England’s Millie Tomlinson claimed the maiden WSA World Tour title of 2015 when she beat Pakistan’s Maria Toorpakai Wazir in the final of the Liberty Bell Open, the WSA Tour 5 squash event in its 11th year at Berwyn Squash & Fitness Club in Berwyn in Pennsylvania.
After upsetting home hope Cecelia Cortes, the No. 4 seed from Massachusetts, in the quarter-finals, sixth seed Tomlinson made it through to the second Tour final of her career after downing giant-killer Fiona Moverley, the unseeded English player who despatched event favorite Latasha Khan in the opening round.
But Wazir also had an impressive run through to her third successive WSA World Tour final. The 24-year-old No. 8 seed from Peshawar, now based in Toronto, removed USA’s third seed Sabrina Sobhy in the quarterfinals before overcoming club pro Georgina Stoker, from England, in the semis.
“Millie beat Maria Toorpakai in four great games,” reported tournament promoter Dominic Hughes on Tomlinson’s 4-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-8 victory. “She clearly tried to run Maria and despite some let situations Millie made very few errors.
“Maria lost energy after the hard third game.”
The triumph marks the second Tour title of Tomlinson’s career – and the second since the 22-year-old from Derbyshire went full-time after graduating from Yale University in the USA.
The Professional Squash Association (PSA), the global governing body responsible for the administration of both men’s and women’s professional squash, have unveiled a brand new state-of-the-art website (www.psaworldtour.com), which will serve as the home of professional squash on the internet and the new home of their online television channel, SquashTV.
The new site, designed by leading web-agency Parallax, has been built using the latest responsive web design technology with improved functionality, design, and navigation and has been optimized for use on all devices to keep squash fans up to date with all the latest information from across the PSA World Tour – including event results, latest news, PSA rankings, image galleries and more.
As part of the ‘Phase One’ launch, the PSA have invested in a brand new platform for SquashTV, the organization’s online television channel which streams over 300 live matches a year, and will use a brand new player system provided by Ooyala (www.psaworldtour.com/tv) while further developments are planned for ‘Phase Two’ later in 2015, including complete integration of the Women’s World Tour, following the sport’s announced merger in December 2014.
“We are delighted to see the new PSA World Tour and SquashTV platforms launched this week and are excited about how these two key elements can play a part in the future success of the PSA World Tour,” said PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough.
“We have been working closely with the team at Parallax for the past six months with the aim of improving the user experience across all devices, especially on smartphones and tablets, and creating the most comprehensive and easy-to-use website for squash fans all over the world.
“We have also invested considerably in improving the level of production and service associated with SquashTV and feel that the latest developments regarding this branch of our business will play a pivotal role in ensuring the sport continues to grow in popularity around the world.”
Second-seeded Egyptian Mohd Ali Anwar Reda survived the longest match of his ten-year career when he fought off favorite Martin Knight to win the RC Pro Series 2014 in a 125-minute final.
The thirty-year-old from Cairo, who recently became the teaching pro at the Merion Cricket Club in Philadelphia, reached the final of the PSA Challenger 10 squash event at The Racquet Club in St. Louis, Missouri, after overcoming Shawn Delierre, the No. 3 seed from Canada, in an eighty-two-minute semi.
But Knight, the World No. 45 from New Zealand, was extended to the longest match of his career in the other semi when he saw off fourth-seeded Irishman Arthur Gaskin in a 118-minute marathon to reach his fourth PSA World Tour final of the year.
But within twenty-four hours, the Kiwi’s record was broken when he was kept on court for over two hours as he battled to contain his lower-ranked opponent!
“In game one, Reda was making a concerted effort to move Knight after Knight’s marathon two-hour match last night,” explained the club’s Athletic Director and Head Pro Michael Puertas. “The tactic initially backfired with Knight taking a 5-2 lead. Three unforced errors from Knight brought Reda back in the game and the movement and control of Reda’s shots start paying off. Reda took the first game 11-8.
“It was neck and neck in game two all the way to 8-8. Reda’s errors are starting to make the difference as Knight takes the second game 11-8.
“Some great squash by both players in game three as they exchanged points evenly to 8-all, holding at 8-8 for over 10 minutes!! Reda pushes ahead, taking the game with some stunning shot-making.
