Two locals make it into the Kiva Club Open's second qualifying round

Sam Gould (right) handled Sean Gallagher, 11-4, 11-3, 11-4.

Drewe Williams (right) beat Bryan Bonilla in a four-game match, 11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 13-11.

Tom Abrams (left) defeated Walter Burke in straight games, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9.

Drewe Williams (second from the left in the white T-shirt) refereed the Abrams-Burke qualifying match at the Kiva Club.

     The Kiva Club Open featured three qualifying matches Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 15).  
     The Kiva Club Open is a Professional Squash Association (PSA) tournament with $5,000 in prize money. The tournament also includes amateur doubles and singles; those matches start Friday.
     In the Tuesday's first match, Sam Gould easily handled Sean Gallagher, winning in straight games, 11-4, 11-3, 11-4.
     Gould, a 26-year-old from Cambridge, MA, is currently ranked 310 in the world and is the qualifying draw's No. 6 seed.
     Gallagher, 49, is a wealth manager in Santa Fe, NM. He was unseeded and is unranked.
     In the second match, Kiva Club squash pro Drewe Williams defeated No. 7 seed Bryan Bonilla in four games, 11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 13-11. The 45-minute match had many long rallies, and the final game ended with several dramatic lead changes. 
     Williams jumped to a 6-1 lead in that fourth game, but Bonilla came back to move ahead 7-6. After several ties and more lead changes, Bonilla found himself with a 10-8 lead and a game point that would have tied the match at two games apiece. 
     But Williams hit a winning cross-court drop to make it 10-9, then Bonilla missed a drop to tie it up at 10-10. Williams and Bonilla traded points to make it 11-11, then Bonilla missed a drop shot to make it 12-11 and caught the tin at match point, giving Williams the win.
     Bonilla, 23, is currently ranked 339 in the world. He lives in Guatemala City.
     Williams, 37, is originally from Chester in England. He now lives in Santa Fe with his wife and two young sons.
     In the day's final qualifying match, Tom Abrams defeated Walter Burke in straight games, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9.
     Abrams, 53, is a Santa Fe realtor. Burke, 62, runs a catering business and is the Kiva Club Open tournament chairman. 
     The tournament continues Wednesday with the four final qualifying matches starting at 1 p.m.. The main draw of 16 players starts Thursday at noon with the final on Sunday.
     The Kiva Club Open is a first-time PSA tournament. It is being played at a private squash club in Santa Fe. 
     Santa Fe's elevation is 7,000 feet, so players are using a high-altitude ball.