Mike Mehl just turned 16 but he showed maturity well beyond his years in an epic men's squash comeback Wednesday night that was as good as gold.
Down two games to none to 18-year-old David Baillargeon of Quebec, the top seed in the Canada Winter Games men's singles tournament, the fourth-seeded Mehl did not get discouraged. Instead, the kid from Calgary just got tougher and reeled off three consecutive wins to take the match 3-2 (3-11, 14-16, 11-7, 11-7, 11-4).
"I can't put it into words, it feels so good right now, I've been working really hard for this and I just feel so good," said a tearful Mehl, who walked off the all-glass court at the Northern Sport Centre needing a moment to realize what he'd just accomplished.
"This is a huge event, I've been training all year for this and this is definitely the highlight of my life. David played well, but I think his game is not conducive to a glass court and that gave me an advantage. I felt I was on top of my game and he played very well also."
Mehl got better as the match went on, executing some amazing digs in the fourth game especially to gain the momentum. Baillargeon lost too many points on unforced errors in the late stages to keep pace. The match included some incredible long rallies as both players showed their speed and anticipation to keep the ball in play.
In the women's singles final, Michele Garceau of Surrey made Canada Games history as the first B.C. champion in squash, defeating Madlen O'Connor of Toronto 3-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4).
"I just tried to stay focused, losing the first game is never fun or ideal but at the end of the day whoever is going to win is the one who can stay focused even when you are down," said Garceau, 18. "It was tough but I'm glad I got through it."
Garceau had great success hitting the ball straight off the wall and forcing O'Connor to make deep recoveries.
O'Connor was the third seed and Garceau was ranked fourth going in to the tournament. The top seeds, Quebec's Chole Chertob and Sophie Mehta of Ontario, ranked No. 1 and 2 respectively, were eliminated in the semifinals.
Chertob went on to beat Mehta for bronze, 3-1 (5-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-3). Matt Toth defeated Alberta teammate Gavin Maxwell for the men's bronze, winning 3-2 (12-14, 11-8, 5-11, 12-10, 4-11).
