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Trinity Outlasts Princeton Squash 5-4 In National Championship Thriller
February 23, 2009 | Men's Squash
For six tense hours inside the capacity-and-then-some-packed Jadwin Squash Courts, the difference between the top two teams in men's college squash was razor thin. A roller coaster ride of both scores and emotions ended with the top-ranked Trinity Bantams fighting off Princeton 5-4 for the national championship by winning the fifth game of the ninth match.
With the championship all square at four matches and two games apiece, the decisive match featured the two highest-ranked players in the sport, defending national champion Baset Chaudhry of Trinity and two-time Ivy League Player of the Year Mauricio Sanchez of Princeton. Sanchez, who took the fourth game to get out of a 2-0 hole, raced out to a 5-0 lead in the fifth game, but Chaudhry dug deep one last time and controlled play for the remainder of the match. He slowly cut into the deficit, tied it and ultimately took the lead. The match stayed at 7-5 Chaudhry in the fifth for a significant period of time, and when it finally broke, it did so Trinity's way. Chaudhry took the eighth point and immediately followed it with a championship-winning point.
The tense end was a fitting conclusion to the match, which will go down as one of the greatest championship finals in CSA history. Princeton got out to a 2-1 lead after the first shift, just as it did one week earlier in a 5-4 loss to Trinity, but it did so in different fashion. The first point went to Trinity, as No. 3 player Manek Mathur rallied from a 2-1 hole to defeat Princeton freshman Chris Callis in five games. Callis, who defeated Mathur one week earlier, had been pushed hard in his semifinal match against Rochester and couldn't regain momentum as the final two games got away.
That put significant pressure on both No. 6 Hesham El Halaby and No. 9 Peter Sopher to come up with wins, and both delivered. El Halaby, one of three Princeton seniors to start for four straight Ivy League champions and play in four straight national finals, used his experience to control play in the fifth. He moved Supreet Singh around the court before putting him away. Meanwhile, Sopher, who lost in five games last weekend against Trinity, dropped the first game 10-8 before taking the next three games to give Princeton the 2-1 edge.
It would become 2-2 when the talented Vikram Malhotra won 3-0 at the No. 8 spot over Santiago Imberton. The Bantams went back ahead 3-2 when No. 2 player Gustav Detter, a 2008 national individual finalist and one of the great Trinity heroes during its 202-match win streak, fought back from an 0-2 hole to defeat Kimlee Wong in five games. Detter had not lost to Wong in several consecutive meetings and won a 3-0 decision one week earlier, but he fell into an early 2-0 hole to Wong, who played arguably the best match of his career. Detter maintained his style of playing long points and eventually wore down Wong, who couldn't get an advantage after the second game.
It went to 3-3 when junior David Canner rallied from a 1-0 hole to defeat Randy Lim in four games. Canner, one of head coach Bob Callahan's toughest competitors, used his power and length to control play after the second game, and he matched his win last week with a 3-1 victory.
That left the match even at 3-3, which is where it stood at the same point one week earlier. As dramatic as the first four hours had been, it would have nothing on the finale. With Wong's match taking longer than the other two during the shift, the No. 4 and No. 7 matches were on the court first. At No. 7, freshman Kelly Shannon, who has battled through injuries for months and lost his last two matches coming in, fell into a quick 2-0 hole against Andres Vargas. At the same time, Princeton sophomore David Letourneau, who also lost last weekend, was building a 2-0 lead against Parth Sharma at the No. 4 position. It seemed destined for a 4-4 score with only the No. 1 match to play.
That was the case, but not the way people expected. Shannon came out on fire in the third game and shut out Vargas to gain momentum. With a loud support section behind him, he took the fourth game quickly as well.
Meanwhile, Letourneau had built a 7-5 lead in the third against Sharma, who had raised his game significantly after the second game. Letourneau slipped on his service point at 7-5 and followed with consecutive tins to move the score to 7-7. Sharma would win the final two points to re-energize the Trinity crowd, and he fired up his Bantam faithful even more with a fourth-game blowout.
Shannon used the momentum of his third- and fourth-game victories and immediately took control of the fifth. Ultimately, a roar that emanated from his stands sent a message to the rest of the crowd: Princeton was one match away from the national title.
Trinity showed its championship poise by refusing to get rattled. Sharma built an early lead in the fifth, although it would stay close throughout. His lead fluctuated between one and two points most of the way, but Letourneau eventually forced a 7-7 tie. Serving at two points away from the title, Letourneau was unable to win the rally. Sharma took care of business, going up 8-7 and winning the fourth match on a stroke to even the championship at 4-4.
At the same time, Sanchez had won the first game over Chaudhry before dropping the second and third. He controlled play in the fourth, winning 9-2 and setting up the finale. With hundreds upon hundreds trying to position themselves for the smallest viewing area, Sanchez raced out to a 5-0 edge before Chaudhry took over and won the final nine points of the 2008-09 men's squash season.
While team play has completed for both teams, the 2009 national individual championships are still up for grabs. The top 32 players in the country will meet next weekend in Williamstown, Mass., for the three-day championships. Chaudhry, the 2008 champion, will be the favorite, while both Sanchez and Detter are former finalists looking for their first championship in their last season.
Regardless of next weekend's outcome, Sunday marked the final home match for "The Amigos," Sanchez, Wong and El Halaby. They combined to lead Princeton to unprecedented success in program history, as no class had ever graduated with four Ivy League titles. They took Trinity to the wire on multiple occasions, and although they never managed a fifth win against the Bantams, they will be remembered as one of the greatest classes in the proud tradition of Princeton squash.
TRINITY 5, PRINCETON 4 (individual game scores will be posted later)
1) Baset Chaudhry (T) d. Mauricio Sanchez 3-2
2) Gustav Detter (T) d. Kimlee Wong 3-2
3) Manek Mathur (T) d. Chris Callis 3-1
4) Parth Sharma (T) d. David Letourneau 3-2
5) David Canner (P) d. Randy Lim 3-1
6) Hesham El Halaby (P) d. Supreet Singh 3-2
7) Kelly Shannon (P) d. Andres Vargas 3-2
8) Vikram Malhotra (T) d. Santiago Imberton 3-0
9) Peter Sopher (P) d. Rushabh Vora 3-1