Razik, Cornett Win Canadian National Titles, 18 Divisional Champions Crowned from Squash Canada Media May 6, 2014 OTTAWA, ON
- The Lexus of Edmonton 2014 Canadian Squash Championships concluded
Sunday, marking our 100th anniversary of the national event featuring
top squash players from across the country. This year’s Championship
hosted over 275 participants at the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton,
Alberta from April 30 through May 4th.
Wednesday saw the
start of play in our Open and A divisions, followed on Thursday by the
first matches in our 16 other Master’s and Companion categories. A
strong contingent of local Edmonton players and others from all parts
of Alberta were present, along with representation from 8 other
provinces and territories.
Alberta athletes were
excited for the opportunity to perform on the national stage in their
home province, and they certainly rose to the occasion. The Schnell and
Letourneau families, both of the Glencoe Club in Calgary, led the way
for Alberta, with strong showings and impressive results in both the
Men’s and Women’s Open draws.
The upsets began in
the quarterfinals on Thursday, where older brother Graeme Schnell
ousted the second seed and defending silver medalist Dane Sharp of
Toronto in four games. David Letourneau, the tournament number five
seed who lost to Andrew Schnell earlier Thursday in their quarter-final
matchup, was the next to upset Sharp, defeating him 3-0 in the Classic
Plate final to secure 5th place.
Into Friday night’s
semi-finals, Graeme Schnell was challenged to a marathon-style match
with six-time Canadian Champion Shahier Razik of Ontario. Despite a
strong start and long rallies from Schnell, Razik came out on top 3-0
in 65 minutes. In the other half, younger brother Andrew faced off
against defending champion Shawn Delierre of Montreal, who held the
tournament’s top seed. Andrew, seeded fourth, came into the event
confident from a successful season on the professional tour and
Canadian events, including his first Canadian University Squash
Championship. Focused and on point, Andrew stormed past Delierre in 3
games and right into his first Canadian Squash Championships final.
Unfortunately for the
home crowd cheering them on, both Schnell’s were unable to end their
tournament on a winning note - Delierre bested Graeme 3-0 in the 3/4
playoff, and Andrew was forced to retire in the 2nd game of the Men’s
Open final against Razik due to illness. With that, Razik claimed his
7th Canadian Squash Championship, and returned to the top of the game
after withdrawing himself prior to the start of last year’s event.
On the Women’s side,
Danielle Letourneau was excited to be back competing in Alberta after
her junior season in the College Squash Association with the Cornell
Big Red. Unseeded Letourneau faced 2nd seed Nikki Todd of Saskatchewan
in the quarter-finals, who she defeated in a close, back and forth
5-game match. Letourneau was then up against 3rd seed Hollie Naughton
of Ontario in the semis, coming out on top 3-0. This set up
Letourneau’s first appearance in the Women’s Open final, on the date of
her 21st birthday.
Letourneau’s opponent
in the final was Samantha Cornett - the defending Champion, tournament
top seed, and Canada’s rising star on the WSA Tour. Cornett came out
strong and capitalized on Letourneau’s nerves, taking the first two
games 11-2. Letourneau settled in and was determined to prove she could
compete at the top level, taking the third game from 11-5. In the end,
Cornett proved to be simply too strong for Letourneau, and defended her
title with an 11-8 win in the fourth.
Cornett, 23, and
Letourneau are part of an up-and-coming group that make up the Canadian
Women’s squad, and have potential for a bright squash future. “We are
very excited to see these young women excelling at such a high level,”
said Squash Canada Executive Director, Danny Da Costa. “Especially this
season, as we head into final preparations for the upcoming 2014
Women’s World Team Championships, we are really seeing some of our
younger athletes step up their game. We will be competing as the host
country at World’s in Niagara in December, and it bodes well for the
future of our sport to have these young women to look up to.”
Special thank you to
the Royal Glenora and the tournament organizing committee for all of
their work and dedication leading up to the event, and to the
volunteers and club employees for their time throughout the week. Thank
you to the title sponsor, Lexus of Edmonton, and all corporate and
local sponsors for your support our event. Squash Canada would also
like to thank National sponsors Harrow, Dunlop, and BioSteel for their
ongoing support of squash in Canada.
Men’s B – Robert Major (AB) Women’s B – Lacey Labby (AB) Men’s C – Liam Marrison (ON) Women’s C – Keira Schnell (AB) Men’s D – MJ Parton (AB) Women’s D – Gabrielle Morin (AB)
