DSR Handicaps Tonight's Netsuite Open 1st Round Qualifying Matches
from DailySquashReport.com
October 17, 2012 - Wednesday night's first round qualifying matches in the $70,000 PSA Netsuite Open will unfold at three iconic Bay Area venues: The Bay Club of San Francisco, The Olympic Club and the great Mark Talbott's Stanford University Arrillaga Sports Center.
The Bay Club:
Stephen Coppinger (RSA) v Martin Knight (NZL)
A tough draw for both players. In last week's US Open qualies in Philadelphia, world #25 Coppinger beat Knight, ranked 45th, 11-9 in the fourth in a 77-minute battle. Coppinger then got hammered in the main draw first round by Cameron Pilley, so he could be questioning his game a bit. Both players are comfortable grinding. This should be a good one.
Coppinger 3-2
Armando Olguin (MEX) v Siddarth Suchde (IND)
Olguin is 35 years old and will hang in for a game, but Suchde is the world #39 and in his prime. He played 24th-ranked Miguel Rodriguez tough in the US Open qualifying finals.
Suchde 3-0
Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Shahjahan Khan (PAK)
Marche is a 22-year-old French player on the rise. He battled world #35 Max Lee for 70 minutes in the US Open qualifier last week. Shahjahan is a talented 17-year-old Pakistani training in Seattle, but his game's not there yet.
Marche 3-0
Matthew Karwalski (AUS) v Zach Alexander (AUS)
A nice matchup. By the luck of the draw, fellow Aussies Karwalski and Alexander met in the first round qualifying last week in Philly, with 66th-ranked Karwalski engineering a four-game upset over 37th-ranked Alexander. Alexander is younger at 23, and trains with an elite Australian contingent in New York. He should get through, but it will interesting to see if Karwalski gets in his head.
Alexander 3-2
The Olympic Club:
Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) v Campbell Grayson (NZL)
22-year-old Khan is the top-ranked player in Pakistan at world #40, and reached a high of #14 as a precocious teenager. He outlasted #1 American Julian Illingworth in the US Open qualifying finals, saving a match point in the fifth. Grayson is ranked 39th and is a blue collar competitor. He lost his first round Philly qualifier but played Egyptian Karim Gawad tight, and Gawad went on to push Adrian Grant to 11-9 in the fifth in the main draw. Khan has a lot of talent but if he plays loose Grayson can come through.
Khan 3-1
Jeff Young (AUS) v Alan Clyne (SCO)
Clyne, of Edinburgh, is the world #29 and is focused. He reached the quarters of the August Australian Open. He'll be too much for journeyman Aussie Jeff Young.
Clyne 3-0
Stanford University:
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v Chris Gordon (US)
An intriguing matchup. Normally the 32nd ranked Cuskelly would be favored against the #2 American Gordon, who is ranked 72nd. But Chris had the big win of his 10-year pro career last week in Philadelphia, knocking off 15th-ranked Hisham Ashour of Egypt on the stadium court at the US Open. Cuskelly straight-setted Gordon in Chicago in February but the confidence factor might buoy Gordon this time.
Cuskelly 3-2
Shawn Delierre (CAN) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
Hard to call. 49th-ranked Delierre out of Montreal is unorthodox and always entertaining. 38th-ranked Simpson was upset by 53rd-ranked Joe Lee in the US Open qualifying in a 111-minute match. Simpson has been the more active player this fall and should have the edge, but Delierre is a very tough out.
Simpson 3-2
COMPLETE QUALIFYING DRAW
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