PSA Players Repulse Challengers:
Perry Edges Sly in First Round
June 5, 2004, By Ron Beck; SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2004

Pro Squash Comes to Orange County
Ian Sly, the Canadian pro currently based at the Carriage Club in Cleveland Ohio, playing in his first pro-level event in two years, gave Decathlon Club's Jon Perry all he could possibly handle in a riveting first round match at the Sports Club LA/Irvine Friday night.

The Sly-Perry matchup was the first match of the evening but definitely the match of the session. Never separated by more than four points throughout the first three games, each of the first three games changed leads multiple times and was either player's game to win. The momentum and fatigue factors see-sawed back and forth.

Sly was ready to answer each of Perry's attacks from the opening bell, and surprised Perry early with his counterpunching short game. But a few missed opportunities at 10-9 in the first let that game get away from Sly.

Early in the second, it looked that Sly had tired Perry, as Perry quickly fell behind. Perry, however called on his fitness reserves and charged back to barely earn the second.

In the third, however, Sly's continued assault on the front of the court finally stymied Perry. Sly was back into the match and fully earned a 17-15 respite to stand at 1-2 after several extremely well played points to end the third. Early in the fourth, however, it became evident that Sly was reaching the end of his running reserves, as he began losing some routine points and eventually surrendered in a very respectable four games.

The second matchup, between mercurial former Trinity star, Lefika Ragontse and local club top player Jamal Deaifi, was a totally different matchup. Whereas the first match of the evening had involved at most four let calls the entire one hour match, the Ragonstse-Deaifi match boasted constant let calling, replayed points, and blocking.

Ragonste, who was at first caught unawares by Deaifi's strong counterpunching, began in an exhibition mode. His visage changed quite soon, as he realized that Deaifi was here to play, and he fell behind on a strategy in which he was constantly moving Deaifi front and side to side. That strategy was a risky one, because of Deaifi's occupation of large portions of the court's real estate, especially the part that his opponent needed to move to.

But Ragonste continued in that vein, eventually totally wearing Deaifi down and he came home with an expected win.

Results: HiTec Orange County Open [draw/results]
Jon Perry (San Jose) def Ian Sly (Cleveland) 15-11 15-13 15-17 15-9
Lefika Ragontse (BOT) def Jamal Deaifi (Irvine) 13-15 15-8 15-5 15-11
Mohammad Sadiq (Houston) def Wade Beardsley 15-7 15-5 15-9
A J Janzic (CAN) def Juan Castilla (Irvine) w/o

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