Canada Senior Champs 2021

Men & Women  $6k PSA Challengers, 20-24 October, Toronto

Squash Canada will officially bounce back with the first National Squash Championship in over 20 months by hosting the 2021 Oxford Properties Canadian Squash Championships Presented by Slaight Music.

Yorkdale Shopping Centre and the brand-new Squash Canada all-glass court will be the spectacular backdrop for our top Senior and Junior athletes to finally return to domestic national competition.

FINALS : David Baillargeon and Danielle Letourneau are the Champions

Semi-Finals :

Things heated up in the semi finals, especially on the men’s side. David Baillargeon and Shawn DeLierre won hard fought four game battles. The top two seeded women, Hollie Naughton and Danielle Letourneau were dominant, and got pushed in only a couple games.

The finals are set with the top two men’s and women’s seeds, and they are likely to be barn-burners! The crowd will be ready.

Watch the Live Stream

Viewing on CBC Gem –  click on Live TV – scroll down until you see Sports – click on Sports and you will see upcoming events including Squash.

Quarters : top four seeds through to men’s and women’s semis

Today was full of 3-0s, however there were a couple standout matches. The court looks amazing and the crowd was packed and lively.

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There was an epic encounter between Bunyan and Cornett, with Bunyan holding her lead and squeaking it out at the end of the fifth. Also, George Crowne pushed Nick Sachvie to step up his game after grabbing the second. Nick responded with some serious pressure and intensity, volleying more than you can imagine, and steamrolled through the 3rd and 4th games.

Nicole Bunyan:
“That was a really big mental battle for me because I look up to Sam greatly. She’s always been an excellent mentor to me and still is, so every point I had to try to forget I was playing her. I had to be out there to compete because I knew Sam was going to bring her best no matter what.”

Mike McCue:
“Happy to be through, Andrew is an opponent that has always given me a lot of difficulty. I could sense at the start he wasn’t moving his best but he’s always dangerous with his attacking game. I did a good enough job neutralizing that in the first two games and he couldn’t carry on unfortunately.”

Danielle Letourneau:
“I really enjoyed playing my today against Hannah. From the start I felt confident and in control of the match. She did a great job fighting and pushing in the third, but luckily experience playing in these situations and on the glass court got me through in 3 games. It’s such a cool experience playing on the glass court in Yorkdale Mall and also seeing some good friends in the squash community again.”

Nick Sachvie:
“Definitely some nerves starting out. I know George is a great young player, tall with good reach. I didn’t really step up on the T, was a little flat, and didn’t stick to the game plan to start. When he took the second game I knew I need to step up and amp myself up. I put the pressure on and he couldn’t handle it. I kept the pace up to take the next two games. Looking forward to the semi finals tomorrow with a couple good matches under my belt.”

Hollie Naughton:
“I liked the court, it plays quite nice. I felt that I was rushing in patches, but I was happy that I managed to steady it. I’m excited to get through to another semi and see what happens tomorrow.”

Day TWO :

t was a successful day two at Canadian Nationals and a great start on the awesome glass court at Yorkdale mall. Some really tight matches today. And a great crowd turned out from start to finish to cheer on the athletes.

With SquashTV on the scene from today onwards, and CBC Gem coverage, today’s squash was seen all over the world. Squash is BACK in Canada after such a long layoff!!

Massive thanks to the amazing sponsors who have made this event possible: title sponsor Oxford Properties, presenting sponsor Slaight Music, gold sponsors Altas Partners, AirSprint Private Aviation, Geotab, Bank of Montreal, Mortgage Company of Canada, YDC Pro, and even more silver and bronze partners.

Nicole Bunyan:
“I felt nervous before the match but I was happy to impose my game the best I could. I’m looking forward to getting used to the court. It’s a great crowd and I’ve been waiting for this event for a while and it’s so nice to see it all come together!”

Connor Turk:
“The court is nice, it plays true. It took a little while to get used to the bounce and the lights, but once I settled in and watched the ball better, it was quite enjoyable. I’m used to panel in Winnipeg so I really like the way the ball grips the wall going short and on crosses. Coming out firing tomorrow!”

Nick Sachvie:
“It’s a dream to be playing on a glass court. It has a different feeling and energy to it. The sound, the lights, it’s great to be out there. It’s great to get a match down and win 3-0. Liam’s been training hard and I’m happy with that. I’m looking forward to playing high level squash this week.”

