Wael El Hindi To Face Supreet Singh Today In PST Westchester Final
from Tour Media
March 4, 2012 - Supreet Singh upset the tournament seeding with a five game victory over Greek Champion Fabian Kalaitzis. The pace of play was fast throughout the match. Singh jumped to a quick 5-0 lead in game one, as Kalaitzis was finding his legs on court. He did so half way through the opening frame and made the game competitive,but Singh's early lead was too much to recover from.
Games two and three featured brilliant and clean squash with both players moving well. Kalaitzis found success picking up the pace of play and won both games. Singh recovered well in game four and started with another quick lead, going up 4-0. Part way through the game, a decision from the referee appeared to bother Kalaitzis, and his frustration stayed with him for the next several points. Singh took advantage of this and closed out the game 11-6.
Singh's momentum continued into game five as he jumped to a 6-1 lead. This appeared to take away Kalaitzis' confidence and Singh closed out the game 11-2.
PST Commissioner Joe McManus noted the high caliber of play in the game. "This is a very good win for Supreet. All credit to him. I also believe Fabian will be a strong player on PST. Adjusting to our rules takes two or three matches. When he becomes comfortable with them, I expect he will win several tournaments with us. I am very pleased he's a part of the tour."
In the second match of the night, Wael El Hindi beat TG Raubenheimer 11-1, 11-5, 11-7. El Hindi was in control throughout the match, though Raubenheimer gave a strong showing. Earlier in the day, TG had a tough five game match that finished with a tie breaker in the final frame. It must have had an effect on his play in the evening round.
El Hindi will face Singh in the finals to be held at Club at 800 in Rye Brook, NY at 4:30 on Sunday afternoon.
Semi-Final Results
Supreet Singh beat Fabian Kalaitzis 11-6, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2
Wael El Hindi beat TG Raubenheimer 11-1, 11-5, 11-7
Quarter Final Results
Supreet Singh beat Dylan Murray 11-5, 10-12, 13-11, 11-4
Fabian Kalaitzis beat Mason Ripka 11-9, 11-7, 11-4
Wael El Hindi beat Ned Marks 11-7, 11-2, 11-3
TG Raubenheimer beat Adrian Leanza 11-8, 6-11, 11-2, 8-11, 12-10
Former Trinity College Captain and 3-time All-American Supreet Singh (India) beat US Junior Champion Dylan Murray 11-5, 10-12, 13-11, 11-4 Saturday afternoon to advance to the semi-finals. Murray let a 9-4 advantage in game three slip away and lost the game 13-11. Singh, who is now the Head Coach at Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut then closed out the match comfortably in game four.
15 year old Mason Ripka (USA) looked strong early against Greek Champion Fabian Kalaitzis, who is making his debut on the tour this week. However, the veteran player was able to close out games one and two. Game three was not as close and Kalaitzis cruised to an 11-4 win.
The third match of the day featured Wael El Hindi (Egypt) advancing quickly past Ned Marks (USA) 11-7, 11-2, 11-3. The greatest surprise of the match was El Hindi hitting an errant shot at Marks during the warm-up that hit him in the eye. Marks was wearing his PST required Black Knight goggles. Ever the showman, Marks held them up to Commissioner McManus who was sitting courtside and said, "Good thing you made me these." PST announced last month that, effective immediately, all players would be required to wear protective eyewear on court.
The final match of the afternoon was the closest. TG Raubenheimer (South Africa) and Adrian Leanza (USA) fought for every point and call in a one hour ten minute marathon. This was the second meeting of the two, who last met in December for the semi-finals of the Pro Squash Cup. Leanza won a close five game match then. Today, however, belonged to Raubenheimer who fought off a match ball against him and prevailed 11-8, 6-11, 11-2, 8-11, 12-10.
Opening Round Update
Mason Ripka beat Yasser Kamel 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 to advance to the quarter finals of the 2012 Buffalo Wilds Wings Westchester Open. Ripka is one of the America's top junior players and won last year's U-15 national championship. He is already ranked in the top 10 in the U-19 division. Tonight's win was a solid victory for the young American. Kamel, who reached the finals of the Philadelphia Open last December is a solid touring pro. But tonight belonged to Ripka from beginning to end.
Ned Marks beat Shahid Khan 8-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-6. This match saw Shahid dominate Ned in the first two and a half games and witnessed Ned turn the tables in the second two and a half. Khan, playing on his home courts in front of a friendly audience, looked confident and in control throughout much of the early play. He controlled play and was comfortably moving Marks around the court as he won both of the opening two games.
Marks is nicknamed "wheels" by his mates on the tour. He is known for quickness and patience. He was fortunate to survive game three and extend the match to four games. But when game four began, Marks looked more comfortable on court and was very comfortable extending rallies. Khan, in contrast, was looking for early winners. On this night, Marks' patience won out. Game four was full of extended rallies, but Marks was getting stronger throughout the game. Game five saw Marks jump to a 9-5 lead and close out the match
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