“Reda breaks a string at 7-6 and asks Knight if he has a spare racquet! A subsequent search of lockers does not locate a matching racquet for Reda so Reda takes Knight’s racquet and continues the game. Knight closes out the game 11-8.
“After a change of racquet for Reda, the members found a somewhat matching racquet belonging to a 10-year-old!! Reda found his mojo and took the final game 11-5. The total match time was 125 minutes!!”
The 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5 triumph gives Reda the 12th Tour title of his career – but his first since July 2011.
Final:
[2] Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) bt [1] Martin Knight (NZL) 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5 (125m)
Chris Hanson (L) against Alfredo Avila (R) in the 2014 Delaware Investments U.S. Open Men’s qualifiers
American Chris Hanson, world No. 175, was the single stateside representative in the main draw of the Racquet Club (RC) Pro Series, a Professional Squash Association (PSA) tournament in St. Louis, starting yesterday, November 12, at the Racquet Club of St. Louis, in St. Louis, Missouri.
In their first career-match-up, Hanson faced eighth seed and world No. 136, Canadian Michael McCue, in the first round of the main draw. Hanson recovered from being down 2-1 after three games to push it to a fifth, but the Canadian dominated the decider, 11-5.
The sixteen-player draw features top seed, New Zealand’s Martin Knight, world No. 45, poised to face second seed, Egypt’s Mohd Ali Anwar Reda, world No. 48, in the final. The two have played just once before, with Anwar Reda—who is now based at Merion Cricket Club in Pennsylvania—coming out on top with a 3-0 win in 2009.
The Challenger 10 event, offering a 10K purse prize, includes top competitors from eleven different countries, ranked between Nos. 45 and 211 in the world. The tournament runs from November 12-15.
RC Pro Series First Round:
[1] Martin Knight (NZL) d Matias Tuomi (FIN) 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4
[8] Michael McCue (CAN) d Chris Hanson (USA) 6-11, 11-8, 11-2, 9-11, 11-5
[6] Matthew Serediak (CAN) d Mubarak Mohsin (PAK) 11-3, 11-5, 11-7
[4] Arthur Gaskin (IRL) d Sunil Seth (GUY) 11-7, 11-8, 11-9
[3] Shawn Delierre (CAN) d Rodrigo Pezzota (ARG) 11-8, 11-7, 11-7
[5] Lewis Walters (ENG) d Sean Conroy (IRL) 12-10, 11-7, 11-9
[7] Alex Ingham (ENG) d Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) 11-8, 11-8, 11-8
[2] Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) d Karamatullak Khan (PAK)
L-R: Tournament Director John Wilinksi, Todd Harrity, Jens Schoor, Tournament Director Arturo Manzur, and Life Time Tour Director Andre Maur.
Germany’s Jens Schoor denied Todd Harrity his second $10,000 Professional Squash Association (PSA) title in two weeks in the inaugural Life Time Minneapolis Open final Sunday night at Life Time Fitness in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Top-seeded Harrity, fresh from his largest PSA title success in last week’s Madison Open in Wisconsin, claimed his anticipated place in the final after surviving a ninety-three-minute, five-game semifinal marathon against South African qualifier Clinton Leeuw.
But the twenty-four-year-old Wayne, Pennsylvania-native showed no signs of his ordeal in the final—his fourth of the year—as the world No. 82 pulled back from two games down to draw level against second seed Schoor, world No. 74.
“Jens played his best squash in the final,” said tournament promoter Andre Maur (pictured, far right). “Schoor won the first two games fairly easily and looked on his way winning in three but Harrity came back from 9-6 down to win the third and fourth 11-5.
“The fifth went to eight-all and Schoor hit two great winners when Harrity hit the match ball in the tin on his backhand.”
The 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 11-8 triumph in seventy-four minutes gives twenty-seven-year-old Schoor his third Tour title of the year, and the ninth of his career.
Harrity travels to Qatar this week to compete in his first PSA World Championship.
The sixth and final Life Time U.S. Pro Series event of 2014 will be the Life Time Boca Raton Open December 5-7.
Todd Harrity (R) and Chris Hanson, pictured during the 2014 U.S. Champions, are both set to compete in Minnesota.
Days after winning the largest Professional Squash Association (PSA) title of his career—the $10,000 Madison Open—Todd Harrity is poised for more success as the top seed in the $10,000 Life Time Minneapolis Open this week in Minnesota.
