Night 3 (quarter finals) of the 2023 Nash Cup.

2023 Nash Cup – Night 3 Summary

The quarter finals are arguably the best ticket value of the NASH Cup. You get 8 high level matches and are almost guaranteed a few that will be close and/or some upsets. Looking at the entry list there was a high probability that there would be tight competition. The men’s draw featured 6 players within the top 8 ranked between 51 and 58. The crowd tonight was full and nobody left disappointed in the show. It was a truly intense evening of squash with the promise of more for Friday and Saturday….

Half the matches went to 5 games
On a ranking basis, 3 matches were upsets – The top 2 male seeds and 2nd female seed are all now out of the tournament.
The top Canadians have advanced into the Semi-Finals.

Tomorrow’s matches start at 5pm EST and will run on the hour. A preview of the match-ups is at the end of this email. More pictures can be found here on our website.

Thursday Night Match Summary:

Match Commentary:

Court 2 – 3pm – Yahya Elnawasany (EGY; 36) VS. Bernat Jaume (ESP; 58)

Both players are in the NASH Cup for the first time and they have faced off once before in PSA competition with Yahya coming out the victor. Yahya jumps to a quick 2-0 star but Bernat is patient and steady quickly bring it to 2-2. As the game progresses Yahya’s point come primarily from Bernat’s errors. An out of court; and a tin move things from 3-5 to 6-6. Perfect length form Bernat into the back left corner and we are 7-7. More length than finds a flat shot in the back left and we are 10-8 Bernat. Bernat takes game 1.

In game two Yahya has figured out that the ref isn’t giving away free strokes. He hits some low shots to the corner that force Bernat to move into him, but their excellent and no let gets called. There are similarities to the final match last night. Bernat doesn’t like it, but there must be movement to get the ball. Yahya holds the lead throughout getting up 9-5. A perfect cross court drop at the front fires Bernat up, but it’s too late. This is 1-1.

Bernat ended game 2 frustrated, but came back steady and jumps to a 3-1 lead. The rallies are getting longer as the ball gets hot and points end with one player frustrated. This game moves to even at 5 and stays there to 7-7. Then it’s all Bernat. The second last point Yahya ties to hit down the line but it’s not full pace and Bernat is right there to claim the stroke going up 10-7. Bernat moves to a 2-1 lead.

Game 4 starts with some great wining points. They alternate and Bernat goes up 2-1. The red line catches Yahya a second time this game and Bernat is 3-1. The longest rally of the night ends with a no let call when Yahya skids but is outside the scope of Bernat’s front wall line. The officials are really being tested and doing a good job, but emotions are running high. Some strong shot selections from Yahya and he is up 6-3. Yahya gets to 10-6 and it looks like we are going to 5. A tin brings it to 7-10 as Bernat tries to get there. Yahya reaches for a shot that Bernat believes was a lift but ends game 4.

Bernat has great speed on court and uses it jumping to another 3-1 lead. A had rally ends with a double bounce and it’s 3-2. A stunning cross court reverse brings Bernat to 6-2. There is intensity in his face as he hints down each shot. His stare is icy. 8-2. He is in control and knows it. A great drop to the front right and we are 9-2. Yahya releases a mighty bellow. This is a deep whole. A stroke call in the back court and we are match ball. A nick out at the back ends it! Great match!!!

Court 2 – 4pm – Hollie Naughton (CAD; 19) VS. Nikki Todd (CAN;213)

This match should be a treat. Hollie and Nikki go back to junior days. Neither expects a close battle, but Nikki is not going lightly. They battle back and forth with Hollie maintaining a clear edge. Hollie takes the first game 11-5. Both players are smiling.

Hollie is staying very focused and hitting some very clean shots. 6 straight drops for the ladies and then Hollie sends it across the front to jump up 3-0. Nikki is picking up some points by pushing Hollie back and trying to force errors…and she gets a few. Hollie breaks a string and this works for Nikki as she picks up a quick point, but game goes to Hollie 11-4

Nikki comes out very strong in game 5. She has found her famous lob serve and the ball virtually hovers below the line before dropping into the back corner. She jumps to a 5-0 lead. Hollie kicks it in. She wants longer rallies but it isn’t working yet. 7-1 Nikki. The crowd knows Nikki is a big underdog and is loving this game. Hollie goes for a perfect front right winning drop and gets it. 2-7. We saw Hollie momentarily lose focus in yesterday’s matches and that may have happened her….but she’s back and in control. 8-9. This is a longer game and there is no question Nikki’s conditioning has gotten better in the last year, but Hollie is used to long hard matches every other week and takes it 11-9.

