|
|
|
 Calgary
CFO Consulting Women's Squash Week 2016
08-13 Mar, Winter Club, Calgary, Canada, $15k |
 |
13-Mar, Final:
[1] Emily Whitlock (Eng) 3-1 [4] Christine Nunn (Aus)
12/14, 14/12, 11/2, 11/6 (65m)
Whitlock retainst Women's Week title
Meghan Glenday reports
 It's always nice to see a real battle in the final round, and
that is what we saw with Emily Whitlock and Christine Nunn's
match on Sunday.
Christine was the first player this week to really hold her own
against the tournament's top seed, and we knew she would put up
a good fight. She is a very focused player, and also performs
extremely well under pressure ... almost as if she likes being
down a few points to really push her performance to the next
level.
 However,
as seen in all of Emily's other matches this tournament, her
fiery disposition and unbelievable determination got her the
victory once again.
Defeating Christine 3/1 (14-12, 14-12, 11-2,11-6), Emily is a
true warrior on the court, and she collected her second PSA
title of the year and the 15th of her career.
Best of luck to her in the British Open!
The 2016 Calgary CFO Consulting Services Women's Squash Week was
a great success. We received tons of thank yous from players
eager to return.
Sarah Cardwell's witty farewell: "I can't wait to come back
next year. There's not many tournaments I lose 11-9 in the 5th
that I still want to come back to!" Sarah had a fantastic
time this week, we even caught her playing around on the curling
rink!
Thanks so much to all of the sponsors, billets, volunteers and
refs. Your time, commitment and support is TRULY appreciated. We
definitely could not run this event without you all, so thank
you!
Thanks to all of the professional and amateur players who
entered this event! We always love to see such a phenomenal
group of women devoting their time to this wonderful sport! Hope
to see all of you back again in 2017!
 |
Match Replays
Those stretches on the squash court prove to be valuable
training for Sarah Cardwell ... |
 
Women's Squash Week 2016
08-13 Mar, Calgary, Canada, $15k |
Round One
10 Mar |
Quarters
11 Mar |
Semis
12 Mar |
Final
13 Mar |
[1] Emily Whitlock (Eng)
11/6, 11/8, 7/11, 11/1 (50m)
Hollie Naughton (Can) |
[1] Emily Whitlock
11/6, 11/1, 11/3 (30m)
[6] Teh Min Jie |
[1] Emily Whitlock
11/6, 11/2, 11/2 (33m)
[3] Milou vd Heijden |
15 PSA titles for Emily
[1] Emily Whitlock
12/14, 14/12, 11/2, 11/6 (65m)
[4] Christine Nunn
 |
[6] Teh Min Jie (Mas)
11/7, 14/16, 9/11, 11/7, 11/7 (48m)
[Q] Alisom Thomson (Eng) |
[5] Sarah Cardwell (Aus)
11/9, 11/5, 11/5 (24m)
[Q] Erin Roberts (Can) |
[5] Sarah Cardwell
8/11, 11/9, 8/11, 11/6, 11/9 (63m)
[3] Milou vd Heijden |
[3] Milou van der Heijden (Ned)
12/10, 12/10, 11/4 (33m)
Marie Stephan (Fra) |
Nikki Todd (Can)
11/5, 11/9, 5/11, 11/2 (35m)
[4] Christine Nunn (Aus) |
[4] Christine Nunn
11/5, 13/11, 11/1 (33m)
[7] Rachel Arnold |
[4] Christine Nunn 11/4, 13/11, 11/3
(25m)
[wc] Danielle Letourneau |
[Q] Diana Garcia (Mex)
11/7, 11/9, 13/15, 11/3 (39m)
[7] Rachel Arnold (Mas) |
[wc] Danielle Letourneau (Can)
11/8, 11/8, 11/9 (37m)
[8] Lee Ka Yi (Hkg) |
[wc] Danielle Letourneau
11/6, 11/5, 12/10 (22m)
[Q] Sachika Ingale |
[Q] Sachika Ingale (Ind)
11/2, 11/8, 11/2 (19m)
[LL] Melina Turk (Can)
[2] Samantha Teran (Mex) |
Qualifying:
09-Mar, Finals:[1] Sachika Ingale (Ind) 3-1
Nicole Bunyan (Can) 6/11, 12/10, 11/2, 11/8 (32m)
Erin Roberts (Can) 3-0 [3] Melina Turk (Can)
11/7, 11/7, 11/4 (20m)
[4] Diana Garcia (Mex) 3-0 Karina
Heredia (Mex)
11/4, 11/7, 11/3 (12m)
[2] Alison Thomson (Eng) 3-0
Giuselle Delgado (Chi) 11/7, 12/10,
11/7
08-Mar, Round One:
Nicole Bunyan (Can) 3-0 Bethany Churchill (Can)
11/1, 11/5, 11/7 (16m)
Erin Roberts (Can) 3-0 Emma McGillvray (Can)
11/6, 11/4, 11/6 (21m)
|
 |
12-Mar, Semis:
Down to the last two
Meghan Glenday reports
 A
very full day of women's squash followed by the Saturday Night
Social for the amateur players. A few of the pro players also
joined us over at a pub down the street (including both
finalists for Sunday's match...).
