Mohammed Reda Wins 2015 US Hardball Nationals Open, Merion Players Dominate Age-Group Divisions by Tefft Smith March 5, 2015
The 2015
US Squash Hardball Singles Nationals Squash Championships (the 108th
Annual) were played on February 27 through March 1st in unexpectedly
arctic conditions, produced by the aptly named Winter Storm Thor, on
the Merion Cricket Club courts outside Philadelphia. Merion has a
long tradition of dominating the Hardball Singles Squash Championships,
having produced many past winners in all divisions, with
memorable names like Lott, Brinton, Mateer, Howe, Page, Hechscher,
Nimick, Edwards, etc. The current crop of Merion male marauders
(Zug, Harrity, Yaeger, Mateer, Stokes, Grant, Simpson, Baker and Reda)
-- and 3 Merion women (Greer, Platt and Thain) -- came out in force,
winning all but the 75+ division, notwithstanding that the coldness of
the courts neutralized the Merion “home court advantage,” at least for
several of the seemingly inevitable 2015 National Champions.
The Open
Division had a full 16 draw, with newly appointed Merion Pro Mohammed
Reda, a top PSA softball player (ranked as high as 23rd), taking the
crown and $1200 purse. Reda used devastating rails to length to
overcome the classic hardball shot making of New York’s Hamed Anvari (a
top ranked professional SDA doubles player, currently #13, 3-1 in the
Finals (15-12, 15-10, 14-17, 15-10 ). The large crowd of
mesmerized hardball enthusiasts warmed the frigid gallery with repeated
ovations for fantastic retrieving, yielding long, power packed points,
usually ending with perfect rails or open cross courts, with most
reverses, attempted three walls and drops being readily covered.
Reda’s only weakness was his difficulty in reading Anvari’s hard
z-serves. Anvari’s superior shot making allowed him (at 35) to go
toe-to-toe with the much younger Reda. A GREAT Open finals, with
Reda declaring “I love hardball!!!”
Reda faced
an early challenge in the quarters from 23 year old Matt Dominick, a
devoted new singles hardballer (ranked #32 in SDA doubles and a former
Rochester University #1), losing one game, 15-14 on a dead 3 wall nick
by Dominick, before Reda powered his way to the 3-1 victory. Reda
then won the semis 3-0 over the ageless Tom Harrity (a 5 time National
Single Champion, who has also won now 8 age group Championships,
including the 2015 50+ Championship). Anvari was challenged by
another ageless Merion stalwart, Alan Grant (a former National Doubles
Champion with Ned Edwards). Grant’s from nowhere, classic reverse
corners garnered him one game, before Anvari’s power yielded the 3-1
victory. The Open also saw spirited efforts by Gil Mateer and Rob
Dinerman, giving further testament to the reality that hardball is a
game that can be played at a VERY high level for a lifetime, given the
ability of hardball shot making to offset youthful power and endurance,
a point well made by Hamed Anvari in his gracious comments at the end
of the Open Finals.
As noted,
Merion’s Tom Harrity used his classic hardball game, with reverses, 3
walls and volleys into the nick, to overcome the challenge in the 50+
Division expected from Bryce Harding, the 2011 50+ National Champion.
Harding’s greyhound speed and endurance and tight rails were
overwhelmed 3-0 (15-8, 15-12, 15-9) by Harrity’s constant, voracious
pressure, yielding eventual openings for finishing shots. The large
crowd that gathered in anticipation of a possible upset was rewarded
with many long, exciting, vintage hardball rallies.
In the 60+
Division, Merion’s Gary Yaeger, newly 60 and “finally” out of Harrity’s
shadow, won his first National Championship. Yaeger used a
combination of well executed hard serves, surprising (for the
linebacker built Yaeger) drop shots and speedy retrieving, to overcome
a spirited effort by the always tenacious Tefft Smith (a 5 time past
National Champion, with 3 in the 60s and 2 in the 65s). with Yaeger
winning 3-1 (15-11, 9-15, 15-12, 15-11). Smith produced a crowd
thrilling behind-the-back shot in the midst of a long rally, which
Yaeger also won. Yaeger beat Paul Chan in the semis 3-0, with
Smith beating Roy Simpson 3-0 in the other semi. Chan beat
Simpson in the third-place playoff. David Slosburg, a devoted US
Squash and Hardball promoter, won the 60+ consolations, over Chuck
Matison.
In the 70+
Division, Merion’s Jim Zug, won his 11th National Hardball age group
championship, 3-0 (15-10, 15-12, 18-15 ) over Eric Berger, a two time
65+ National Champion, 3-0. Zug is as elegant and talented a shot
selector AND maker as has ever graced a squash court. Zug used
the coldness of the courts to his full advantage, with innumerable
short, decisive putaways. Zug had similarly dispatched last year’s 70+
National Champion, Henry Steinglass 3-0, in the Semis. Steinglass
won the 3rd place match 3-0 over a much improved Jon McBride.
The 75+
Division looked to be a renewal of the annual Ted Marmor/Lucky Young
wars (between them they have 10 National Championships) but Storm Thor
prevented Lucky from getting out of Omaha. Ted won the trophy
over Jonathan Kohn and Andy Packard, with Packard coming in from Maine,
being the finalist.
In the 80+
Division, proving that hardball singles is a lifetime game, Merion’s 89
year old Charlie Baker, the patriarch for the past 25 years of hardball
singles squash and the host for these and many, many past National
Hardball Championships, won his 5th national Championship beating Chase
McDaniels and Dan Licky, each 3-0, with McDaniels taking 2nd place.
AND, this
year we crowned a Women’s National Championship, as three Merion women
hardball doubles players decided to give hardball singles a go.
Tracy Greer, a former Yale #1, won the trophy, with a closely contested
3-0 victory over fellow Yale teammate Pam Platt who, in turn, had
beaten Whitney Thain, 3-0.
The
Saturday night dinner discussion about how best to preserve and enhance
hardball singles produced many good ideas and plans. In
recognition of the predominance of 21-foot-wide international and
20-foot-wide converted racquetball courts, one proposal that will
receive strong consideration is to have next year's National Hardball
Singles Open Championship be played on international courts, utilizing
the Austral (green) ball that Bryce Harding has developed as an
alternative to the fuchsia ball currently in use. Views on this
proposal are welcomed. Anyone wanting to comment on this issue or
make other comments/suggestions regarding the preservation and
enhancement of hardball singles play should email Tefft Smith at
tsmith@kirkland.com or Preston Quick at US Squash at
preston.quick@ussquash.com, doubles@ussquash.com. Likewise,
anyone wanting a Austral ball to experiment with can contact either to
get one.
One other
strongly supported proposal was to declare Merion the permanent home
for the National Hardball Singles Championships, with the thought of
having a simultaneous doubles event to try to attract more of the
hardball doubles community, whom we hope will increasingly recognize
the benefits -- and joys -- of hardball singles play as a complement to
doubles competition.
Special
thanks are owed to US Squash and Preston Quick for their support of
hardball singles, to Charlie Baker and Whitney Thain for running the
tournament and the Merion Cricket Club for hosting it.