Giselle Delgado:
“I think we both started out a bit nervous. I was trying to do a bit too much at the start. As the match went on I felt like my length was working really well. It was a bit quick but I’m happy because I need all the energy I can get to face off against Hollie tomorrow!”

Day ONE :

The first day at the Oxford Properties Canadian Senior Championships was a success! Players gathered at the old National Squash Academy, now known as Urban Squash Toronto. The crowds were small, but enthusiastic and happy to be back at the courts. There was a buzz in the air. While still competitive at the national championships, women’s 2nd seed Danielle Letourneau commented on the camaraderie and joy to be back playing that was tangible amongst the athletes and supporters.

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Players were happy to be back competing. Here are some great quotes from a few of today’s winners :

“Squash is hard but it’s the best game out there! I’m so happy to see everyone, be competing, and I really enjoyed playing Shirin today. I was certainly edgy playing an event after so many months, but settled in.” – Samantha Cornett

“My last tournament was the Panam games back in 2019.so I am just so excited to be competing again at all! Having won my first match and getting to compete on the glass court at a mall is something I never thought I would get to do in my life! It’s so cool!!!” – Giselle Delgado

“Very happy, first win in PSA. I’m very glad that I won it that way, in a real battle in 5. I’m super excited for today on the glass court. A bit stressed, but mostly excited! I’m here to give a good performance, not really thinking about the outcome. I’m here to play my game.” – Maximilien Godbout

“Super pumped to play on the glass court at Yorkdale. One because it’s a mall I grew up going to, with friends and family. Feels really close to home, playing here. Two because we get to show squash to a wider audience!” – Sydney Maxwell

Preview : Squash Canada bounces back

Squash Canada will officially bounce back with the first National Squash Championship in over 20 months by hosting the 2021 Oxford Properties Canadian Squash Championships Presented by Slaight Music.

Yorkdale Shopping Centre and the brand-new Squash Canada all-glass court will be the spectacular backdrop for our top Senior and Junior athletes to finally return to domestic national competition.

The event will be produced by PSA Squash TV and digitally streamed by CBC Sports on the Gem online Platform, featuring guest commentators including World Champion Jonathon Power, and Canadian legends Samantha Cornett, Graham Ryding and Marnie Baizley amongst others.

Watch the Live Stream

Viewing on CBC Gem –  click on Live TV – scroll down until you see Sports – click on Sports and you will see upcoming events including Squash.

The Women’s and Men’s Open draw will be contested as a PSA 12K Challenger Event.

For the first time in Canadian history, the Women’s Open draw will feature two women ranked in the Top 20 in the world – Hollie Naughton (#17) of Oakville, ON and Danielle Letourneau (#19) of Calgary, AB.

They headline a deep and talented field including Senior National team members Nicole Bunyan (Victoria, BC), Nikole Todd (Regina, SK), former champions Samantha Cornett (Ottawa, ON), Melanie Jans (Georgetown, ON) and rising stars including Hannah Blatt (Winnipeg, MB), Catherine Giachino (Ottawa, ON), and former Pakistani National Champion now based in Canada Maria Toorpakai Wazir (Toronto, ON).

The Men’s Open draw will have intrigue galore as the top three seeds David Baillargeon (Levis, QC), Shawn Delierre (Montreal, QC), and Mike McCue (Sudbury, ON) were all within 5 rankings spots of each other in September. They are joined as contenders by two-time champions Nick Sachvie (St. Catharines, ON) and Andrew Schnell (Calgary, AB) as well seeded players Cameron Seth (Fergus, ON) and Connor Turk (Winnipeg, ON). All PSA draws and event information can be found HERE.

The professional event will run alongside the 2021 Canadian Junior Championships, held principally at the nearby Urban Squash Toronto facility.

Squash Canada has put in place comprehensive COVID-19 protocols and are thrilled to announce that limited tickets will be available to the Yorkdale Shopping Centre for spectators to see the action in person.

Squash Canada is pleased to announce that all ticket proceeds from the Thursday evening session will go to Urban Squash Toronto and all proceeds from the Friday daytime session will go to Squash Ontario as a contribution to the vital community and grassroots work being done by both partner organizations to grow and develop our sport.

Squash Canada looks forward to bouncing back October 20th – 24th at the 2021 Oxford Properties Canadian Squash Championships Presented by Slaight Music and wishes all athletes, coaches, officials and spectators a safe and well-deserved return to national competition. See you there!