp crosscourt drop and lob-cross—a shot that would consistently land in that perfectly irretrievable spot, cushioned between the side wall and the bottom nick of the back wall. Both players had a devastating drop shot and nicks that were too frequent to be called lucky.

Kenny would become the apparent victor mid-match, as he remained poised, never showing any sign of anger or exhaustion, while Mehmood became visibly and audibly flustered. After several contentious lets and protests from Mehmood, Kenny held the lead and seemed ready to close out the match after a string of incredible overhead, backhand volley-lobs. However, Mehmood refused to be defeated, making two diving saves to retrieve Kenny’s seemingly un-gettable shots. The match came down to a nail-biting tiebreaker of back-and-forth winners from both players, with Kenny winning 15-13 in the third.
 

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13-Oct, Round One:
Top Seeds Through as Russell Roughs it ...

Chris Tom reports from Berkshire

After two days of qualifying, the main draw started Tuesday at the Berkshire Open hosted by Williams College with a jam-packed day of matches. Eight matches filled the afternoon lineup as the field of sixteen was cut in half for tomorrow's quarterfinal action.

The top three seeds, Borja Golan of Spain, Laurens Jan Anjema of the Netherlands, and Bradley Ball of England all advanced to the next round though only Anjema won with ease.

Anjema Overpowers Gordon
Matched up against American teenager Chris Gordon, who as US Junior Champion received a wild-card entry into the main draw, Laurens Jan Anjema controlled the pace early and often and won the first two games by a comfortable margin. It was in the third game, though, that Anjema unleashed his full potential. Sensing a chance to put the young American away, Anjema fired a series of stunning volley drops and low rails, all of which found the corner nick. While Gordon remained competitive and made several impressive retrievals, he was simply overpowered and lost the final game 1-11.

Earlier in the day top seed Borja Golan withstood an early challenge from Canada's Ian Power on the merits of his constant length and superior fitness. While Power took a hard-fought first game and continued to battle into the second, Golan remained consistent by hitting hard drives and cross courts and maintaining extended rallies. As Power began to fade in the third and fourth, Golan kept to his game plan and took the final games with ease.

Unlike the top two seeds, the third seeded Bradley Ball found little difficulty in the first game as he used his power and accuracy to drill several balls into the nick and take the first game 11-5. However, Ball's opponent Amr Mansi refused to back down, and while he could not match Ball's impressive kills, he showed both tremendous quickness and heart as he continued to get Ball's blistering shots. Up 10-8 in the second, Mansi could not finish Ball out, though, and Ball eventually pushed the game into a tiebreaker where he won 3-1. While Mansi kept fighting into the third, he could never match Ball's shot making and succumbed in the last game 8-11.

Russell Roughs It
Not surprisingly, the ugliest match of the day came in a rematch of qualifier John Russell and 'lucky loser' Patrick Bedore. While both players remained cool during the first game, the tensions of yesterday's ill-tempered match re-appeared in the second. Although Bedore initially seem to have his emotions in check, he began to unravel when up 9-5. After being denied two straight let calls, Bedore yelled at the referee who awarded Russell a conduct point to tie the game at 9. After Russell closed out the game 11-9, Bedore continue to berate the referee and unleashed a series of profanities in front of the crowd. Deeming his behaviour unacceptable, the tournament organizers disqualified Bedore and gave Russell an abbreviated win.

Also moving to the next round were qualifier Daryl Selby and Kumail Mehmood, who both upended higher seeded players in three games, and seventh seeded Liam Kenny of Ireland, who was very impressive in his three-game victory over qualifier Sherif Kamel.
 

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12-Oct:
Qualifying Complete in Berkshire ...
Chris Tom Reports

Day two at the Berkshire Open hosted by Williams College saw five players qualify for the start of tomorrow’s main draw play.

In the day’s four matches, Daryl Selby of England, Sherif Moustafa Kamel of Egypt, John Russell of England, and Niall Rooney of Ireland captured the four qualifier spots available, while Patrick Bedore of Canada received a 'lucky loser' spot, replacing number five seed John Rooney who pulled out of the tournament Monday afternoon.

Kamel's Marathon
As in the first round, the premier match of the day involved a player from Harvard University. In the second match of the day, Siddarth Suchde, who dominated in his match on Sunday, squared off against the number one seeded qualifier Sherif Moustafa Kamel. From the get-go, the two opponents engaged in a hardhitting and contentious match, as six lets were called before the second point was recorded. Despite coming in as the underdog, Suchde controlled the early going, holding the T and moving to the front court with more frequency.

After surrendering the first game to his younger opponent, Kamel bunkered down and further pressed Suchde with hard rails and cross-courts. After exchanging points and let calls for much of the second game, Kamel used deceiving fakes in the front court late in the game to capture two crucial points and eventually took the game 11-7.

The pace of play and frustration levels of both players continued to rise in the third as each player pushed to take the lead. After dropping several shots into the tin and giving Kamel an early lead, Suchde rallied with several impressive nick shots from mid court to tie the game up. With the score tied at nine all, the duo traded shots and lets before Suchde pushed Kamel into the back corner with a hard rail. However, Suchde’s drop shot in the front left corner found the tin and suddenly Kamel had a 10-9 lead. Deflated by his missed opportunity, Suchde put his serve return into the tin and handed Kamel the lead.

