In the first Gold event of the season, familiar champions Manek Mathur & Chris Callis claimed the Big Apple Open title, marking Mathur’s fourth win at the event and Callis’ first, at the New York Athletic Club, November 11-14.
Mathur & Callis opened their tournament with a strong challenge from Kyle Martino & Sam Khalifa, fighting off a 2-1 deficit in the quarterfinal match to triumph 13-15, 15-11, 12-15, 15-7, 15-11. A close four game match between Lockie Munro & Lyell Fuller and three seeds Adam Bews & Matthew Henderson saw Bews & Henderson come out on top, 15-13, 14-15, 15-14, 15-12, setting up the first semifinal. The top seeds asserted their superior ranking in the semis, dispatching Bews & Henderson 15-7, 15-9, 15-12.
In the bottom half of the draw, NYAC pros and first-time partners Clinton Leeuw & Jaymie Haycocks fought through a tight first-round match against Trinity grads Elroy Leong & Tor Christofferson, coming back from 2-1 down to win 15-15, 10-15, 13-15, 15-13, 15-13. Having found their footing, Leeuw & Haycocks proceeded to upset two seeds Zac Alexander & Jim Bamber 15-10, 14-15, 15-12, 15-9, securing their spot in the semifinal against four seeds Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley. With three games behind them compared to Leeuw & Haycocks’ nine, the Australian pair put a stop to the home team’s winning streak, defeating Leeuw & Haycocks 15-7, 15-6, 10-15, 15-7.
The Monday evening final found Mathur & Callis in strong form despite pushback from Cuskelly & Pilley, with the top-ranked pair clinching the title 15-9, 15-12, 15-13.