The floral theme for the social event clashed fantastically with
the hardcore rocker band that was playing that night. A herd of
the squash ladies flooded the dance floor with their floral
outfits, just to create a stir with the rest of the crowd in
there. No wallflowers in squash! Pretty sure the band was loving
it too.
Danielle Letourneau came out really strong against
Christine Nunn in the first game of the semi finals. Very
determined, Danielle's shots were precise and on par with the
best of them.
 She
held her own really well for the first two games, which almost
got her the 2nd. However, Christine made a solid come back after
being down quite a few points. She stole it 13-11. It takes some
serious will power and mental commitment to come back like that,
especially when your opponent is giving it they're all.
Danielle's discouragement after losing the 2nd carried over a
bit into the third. She just couldn't seem to find her groove
again. With Christine's intense focus in every rally, it made it
impossible to get back in the game. Danielle lost 4-11, 11-13,
3-11; but she had a fantastic run overall this week and should
be really proud of how far she's come since last year's event.
Great job Danielle! We're looking forward to watching you
continue to climb your way to the top! You've set your bar for
2017's Women's Squash Week!
 Christine
knew going in that it was going to be a tough match to play. She
thinks Danielle is a great player. However she pegged experience
as the only factor that gave her the advantage, especially
relating it to her ability to come back when she's down in a
game.
When asked about being coached by Sarah Fitz-Gerald, she said
"I'm just about to get in touch with her actually!" Both her
coaches Fitz-Gerald and Paul Price have been watching her
performance this week over the tournament's live streaming.
She's extremely honoured to have such legends supporting her.
After bringing up the certain 'je ne sais quoi' flare that the
Aussie's seem to have, that sets them apart from other
international players, Christine cheerfully accepted the
compliment and said: "Well we are a determined bunch, maybe
that's it."
Emily Whitlock has so far dominated in this tournament.
In her semi final round, she took a 3-0 win against Milou van
der Heijden (11-6, 11-2, 11-2), who has also been playing really
strong this week.
 So
subtle, it's hard to pinpoint what Emily does differently to
come out that much ahead of her opponents.
After turning to other squash enthusiasts for some more insight
into Emily's game, we came to the conclusion that it's because
she plays a clean game, making next to no unforced errors, and
she hits the ball a split second earlier than everyone else.
Her opponents have zero opportunity to take the offensive
position. She keeps the pressure on, in every single rally. Last
year's event, she beat Rachael Grinham in the final, which
completely stunned us all as Rachael just seemed to play a whole
other level of squash.
It will be very interesting to see how this year's Aussie
finalist, Christine, holds up against Emily in Sunday's final.
|
|
|
|
11-Mar, Quarters:
Letourneau through to semis
Meghan Glenday reports
Friday night, the courts were buzzing with
ladies. We have 70 female participants playing in the amateur
tournament this weekend, delivering a perfect atmosphere to
Women's Squash Week. In the past 3 years of hosting this event,
we've successfully filled up the amateur side. It's truly
fantastic to see so many ladies come out to play and show their
enthusiasm for the game, especially this year...given the tough
economic times here in Alberta.
