Qualifying Underway In $25K PSA Dayton Open
by Charlie Johnson
November 8, 2011 - Qualifying play began tonight in the $25,000 2011 EBS DAYTON OPEN squash tournament before a large crowd of enthusiastic spectators. All 4 of the matches that took saw the seeded players (5-8) move on the final qualifying round. Three of the four winners dropped one game on the way to their victories but the young 6th seeded Danish Atlas Khan of Pakistan won in three straight in the shortest match of the evening.
The final qualifying match saw local professional Jamie Crombie, Head Pro at the Cincinnati Country Club, take a game off the 5th seed Jaymie Haycocks of England who is ranked 103 in the world and the runner-up in the Madison (WI) Open on October 30th. Crombie had strong support from the local Dayton squash community and many of the juniors and parents from his club who drove the 30 miles north to support his effort: he did not disappoint his fans and played the longest match of the night. Crombie was a little shaky in the first game as he had to get use too a pace he hasn't seen on court in a while, but settled down and took the second game putting together short 2-point runs to counter each point that Haycocks won. Early in the 3rd game, however, he had a significant "twinge" in a calf muscle and it was evident to all that his retrieving at the front suffered. Despite the injury, he carried on and played hard for his fans and himself in the 4th: there were just too many balls of perfect length that he couldn't push off and go retrieve after he was pulled to the front by Haycocks.
It was a great start to what promises to be a brilliant week of squash in Dayton, OH
Results: First Round Qualifying, $25K EBS Dayton Open
Scott Arnold (AUS) bt. Adrian Dudzicki (CAN): 5-11, 11-1, 11-9, 12-10 in 46 minutes
Yasir Butt (PAK) bt. Aurangzeb Mehnund (PAK): 11-2, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7 in 42 minutes
Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt. Fernando Lopez (MEX): 11-4, 11-8, 11-6 in 35 minutes
Jamie Haycocks (ENG) bt. Jamie Crombie (USA): 11-4, 6-11, 11-3, 11-6 in 47 minutes
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