Supreet Singh
Connecticut Open Champion
PST's Edwin Lennox with Supreet Singh
Supreet Singh beat Ned Marks 9-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-9 to win the 2012 Connecticut Open at Avon Old Farms School in Avon, CT on Sunday, January 8. Singh is in his second year as the Head Squash Coach at Avon Old Farms and was cheered on by an enthusiastic hometown crowd.
The match was cleanly played with both players displaying superior sportsmanship. PST Commissioner Joe McManus made special note of this. "We run several tournaments a year at schools across the country. We want children and parents to view our players as role models. Our players know this is a point of focus for us, and I am grateful to them for their support in this effort."
Supreet with his enthusiastic fans
Singh strikes the ball forcefully and looks for winning shot opportunities from all corners of the court. Marks began the match in good form and kept Supreet from these winning opportunities. Marks won a closely fought game one.
Game two saw a re-focused Singh enter the court. He quickly advanced to a 5-2 lead by taking the ball very early off the front wall and pushing the tempo of play. Marks was still moving well, but more often than not, Singh was able to hit one more good shot. Singh won the game 11-6.
Singh was controlling play in game three and seemed to have found a comfortable rhythm when he landed awkwardly retrieving a ball. His ankle turned slightly and he stopped play asking for an injury timeout.
A hometown crowd that was excitedly cheering just moments before was silent wondering if Singh could continue and, if so, how well he could play.
After attending to his ankle, Singh returned to play and won the next three rallies in quick order. His movement seemed fine.
Game four was very similar to game one, with both players covering all corners of the court during extended rallies. Marks moved to an early 6-1 lead and fans were left to wonder if the injured ankle would prevent Singh's victory. Though Marks was moving better than Singh, it was Singh that once again was able to push the tempo of play and force Marks to cover more territory on court. Singh was patient in looking for winning opportunities now. This patience allowed him to slowly draw the game back to level at 9-9.
Singh now seemed to gain energy from the crowd. He looked confident as he aggressively sought winning opportunities and he found them closing out the match 11-9. This was Singh's first PST Championship.
In the third place match, Leroy Leong beat Yasser Kamel 6-11, 11-6, 13-15, 11-3, 11-7.
Tournament action was broadcast throughout the weekend by PST's media partner UBsports and OVNtv, Open Vision Network.
Ned Marks and Supreet Singh
PST Referee Edwin Lennox
UB Sports and Open Vision Network's Claud and Leroy behind the scenes
Touring pro Mike Semprucci serving
Malaysia's Leroy Leong
Ned Marks beats Leroy Leong 17-15, 17-15, 9-11, 12-10
Ned Marks advanced to the Connecticut Open Championship match after a fantastically entertaining semi-final against Leroy Leong. Each of Marks' game wins went to a tie breaker. In squash games are played to 11. However, players must win by two points. Marks won each of the first two games 17-15.
Unforntunately for Leong, he had games balls at 11-10, 12-11, 13-12, 14-13, and 15-14. Yet Marks found a way to extend the game and eventually close it out. Leong still looked strong though as he was controlling play. Unforced errors and hitting the tin were his real opponent in this match though.
The entire match was a see-saw battle with neither player finding a big lead in any game. "Leroy could have just as easily beaten me 3-0 today," said Marks in hist post game interview. "I feel fortunate to have this win."
Supreet Singh beats Yasser Kamel 11-7, 11-6, 11-9
Supreet Singh needed only three games to earn his spot in Sunday's finals. He walked on court with a determined approach to the match and was aggressive from the opening serve. Rallies were short in this match. Both Kamel and Singh seemed comfortable shooting from all corners of the court and creating winning opportunities early in rallies.
"I didn't want a long match against Yasser today," said Singh. "I felt I had a home court advantage and I wanted to take advantage of it."
Singh is the Director of Squash at Avon Old Farms School, which is hosting the CT Open. The magnificent facility features a three wall glass court where all tournament matches are being played this weekend.
Match Times
Yasser Kamel beats Eric Lamsa 13-11, 11-13, 9-11, 11-3, 11-7
Singh v. Def.
Ned Marks v. Santiago Moran 11-4, 11-4, 11-3
Leroy Leong beats Mike Semprucci 13-11, 11-7, 13-11
Ned Marks
PST #5 Ned Marks headlines this week's Connecticut Open at Avon Old Farms School in Avon, CT. Marks has had a steady rise in PST's rankings over the past year. His best finishes of 2011 include reaching the semi-finals in both the Tuxedo Park Open and the Pro Squash Cup.
The tour's first stop of 2012 will also feature Supreet Singh's return to PST action. Supreet Singh was a Captain of the 2010 Trinity College Squash Team. A three-time All-American and 3-time selection to the All-NESCAC team, he helped lead Trinity to four consecutive national team championships. He is currently the Head Squash Coach at Avon Old Farms in Avon, CT.
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Louis Ragou (England) has withdrawn from the tournament.
