Squash Blog - 2005 Pan American Federation Cup

May 5 , 2006 - Finals
The statistics of the two finalists were quite staggering. They boasted 20 years of professional world tour experience between them and 27 world tour victories. Both had career high world rankings of 30 and have won medals at the Pan American Games. Puertas and Crombie had used their experience to get this far but who would prevail in the final? Puertas went into the final nursing a sore Achilles so he played a very different style of play from the day before. Against Gordan we saw pace on the ball, now we were seeing lobs and drops but all with devastating accuracy. This broke the rhythm of Crombie who’s fast pace of play was unable to make an impression, the first game going from his grasp 9-0 in only five minutes. Crombie got into the match in the second but was still clearly frustrated by the continual use of the height of the court that Puertas was using. Puertas took the second 9-5 and Crombie was still left contemplating a way to make an impression. The third picked up at the same slow tempo and Puertas was soon celebrating a 3-0 victory after taking it 9-3 after being on the court less than 30 minutes.

BLOG From Nathan Dugan:

May 4, 2006 - Semi-FInals
The first of the semi-final matches was an eagerly awaited affair between Jamie Crombie and Ryan Donegan. Donegan has been using the Cleveland Racquet Club as a US training base for the past six months since English Pro Nathan Dugan became the Squash Director this past December. Even though familiar with the club and his surroundings, it was Donegan who looked the more nervous at the start of the match. Crombie raced to a 5-0 lead before Donegan found any rhythm and was able to make any impression on Crombie’s fast pace, yet patient style of play. Any rhythm Donegan did find was short lived as a mixture of unforced errors and poor lengths allowed Crombie to take a 9-3, 9-3 lead. The third started out more promisingly for the young Dartmouth graduate, he started to display his potential in taking a 4-1 lead by playing some controlled squash, leaving Crombie, for the first time in the match showing signs of frustration. Crombie didn’t have to worry for long as he was back at 5-5 in a matter of minutes. Crombie’s experience and patience combined with the Donegan’s lack of both turned the game round securing Crombie with a place in the final with a 9-5 victory.

Christopher Gordan upset the seeding at Nationals in March when he defeated the countries second ranked player, Mike Puertas, in a five game thriller. In Cleveland he was not to have the same joy. Puertas, the newly appointed Athletic Director of the St. Louis Racquet Club gained his revenge in three straight games, 9-6, 9-6, 9-6. In previous encounters the two players have had very tight and physical battles, one leaving Puertas suffering a broken rib or two. This was to prove no different as it took 79 minutes and a sore ankle for Puertas to come away with the victory. The pattern of the match took shape from the start, Puertas would maintain most of the T control while his younger opponent of some 20 years would use his youth to scamper form corner to corner, using all of his long reach in the process. At points of the match Gordan was working so hard his expression made the crowd think he was going to need a bucket, but he showed the character that has taken him into the world’s top 100, by picking up where he had left off in the previous rally, forcing Puertas to win the point again and again. Eventually Gordan slowed at Puertas joined Crombie in the final as the narrow victor.

BLOG From Nathan Dugan:

May 3 , 2006 - Quarter-Finals
Top two seeds Mike Puertas and Ryan Donegan both had byes into the semi-finals.

On May 3rd, 2006 Cleveland Racquet Club became the venue for some of the best players in the US game of squash. Although not a large draw, the field was strong for the selection event with five of the countries top ten present.

The score line of the first match of the event between Beau River and Jamie Crombie was not a true reflection on the length of the match. It took Crombie, head Pro at the Cincinnati Country Club, 25 minutes to get his first game ball at 8-1. River rallied back to 8-3 before the Chicagoan went down 9-3 in just under 30 minutes. Crombie maintained control of the match from the restart working River around the back of the court, then dragging his 6’5 frame to the front with a number of Forehand boasts. It was a tired looking River who came away losing the second and third games 9-1, 9-1 to set Crombie up with a semi-final match with Ryan Donegan.

Christopher Gordan was the last to take his place in the final four defeating John Fulham in a rematch of their U/23 semi-final last month. This time around however, Gordan didn’t have it all his own way. Fulham, the youngest player in the draw at 18, started off the brighter of the two young American prospects. Keeping the ball tight on the backhand wall and then using his volley drops to good effect, he was setting the early pace by exposing Gordan’s steady play and forcing him to do a lot of retrieving. Gordan’s tenacity was paying off however as Fulham was starting to show signs of fatigue, leaving him looking extremely relieved to sneak the game 9-7. Fulham was not able to sustain the pace he showed in the first game allowing Gordan to gain control, running out a comfortable 9-1 victor to tie the match. Gordan didn’t get it completely his own way in the third though as Fulham gave a last ditch effort to stay in the match. Fulham picked the pace back up causing Gordan all sorts of problems at the front of the court, but again tired he allowed Gordan to prevailed 9-7. This proved to be the crushing blow. Gordan came out strong in the fourth and a slightly demoralized looking Fulham subdued to a 9-0 defeat.

RESULTS
Finals
Michael Puertas bt Jamie Crombie, 3-0

Semi-Finals
Michael Puertas bt Christopher Gordon, 3-0
Jamie Crombie bt Ryan Donegan, 3-0

Quarter-Finals
Michael Puertas bye
John Fulham loss to Christopher Gordon, 1-3
Jamie Crombie bt Beau River, 3-0
Ryan Donegan bye

Posted by Squash Webmaster.