Pirnak/Leach advance to the U Club (Boston) Finals
By Rob Dinerman; SquashTalk © 2006; all rights of reproduction reserved.
Jan 15 , 2006     

WAITE FINALS STREAK ENDS

Michael Pirnak and Clive Leach scored a resounding 15-13 12-15 15-12 6-15 15-11 marathon victory this afternoon over second seeds Gary Waite and Viktor Berg in a thrilling semifinal round of the ISDA tour stop in Boston. It was the first time that Waite had been eliminated in an ISDA event prior to the final in the nearly three years since the last time he competed with a partner other than Damien Mudge (when Waite and Willie Hosey lost in the early-February '03 Briggs Cup semi to Berg and Josh McDonald); the first time that he and Berg, who went four for four back in the winter/spring of '01 while Mudge was injured, had ever lost as a team; and the first time since the late-1990's that Waite suffered a pre-final defeat, with any partner, on this University Club site, where he has played so well over the years.

It was also the first time this season that Pirnak and Leach, who came within an eyelash of spoiling the perfect Waite/Mudge 2004-05 season-long run before losing 15-12 in the fifth last May in the finals of the last tour stop in San Francisco, were able to advance to a final round this season. By virtue of this afternoon's exciting back-and-forth victory, they have earned a rematch in Monday evening's final with top seeds Preston Quick and Ben Gould, straight-game winners in the first semi over Hosey and Jamie Bentley, who needed a miraculous shot by Quick on simultaneous game-point in the third game to avert a two-one deficit in their eventual 3-1 semifinal win over Pirnak/Leach just last weekend at Wilmington preceding their 3-2 final-round win over Berg and his regular partner this season, Chris Walker.

In fact, neither Pirnak nor Leach, both of whom have expressed unhappiness with the use at this site of the fuchsia singles hardball in place of the livelier regulation doubles ball, had ever reached a Boston final with any of the talented partners each has played with during the past half-dozen years. This afternoon's breakthrough, forged largely on the quick-strike shot-making prowess each of them possesses (and topped off by a diving Pirnak reverse-corner winner at match-point), would seem to leave them well positioned for their upcoming final two days hence (with Sunday devoted to the pro-am competition) against their power-hitting opponents Gould and Quick, who lost to Waite and Mudge in last year's final, and who have now attained at least the final round of all five ISDA ranking tournaments that have taken place so far this season.

The latter duo have dropped nary a game to this late juncture of the tourney, though they were pushed to 15-13 in both the first two stanzas today by '01 Boston finalists Hosey and Bentley, the No. 2 ISDA team five years back behind Waite and Mudge, who were re-uniting for this one event while Blair Horler, Hosey's usual current partner, rests his balky knees in anticipation of the North American Open next week in Greenwich. Mudge will rejoin Waite in Greenwich as well, and the two will attempt to win that prestigious title for what would be the sixth consecutive time. The No. 1 ranking will be on the line by then, as regardless of what happens in Monday's Boston final, Quick and Gould will enter the North American Open with more overall points than any other team has amassed so far this season.

U CLUB INVITATIONAL
Boston, MA
Semis Recap:
Preston Quick/Ben Gould (1) d Willie Hosey/Jamie Bentley, 15-13 15-13 15-7;
Michael Pirnak/Clive Leach (3) d Gary Waite/Viktor Berg (2), 15-13 12-15 15-12 6-15 15-11.

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