[1] Melissa Alves (FRA; 45) vs. [8] Donna Lobban (AUS; 64)

There are going to be some great matches tonight and the first one sets up as one of the rising star versus a wily veteran. The crowd is filling in as the women take the court. Steve Flude is in the ref’s perch, and the bar staff are already getting worked hard downstairs.

The first game is all Alves. Donna doesn’t seem comfortable and quickly slides to a 7-3 deficit. She’s picking up some tin. Lobban’s strength is an attacking boast and Alves isn’t letter her get their. Lobban falls in the first and needs to regroup.

The second match is much tighter as the players alternate shots. Things grind higher….4-4; 5-5. Late in the game Alves manages to force a few difficult shots from Lobban which don’t quite make the grade. Melissa jumps to a 2-0 lead.

The third is a tight again. While some in the crowd are convinced this will be done in three the scoreboard leaves far more question. Long rallies and with good winners required to get the point and it’s 4-4. Another winner from each and 5-5. The crowd is impressed. A series of drives down the left wall and a brilliant hold from Melissa which draws Donna to the center court. She crushing a low burner down the rail and Alves is up 6-5. Lobban is in trouble as Alves hits a series of winners. Anything loose is crushed. 9-5. A stroke to Alves and we are at match point. Three brilliant shots from Donna less than an inch above the tin and she’s back in it at 8-10. A long rally filled with tight digs ends with Alves taking the point and the match . Alves is into the final.

Written by Jay Nash

Melissa – “My goal was to play high pace and keep her from her front attack. I aimed to play fast. When she got it going I tried to move in and reset things. Took some chances and felt confident. It was one of my best match since starting on tour.”

Donna – “Happy to be back on court after a long recovery. Great to be competing. Getting back to peak form is a process. Each match is bringing me back. Melissa played well and didn’t provide an opportunity for me to get into my game. Looked for a lapse and, to her credit, it didn’t come along. Melissa’s playing really well and I knew would be a tough match. Prior to a withdrawal this would have been in the first round. A shame it wasn’t in the final.”

[1] Vikram Malhotra (IND; 63) vs. [4] Leonel Cardenas (MEX;79)

Stingray Hanebury back for another match report. Fans often ask me why I do these. It’s long days and nights away from the family. Always on the road. Hotel after hotel. Sometimes it can seem pretty thankless. However, at the end of the day it’s really all about the free beer.

Tonight we have Malhotra vs Cardenas. After Cardena’s win over Binnie last night, this has become the most anticipated match of the evening.

The match begins with several fast rallies. The players are getting their footing and warming up. Cardenas takes a quick lead 4-2. The following rally is a mega one with both players seeing all corners of the court. It was best described by Jeff Tudhope — local legend and 2015 club championships men’s C division quarter finalist — as “hella long”. Midway through the game and the play looks relatively even. Malhotra is being very methodical in his shot selections, taking Cardenas to the front on several occasions. Cardenas, on the other hand, is being dynamic and attempting to creating angles and attacking opportunities. At 9-7 down, a poor boast from Malhotra leaves Cardenas with an easy opening. He goes up 10-7 for the first game ball. Malhotra, clearly upset on his shot choices, doubles down in the following rally. He plays some excellent squash, only to clip the tin in the front right on an easy volley drop opportunity. Cardenas takes the first game 11-7.

In between games, local pickle ball champion, Gary Sullivan, informs those sitting close to him on what exactly Malhotra did wrong in the last game. Hopefully Malhotra is close enough that he can listen in and learn from Gary’s sublime wisdom.

The second game begins the way the first ended, with Malhotra sending an easy volley into the tin. The next two rallies also fall for Cardenas with a good tight length and a roll out nick in the back of the court (also known as a Stingray Drop Shot). Malhotra responds with two well formed rallies, but on the third he again hits a backhand volley into the tin. He can’t afford to give away easy points like this when Cardenas is hitting zero unforced errors. At 3-5, Cardenas hits a hard forehand into the tin. His first unforced error of the game and also his first time showing any frustration. Malhotra appears to have changed his game plan. He’s keeping Cardenas in the back corners and foregoing most openings to take the ball in short. A huge rally at 6-4 Cardenas sees him running all over the court. Malhotra is clearly in the control of this one and uses it to his advantage. It ends with Cardenas giving up on a shot. He looks tired and the next rally when there’s a let call he takes his time to recover. Maybe last night’s match has taken a toll on the young 19 year old. The next rally is also a long one. Malhotra can tell his younger opponent is hurting and does everything he can to take advantage. He ties the game at 6-6.

At 7-7, the play starts getting choppy. Malhotra asks for a let on a collision in the mid court. The next rally sees a let ball again and then the following is a no let for Cardenas. The pace of the game has slowed as Malhotra plays a variety of height and lobs to mix up the play. He wins the point on a tight drop from the back left of the court. He goes up 10-7 game ball. In the next rally, Cardenas gives up on a length ball. Match is tied 1-1.

