Krizek And Pierrepont Win Metrosquash Open
by Rob Dinerman
Narelle Krizek/Suzie Pierrepont, Peter Dunne & Danny Dolan (Tournament Chairs), Steph Hewitt/Dana Betts
Suzie/Narelle with METROsquash girls & Steph/Dana
Mixed Pro am - Finalists Carrie Hastings/Carter Brown vs Winners Steph Hewitt/Jim Preschlack
Many of the women am's
Pros Steph Hewitt, Dawn Gray, Heidi Mather, Joyce Davenport and Carrie Hastings with Metrosquash girls
Dateline May 9th --- In an impressive display of firepower and teamwork, Narelle Krizek and Suzie Pierrepont barreled through the six-team $14,000 Metrosquash Open without dropping a game. Byed to the semis due to their top-seeded standing but trailing 11-8 in the opening game of their match with Joyce Davenport and Heidi Mather, they closed out that game with a 7-1 run and never looked back, taking the next two 15-8, 15-7, then similarly dominating second seeds Dana Betts and Steph Hewitt 15-8, 7 and 7 in the ensuing final. It was the eighth tournament win for the Pierrepont/Krizek duo, their third of the season (preceded by the October Philadelphia Open and the John’s Island Open in Florida two weeks ago) and their second straight WDSA final-round win at the expense of the Betts/Hewitt tandem.
Davenport’s early-match shot-making success and Mather’s foot-speed and the severity of her stroking were the keys to their four-game quarterfinal victory over Dawn Gray and Carrie Hastings in a battle of debuting partnerships. In the other quarterfinal (both of which were held at the Racquet Club before the action then moved to Onwentsia), Emily Lungstrum and Kelsey Engman split the opening pair of games with Victoria Simmonds and Karen Jerome before finishing them off with a 15-12, 15-6 remainder. They took the third game of their Betts/Hewitt semi as well before the latter team finished the match with a 15-9 fourth game.
There was much anticipation prior to the final round, a rematch, as noted, of the John’s Island final, a four-game battle with two tiebreakers --- but from the start, Krizek and Pierrepont seized full control, both territorial and statistical, and never relinquished it. Gone were the lapses that had plagued them in two important final-round losses (in the season-opening Philadelphia Open and the season-ending Turner Cup) to Hewitt and Meredeth Quick last season, replaced by relentless focus and a barrage of attacking flurries that kept Betts and Hewitt on the defensive throughout the three single-figure games. Pierrepont, who had tinned a bit early in the semifinal, was error-free and committed to volleying and holding her position, while Krizek constantly carried the play with her impressive all-court arsenal and imaginative shot selection. There was no stopping them as they motored through the match, closing it out with a flourish of nicks and clear winners.
The tournament as a whole was a huge success, as the event doubled in prize money from last year, with the $14,000 pro purse complemented with a $4,000 pro-am featuring both a mixed pro-am and a 16-team women’s pro-am, the biggest women’s pro-am ever held under the WDSA aegis. The women’s pro-am champion was Katie Belcher and the men’s pro-am winner was Jim Preschlack. Peter Dunne and Dan Dolan served as Tournament Chairmen and the pros at the respective host clubs, John Cashman of the Racquet Club and Aidan Harrison, Rod Workman and Dan Sibley of Onwentsia were constant supportive presences throughout the weekend.
Money was also raised for Metrosquash, which under the direction of its longtime Executive Director (and former Princeton star and ISDA top-10) David Kay, is planning to build a new facility with seven singles and one doubles court. Two of their students played a match prior to the women’s pro final on Sunday. This was the last regular-season tournament of the 2012-13 WDSA tour, and when the new rankings come out, the top 16 accepting players who have played at least two ranking events will compete in the season-ending Wilson Cup in the Hamptons this summer.
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