First up wins for New Zealanders Martin Knight and Campbell Grayson at the National Capital Squash Open in Bethesda, Maryland.
The two kiwis have advanced in contrasting fashion, with third seeded Knight battling to a hard fought four game victory over Pakistani qualifier Khawaja Adil Maqbool, winning 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5 in 50 minutes. Fourth seeded Grayson, on the other hand, didn't have to swing a racquet at all, as he claimed a spot in the quarterfinals with a walkover against Egyptian qualifier Omar El Kashef.
Knight will face unseeded Canadian David Phillips in the last eight while Grayson takes on eighth seeded Colombian Bernardo Samper.
The weather has wreaked havoc on the event, with snow-filled lanes causing unprecedented traffic gridlock in the area forcing players and spectators to abandon their vehicles some distance from the courts and make the last mile on foot.
Australian qualifier Wade Johnstone took the prize for the best effort though. Just 15 minutes before he was due on court and still a mile from the club, Johnstone handed over the wheel of his car to his wife and started running. He made it just in time to go down in straight games to Bernard Samper, the match lasting just over 30 minutes. The 28-year-old Aussie then hot footed it back his wife to join her for the last 1/2 mile, which took another hour to drive.
Results...
First round
1. Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) def Zac Alexander (AUS) 6-11, 11-4, 11-13, 11-8, 11-4 (75 mins)
6. Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) def Q. Shaun le Roux (ENG) 6-11, 11-9, 2-0 ret. (45 mins)
3. Martin Knight (NZL) def Q. Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5 (50 mins)
David Phillips (CAN) def Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 (61 mins)
8. Bernardo Samper (COL) def Q. Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (32 mins)
4. Campbell Grayson (NZL) def Q. Omar El Kashef (EGY) w/o
7. Yasir Butt (PAK) def Jethro Binns (WAL) 11-7, 11-7, 12-10 (33 mins)
2. Shahier Razik (CAN) def Steve Finitsis (AUS) 11-7, 11-7, 12-10 (37 mins)
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