Inaugural $11K WSA Toronto Granite Club Qualifying Report
by Samantha Cornett
March 25 , 2012 - There will be some interesting matches this evening. The lineup is Alix vs Alex, Maria vs Kristen, Nayelly vs Ali, and Gen vs Sarah Jane.
Alex Norman def Alix Younger 3-0
Al(i)(e)x squared!
Alix Younger faced off against Alex Norman. The first game started off strong with Norman staying calm, cool, and collected. Few errors were made by either player. Norman managed to pull ahead over Younger who was wearing another purple cocktail dress for the evening match. Younger started off with an early lead in the second, getting up 5-1. However, many unforced errors let Norman back into the game and she capitalized on this opportunity. The third game was tight, continuously going back and forth. There were lots of errors by both in the beginning rallies. Nevertheless, both girls stepped up their play to end on a positive note. Norman pulled out the match but it was a well fought battle by both contenders! 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 in 25 minutes.
Maria Toor Pakay def Kristen Lange 3-0
Starting off the match with a lot of winners from both players, the rallies were very short! The ball is HAWT tonight! The pace is incredibly fast from both players, despite the casual attitude from Maria. Some amazing gets by both athletes, neither wanting to give up any opportunity to win each rally. First game is won by Maria 11-5, who walks off the court to be coached by Jonathan Power. The pace in the second game does not slow. Kristen is loving her boast but it doesn’t seem to be fooling Maria. Maria is up again in the second and has her game face on. The two players are hammering their length at each other and Kristen is on a come back with some great kills! It is very quiet in the audience tonight. The match finished off much the same way, high paced, and with too many errors from Kristen. 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 in 25 minutes.
Nayelly Hernandez def Alison Richmond 3-0
As much running as poor Ali could do, it wasn’t enough for the Mexican’s experienced play. Nayelly worked the points, and let Ali do all of the running corner to corner. It was great to watch, but there was no questioning Nayelly’s dominance in this match. We look forward to more great squash in the future from Ali! 11-2, 11-4, 11-2 in 21 minutes.
Sarah-Jane Perry def Genevieve Lessard 3-0
Gen and Sarah Jane take to the court as the last match of the night. Both of them are pumped up and ready to go. In the first game both of the girls showed off their powerful kills and smashes! Sarah Jane managed to close out the first game but had a bit more trouble in the second due to a bundle of unforced errors. The rallies were long and both of the girls played some amazing nicks, and Gen hit some very tight straight length. Sarah Jane managed to sneak out a win after much back and forth in points (16-14!!). The third game continued the great rallies from the second but it was Sarah Jane who managed to win the match. 11-3, 16-14, 11-7 in 35 minutes.
Kristen Lange def Hollie Naughton 3-0
Kristen won a high paced match against young Hollie. She was in control of all three games, although both players were struggling getting the ball to the back of the court. There was a lot of attacking, and Hollie had moments of brilliance with some nice, wide, hard shots. But Kristen stopped Hollie in her tracks with a couple dead crosscourt nicks, and picked up where she left off. It was a great match indeed! 11-5, 11-7, 11-7, 20 minutes.
Alix Younger def Micaala Seth 3-0
The score does not justify the effort displayed in this match. Alix, looking fabulous in her purple gown, took the first 2 games which were very hard fought by both players only ever having a lead of 1 or 2 points at a time. The third game was a little faster with Alix taking an early lead and wearing her opponent down. It was quite apparent towards the end that Alix’s hard hitting and consistent shot making was all the difference. It was a great match to watch with game scores of 11- 8, 11-9, 11-4 in 23 minutes.
Alison Richmond def Maia Kirk 3-2
First up of the three young juniors, 15 year old Ali shows a lot of promise. Ali’s style is more of a grinder, and Maia is known for her hands. The first rally was a glimpse of the match to come! Both girls were going for lots of shots and making a lot of gets. Ali had an amazing get where she slipped and ended up in full splits in the back right corner. However, after a boast from Maia, Ali jumped back to her feet and sprinted to the front left to win the rally! Ali said after the match, “That was not okay, I don’t do splits!” As it turned out Maia made more mistakes in the first game giving Ali the early lead. In the second, Maia pulled away using more pace, and reducing her error count. The third was very close and intense, Maia went up 10-9 and looked in form to win it, but Ali wasn’t finished that game yet, and she pulled it back with a great straight drop and a lot of excellent retrieving to take the third 12-10. The fourth was neck and neck to 5-5, but then Maia pulled away to take it 11-6 with some improved length and smart straight drops, and a couple of tins from Ali. The final game saw Maia always ahead by two until 8-6, when Ali pulled it back to 8-8 with a tin from Maia and a great kill. Maia hit a great boast, then Ali held a crosscourt drop and exploited Maia’s increasing fatigue. Anddddd... a back wall nick for the win for young Ali! 11-5, 10-12, 12-10, 7-11, 11-9 in 40 minutes.
“That was worth getting out of bed for” - Jamie Nicholls
Maria Toor Pakay def Alyssa Mehta 3-0
15 year old Alyssa is one of our top Canadian juniors. The rallies were fast and furious, as both players are very strong on the volley, and love their kills. In the first and second game, the rallies were close and long but Maria dominated. In the third, Alyssa went for a lot of straight drops, which were very effective against Maria, however too many of them went into the tin. The players were moving slowly off the ball, so there were a lot of calls to be made. The third game was the closest yet as the scores were tied up at 6 - 6. Although the great effort by Alyssa, Maria pulled away with a few winner boasts winning the match 11 - 5, 11 - 3, 11 - 7 in 20 minutes.
Gen Lessard def Maddie O’Connor 3-0
15 year old Maddie is a club favourite as she is never seen without a smile on her face. The first game went by quickly, as Maddie put the ball into the tin pretty consistently. Throughout the match, Maddie was best friends with the tin. The second game, Maddie tried hard for every ball. She managed to pull out a slightly higher score. In the third game, Maddie got too far down and Gen’s experience proved too much for Maddie’s tenacity. 11-3, 11-6, 11-3 in 22 minutes.
Nayelly Hernandez def Seanna Keating 3-1
The match between seasoned veteran Seanna Keating and Mexico’s Nayelle Hernandez started off at a fast pace. One spectator described the rallies as “thrilling” as both players battled it out in the first with Seanna hitting a few more mistakes than Nayelle. The second was very intense, but Seanna was able to pull away with some smart and experienced play. Nayelle after adjusting to Seanna’a hard hitting continued to retrieve all of Seanna’s ball sneaking out a close 3rd and 4th game. 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 in 30 minutes.
The crowd is looking forward to lots of great squash as the main draw starts!!
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