 Danielle
Letourneau is on fire this week! She took another 3-0 win on
Friday night against Sachika Ingale. She maintained a
strong focus, with crisp drives and soft drops up at the front.
She made very few mistakes, and completely owned the T, forcing
Sachika to play defensively throughout most of the match.
"I've been doing a lot of off court training and just got
back from a huge stint of tournaments. I played basically 6
since the beginning of January...so it's helped me get used to
tournament play and get me prepared for this one."
When asked if she expected to do this well so far, knowing who
she was up against, she said "I put in the work, and I just
have to trust it, regardless of who I'm playing." Definitely
some wise words to play by, especially when competing at this
level.
Emily Whitlock defeated Teh Min Jie 3-0, but it
was no walk in the park.
The two ladies had long rallies and you could tell that they
were quickly running out of steam the way they were playing each
other. It was definitely a battle in fitness this game, as they
were both getting to everything and each making very precise
shots. Teh is a strong and consistent player, but Emily, as per
usual, was just not going to give in, or give up on anything.
She played quick, hitting each of her shots early and really
attacked the ball. She took the win 11-6, 11-1, 11-1, but it did
not look easy. Emily really had to fight for every shot.
 A
new level of squash seemed to pick up in the third match of the
quarters. Although Christine Nunn defeated Rachael
Arnold 3-0, the 2nd and 3rd games could have gone either way
(11-5, 13-11, 12-10). They both had very refined and accurate
technique, with minimal error in each game. However, Christine
managed to reach for everything.
After her match, Christine graciously requested a picture on
court with her billet Laura Hambley and family. When we asked
little Nicholas how long it took him to colour in the flag, he
said: "it took quite awhile ... about two hours." That's
the Aussie's most dedicated fan right there!
 The
match of the night was between Sarah Cardwell and
Milou van der Heijden. Going to 5, the rallies were played
low and hard. Milou could really smoke her shots down the wall.
There were quite a few tins in this match as both players were
forced to aim for winners.
Sarah Cardwell put up an incredible fight. She's extremely quick
off the T and moves at lightening speed from one corner to the
other. Whenever necessary, she'll even do the splits to retrieve
a shot. A very close match, Milou managed the win 8-11, 11-9,
8-11, 11-6, 11-9.
Looking forward to watching the four winners in Saturday's semi
finals!
|
|
 |
10-Mar, Round One:
Busy Day in Calgary
Meghan Glenday reports
The First Day of the Main Event was a big
one!
There was a good crowd of amateur players and spectators who
came out in the evening to show their support and cheer on our
local players participating in Round One.
Six seeded players won through to the quarter-finals, along with
local wildcard Danielle Letourneau and Indian Qualifier
Sachika Ingale.
A few highlights of Today's matches:
If there's a good word to describe Alison Thomson's
performance this week ... it would be fierce! Although she was
unable to push through this round, she played extremely well in
both of her matches.
In her match against Teh Min Jie, Alison
played at a really fast pace, she hussled well at the front of
the court, and her overall reach was scary!
Nonetheless, with hard hits to the back and total finesse in the
front Min Jie's precise performance took the win 11-7, 12-14,
9-11, 11-7, 11-7. She makes dropping, from pretty much anywhere
on the court, look way too easy.
 Up
against the #1 seed, Hollie Naughton managed to play
confident and strong throughout the whole match, really putting
the pressure on Emily Whitlock. Emily still held her own
in the end, but Hollie's increased focus and intensity got her
the third game 11-7.
A bit of tension arose when Emily questioned a call against one
of her pick ups at the front, which kind of put her in the hot
seat going into the fourth game. Unphased by this, however, she
claimed the fourth game easily, winning the match 11-6, 11-8,
7-11, 11-1.
Very excited to see Danielle Letourneau make it through
to the quarter finals, and what a big victory too! 3-0 against
Lee Ka Yi. Danielle played perfect length, her shots were
consistent and she made really good use of the whole court.