The American world No. 82 had been seeded second in Minneapolis, until top-seeded Englishman Joel Hinds was forced to withdraw after picking up an injury in the Madison Open, shifting the Minneapolis seedings as a result.
Life Time Minneapolis Open tournament director John Wilinski (L) with local player Matt Hildebrand. (image: Andre Maur)
Harrity’s predicted final opponent is German world No. 74 Jens Schoor, who recently won September’s $15,000 NASH Cup as an unseeded player.
“It feels great and I’m very proud to win my first 10k,” Harrity said of his Madison title. “I had to beat some great, touch players so it was a good confidence builder for me to come through last weekend.”
The Princeton graduate said being the top seed won’t disrupt his focus going into Minneapolis, however.
“I actually try not to think about where I am in the draw or worry too much about who I have to play. Thinking about pressure and expectations can only have a negative impact on your game, so I try to just play. Everyone in these tournaments is good so I don’t think the top seeds are heavy favorites.”
Americans Faraz Khan and Chris Hanson join Harrity in the main draw after qualifying final victories Wednesday night. Khan recorded his second win in two days, upsetting top-seeded qualifier Mubarak Mohsin, while Hanson opened up his tournament with a three-game win against Adrian Ostbye.
Three qualifying matches commenced the tournament Tuesday night at Life Time Athletic, which included another tour win for twenty-one-year-old American Faraz Khan—his fifth PSA victory in his sixth tournament this fall.
After reaching his highest world ranking of 175 in November, Chris Hanson joins his compatriots in Minnesota with a qualifying final against Canadian Adrian Ostbye Wednesday night.
Harrity has also enjoyed his time off the court in the midwest.
“It is a little colder in Madison and Minneapolis than it is in Philadelphia at the moment so i’ve had to wear my winter coat out here!” Harrity said.
“The people have been very nice to me, and as an American, people that come to watch usually cheer for me, which has been great. I’ve had a fun time meeting new people.”
Minneapolis is the twenty-four-year-old’s third Life Time tournament this year after Las Vegas in May and Phoenix in September.
“The Life Time clubs are fantastic. They have everything you would need to take care of yourself in a tournament so I always enjoy a Life Time event.”
Harrity (L) against James in Sunday’s final. (image: Tom McInvaille)
Twenty-four-year-old American Todd Harrity earned his second and largest Professional Squash Association (PSA) title this weekend as the fifth seed in the $10,000 Madison Open at Madison Squash Workshop.
Not only did Harrity claim his largest title in Wisconsin’s capital—exceeding March’s $5,000 Squash Revolution New York Pro Open—the Princeton graduate also produced his highest-ranked career upset in toppling top-seeded world No. 51 Campbell Grayson in the second round.
Harrity, world No. 82, and Grayson first played each other on the PSA tour in September’s $25,000 U.S. Pro Series Charlottesville Open, in which Grayson defeated Harrity in three-games and forty-eight minutes. In Madison, Harrity squandered two leads winning the first and third games before conceding both the second and fourth to set up a decisive fifth game. Harrity then edged the fifth and match to reach the semifinals 11-6, 3-11, 12-10, 6-11, 12-10.
The Wayne, Pennsylvania-native never looked back after knocking out the top seed, as Harrity eliminated two Englishmen in three games through the ensuing semifinals and final. Harrity held of eigth-seeded nineteen-year-old Richie Fallows in the semifinals 11-7, 11-7, 11-8, before cruising in the final against third-seeded world No. 76 Declan James 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 in their first career encounter.
Harrity’s title is the fourth won by an EAP-supported athlete in 2014 since the program’s launch in the fall of 2013, adding to Harrity’s New York Pro Open title, and Olivia Blatchford’s two titles this fall—the $15,000 Mexicano De Racquetas in September, and the $5,000 Manulife Investments Tournament in October.
Harrity now treks to Minnesota this week to compete as the second seed in the $10,000 Life Time Minneapolis Open alongside fellow Americans Chris Hanson and Faraz Khan.
Karim Ali Fathi (R) defeats Joel Hinds (L) in the 2013 Madison Open final (Image: Tom McInvaille)
The sixth annual Madison Open, a sixteen-player U.S. Pro Series event, returns to Madison, Wisconsin, this weekend at Madison Squash Workshop with the largest professional squash prize money tournament in the state.
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) tournament begins tonight, October 30, and runs until November 2.
