National Capital Open

Squash Revolution National Capital Open 2013
09-12 Jan, Washington, $15k

12-Jan-2013, Final:
Delierre outlasts Waller in DC Unseeded Shawn Delierre claimed the National Capital Open in Washington DC - his 12th PSA title - after a marathon final which saw the Canadian prevail 14-12 in the fifth over England's Adrian Waller after 157 minutes, the longest recorded match since Par11 scoring was introduced in 2004.

Hunt Richardson reports:

Every rally of the match was hotly contested except when Delierre virtually conceded the fourth game after Waller had sped off to 9-3. Nearly every marginal interference decision was vigorously protested, prompting warnings by the referee for dissent, time-wasting and significant physical contact. 

In the fifth game Waller was up 7-5 and then he lost three points in a row, two of them via unforced errors. It was the only time the London native's focus lapsed after more than two hours of brutal rallies. 

He tied the score at 8-8 and saved two match balls to knot it at 10-10. The blue ribbon remained unclaimed at 11-11 and 12-12. But the fleet Canadian, literally trembling from exhaustion during the last quarter-hour of this battle, never broke. 

He willed himself through to seal the game and match 14-12, a heroic feat of mind over body. Real gladiator stuff. 

Game 1: 30m, Game 2: 34m, Game 3: 44m, Game 4: 12m
Game 5: 31m.  Or, in hours, 2h 37m. Squash matches you measure in hours: 
1983: Jahangir Khan 3-1 Gamal Awad  2h46       166m

2005: Shahier Razik 3-2 Eric Galvex                   132m
2006: Eric Galvez 3-2 Bradley Ball                      120m
2006: Shahier Razik 3-2 Liam Kenny                  131m
2006: Shahier Razik 3-2 Joey Barrington            140m
2006: Shawn Delierre 3-2 Eric Galvez                130m
2006: Gregory Gaultier 3-2 Adrian Grant            146m
2007: Adrian Grant 3-2 Davide Bianchetti           120m
2007: Daryl Selby 3-2 Miguel Angel Rodriguez    120m
2007: Shahier Razik 3-2 Borja Golan                 121m
2008: Samantha Teran 3-2 Latasha Khan           120m*
2008: Azlan Iskandar 3-2 Ong Beng Hee            120m*
2008: Aaron Frankcomb 3-2 Mark Krajcsak        125m
2008: Hamza Bokhari 3-2 Ravi Dixit                  134m
2008: Shawn Delierre 3-2 Shahier Razik            150m
2009: Alister Walker 3-2 Adrian Grant                121m
2009: Nick Matthew 3-2 James Willstrop             122m
2009: Borja Golan 3-2 Miguel Angel Rodriguez   126m
2009: Campbell Grayson 3-2 Aaron Frankcomb  132m
2009: Borja Golan 3-2 Omar Mosaad                 128m
2009: Daryl Selby 3-2 Azlan Iskandar               135m
2009: Davide Bianchetti 3-2 Mark Krajcsak        138m
2010: Omar Mosaad 3-2 Shahier Razik              125m
2010: Shawn Delierre 3-2 Shahier Razik           140m
2010: Nick Matthew 3-2 James Willstrop            127m
2012: Borja Golan 3-2 Omar Mosaad                128m
2012: Eric Galvez 3-2 Rex Hedrick                    126m
2013: Shawn Delierre 3-2 Adrian Waller            157m 
2014: Omar Abdel Meguid 3-2 Alan Clyne          140m

2015: Leo Au 3-2 Shawn Delierre                      170m

 * std scoring 

Thomas Mathew reports

Omar Meguid upset Ali Anwar Reda in a contentious two hour marathon. 

No player could establish any dominance with the referee being called in constantly. The first game had Reda marginally ahead throughout. In the second game both players ran neck to neck till a couple of tins late in the game helped Omar close it out to equalize. 

Game three probably determined the outcome of the match - Reda had game balls at 10-6 up. A couple of nicks from Omar brought it to 10-8. Then the play got very muddy before Omar closed out the game 12-10 with a streak of six unanswered points. 

In game four, Reda got a 10-6 lead again - Omar saved two game balls but could not repeat his comeback in the previous game. In game five, both players were visibly tiring and play kept alternating with some great points interspersed with untidy lets - the game had 16 let calls in all. 

