Staff
Husband-and-wife Bob and Mary-Beth Tkachuk showed they’re not just squash coaches at the Wes Derksen Open at the Memorial Sports Centre over the weekend.
Bob took home the men’s ‘B’ division crown while Mary Beth conquered all comers on the ladies’ side.
Bob Tkachuk reached the final by sweeping last year’s runner-up Jill Skogberg (Thunder Bay) 3-0, pitting himself against junior Brad Davis of Thunder Bay.
Tkachuk hung on for a hard-fought battle to win 3-1.
John Sivonen eclipsed Al Christiansen 3-1 to win the ‘B’ consolation honours.
Meanwhile, Mary-Beth Tkachuk took down Anika Alexander 3-0 in the ladies’ final while Sherri Christiansen knocked off junior Kaitlyn DeGagne 3-2 in the consolation final.
Locals also put up a strong showing in the men’s ‘D’ division.
Juniors Ryan Brady and Bryson Skirten emerged from their respective pools to meet in the final. Both played their very best squash of the year–great length and shot-making.
Brady capped it off in the fourth set by a marathon 17-15 score to win 3-1.
The ‘D’ consolation final was as hotly-contested with local junior Robert Stevens losing a nail-biter in a full five sets to Jason Kellar (Fort Frances).
In men’s ‘A’ action, Mark Norton of Kenora upset Boxing Day tournament champ Jason Kabel 3-2 to earn a berth in the final against defending champion and former Fort Frances resident Ben Andrusco.
Andrusco’s exceptional fitness and retrieving ability proved too much for Norton, downing him 3-0 to earn back-to-back titles.
Kabel then defeated Colin Drombolis by the narrowest margin (11-9) in the fifth-and-deciding game to claim ‘A’ consolations honors.
The men’s ‘C’ division pitted veteran Fred Richardson (Kenora) against Randy Wilson (Sioux Lookout), with Wilson’s game proving too strong as he rolled to a 3-0 victory.
Sarah Noonan swept Matt Sweigard 3-0 to take the ‘C’ consolation crown.
Junior ‘A’ division play saw Tyler Rudnicki (Thunder Bay) blank local junior Sara Coish 3-0 with his strong, crisp hitting.
Local Ontario Winter Games participant Shawn Brady went to work defeating Maryam Seid 3-1 to earn the consolation title.
The youngest division, Junior ‘B,’ was a Thunder Bay sweep for first and second place with John Zajac and Josef Gonzalez.
Fort Frances junior Chase Badiuk captured the consolation honours the long way by needing to play five sets in all of his matches.