We’ll take this time during the intermission to wish a goodbye to fellow member Riley Trottier. He’s leaving London for Victoria next month. We couldn’t be happier that he’s leaving. Good riddance.

Third game starts with Malhotra going up two quick points. Some people in the crowd are quoting Dolph Lundgren, which really only makes sense to old people. Those young kids might have words like “fam” and “bro”, but the old crew have a huge library of dated movie and television quotes to pull from. Another monster — sorry, Jeff — “Hella Long” rally has Malhotra moving Cardenas around the court. He goes up 5-3. Cardenas is still covering the court well, but his body language is more tired. He needs a string of quick points if he wants to come back this game. However, that isn’t to be. Malhotra wins the next two points and goes up 7-4. A No Let to Cardenas and he’s up 8-4. Cardenas is looking pretty deflated now. He hits an easy ball into the tin and doesn’t run for a drop from Malhotra. Down 10-4 he hits a volley smash into the tin. Malhotra goes up 2-1 in games.

The fourth game once again starts with several quick rallies. At 3-2, Malhotra receives a stroke on a drop from Cardenas. Cardenas is not happy, indicting that he had given his opponent a line to the ball. Cardenas is hurting physically now. He’s moved to reactionary play and is letting Malhotra control the mid court. However he comes out on top in a huge — Hella Long — rally and responds with a roar and a fist pump. It seems for naught though, as Malhotra continues to pull away in score. Another iffy call and a lucky winner from Malhotra sees him up 8-3 in this game. Cardenas is feeling the heat now and doesn’t seem to have an answer. Malhotra is two points away from reaching the finals. But if he just digs in some more he might have a chance. Malhotra is looking tired as well, but he hasn’t yet broken. 9-6 has Cardenas dive for a shot and slide nearly from the service line to the tin. There’s enough sweat on the floor to fill a small pool. Fortunately, local legend and Andy Capp fan, Gary Sullivan, rushes on court with a handful of towels.

The final point is a quick one and Malhotra wins 11-6 and becomes the first person in the men’s draw to reach the finals.

That’s all for reporter Stingray Hanebury tonight. I’m off now to drink a few more of these discounted beers.

Vikram – “Thought the match was a quality one. Happy with my execution and the crowd was a great motivator. Very happy to be in the next round. Need one more solid game.”

[4] Emilia Soini (FIN; 57) vs. [2] Jasmine Hutton (ENG;54)

1st game started with both players trying to implement their own pace onto the game. Jazz looked to play slightly faster but Emilia did well at the beginning to neutralize her pace mainly using height. She was also very decisive when she was given the opportunity with any loose balls and put Jazz under pressure with accurate straight drops. However, mid way through Jazz settled down and found her range to take the first. In the second game Jazz continued on with hitting good target areas. She made the court big for Emilia and caused her do a lot of work to keep up with the rallies. Emilia, however, stuck in well and started to use the boast to drag Jazz out of position and looked to pounce on the follow up. This added variation seemed to throw Jazz slightly and also allowed Emilia to dominate the middle and to have better control over her. However, Jazz stayed consistent and defended well to sneak the second game by a narrow margin.

In the 3rd game, Jazz seemed to straighten up which worked to limit Emilia’s options. Emilia seemed more comfortable when she was given angles to work with. Jazz took an early lead and went up 7-3 quickly with consistent good straight length and volley drops, but Emilia came back and put in some accurate straight attacks herself. From being up, and then losing a few points in a row, Jazz seemed to tighten up slightly and made some dicey tins to allow Emilia to get back within a point. However, at the business end Jazz stepped up and was decisive with volleying to take the match 3-0.

Written by Anna Kimberley with payment in beer

Jasmine – “Really happy to have come through in 3. Felt that I’ve needed to prove myself at this event as I’ve never faced any of the opponents I faced this week. Happy about how I backed myself using my physicality and looking forward to getting a rematch of my first round in 2018 with Melissa.”

[3] Alfredo Avila (MEX; 71) vs. [2] Auguste Dussourd (FRA; 68)

Game 1 - Both player showing lots or power and pace early on. A real mix of shots and a definite feeling out process with lots of cross court play. It’s evolving as the shot making of the Frenchman versus the athleticism of the Mexican. Mid game both players are making unforced errors to keep it close. The play is clean, a nice change from the match the Frenchman played last night. Near the end of the match the Mexican making unforced errors and the Frenchman showing great shot making to control play with an amazing hold to win the game.

Game 2 – The Frenchman is still showing control of the game but with some great rallies early on with the Mexican staying alive with his incredible range. The Mexican is showing some shot making to work his way back into the match but the Mexican seems to be gaining control - staying alive with his athleticism and some great finishing. Lots of back and forth with unforced errors by both players. After some controversy at 9-9 the Mexican emerges with a huge winner and then takes the match.