Court 2 – 5pm – Faraz Khan (USA; 53) VS. Sanjay Jeeva (MAS; 119)

In the electrifying second quarter-final match of the Nash Cup, we witnessed a battle between the number 4 seed, Faraz Khan, and the underdog Sanjay Jeeva, the conqueror of Monday’s lightning tournament. It all began with Jeeva serving first, and from the get-go, the squash fireworks were on full display! Khan set the tone with a jaw-dropping cross-court nick from the back of the court, leaving spectators in awe.

As the first game unfolded, Khan’s lead grew fast, securing an early 5-0 advantage. His speed became his secret weapon, a whirlwind of attacks that kept Jeeva scrambling to respond. What made this match even more enthralling was the exhibition-like squash being played, with both players using the reverse boast as their go-to attack shot.

Despite Jeeva’s heroic efforts, including an incredible deceptive boast that saved a game ball, he ultimately fell 11-8 in the first game. The second game saw Khan pull ahead 7-3, and amidst his dominance, he couldn’t hide his disdain for the balcony commentary above. Nevertheless, Khan sealed the deal with an 11-8 win, putting Jeeva in a tough 2-0 predicament.

But hold on, the drama didn’t stop there! At the start of the third game, Khan seemed to find an extra gear, attacking the ball relentlessly and forcing unforced errors from Jeeva. With Jeeva trailing 2-7, he faced an uphill battle to narrow the deficit. His aggressive tactics in the third game backfired, leading to execution errors and, ultimately, 8 match balls against him.

And with yet another tin, our second men’s quarter-final reached its thrilling conclusion, with Khan emerging victorious and securing a well-deserved spot in the semifinals tomorrow.

Court 2 – 6pm – Laura Tovar (COL; 88) VS. Wen Li Lai (MAS; 110)

Thursday night at LSRC and we have Lai from Malaysia ranked 110 and Tovar ranked 88 from Columbia haven’t met before so we are in for treat here. Tovar wins serve and we are off. Lai is jumping on the ball with incredible speed and seems to have taken Tovar back a bit as Lai hi jumps to a 5-0 lead. Tovar has started really taking her length deep and hitting the cross courts higher neutralizing Lai speed and quickly ties it up 5-5. Lai starts taking the ball short more with some boasts and drops forcing counter drops weighed can capitalize on her speed and counter with some perfect lengths and crosses. Lai takes the first game 11-7.

Tovar has really been putting pressure on Lai with some perfect lengths and deadly volley drops to jump out to a 6-3 lead. Lai can’t seem to find a way to counter Tovar game plan as she is executing it perfectly. Tovar takes the second 11-5.

Game 3 Tovar has really stepped up on the tee this game executing her game plan flawlessly. Tovar jumps to a quick lead 6-1 and is impressive with how controlled and precise all her shots are. Lai is trying to find a way to get her opponent off the tee but Tovar won’t have any of that and takes the third game 11-4.

Game four can Lai find away to get Tovar off the tee? Can Tovar keep up this precision? Lai is fighting hard really taking balls short pushing Tovar at off the tee and taking some pace of her length aiming higher. Tovar is solid and starts throwing in some hold flicks catching Lai off guard and we are tied 6-6. What a battle both players hammering in some back hand nicks rollers hard. Lai playing with incredible heart and determination takes the 4th 11- 8.

Game 5 crowd is on the edge of their seats with full beers. Both players giving everything they have left. Trading points it’s 4-4 and the crowd is split on who’s gonna pull it off. Lai hits a couple unforced errors and Tovar is suddenly up 8-4 what ??? Tovar is impressively calm and methodical out there and Lai seems to be feeling rushed giving up some loose balls. Tovar absolutely nails a perfect mid court boast to take the match 11- 6. This is what this club wants, incredible squash and long matches to drink more beer.

Court 2 – 7pm – David Baillargeon (CAN; 51) VS. Finnlay Withington (ENG; 100)

What a squash showdown we had between our Canadian champ, David Baillargeon, and the young Englishman, Finnlay Withington. It was a real nail-biter, let me tell ya!

