Seeds Advance In PST Philadelphia Open
from Tour Media
December 16, 2011 - Adrian Lenza looked strong in his match against Niki Clement. Niki is the new head squash coach at Haverford College and is a top 100 WISPA player. She played well, but was able to extend the rallies and pick up more shots than Niki tonight.
Ibrahim Nyanzi played very well in his second ever PST tournament. Two months ago in Boston, he struggled with PST's 'no let' rules. Tonight, he looked very comfortable. In his post match interview, Nyanzi said, "I've practiced with my training partners with these rules. Now, that I am used to them, I really like it and feel it suits my style of play." Nyanzi played Swarthmore College senior Tarit-Rao Chakravorti who is a tall and long player on court. But on this night, too many unforced errors cost him as Nyanzi was very patient in looking for his opportunities.
Nathan Ticho won his first PST match in three attempts. His match against England's Louis Ragou was a very clean and free flowing match. Ticho appeared to be fighting cramps in his left calf during the breaks between games. In his post match interview he said, "I'm glad it didn't go five games. I might have been in trouble at that point."
Yasser Kamel and Kyle Jens had the most closely fought match of the evening. Both players were moving well and shooting well. Each also was retrieving well. Rallies were long. Game 1 saw Kamel win five consecutive rallies from 6-6 to win the game. Game 2 was a mirror image, except it was Jens winning the final 5 rallies. Game 3 was a spirited game with both players wanting to find a 2-1 advantage. Yasser edged it out 11-9. Game 4 was also a closely fought battle. Knotted at 9-9 Yasser won a brilliant rally that saw both players covering all corners of the court. That rally took an edge from Jens and gave Kamel renwed energy. Kamel closed the game and the match out on the ensuing point.
Friday's Results
Adrian Leanza beat Elpiniki Clement 11-5, 11-5, 11-2
Ibrahim Nyanzi beat Tarit Rao-Chakravorit 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5
Nathan Ticho beat Louis Ragou 11-9, 11-7, 4-11, 11-8
Yasser Kamel beat Kyle Jens 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9
Match Schedule
Saturday, Dec. 17: Semi-final Matches Start at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 18: 3rd Place Match at 11:00 a.m./ Championship at 11:45 a.m.
The Squash Club @ CHASS
500 West Willow Grove Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19118
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