Former PSA Tour World No. 1 John White beat last season’s PST Champion, Bradley Ball, in three games to capture the Mohawk Hampton Open, the second stop on the 2011-12 PST Tour.
In a rematch of the Providence Open, won by Ball last spring that had elements of a brawl and included suspended play to address bleeding, White controlled the court and won in relatively clean fashion, 11-4, 12-10, 11-6.
Though coaching full-time at Drexel University in Philadelphia, White is still fit and his racquet work is sharp. He also holds the world record for hitting the fastest shot in match play. His backhand was recorded at 172 mph; his forehand was only slightly off pace at 171 mph.
In Southampton, White did not drop a game throughout the tournament, displaying the form that has kept him a dominant presence in squash for over 15 years.
Ball, who looked strong in early round action was not on form in the finals. Both players hit an unusually high number of unforced errors throughout the finals. However, White was able to control play throughout much of the match, and Ball was forced to respond and retrieve.
Ball and White are both big hitters on tour. Each player is 6’3” and the court looks even smaller when they extend their bodies to cut off volleys.
The championship was played in front of a capacity crowd at the Elmaleh-Stanton Squash Center on a weekend filled with six tournaments put on by Mike Weston, Director of Squash for the Center: men’s pro doubles, women’s pro doubles, men’s pro singles, women’s pro singles, adult amateurs, and junior squash tournaments.