They traded games back and forth for the first four games, and it was anyone’s guess who would come out on top. Finnlay Withington came out with a bang in the first game, playing some incredible squash and delivering superb winners left and right. But David Baillargeon, our seasoned champ, wasn’t about to back down. He showed his mettle and experience, winning the next two games with his precision shots and veteran know-how.

Withington fought back hard, taking the fourth game with some remarkable plays. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, wondering who would emerge victorious in this epic battle.

In the end, it was Baillargeon who sealed the deal in the fifth game, showing his resilience and determination. What a match, folks! And would you believe it, the total match time was just 57 minutes. Talk about fast-paced action!

Don’t count out Finnlay Withington, though. That young Englishman has got talent oozing out of every pore, and I’ll tell ya, we can expect big things from him in the not too distant future.

So there you have it, a thrilling back-and-forth squash match that had us on the edge of our seats, all wrapped up in under an hour. Baillargeon proved why he’s the champ, and Withington showcased his potential. The future of squash is looking bright, and I can’t wait to see how these players continue to light up the court! Squash, the sport that keeps us all on our toes!

Court 2 – 8pm – Salma Eltayeb (EGY; 50) VS. Karina Tyma (POL; 109)

Quarter final match against Tyma 109 in world, from Poland, vs Eltayeb 50 and in the world, from Egypt, is about to get underway. Both players are coming into this match after dominating previous opponents, both going into this match with a lot of momentum, looking to book their spot in the semi-finals tomorrow evening. Will this match go five and send this building into a frenzy or is one of these ladies simply going to dominate as they look to book their ticket in the semifinal; only time will tell.

The match is about to begin. Here. We. Go! Play starts off intensely, as we expected, with Tyma striking first and a nick at that. Relentless attacking by the Polish player puts the Egyptian player in defensive mode immediately and just like that Tyma has a 2-0 lead over the Egyptian. Eltayeb refuses to let Tyma’s game-play overwhelm her and scores a couple of times to tie this match at 3. 4-3 Tyma, Poland is looking to make quick work of this Egyptian player but I have a feeling Eltayeb is not going to be beat that easily. Both players exchanging points early on in this second female quarter final of the night, jockeying for position on the “T” going back and forth taking over the lead. Tyma with an excellent drop winner puts her right back into this game 7-8, can she even things up? Tyma with an excellent front right wall nick ties this game up at 9. And she quickly scores again giving her one game ball. However, she can’t convert and we are going to extra points. 10-10 with a stroke awarded to Tyma after an aggressive exchange in the front right. Eltayeb counters, Tyma responds, the seesaw of point scoring continues to tip in both players favour. 13-13, neither player wants to drop this first game. 14-13 Tyma!!! Do we have a barn burner on our hands?!?! 16 all..if you had you’re money on either one of these players early on, you might be left scratching your head now. Anybody’s first game…finally Eltayeb takes over and takes the first game 18-16!!! Eltayeb clearly is pumped up from that one!

First on the court after the relatively quick break, prowling around the court, staring down her opponent. Eltayeb is looking for the jugular. Game is under way and Tyma jumps to another early lead 2-0. 3-1 Tyma, 4-1 Tyma, is she going to run away with this second game? Did that first game wipe Eltayeb out? 6-1 Tyma!! Everything is working in Tyma’s favour now! 8-2, Tyma can’t miss. I spoke to soon, 4-8 Eltayeb. Is Egypt going to come back and show us why she’s 50 in the world? Let’s find out. 6-8 Egypt. 7-9 Egypt. 8-9 Egypt and just like that Egypt is right back in a game that had Tyma’s name all over it. 9-9. 10-9, game ball Poland after an unfortunate miss hit by the Egytpian player. If you looked away for a second you would have missed the lead change because in a second Eltayeb has regained the lead! What an incredible comeback to take the second game 12-10. Egypt up 2 games to nothing.

