Quick/Krizek Win Mixed Doubles Title
By Rob Dinerman; SquashTalk © 2006; all rights of reproduction reserved.
Apr 28, 2006     

Still riding the momentum that they had generated one round earlier in their exciting five-game win over James and Stephanie Hewitt, ISDA star Preston Quick and former WISPA top-25 Narelle Krizek earned a 15-12 15-10 12-15 15-12 victory at the Toronto Cricket Club last night over No. 1 seeds and current Canadian Mixed champions Scott Dulmage and Jessica Dimauro in the final round of the 2006 World Mixed Open Doubles. Quick and Krizek were able to mesh their considerable talents well enough to create and maintain small leads throughout the games they won while controlling the flow of the action almost throughout the well-played hour-long final.

For both Quick (whose ISDA season has gone somewhat sour of late, as he and partner Ben Gould have lost several matches in which they held multiple-match-points this spring) and Krizek (who with husband Rob let several championship-points get away in their 15-14 fifth-game loss to the Hewitts in the '04 U. S. Mixed tourney), their win last night represented redemption and a chance to take back the trophy to the Greenwich Field Club, where both are currently based. Quick also thereby was able to add this title to the U. S. Mixed crown that he and sister Meredeth won in Philadelphia early last month, when they similarly defeated Dulmage/Dimauro in the semis before saving several fourth-game match-balls against them en route to a five-game final-round win over Gary Waite and Jessie Chai.

The keys to their victory lay in the slender but definite edge that Krizek was able to establish over Dimauro during their frequent right-wall rail exchanges, many of which ended with Krizek driving Dimauro to the back and finishing the point with a reverse-corner, straight drop or shallow rail; the power and speed element that Quick imposed upon the competitive scenario; and the greater degree of seamless collaborative teamwork that the current Connecticut denizens achieved compared to their Canadian counterparts. One observer later noted that Krizek and Quick "just flowed with each other better", with Krizek's exceptional understanding of the game and ability to make adjustments as the points evolved (including her covering behind Quick on the left wall, which freed the latter to volley and poach more aggressively) emerging as an important factor as the match moved along.

Dulmage was able to score with his wondrous shot-making skills and Dimauro on several occasions caught Quick moving towards the middle and beat him with shallow cross-courts, but it wasn't enough to counter-balance the steadiness and near-constant pressure that Quick and Krizek exerted on their way to this title. Krizek now has a very promising opportunity to go for a Mixed/Women's "double" this weekend, when she will switch to the left wall and attempt to partner Hewitt past a likely semifinal confrontation with current U. S. Women's champs Alicia McConnell and Pochi Holdefer and a possible final-round meeting with current Canadian Women's title-holders Dimauro and Seanna Keating. Quick will also be switching walls when he and Chris Deratnay enter a four-team World Open round-robin draw that includes Paul Price and John Hickey, Canadian Men's champions Jamie Bentley and Scott Stoneburgh and Hewitt and Martin Heath.

In the World 40's, Willie Hosey and Nancy Bowden rallied from two games to one down to defeat Robbin Morrison and her husband Rob Wheeler. The 50's final also went to a fifth game, with Jay Gillespie supplementing the Canadian Men's 50's title that he and Graeme Duff won last month when he teamed up with Leslie Freeman and out-lasted Canadian Mixed 40's finalists Lolly Gillen and Pat Richardson. The 55's title was won by Anne Smith and Molson Robertson, who won in three tight games over Sue Darracott and Craig Hall.

Finals Summary

Open:
Preston Quick/Narelle Krizek d Scott Dulmage/Jessica Dimauro, 15-12 15-10 12-15 15-12
40's:
Willie Hosey/Nancy Bowden d Rob Wheeler/Robbin Morrison, 15-10 9-15 14-17 15-7 15-8
50's:
Leslie Freeman/Jay Gillespie d Pat Richardson/Lolly Gillen, 18-14 12-15 15-5 8-15 15-5
55's:
Molson Robertson/Anne Smith d Craig Hall/Sue Darracott, 18-17 15-11 15-13

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