Jayasuriya Scores Major Upset in Big First Day for Squash Individuals

Friday, March 1

Hartford, Conn.

All Day

Drexel University

CSA Individual Championships

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Jayasuriya Scores Major Upset in Big First Day for Squash Individuals

3/2/2013 11:59:00 AM | Men's Squash

HARTFORD, Conn. - Two Drexel squash players remain in the final collegiate squash event of the season, the 2013 Collegiate Squash Association Individual Championships held at Trinity College. They will face each other in the third round of the Malloy Cup draw on Saturday, as Justin Singh and Binura Jayasuriya both advanced to the Round of 16.

Jayasuriya pulled off a memorable upset to get there. After dispatching of Bates' Walter Cabot in the first round, Jayasuriya, ranked outside the nation's top 100 players in collegiate squash, went up against 37th-ranked Zeyad Elshorfy of Trinity, the men's team champions. Jayasuriya hung tough in the first set before falling 11-13, but rallied to win the next three sets going away, 12-10, 11-8, 11-2. Jayasuriya had been on the waiting list to get into the draw at the individual championships, and has made the most of his inclusion at the last minute.

On Saturday, Jayasuriya will go up against teammate Justin Singh in the Round of 16. Singh, seeded 28th in the Malloy Cup draw, won his first two matches in straight sets, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 over Martin Bawden and 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 over Charlie Wyatt.

The winner of Jayasuriya and Singh will take on Vivek Dinodia in the quarterfinals. Dinodia is the fifth seed and plays for Princeton.

Although only Singh and Jayasuriya remain alive on Saturday, they were not the only Dragons to experience success in the first day of individual competition. Ibrahim Bakir and Damindhi Udangawa won their first round matches before falling in the second round. Bakir was defeated by Ibrahim Khan in five sets, while Udangawa lost in five to the fifth-seeded Issey Norman-Ross of Yale. Both are still alive in the consolation draws.