New partners Matthew Henderson & Kyle Martino found immediate success at the Buffalo Club Pro Doubles, May 3-7, marking Henderson’s first SDA title and Martino’s fourth this season.
The Buffalo Pro saw competitive squash from the very beginning, with the round of 16 kicking off with Ricardo Lopez Valdivia & Thijs Van der Pluijm emerging victorious over Michael Woods & Parth Sharma in an intense five-game battle. Lopez Valdivia & Van der Pluijm continued their strong performance in the quarterfinals, finding themselves tied 1-1 in games against three-seeds Henderson & Martino when Lopez Valdivia suffered an injury and was forced to retire at 13-13, pushing Henderson & Martino through to the semi.
Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, Tor Christoffersen & Lockie Munro overcame Canadians Cole Osborne & Jackson Kay in the first round, setting them up to play top seeds John Russell & Scott Arnold in the quarterfinal. An impressive start from Christoffersen & Munro found them leading 2-0, but Russell & Arnold mounted a successful comeback, securing their spot in the semifinal with a 3-2 win.
The bottom half of the draw saw Chris Longman & Sam Fenwick defeat Drexel graduates Josh Hughes & Lucas Rousselet in four close games, before facing off against two-seeds Adam Bews & Colin West. Longman & Fenwick look primed to pull off a quarterfinal upset, earning a 2-1 lead, but were thwarted by Bews & West, eventually falling 15-13 in the fifth. Four-seeds James Bamber & Ashley Davies enjoyed a more straightforward path to the semifinal, defeating Mohsin Khan & Santiago Orozco in three straight games.
The fierce competition continued through the semifinals, beginning with a four-game upset by Bamber & Davies, who defeated Bews & West 15-11, 15-14, 3-15, 15-12. The excitement continued as favorites Russell & Arnold went back and forth with Henderson & Martino, evening out at 2-2 before Henderson & Martino executed a decisive finish to upset Russell & Arnold 14-15, 15-8, 11-15, 15-12, 15-4.
The tournament culminated with the match of the tournament as the surprise finalists fought through an intense five-game battle. Henderson & Martino clinched crucial points in a tight start to the match, securing a two-game lead. A valiant effort by Bamber & Davies brought the games to a tie at 2-2, but ultimately Henderson & Martino prevailed, 15-14, 15-13, 11-15, 9-15, 15-11.
“I’m thrilled Matt and I were able to get the win this weekend,” Martino said. “It was our first time playing together but I think our styles complimented each other. A great way to cap off the season!”
“Winning the Buffalo Pro doubles event is a perfect way to end the season,” Henderson added. “A huge thanks to Tom Hayes and all the members who made the weekend so special. I am already looking forward to next season and will definitely be returning to Buffalo in May of 2024!”