We're looking forward to watching her play on Friday against
Sachika. Good Luck!
Our other local players Erin Roberts and Melina Turk
had a great run this week. They really held their own, put up a
good fight and looked like they had fun being out on court with
some amazing international talent. Great job ladies!
So, the quarter-finals will be : Emily hitlock v Teh Min
Jie, Milouu van der Heijden v Sarah Cardwell, Christine Nunn v
Rachel Arnold and Danielle Letourneau v Sachika Ingale.
|
|
|
|
09-Mar, Qualifying Finals:
Qualifying complete in Calgary
Meghan Glenday reports
In the first match of qualification finals India's Sachika
Ingale beat Nicole Bunyan 3-1. Nicole seemed to
dominate in the first game, and most of the second, but Sachika
managed to find her rhythm and turned things around after that.
Although Nicole put up another good fight in the fourth game,
Sachika took the win 6-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-8.
 Next
up was an all-Canadian match between Erin Roberts and
Melina Turk.
They had a good match, but Melina unfortunately was not at her
best level of health. Although this was an upset for Melina,
Erin played really strong and consistently.
Recovering from a cold herself, she maintained her focus,
hitting winners both front and back of the court.
"The match felt good, and I thought I played well," said
Erin. "It's just unfortunate that Melina couldn't bring her
A-game this evening, I think it would have been a really close
match otherwise."
Erin won 11-7, 11-7, 11-4, sending her into tomorrow's main
draw. Good luck Erin!
It was a quick third match of the evening between Mexicans
Karina Gonzalez and Diana Garcia. Diana's drives were crisp
and tight along the side walls, and she made very minimal errors
throughout the whole match. She took the win 11-4, 11-7, 11-3.
 The
final qualification match was between England's Alison
Thomson and Chilean Giselle Delgado, with Alison
winning 3-0.
She too was not giving in this round and just seemed to have
that extra motivation to really push herself through to the main
event. With some incredible gets in the last game, and quite a
few nicks in the back left corner, Alison took it 11-7, 12-10,
11-7.
To top off our evening of exciting squash, the Sponsor-Player
meet and greet was yet another hit. A huge thanks to the
title sponsors Andrew and Janice for welcoming us into their
home this year, and all of those who helped them put together
such a wonderful spread for the evening. The players and
sponsors all had a fantastic night!
Now a running tradition for Women's
Squash Week, the committee presents the PSA players with a small
token of Canada that they can all take home with them, or to
their next destinations. This year’s gift: a cute little
polar bear made of marble and jade.
|
|
|
|
08-Mar, Qualifying Round One:
Under way on International Women's Day
Meghan Glenday reports
We've kicked off our 3rd annual Calgary CFO Consulting Services
Women’s Squash Week! What better way to celebrate International
Women’s Day than by bringing together some seriously talented
female athletes, from around the globe, to compete in this
exciting sport!
 We
had our first group of talented women - all Canadians - out on
court to play the first two matches in round one of the
qualification draw.
Nicole Bunyan came out strong against Bethany Churchill winning
11-1, 11-5, 11-7. She now meets qualifying top seed Sachika
Ingale of India.
 Erin
Roberts also took a 3-0 win, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 against Emma
MacGillivray. This will be Erin’s first year advancing to the
qualifying finals for this particular event.
Congrats Erin and good luck in the next round against Club Pro
Melina Turk!
Thanks to all of the sponsors and spectators who came out to
watch the first two matches of the tournament, hope to see you
all down at the courts again Wednesday evening!
Preview:
Welcome to Calgary CFO Consulting Services Women’s
Squash Week going on at the Calgary Winter Club.
Melina Turk (our Playing Professional)
will be playing Wednesday at 6pm in the qualifying finals.
Main draw matches start Thursday noon and 12.45 matches and then evening matches starting at 4.30 - 6 matches
with local wild card Danielle Letourneau playing at 7.30 pm.
Also running is
Women’s Squash Week Amateur Tournament Thursday to Sunday.
This year we have 70 women playing right alongside the PROS.
Play is to start Thursday night with the players times available
Wednesday.
|
|
|
