Hello from "home home", Victoria, BC!
I flew home from Hong Kong on Monday, and have barely moved from the couch in the last 48 hours. Not only has the 16 (!!) hour jet lag hit me, but I'm also allowing my body and mind to rest from the busy past couple of weeks.
Commentating Hong Kong Open
I had the pleasure of flying out a week early to Hong Kong, as I was commentating the Hong Kong Open, which was a Platinum event on the PSA Squash Tour.
We were based at the Hong Kong Squash Center for the first few days, then off to Edinburgh Place for the quarters, semis, and finals.
In the past, I've been able to both play and commentate, but this season the draws for the Platinums have been reduced to 32 players. At my current ranking of 48-50 (depending on the week), I'm missing out on these bigger events.
However, there were so many late withdrawals, that I nearly made the main draw, going up to Reserve #2 a few days before the start of the tournament.
The first couple days of commentating I was really struggling, because I was battling jet lag and the remains of a small cold. I wouldn't say those were my finest days of work! This also meant I took a couple days off court, which was actually really nice for my body. I was able to gradually shake the flight out of my legs, and not worry about rushing on court.
Thanks to this extra time and some new rehab exercises I've been doing, my hip started to feel better and better every day, and I played some great squash in the days leading up to the World Teams.
It's funny how sometimes we need a short forced break to make ourselves better in the long run.
World Team Championships
It was a very quick turnaround between the final of HKO and our first match for World Teams. The HKO final wrapped up around 9 pm on Sunday, and we had a pre-match team breakfast at 7 am for a 10 am match vs Switzerland.
Switzerland 3-0 (Pool Play)
We were up against Switzerland bright and early at 10 am on Monday! Hollie won her match 3-0 against Cindy Merlo, and I was on next playing the #2 position. I played Nadia Pfister, a tall player who likes to hit the ball hard and attack with kills, mainly from the mid-court. I was nervous going in, but feeling confident in my abilities given the level of play I'd been producing during practice in the previous days. I played pretty well, and won 3-0. Nikki Todd played at the #3 position and also won her match. A convincing result for the team against a potentially tricky team!
England 0-3 (Pool Play)
Later that evening, we were up against the top seed in our pool, England. Due to a couple last minute injuries, the English were playing without their A team, including British #1, Gina Kennedy, and their number 3, Lucy Turmel. Regardless, they were still a force, and we lost to them 3-0. Hollie had a close match with SJ Perry, narrowly losing out in 5, and I went down pretty quickly to Jasmine Hutton. I was disappointed in my overall performance, because I felt there were rallies and patches where I played well. I just couldn't keep it up, and was consistently under hitting my length on the glass court. I didn't make the changes necessary from the very fast traditional court, to the slower, more dead glass court.
South Korea 3-0 (Pool Play)
The following afternoon, we played South Korea. They are extremely underrated, as their players do not compete on PSA, but they have a very competitive domestic league. In my opinion, the Korean's playing style is smooth and aggressive- similar to the Japanese and Hong Kong players. All the players on their team were very attacking, and had smooth clean swings.
I was on first, and came out feeling pretty flat. I went down 2-0 (losing both games 11-9), playing pretty average squash. My opponent loved to attack at any opportunity, which made me edgy. I often lost my length which put me under pressure, and allowed her to shoot with confidence.
Looking down the barrel of a 2-0 deficit, I found a way to win by ramping up the pace, making myself tough to beat, getting a better length, and adding in a straight counter or straight drive from the front (rather than always X courting). By the 5th game, I'd worn her down, and won pretty comfortably.
This was one of those matches where you have to leave your ego at the door, stop being annoyed by the fact you're down 2-0, and just get on with it. First and foremost, I knew I needed to make it harder for her physically. I took my focus off of winning the match, and just focused on that game. Once I got some momentum, my mental state fluctuated much less, and although I still felt way off my game, I knew I had a path to winning.
Hollie was up after me, and she went on to win, followed by Nikki who won in 5. It was another tricky match against very underrated players, and we were relieved and pleased to come out on top 3-0.
France 0-2 (Round of 16)
This was a stitch up.
Canada was seeded top 8, and we came 2nd in our pool. This meant we should have theoretically played a team seeded below us in order to play for a spot in the quarters.