Game 3 - The quick hands of the French man gave him the early lead on back to back shots and he’s making the Mexican run. The game has evolved to more length and straight lines. A ton of great rallies and some unforced errors by the Mexican put the Frenchman back in control and the game win.

Game 4 - Very quickly this becomes a throw away game for the Frenchman with a quick win by the Mexican, both players content to settle this in 5.

Game 5 - A Huge rally to open the game, and lots of back and forth. The Frenchman continues to make shots and the Mexican continues to get everything. Play is getting tighter, more calls and less chances and risks - waiting for their opportunities. After a series of calls it’s all tied up at 7-7, the play is definitely chippier. The Frenchman’s shot making prevails to close out the match and its clear he earned the win with a huge celebration. The crowd was treated to a beauty to close out the night.

Written by Chad Dawson form the balcony……..and now the view from the floor by Amit Shah

Alfredo Avila: defending champion of Nash Cup. Veteran speedster, covers more court than Judge Judy.

August’s Dussourd: 6 PSA titles, rising star on the tour.

Another fantastic NASH cup semi-final.

Game 1 - Dussourd draws first blood. Two rallies ending by exacting length, caressing the back wall like Gary Sullivan massaging damp hardwood: perfect touch.

Dussourd has all the ingredients for a successful PSA career. Great form, solid rails, excellent footwork. He appears to have that little extra that is needed to be truly elite - he has the creativity, deception and touch to confound those who wait for an opening. He’s out there making magic with the ball in the first game. It’s rapidly 5-0. The players treat the crowd to an astounding 30+ shot rally. We have witnessed Avila’s ridiculous gets ever since he appeared as a junior at NASH Cup 2010, but they never get old. The noise from the crowd mimics a rollercoaster chorus — oohs and aahs as the rally impossibly carries on. Avila lays a drop dead front corner nick to end it and reminds Dussourd that he’s not going away. Dussourd accepts, continues his Houdini work, and takes game 1.

Second game and Dussourd still has the ball on a string. He is yo-yoing Avila around the court. Avila coasts around with his superb movement. He is deceived yet again by Dussourd’s holds and goes down 4-2. Avila responds with a beautiful backhand hold to freeze Dussourd, and follows it with smash into the nick. 4-4 and we may still have a match. At 6-4 Avila has a ball in the front left corner. Everyone in the building thinks he is hitting a backhand cross - including Dussourd. The straight drive that he produced seems to defy the laws of physics. Same scenario occurs 3 points later. This time Dussourd guesses right and capitalizes for a winner. The crowd goes nuts. As long time LSFC lunch time warrior Jim Ferguson says “You can’t go the well twice!” Avila finds new energy in the latter part of game 2. His speed extends the rallies and pushes Dussourd to his limits. Is fatigue becoming a factor? Game 2 to Avila 11-9!

Game 3 and both players are using every ounce of speed and stretch. Avila gives up 6 inches of height and more than that in reach to Dussourd. The stretch here definitely belongs to Dussourd, while you may as well buy Avila a Flash costume. Dussourd goes up 9-7. Controversy erupts when a ball that the spectators thought was a stroke for Avila is awarded as a No Let to Dussourd. Tough call, Dussourd finishes the game.

Game 4 starts - Dussourd has been worked by Avila, and you never want to go to game 5 with someone who trains at altitude in Mexico City. This game will be critical. Dussourd hits two drops in a row - they sink like Gary Sullivan’s hopes when he played this writer in the Men’s B Championships. Even Avila can’t resurrect them. A 2-0 start for Dussourd rapidly turns into an Avila domination. Dussourd makes a curious decision, and mails it in from a score of 2-7. It ends at 11-2 for Avila. Is this a brilliant conservation of energy or a foolish relinquishing of momentum? We are about to see.

Game 5 is a squash fan’s dream. These guys actually both do the splits in one of the rallies. The intensity level has to classified in Spinal Tap terms: We are at an 11! The club atmosphere is jacked like Rob Doherty’s biceps. Everyone is going insane! As the pressure builds each player responds with absolutely amazing touch and length. A rally at 9-8 is the epitome of squash nirvana. Perfect shot after perfect shot ends with match point for Dussourd. Avila brings it back to 9-10. The referees are taxed by very difficult let vs no let calls - they let the players decide the match. People are actually screaming at 10-9. A crazy rally ensues. Avila thinks he has a winner. Dussourd scrapes it off the floor - or did he? Referees call it ‘up’ - Avila has a kill shot - he tins it! Dussourd takes one of the finest matches this writer has ever seen at NASH Cup and advances to the Final.

Incredible finish to a great evening.

Reporting by Amit Shah