.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Yale (CSA Semifinals)
Players Mentioned
Princeton-Trinity II Will Decide 2006 National Squash Championship
February 18, 2006 | Men's Squash
Feb. 18, 2006
PRINCETON - Unfinished business. First, the Princeton men's squash team tended to its business with Yale, which only weeks ago defeated a shorthanded Tiger lineup and then celebrated on its courts. That business was taken care of in style Saturday, as the full Princeton lineup routed the second-seeded Bulldogs 8-1. The next piece of unfinished business brings the opportunity of a lifetime: to win the 2006 national title by ending Trinity's 143-match win streak.
Princeton will compete with Trinity thanks to a balanced and dominant effort against Yale, which was beaten by a lower-seeded Princeton squad for the second straight season.
"If you looked at these matchups, I thought we'd be competitive everywhere," head coach Bob Callahan said afterwards. "I thought we had a good shot at winning today. They were so focused today. It was such a business-like effort, but they really wanted it."
Princeton got the first two wins of the afternoon fairly quickly, claiming 3-0 wins at both No. 3 and No. 9. Freshman Kimlee Wong was off the court first after cruising to victory over Homing Chiu on the show court. A packed crowd watched Wong control the points and move Chiu from side to side and front to back. He was never in trouble and continued his stellar rookie season.
Junior Tom McKay had some tight moments in the second game of his No. 9 match with Trevor Rees. After winning the first game and jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the second, McKay watched Rees battle back and even the game at 7-7. Unwilling to let his opponent grab a lead, he won serve and then claimed the next two points for an important 9-7 win. That momentum carried into the third game, as McKay got up big and never let Rees back into it. "I knew I had to come out and win right away," McKay said afterwards. "I let him play his game [during the second game] at his pace. It took me a couple points to figure it out, and he made some great shots. But I was able to get the serve back and start playing my points."
The third match of the first session was a battle between Yale's Avner Geva and Princeton senior Nate Beck. Geva took the opening game and looked to take control of the second, but Beck rallied to even the match score at 1-1 apiece. After taking the third game, the Princeton faithful knew all the momentum of the match was on Beck's racket. Geva knew it too and battled hard in the fourth game, but the experienced tri-captain wasn't about to let the match go five games.
The second session started with a dominant performance from freshman Mauricio Sanchez, who dropped only four points en route to a comfortable 9-0, 9-4, 9-0 win over Nick Chirls. Sanchez impressed the packed court with an array of winners and countless gets that kept numerous points alive. Like Wong, Sanchez hasn't shown any fear of the Princeton show court and the biggest opponents out there.
The four-match win streak was finally broken by Yale's Francis Johnson, who took Michael Gilman at the No. 8 spot. Johnson was dominant in the first game, but Gilman battled to extend both the second and third games into extra points. Johnson had the answers both times and cut the deficit to 4-1.
It wasn't to get any closer. Seniors Dent Wilkens and Yasser El Halaby took the court at nearly the same time, and both looked to clinch the win and punch a ticket to Sunday's championship match. While the majority of the fans packed Court 1 to watch a rematch of the 2005 national individual final between El Halaby and Julian Illingworth, Wilkens quietly beat his teammate to the punch. Continuing to play inspired squash during his final season, Wilkens dominated the flow of play and closed the team match with a 3-0 win over Andrew Vinci, Yale's hero of the regular season showdown.
"When they were here last time and celebrated on our court, all we wanted was one more chance at them," Wilkens, one of three current Tigers who played in the 2003 national final against Trinity, said. "It's exciting to get back there. I'm playing the best squash of my life right now."
His win allowed him to see the final points of El Halaby's showdown with Illingworth. The Yale No. 1 took the opening game 9-3, but the Princeton senior thrilled a packed house of fans, mostly there just to see him, with three inspired games. He trailed 4-2 in the second game before running off four straight points to take a 5-4 lead. Illingworth tied it at 5-5, but El Halaby won 22 of the next 23 points to run away with the match. El Halaby hit a number of tins in the first game and felt a little off, both mentally and physically, after the opener. That would soon change.
"I didn't know how my body would react after the layoff," said El Halaby, who had not played past three games in a match since the injury. "I miscalculated a few shots, and I changed rackets after the first game to get more control. I was hopeful my teammates would win and get us through, but I was determined not to lose today."
"That's Yasser," Callahan said. "He wants this worse than anything."
Princeton closed the match with another comeback win for No. 5 Vincent Yu and another brilliant performance by a Princeton freshman, as Hesham El Halaby topped Moshe Sarfaty 9-4, 9-4, 9-1 to give Princeton its eighth win of the day.
"These freshmen are strong and have plenty of international experience, especially Mauricio and Kim," Callahan said. "They are such good competitors and have really been strong for us down the stretch."
Like the rest of their teammates, they will need to be their strongest Sunday at noon. Trinity, which topped No. 4 Harvard 6-3 in the other national semifinal, brings a 143-match win streak into the final and will look for its eighth straight national title. The closest match of the streak came earlier this season, when Trinity topped Princeton 5-4 at home. Although both lineups are slightly different, a similar thriller is expected.
"Tomorrow is more unfinished business for us," Callahan said. "We are very happy to be in the final, but we aren't satisfied. We will need a couple guys to play the match of their lives, but we know they are capable of it. This team takes its cue from Yasser. He'll be ready, and so will they."
The match will be played on courts 1-2-3, beginning at noon. It will be played in a three-round format, so matches 3/6/9 will be played first, followed by 2/5/8 and 1/4/7. With Trinity expecting to bring busloads of fans to Jadwin Gym, Princeton fans are urged to make their way to the court early.
Princeton 8, Yale 1
1. Yasser El Halaby (P) d. Julian Illingworth 3-1 (3-9, 9-5, 9-0, 9-1)
2. Mauricio Sanchez (P) d. Nick Chirls 3-0 (9-0, 9-4, 9-0)
3. Kimlee Wong (P) d. Homing Chiu 3-0 (9-1, 9-4, 9-0)
4. Hesham El Halaby (P) d. Moshe Sarfaty 3-0 (9-4, 9-4, 9-1)
5. Vincent Yu (P) d. Max Samuel 3-1 (3-9, 10-9, 9-4, 9-7)
6. Nate Beck (P) d. Avner Geva 3-1 (6-9, 9-5, 9-6, 9-2)
7. Dent Wilkens (P) d. Andrew Vinci 3-0
8. Francis Johnson (Y) d. Michael Gilman 3-0 (9-0, 10-9, 10-9)
9. Tom McKay (P) d. Trevor Rees 3-0 (9-3, 9-7, 9-4)