NZ Classic - Palmerston North
I had set myself three main squash goals for the year and the first one was to win another PSA title at home - the NZ Classic. Being in the qualifying was always going to be hard and I prepared for 6 hard days of squash to be able to back up after hard squash matches.
I drew our very own youngster Corbin Faint to play the higher seeded Finn Matias Tuomi in the qualifying rounds. Got through Corbin in 3 games - a well played match by him. In the next round Matias rolled his ankle and had to stop in the second game - very unfortunate. He seemed to be in a lot of pain but recovered well to get back on court the following week.
I had a tough draw in 6th seed Paul Coll next up. Paul's high pace is always hard to handle. A bad start didn't help at all and he capitalism on it and backed up to go 2-0 up. I clawed back in the third but he stepped up again to take the match 3-1. I was disappointed in myself - more for a few bad decisions than the result itself.
I managed to redeem myself somewhat in the weekend draw and managed to win the final against top seeded Canadian Matt Serediak. A consolation indeed.
The time off court was spent hosting visitors - including a few players that I knew from my travelling days as well as Squash legend Geoff Hunt. I also managed to help out with commentary and live streaming alongside playing my PSA rep role.
Christchurch International
I love the courts at Burnside. I feel the walls are very true and always make for a good game of squash to watch and play.
I was in the qualifying again and drew our very own - Luke Jones Luke played brilliantly and took a game off me while playing some good squash.I took on another youngster Ben Grindrod next. I controlled the game well and recovered from a lapse in the second to win in 4. In the main draw I had Lance who played smart squash to not let me get into my rythm. I tried to come back but he took control again and won in 4 games. A disappointing loss for me but all credit to Lance.
I decided not to play the weekend draw to stay focused on the last event the following week. I spent my time interviewing players and doing a bit of commentary for the livestream which was a huge success.
A big thank you to our host Robyn Dunlop for having us in our lovely house. We had a great time Robyn - thanks a lot!
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| Drive from Queenstown to Invercargill |
The last event of the NZ PSA Series took us through the beautiful South Island once again. We drove from Christchurch to Queenstown - stopping a few times to enjoy the views on the way. Queenstown was fun as always as I watched the boys try the mechanical bull at Cowboys. They carried onto the Ice bar and a decided to call it a night to recover from the long drive and get ready for the next day.
In the qualifying again I drew another one from our SquashGym Academy - travel buddy Jason van der Walt. He started poorly but improved along the way and ended up taking two games off me before I could close the match in 5 games. A ln excellent effort by Jason. In the next round I played the best I've played all season to seal a tough 3-0 win against the second seeded Malaysian Addeen Idrake.
I thought luck was on my side when I drew lucky loser Matias Tuomi in the main draw. However, scrambling to get his shots back at game ball down in the third I hurt myself badly with an awkward lunge in the front backhand corner. I.could hardly walk or twist as I felt intense pain in my groin, adductor and hip flexor that went all the way up to my abs. I tried for three points in the 4th game but realized that I won't be able to carry on playing and disappointingly pulled out of the match.
The rest of the time I spent looking after the commentary and watching and helping out Jason, Danielle, Vanessa and Luke - who played and fought brilliantly. Danielle managed to win the weekend draw which was a great result.
Overall, another great trip to the South Island. The focus now is on rehab and getting better and back to full fitness before the Australian tournaments - The Victorian and The Australian Open.
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| The Remarkables |