Will this be the 3rd and final game that’s about to begin? Let’s find out… if the first two games are foreshadowing for how this third game is going to go, we are in for an exciting, long game, going to extra points. Once again, Tyma with an early lead 6-2 however we know that means nothing when the number 50 Eltayeb is on court. 7-3 Tyma. Eltayeb quickly eliminates Tyma’s momentum with a back hand nick winner and jumps right back into this game at 5-7 Egypt. 7-8 Eltayeb! 8 all! What did I tell ya! Business end of this game and possible match and Eltayeb has her eyes set on that semifinal position. Eltayeb quickly gets one match ball but Tyma almost even faster eliminates her momentum and ties things up again. We’re going to extra points, 11 all. A nick winner makes the crowd go wild. 12-11 Tyma, 12-12 the crowd is loving it! Neither player backing down both players not having what it takes to wrap up this third game. At 17-17, yes that’s right, Tyma thinks she has a stroke to put her up one but the ref thinks otherwise and shuts it down quickly a few moments later we are at 18-19. 20-18, game Poland! What a third game!

Game four underway. I’m guessing we have another long one ahead of us. The crowd wants this match going five, but I have a feeling Eltayeb wants to end this now! Both players showing signs of fatigue but continue to put on a show. 6-3 Egypt, things aren’t looking good for Poland! 7-3 Egypt, business end, Eltayeb pouring on the pressure now. 10-4, 6 game balls, this one is looking good for Egypt. It only takes one game ball for Eltayeb to reign victorious over Tyma and book a spot in tomorrow’s semifinal. What a game! The crowd loved it! Everyone is going crazy!

Court 2 – 9pm – Curtis Malik (ENG; 56) VS. Nick Wall (ENG; 39)

Nash Cup runner up meets recent Charlottesville champion Wall. Lengthy rallies to start, capped at 1-2 with a cross court nick from Wall , who looked in control briefly, but Malik geared up to take the lead at 7-6. Wall tied it up before reaching for a rail from Malik that hugged the left wall. Followed by 3 quick points, Curtis closed it out with some quality hitting to seal it 11-7

Game 2, Malik to serve, as per the rules. Sick drop, no let, no let , 2-1 Wall. Another call results in a borderline stroke followed by a borderline let. The calls and rallies are both close. Next point Malik tries a reverse boast which wall reverses as well and we are back where we once were, just slightly dizzier. At 6-1Wl, Malik falls , perhaps to give GAAAARY time to soak up the sweat and show off some dance moves. 3 quick points bring Malik closer at 4-6 before another high traffic return draws a stroke. 8-5 Wall , and Malik is denied a rather apparent stroke. Next rally results in an even more flagrant stroke and the crowd erupts at the correct call. We have a game on our…courts. Punishing rally goes short for Malik but wall instantly replies with a cross court nick out winner, and a further quick point to tie the games at 1.

Game 3 our club pro is overheard applauding a shot, saying that was “almost perfect’ but at this level those shots get retrieved! Points go back and forth with no obvious winning strategy, just quality paired against quality. This writer is finely turned into smarter minds who are breaking down the finer points of the game. The talk is their combined strengths could make a perfectly complemented player. In this game though, Malik pushes back to 10-4 and a backcourt roller closes it out 11-4!

Game 4. Early predictions we are going to 5. I will be forced to extend the babysitter, but it’s money well spent and beer well drank. Malik shows strong, Wall seems a bit laboured in hid movement and made a few quick mistakes to fall 6-2 early in the match. 2 quick tins and some unfortunate contact bring wall closer at 4-6. The gents traded 2 points each back and forth and the former finalist took out the recent champ 11-8 in the 4th. An impressive performance from Malik against a bonafide rank climbing opponent!

Court 2 – 10pm – Marina Stefanoni (USA; 59) VS. Lucy Turmel (ENG; 29)

Marina and Lucy are both NASH Cup veterans returning at higher ranks and looking to make the final. This is their first PSA meeting and both are fan favorites….which is making the stands a little uncomfortable. This is a very late match at 10pm but the event clearly got the timing right. We’ve had 8 hours squash with almost no breaks and running on time.

As is so often the case the first game starts with some patient deep shots as these players assess capabilities. They swap points to 3-3. Marina picks up a winner and hen catches tin. 4-4. Like the last game with Nick and Curtis the drop shots are tight. Both are able to get there, but there are more of them coming out as winners. We progress to 5-5. The Hanebury brothers are providing the live broadcast commentary which nis always dangerous and we hope nobody is actually listening. Marina hits some great tight shots and goes up 9-5. Her length is excellent and she pushes Lucy into the back left where she is faced with an unretrievable bounce. 10-5. Lucy picks up two and is pushing hard. Marina is looking for a winner and the last one caught tin by the smallest of margins. The next boast doesn’t miss and Marina has game 1.