We originally drew Australia (seeded below us) to play Egypt in the quarters. Australia had good depth of players, but we would be the favourites.
Then, a few minutes later, while doing some team bowling, one of our teammates checked the draw online. On the WSF software, we were now set to play France- who were seeded 7th! This was a much worse draw for both teams, both being seeded top 8. This also left Australia playing against India, both of whom were seeded below Canada and France.
It's a bit complicated to explain, but in short- when we went to WSF to dispute this, they essentially said that a mistake had been made, so they had to change the draw. This left us with the short end of the stick. We were pretty annoyed, but knew we could still beat France.
Hollie was up first against Melissa Alves. They are ranked very closely in the PSA rankings, and a big challenge because Melissa is in good form. Unfortunately, Hollie went down 3-0, and so did Nikki. Because I was on 3rd, I didn't get to play.
It was disappointing, but we couldn't get too down because there was lots more squash to play that week.
Scotland 2-1 (9-12th playoff)
After a much needed day off (with some sightseeing!), we played Scotland on the glass on Friday. This was another tough but winnable match for us. Going in, we knew Nikki had the best chance of winning her match, which meant either Hollie or I needed to win ours.
I was on first, and felt more eager to play after two days off of competition. (Although I will say- it felt like I had competed against France because I was so stressed for my teammates!).
I was set to play Ally Thomson. Ally and I have played several times, and although I have the winning record, it is always a tough, physical battle. She's known for making herself very tough to beat, and runs everything down, which can make you second guess your shot choices.
We had a mammoth match. Nearly every game went down to the wire, and being down 2-1 and in extra points in the 4th game, I faced the very vivid possibility of defeat. Somehow, I came through the 4th 16-14. At this point, we'd already played for about an hour, but my lungs and fitness felt pretty good. Aside from getting winded a few times in the match, I didn't feel that I was every really struggling physically. As the match wore on, I became a little punch drunk from the duration, but I still had energy to increase the pace when needed.
If I remember correctly, I was trailing in the 5th game. The rallies were hard, and whenever Ally forced an opportunity out of me, she executed without hesitation. Her short game was on fire, and mine was... not. Somehow, I did enough to get over the line 11-9. It was a 70 minute match, and although I was fatigued afterwards, my body felt more or less pain-free which was a huge result for me.
Hollie was on after me, and she lost to Georgia Adderley 3-0, which forced a decider between Nikki Todd and their number 3. Nikki won very comfortably 3-0, so we won the tie!
Japan 0-2 (10th/11th playoff)
Finally- our final match of a marathon week of squash!
Japan was another tricky opponent for us. Their number 1, Satomi Watanabe, had been on excellent form that week and is capable of pushing all the top players on her day. Their other players are also underrated, and very skillful.
Hollie was on first, and went down to a very severe and sharp Satomi. I was on next, and within a couple rallies, realized I was definitely feeling the effects mentally from my battle the day before. I pushed my hardest, and came up short in the 5th. It was disappointing, because although I gave it my best effort, I didn't feel that I had much left to give. This is one big area for me to work on- although I feel that my top level, or my "ceiling" has increased, I need to raise my "floor", so that on days when I am fatigued, I can still produce quality, tactically astute squash. I didn't trust my abilities enough, and was trying to still play my A style of game which required me to be physically dominant, rather than allowing myself to adapt and use more height, stay relaxed, and weather the storm.
This final lost meant that we finished 10th. It was disappointing to finish on a loss, but everyone on the team gave it 100% every moment they were on court, so at the end of the day, that's all you can ask for.
Overall Thoughts
It was a long week, but so valuable for match experience. I am glad that I chose not to play any events in November, because it allowed me to be as fresh as possible for the World Teams. I was able to implement a couple new elements to my game, and also saw what didn't hold up under pressure.
Next up: a little bit of rest and recovery at home, combined with some training. My next tournament is mid January in Cleveland, so although I can take a few days to recover, and ease back into things, I do need to make sure I'm getting on court and in the gym consistently so I'm ready to compete in that event!
As always, it was a pleasure to compete for Canada. Thank you to my teammates, all the coaches, organizers, and volunteers for the help with this event.
Thank you so much for the intake, I always learn things from reading your blogs. Especially mentally, I'm amazed how you can be so aware of your thoughts and emotions. Thats the most difficult part for me!