NSA Quarters Report
by Mike McCue
August 16, 2012 - There was Canadian interest in every match tonight, and at least two home semifinalists were guaranteed even before things got underway. As it turned out, the entire last four are from the Great White North...and three of them live in the same house!
Andrew Mcdougall and Declan James had played once before, with James winning 3-1. Tonight was an evenly matched affair, neither player asserting much control for more than one rally at a time. James did not seem confident in his shotmaking, and McDougall was very focused and professional throughout the hour-long match. He always had a two or three point lead and looked a good bet to win. Another step on his comeback trail.
Yuta Fukui continued to impress as he took the first game off Dave Letourneau. The young man from Japan moved well when needed and played a steady game at the back of the court. He also hit a few cheeky winners when play opened up, and Dave seemed a bit baffled at the end of the opener. The turning point of the match was the third game tiebreak (as it often is when tied at 1-all), which gave the Canadian the all important 2-1 advantage. He consolidated this lead and moved on to his first ever PSA semi-final to face frequent training partner Dane Sharp. Sharp took on another familiar foe in the form of Matt Serediak. They have both been staples of the Canadian squash scene for a good while and met at this stage of the NSA Open last year as well. Tonight the top seed had the extra 10% physically and stayed comfortably ahead on the scoreboard.
As for my match....I've decided to pass on reporting duties to my roommates for the week, Dec James and Micah Franklin. Dec: "McCue came out firing in the first game and left his opponent looking rattled by his considerable efforts. In the second, Colin stepped the pace up and gained increasing control of play as the match wore on." Micah: "Mike looked very strong in the first game and surprised the crowd by taking the lead. Colin began hitting more winners and fewer tins in the next three games despite some desperate retrieving from his opponent. The score was never close in the third and fourth."
Speaking of roommates...West, McDougall and Letourneau all share a house. Could be an interesting Friday there...
Results:
(1) Dane Sharp (CAN) bt Matt Serediak (CAN) 11/7, 11/3, 11/5 (34m)
(3) David Letourneau (CAN) bt (Q) Yuta Fukui (JPN) 8/11, 11/7, 12/10, 11/7 (50m)
Andrew McDougall (CAN) bt (4) Declan James (ENG) 11/7, 11/8, 11/6 (61m)
(Q) Colin West (CAN) bt Mike McCue (CAN) 9/11, 11/8, 11/5, 11/3 (57m)
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