Instead of letting his missed opportunity hang over him, Suchde came back strong in the fourth as Kamel began to show signs of fatigue. Suchde continued to push the play to the front of the court, but Kamel showed great tenacity and stamina as he held up against his opponent’s unrelenting attacks. However, Suchde found himself up 10-8 late in the game and with double game ball. Fighting for every ball and every call possible, Kamel responded and received a key stroke call at 8-10 and then a no let call in his favour at 9-10 to send the game into a tiebreaker. With the score 13-12 in his favour, Kamel put a backhand volley drop into the nick and clinched a marathon hour and a half four game victory.

Russell Muscles Past Bedore
The next match between John Russell and Patrick Bedore continued the contentious tone that Kamel and Suchde had established but with drastically different results. While physical contact was the norm early, tensions escalated after Russell commented on Bedore’s errant serve that clinched the first game for Russell. Visibly upset by the comment, Bedore came out in the second game and increased both the frequency and physicality of the contact. However, Russell’s soft touch was in full force and several of Bedore’s let appeals were denied. Increasingly frustrated, Bedore never found his focus and quickly surrendered the second game 11-3.

Tensions only increased in the third as Bedore continued to complain about Russell’s movement while receiving a reprimand from the referee about intentionally blocking. While showing his own frustration and tenacity for contact, Russell’s play remained steady, and he took the third game going away. However, after the match, Bedore won the lottery to replace 5th seed John Rooney and will have a rematch against Russell tomorrow afternoon.

Rooney Rallies into Main Draw
The day’s final round brought a welcome respite from the let calls of the earlier matches as Niall Rooney and Ryan Donegan battled for the final spot. Each player showed both impressive quickness and length early on as they battled through several extended rallies. While Donegan captured the first game 11-7, Rooney remained steady in his length and quickness while beginning to mix in tight drop shots. While Donegan remained poised throughout, Rooney proved to be too strong and took the last three games 11-7, 11-8, 11-5.
 
Selby Safely Through
Somewhat overshadowed by the clashes later in the day was the strong play of England’s Daryl Selby in the first match. Going against third seeded Arthur Gaskin, Selby established control of the tee early on and never let go. While Selby never established a dominating front game, his consistent length and pace wore down Gaskin, who began to shot from the back late in the match. The result was a three-game victory for Selby and a spot in the main draw.
 

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24-Sep:
Gordon to Continue
Squash Education at Berkshire
Zafi Levy reports from Williamston

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. Current U.S. National Junior Champion Chris Gordon has agreed to play in the first-ever Berkshire Squash Open October 10-15, tournament director and Williams College squash coach Zafi Levy recently confirmed. Joining an elite international roster of athletes who will gather at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Gordon, age 18, will be competing with some of the best players in the world.

"Gordon is one of the very few U.S. players who I believe can compete at this level right now," said Levy, "and certainly one of the few at his age in the world. Because he is so young and because he is one of the few true American up-and-comers, he should generate a lot of interest."

Gordon, who grew up in New York City, moved to England when he was fourteen so that he could be coached by England's national squash coach David Pearson, who also worked with former world champion Peter Nicol. Unlike most of his U.S. competitors, Gordon, with the support of his parents, decided to pass up the opportunity to play college squash in order to go pro as early as possible.

"My whole thing has always been trying to become the best player in the world," Gordon said. "And on the PSA circuit you're constantly striving to do that."

Ranked number six in the U.S. pro rankings and number 156 in the world, Gordon has some distance to cover. Playing at the Berkshire Squash Open should provide him with a good gauge of where he is and what he needs to do in order to move closer to his goal. Gordon knows he is still developing as a player: "I think I'm still very early on the road to reaching my full potential."

Gordon's busy fall schedule, which includes the San Francisco Open, Brazil Open and now the first-ever Berkshire Open, is all part of the plan to accelerate his learning curve. The six-foot-two, 150-pounder thinks that the only reason Americans have not been able to compete with the top players in the world is that they have been unwilling to do what's necessary to get to the next level. "Most American players," said Gordon, "have always looked for a comfort zone and have never been willing to take themselves out of that comfort zone."

Competing at the Berkshire Open is an example of Gordon's willingness to go beyond his own comfort zone, even if it means losing.

"I've always felt that I could be a professional, that I just needed to do the proper amount of work. There was never one particular moment. It's more like the wave effect: the feeling that you are a professional grows more and more with every result you get. As far as defeats go, they are all very hard to handle, but you learn in a different way from every one of them as well."

The six-day Berkshire Squash Open, which has been approved by the PSA, will kick off on Sunday, October 10 in the Simon Squash Center at Williams College with the qualifying rounds concluding on Monday, October 11. From the qualifying rounds, four players will emerge to round out the 16-player field. Because he is the national junior champion, Gordon will be awarded a wild-card entry, enabling him to step right into the first round without having to participate in the qualifying round.

 alanbrz@yahoo.com