The sixteen players represent nine different countries and are ranked from No. 40 to No. 170 in the world. The competitors include home-grown American, Todd Harrity, world No. 83 and fifth seed, 2013 Madison Open runner-up and third seed, English world No. 74 Joel Hinds, and Egypt’s Mohd Ali Anwar Reda, world No.54, as second seed.
“It’s always good to have the professionals come to Madison,” said Damon Bourne, Director of Squash at Madison Squash Workshop.
“It’s not something you see every day in the Midwest so it’s a treat for us. We have a very international squash community and they really appreciate that these players are coming from all over the world to be here and play in our little neck of the woods.”
Top seed, Kiwi-native Campbell Grayson, world No. 46, has yet to compete in the Madison Open, and faces Seattle-based Pakistani Shahjahan Khan, world No. 110, for the second time in their professional careers, in the first round.
Joining Harrity in the American contingent is world No. 171 and Wild Card, Adrian Leanza, who has never played in the Madison Open before.
The tournament is free and open to the public, but additionally, matches on court four will be live streamed online.
The 2013 Delaware Investments was the first World Series professional squash tournament to offer prize money parity, pioneering squash’s transition to gender equality in the professional realm. Pictured L-R: Nicol David, Pat Coyne of Delaware Investments, and Gregory Gaultier.
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) and Women’s Squash Association (WSA) are set to join forces in an historic merger that will see the professional ranks in the sport of squash administered by one unified governing body for the first time ever.
Following a lengthy consultation process involving the sport’s major stakeholders over the past ten months, which included inviting both memberships of the PSA and WSA to vote on the proposed merger, a decision was reached on Monday October 28 that will see the Professional Squash Association operate as the governing body for both the women’s and men’s ranks from January 1, 2015.
Continuing to operate under the existing PSA name, the re-formed organisation will be responsible for running the men’s and women’s professional game with the strategic aims of increasing the level of equality and parity in prize money and playing opportunities across the professional game.
“We have been in discussion with the WSA since the beginning of 2014 regarding a potential merger between the two associations,” said PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough.
“Both parties felt that a merger would provide a more unified base from which to grow the sport of squash across the globe and to proactively increase the levels of equality and opportunity for both genders at the elite level.
“We are committed to driving the sport forward and have long-term plans in place to achieve parity in prize-money across the sport and ensure that equal opportunities are available for both male and female squash players.
“Whilst also driving forward equality, we feel that a unified body will allow us to present a more appealing product to potential sponsors and broadcast partners and we look forward to undertaking the new challenge when the cross-over period is completed in what will be an exciting new era for the sport.”
As a result of the merger the WSA will now begin a wind-down process, set to be completed by December 31st 2014, when squash will usher in an exciting new era of joint-responsibility and unified governance.
With the Delaware Investments U.S. Open leading the way in driving the equality-agenda within the sport, having moved to a position of offering equal prize money for the first time in 2013, the long-term aims of the PSA will be to increase the overall level of prize money available in squash and narrow the gap between genders.
“The WSA members are very excited to merge with the men and form one unified governing body for professional squash,” said WSA Chief Executive Tommy Berden.
“Over the past ten months we have been able to discuss in depth how the merger will benefit our sport and we really feel this is the right time to move things forward for both the men’s and the women’s tour.
“It’s encouraging to see that more promoters are following the example set by the U.S. Open to pay equal prize money and we are expecting more events to follow suit in the upcoming year.
“The response from both memberships has been overwhelmingly positive and we are looking forward to starting the transition phase to unify the two associations.”
Australian Ryan Cuskelly celebrated his tenth title on the PSA World Tour and second Life Time U.S. Pro Series Title in a row when he beat New Zealander Campbell Grayson in the final of the Life Time Chicago Open, at Life Time Athletic in Vernon Hills, Illinois.
The New York-based top seed from New South Wales soared through to the final without dropping a game.
Grayson, the No.2 seed, earned his second appearance in a Tour final in the USA this year after a semifinal win over surprise opponent Geoffrey Demont, the seventh seed from France.
World No.43 Cuskelly dropped the first game of the final as the Kiwi, ranked just three places lower, looked on course to spring a surprise.
But the Australian left-hander regained control, taking the next three games to close out the match 10-12, 11-3, 11-9, 11-6 in 89 minutes to win his second U.S. title in a month adding to the Life Time Phoenix Open, but the tenth of his career.
