History Of The New York State Open
by Rob Dinerman September 15, 2001 -It
was during their last monthly meeting of the 1975-76 season, in the
late spring of that year, that the USSRA's largest regional member
Association by far, the Metropolitan Squash Racquets Association(MSRA)
made the significant decision to make their most prestigious annual
tournament, the New York State Championship, open to professionals as
well as amateurs.
Squash at the time was in the process of "opening up" on several
fronts-a pro tour, the forbear of the WPSA that had such a successful
run throughout the 1980's and early 1990's, was just rounding into
form, with New York hosting the famed North American Open just a few
months earlier in January at the University Club; public commercial
clubs, which would for the first time make the game accessible to
people who couldn't or didn't belong to the exclusive private clubs
that had for so long been the game's domain; women, heretofore such a
rarity, were becoming much more numerous and visible a presence; and
leagues and teams were better subscribed, deeper and encompassing more
levels of play than ever before. And the MSRA itself was in many ways
playing a leading role, both on the court and off.
One New Yorker, Victor Niederhoffer, had reached the final of that
North American Open and was the second-ranked pro player(trailing only
Sharif Khan); his decision to turn pro in autumn of '75, following a
run of four consecutive National Championships from 1972-75, provided a
huge boost to the fledgling pro game, and his success and notoriety
were responsible for much of the media coverage and sponsorship the
game was beginning to attract, especially the diametric-opposites
nature of his rivalry with Khan, whom Victor had managed to defeat in
winning the '75 North American Open in Mexico City. Stu Goldstein was
right on Niederhoffer's heels in his swift rise up the pro ranks; Peter
Briggs had just succeeded Niederhoffer as National Champion in February
of '76, having won the final over yet another Gothamite, MSRA President
John Reese, in the final.
In light of the foregoing, It seemed only natural that the MSRA would
take the lead in declaring its biggest championship an open event as
well. Still, the decision was not without controversy. All associations
of that era, regional as well as national, were still predominantly
supported by amateurs, and therefore had to walk something of a
diplomatic and political tightrope: Would opening up the States
essentially "professionalize" this title, which had such a solid
several decades of history behind it as a highly popular amateur event,
and make it impossible for the very group that had been so responsible
for its long-time success unable to have a representative presence in a
few years? Would the pros support an event that didn't offer prize
money and that had excluded them for so long? Wasn't it risky to change
what had been a good event to one whose future was uncertain? Wasn't
the "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" axiom a sensible one, especially
in this case, where there could be backlash of ill will if this
"opening up" process went too far too fast? Â…
Ultimately, the MSRA's vision in facing down these caveats was
enormously productive, in jump-starting the growth of the game as a
whole, both nationally and locally, and in dramatically improving the
quality of its flagship event. Other regional associations all over the
country took their cue from the MSRA in opening up their important
events, and the resultant sense of heightened involvement on the part
of the appreciative pros(many of whom had come to internalize the
message they had heretofore received of being second-class citizens)had
an immensely salutary effect on both the quantity and the quality of
play at their clubs.
And the event itself enjoyed easily its greatest period from the '76
edition(its debut as an Open title)all the way to the early 1990's,
when, mirroring the decline of the hardball game as a whole, its
popularity faded during the last few years until a very quiet ending in
1995. During the glory-days period, and no doubt aided by its very
fortuitous mid-December position as the culmination of the fall
schedule(where it was the last event before the holiday break, with the
Gold Racquets Invitational and Lockett Cup Tri-City New
York-Boston-Philadelphia competition as helpful run-ups), the States
drew at its peak 75-80 entrants, necessitating an extensive month-long
preliminary self-scheduling playdown to whittle the field down to a
manageable 16 coming into the tournament weekend And the weekend itself
played host to an endless stream of memorable matches, moments and
milestones.
Glenn Greenberg, who reached the State final three consecutive times
during the same late-70's period when he was also reaching the Met A
amateur final four straight times, wrote important chapters in his
career highlight album, especially in his long back-and-forth rivalry
with another MSRA legend, Jay Nelson, who symbolized his agelessness by
winning his third State title 16 YEARS after his second! Ned Edwards
provided an early sign of the greatness that awaited him when, as an
MSRA and pro rookie in 1981 he capped off his only States appearance by
winning an electric four-game final against his Penn teammate Jon
Foster, who himself would be highly successful in New York competition
but whose luckless fate it was to play three taut States finals
interspersed throughout that decade without ever hoisting the winner's
trophy.
Rob Dinerman won a record six State Open titles and played in 10
finals, all against a different final-round opponent; Stewart Grodman
announced his return from an extended back injury in winning in '83;
Will Carlin enjoyed his only significant hardball accomplishment when
he survived three five-gamers en route to the '85 title; Joe Dowling,
fresh out of Harvard(after captaining the '87 team to an
Intercollegiate championship) won the '87 States and later duplicated
Greenberg's dual run nine years earlier by also winning the Met A that
spring;
Anil Nayar conjured up a twilight-of-his-career run to glory in '82;
and Bruce Horowitz, after a decade of relatively anonymous toil during
which he had never previously survived the quarter-final round, soared
to victory in '88 as part of his career-highlight 1988-89 season, while
Roger Alcaly, a much-decorated shotmaker for many years on both a
singles and doubles court who had won the first-ever National
35-and-over championship the previous February, ran out of steam late
in his quarter-final States match with Rick Woolworth late one Saturday
afternoon in '78, looked into the locker room mirror immediately
afterwards, recognized that he had given the game all he had to give,
and never entered a tournament again..
Career launchpad, highlight or farewell, the New York State Open
Championships was for two full decades one of the most noteworthy
events of the entire season and a defining moment in the careers of
many of those who played their hearts out in search of this coveted
title.
1976 Jay Nelson
1977 Jay Nelson
1978 Glenn Greenberg
1979 Glenn Greenberg
1980 Rob Dinerman
1981 Ned Edwards
1982 Anil Nayar
1983 Stu Grodman
1984 Rob Dinerman
1985 Will Carlin
1986 Ray Gale
1987 Joe Dowling
1988 Bruce Horowitz
1989 Neal Vohr
1990 Rob Dinerman
1991 Rob Dinerman
1992 Rob Dinerman
1993 Jay Nelson
1994 Rob Dinerman
1995 Dave Steere