David Palmer Over Adrian Leanza To Win PST In Westchester from Tour Media
L to R: Dean Young, David Palmer, TG Raubenheimer, Jason Hicks
December 4, 2011-
Australian #1 David Palmer was dominant throughout this weekend's Pro
Squash Cup hosted by Westchester Squash Club in Mamaroneck, NY. Palmer
beat current PST #3 Adrian Leanza 11-5, 12-10, 14-12 en route to his
second consecutive tournament title since joining Pro Squash Tour last
month.
Last season Leanza was Brown University's #1 squash player as he
captained the nation's 12th ranked team under legendary coach Stuart
LeGassick. Adrian earned a spot in the championship with a gritty
semi-final victory over hometown favorite TG Raubenheimer, who is
Westchester Squash Club's Head Squash Pro.
Palmer advanced to the Championship by beating New York's Ned Marks 3-1
in the semis. Palmer is widely accepted as one of the 10 best squash
players in history and looked every bit of it throughout each round of
the tournament. Westchester area fans were delighted by his performance
throughout the weekend and area juniors were able to get on court with
Palmer for several PST and Westchester Squash sponsored junior clinics.
"I really enjoy the court time with amateur players of all ages and
skill levels," Palmer said in post game remarks. "At this stage of my
career, I still enjoy playing, but I want to be helping to grow the
game. PST is good about scheduling these junior clinics.
Backstage, PST's rising stars were cooing about the opportunity to
compete against Palmer. Ned Marks said in his semi-final post game
comments, "I grew up idolizing David. Tonight, I was competing against
him in a pro match. It was special and I loved every moment of it.."
Adrian Leanza echoed a similar thought in his talk after the
championship match. "I was surprised every time I got a point. He's
just so good. I gave it my all today. Now, I'm going to go back home
and work harder for the next time."
Palmer's next tournament appearance will be at the Phoenix Open, sponsored by FoleySquashShop.com.
The Pro Squash Cup was presented by Squash Oasis, Buffalo Wild Wings,
Akst and Akst Attorneys, Bistro Rollin, Westchester Squash Club and
Bryan Patterson's Universal Squash Camps.
TG Raubenheimer beat Ned Marks 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 to win the 3rd place match.