We’ve watched top players lose the opening game many times. What sets them apart is the ability to adjust and make the game theirs. IT happened with Baillargeon and he was able to maintain momentum . Wall did similar, but the Malik was able to pivot in game 3. Lucy is looking to make a mark and turn this around but in the early point Marina is still able to capitalize going up 3-1. There is a calmness to Marina’s game. She moves out to make her shot, returns to the tee and waits. Her tight short shots are forcing Lucy to do more of the running, but Lucy has the stamina and gets back to 3-4. This second game pulls even at 7-7. Lucy has found a tempo and is catching some deep nicks, she moves to 10-7. Her awareness of Marina’s position allows her to patiently draw a stroke for 11-7 to end game 2.

Lucy starts strong….and we mean that literally, not figuratively. She goes up front in the second rally and blasts the ball past Marina before she can register the cross court. 2-0 Both these women are strong and capable of putting huge momentum on the ball. Marina is getting her hits, but Lucy is on her toes and looking for the tight drops. She jumps to 4-1. Both players start missing a few deep in the rallies keeping the overall score tight. Lucy up 5-4. Lucy takes advantage of Marina’s move to the tee with a cut off drive to go 6-4, and then catches tin in the next rally. A huge rally ends with a perfect drop from Marina. That was at least 60 shots. Marina serves 6-7. Lucy tries the same power shot as the second rally but this time Marina is ready and the ball gets sent right back into Lucy with no time react. 7-7. This tournament has been full of matches that could easily go either way. The PSA men are trying to predict the next shot and getting it horribly wrong – good thing there is no money on the line. We’re 8-8. More long rallies. 9-9. Marina isn’t winning them wit length and Lucy rarely gets a front winner….10-9 Lucy. The crowd believes Marina gives up a perfect stroke call, but the players may have been further apart. She nails a winner on the next shot to bring it to 10-10. Onreal rallies both ways and we go 11-11. The crowd is mesmerized as Lucy gets up 12-11 only to catch tin after a stunning rally and returns to 12-12. This time Marina gets the game ball and Lucy can’t get to her next drop. 2-1 Marina.

The crowd has caught on that the rallies will be long and takes it time to settle into the 4th game which quickly goes to 1-1. There is some fatigue showing on both players. They continue to reach the drops, but there are points being made that may not have happened earlier. Lucy jumps to a 7-2 lead by shifting to power. Marina makes some amazing digs and drops pulling back to 5-8. Again we see a hard shot from Lucy as she attacks a front right drop and Marina is standing ready. This time the rally continues and eventually goes Lucy’s way. 9-5. In the final point Lucy feeds two overheads to Marina. The first she returns a little lose; the second catches tin and we are 2-2.

Another game 5…..and it’s past 11pm EST. This reporter has written too much, but the crowd is still here and we need our 4th semi-finalist. Both top seeds are out of the men’s draw and Marina is looking to do some damage in the women’s draw. Watching these players it’s hard guess what Alma is hoping for…..she’s just happy it’s going 5. Lucy opens with a 2-0 lead but puts one out of court and is up 2-1. Long rally with blistering shots. Lucy hits 3 winners before Marina isn’t able to reach one and is up 3-1. Some beautiful drops by both players, but Lucy maintains an edge at 5-3. Marina is not done and gains 3 points to take a 6-5 lead. These ladies are communicating well with the officials. There is contact, but generally unintended leading to let calls and a reset of the rally. There have been a lot of upsets and Marina is on the verge with an 8-6 lead. There have been a number of drops by Lucy where there is contact as Marina goes in. Very hard to tell, but the official believes this one was cause by Lucy and gives the stroke. 9-6. A great cross to 10-6….we are on the edge. The crowd, loaded with PSA players is jumping at every shot. Another extremely long rally….it’s like Lucy wants Marina to try a winner. Lucy goes for it and hits tin…..Marina advances.

Our Officials

Bob Mansbridge; David Fishburn and Dave Howard were put to the test tonight and did a great job. Tough job when someone will always walk away upset. We thank them for returning to London Squash.