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Damian Walker continued his mastery of American squash by
winning the Open division of the Harvard Club Invitational
this weekend, defeating Jamie Crombie 9-4, 4-9, 9-3, 5-9,
9-4 in a well-played, tense final between the top two American
players. (This tournament was the first of six qualifiers
that will be used to select the players who will try out for
the U.S. National Team.)
Paul Arrouet beat Peter Withstandley for the A title, while
Clyde Wardle defeated Tad Friend to win the Limited A draw.
The top-seeded Walker, the two-time defending S.L. Green
champion and the head pro at the Field Club of Greenwich,
used an early run in the fifth game and employed his full
repertoire of outright winners to beat the Cincinnati-based
Crombie, a former Canadian National Team player who just this
year became eligible to play for the U.S. National Team. (A
player must wait three years before representing his new country
in international competition.)
Crombie, the second seed, won the fourth strongly, but Walker
checked that momentum with the continued use of his signature
forehand reverse corner, a shot one rarely sees in softball,
let alone at such a high level of play. That and several well-placed
backhand drives from Walker spelled the end of Crombie's day.
Walker defeated fourth-seeded Tim Wyant 10-8, 3-9, 9-6, 9-5
to reach the finals, while Crombie beat unseeded David McNeely
9-1, 9-7, 9-2 in his semifinal.
In the A draw, the second-seeded Arrouet (Racquet & Tennis
Club) fell behind 2-1 to Withstandley (Yale Club), but rebounded
to beat his fellow University of Pennsylvania graduate 9-7,
3-9, 5-9, 9-3, 9-5. Withstandley, the third seed, was ahead
6-1 and 7-3 in the first game, but his inability to close
out that game may have cost him the match, as Arrouet rebounded
and started playing tighter and stronger on his forehand side
in the fourth and fifth games.
The usually indefatigable Withstandley may also have been
tired from his Sunday morning semifinal win (9-3, 9-2, 4-9,
7-9, 9-2) over top-seed and defending champion Rob Endelman
(Lincoln Club). Arrouet spent less time on court in his semifinal,
a 9-6, 9-0, 10-8 victory over fourth-seeded Michael Scherl
(Uptown Club).
Clyde Wardle (Lincoln Club) took the Limited A title with
a convincing 9-6, 9-5, 9-7 win over top-seeded Tad Friend
(Harvard Club). The unseeded Wardle, celebrating his birthday,
handled the left-handed Friend's best weapon--the attacking
boast--to win his first tournament at this level. In the semis,
the tenacious Wardle beat fellow Lincoln Club member Marc
Levin (unseeded) 6-9, 9-4, 9-7, 10-8, while Friend handled
third-seeded Kurt Lichtman (Westchester Squash) 3-0.
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