Omar ran up an early lead of 4-1 which he consolidated to have match balls at 10-4. Reda saved three match balls till a no let decision closed the game and match for Omar.

Andrew Strasfogel reports

The match between Shawn Delierre and Campbell Grayson pitted two evenly paired opponents (Delierre is PSA #38 and Grayson PSA #45. 

In the first game, neither player was able to sustain a significant lead until Delierre forged ahead at 9-6 using tight shots and high pace to unsettle Grayson. Grayson fought back to 9-all, but Delierre won the last two points and the game 11-9.

The second game saw the lead swing from 5-2 and 7-5 for Delierre, then 9-7 for Grayson. A close "No Let" decision by the referee rattled Grayson but he regained his composure and finished the second game by an score identical to the first game (11-9) when Delierre hit the tin.

The third game was all Delierre who ran up leads of 4-1 and 6-3 before earning a hand-out and charging ahead on Grayson's errors to 10-3. In frustration, Grayson threw his racquet for which he was penalized with a Conduct Stroke. Game to Delierre 11-3.

Up to this point the hard-paced play by the players had created long rallies and numerous appeals. The match was intense but not particularly testy, just competitive. In the fourth game, Delierre continued in winning fashion and led 7-4 when Grayson righted himself, clawing back to 8-7. Delierre reached 9-8 and then a controversial "No Let" call caused him temporarily to lose composure. He then lost the next point to give Grayson a Game Ball at 10-9. 

After several more stoppages and replays the rallies finally went to Delierre, bringing the score to 10-all. By this time Delierre was the slightly fresher of the two players. A couple of Grayson errors enabled Delierre to win the game 12-10, and the match.

11-Jan, Semis:
Delierre dumps Razik in DC semisShawn Delierre collected a second consecutive seeded scalp in the semi-finals of the National Capital Open in Washington DC as he beat fellow-Canadian top seed - and tournament  promoter - Shahier Razik in three straight games that took an hour to complete.

"The Canadian #1 & #2 have battled many times," said Tyler Stilwell, a spectator at the venue. "The crowd at CCAC was expecting yet another battle between these two. Delierre was the physically stronger pulling away midway through each game. 

"Razik, who is known for length matches is coming off a period of injuries, seemed like he was not quiet himself yet."

His opponent in the final will be fourth-seeded Englishman Adrian Waller who beat unseeded Egyptian Omar Abdel Meguid - who had beaten second seed Ali Anwar Reda in a marathon all-Egyptian quarter-final. 

After dropping the first game Waller fought back to take the next three, completing his win in 56 minutes.

"A physical and fast paced match," commented Stilwell. "Adrian seemed to be to too consistent for the crafty giant. Omar made a push in the fourth but the Englishman managed to close it out. 

"A fifth game would have been quiet interesting!"Quarters in Washington:Razik through Reda out ...

Hunt Richardson reports

At Washington’s bustling Sports Club/LA, #1 Seed Shahier Razik  defeated PSA #70 Yasir Butt in a congenial  match that showcased fleet footwork and pinpoint shot-making. 

In Game one Razik built a 5-1 lead, then Butt narrowed the deficit to one point. Razik then opened a 4-point gap to reach 8-4 and held it to win 11-7. In Game two again Razik looked comfortable at 8-4 but lost focus and dumped three easy balls into the tin, enabling Butt to tie up at 8-8. 

The players maneuvered each other around the court through long rallies - Razik’s favorite kind - which ended in his favor at 11-8. In the third game, Butt quickly found himself in a deep hole with Razik looking totally in control at 6-1. 

At this point Butt changed tactics and slowed the tempo, at times hitting the ball so softly that it seemed to get colder. An exquisitely feathered drop that vanished out of Razik’s reach in the right front corner drew loud praise from the packed gallery, which was secretly hoping for a comeback. 

Butt’s inability to mount a sustained assault against Razik seemed to confirm a rumor that he had been violently ill with a stomach bug on his way to the match from Baltimore. 

Unfortunately it was too late for the lanky Pakistani to make a comeback. By this time he was fully absorbed into Razik’s attritional style, and the Canadian emerged the victor 11-3.