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Carrus Nations Cup Day One: Player Reaction
The Carrus Nations Cup – the first tournament to be held in the new SquashFORWARD series – begins today at the Trustpower Baypark Arena in Tauranga, New Zealand.
The SquashFORWARD series is a series of new squash events intended to trial changes to the traditional competition and scoring formats used at official tournaments, including those on the PSA Tour.
With eight matches in store across both Groups A and B, it promises to be an exciting day of action – keep an eye out too for the new scoring format, more on that here.
In the opening session of day one, starting at 13.00 (GMT+13), Canada’s Commonwealth Games Silver medalist Hollie Naughton will be up against Scotland’s Lisa Aitken in the women’s match, followed by David Baillargeon versus World No.25 Greg Lobban. England will be up against New Zealand B which will see top 10 players Sarah-Jane Perry and Mohamed ElShorbagy take on young Kiwi pair Kaitlyn Watts and Lwamba Chileshe.
Session two will then start with the top seeds New Zealand A against Australia, starting at 18.00 with local heroes Joelle King and Paul Coll in action against Jess Turnbull and Rex Hedrick. The final contest of the day will be between Team Europe and Team USA, with Belgium’s Nele Gilis up against Olivia Clyne, followed by France’s Sebastien Bonmalais against Timothy Brownell.
We’ll have reports and reaction from those in action right here, while you can watch all the action live on SQUASHTV.
We’ll have updates and behind the scenes content over on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages too.
Order of Play
(All times are local GMT+13)
13.00: Scotland v Canada
Lisa Aitken v Hollie Naughton
Greg Lobban v David Baillargeon
14.30: England v New Zealand B
Sarah-Jane Perry v Kaitlyn Watts
Mohamed ElShorbagy v Lwamba Chileshe
18.00: New Zealand A v Australia
Joelle King v Jessica Turnbull
Paul Coll v Rex Hedrick
19.30: Europe v USA
Nele Gilis v Olivia Clyne
Sebastien Bonmalais v Timothy Brownell
Scotland v Canada
Naughton Beats Aitken
It’s first blood to Canada in Pool A after World No.16 Hollie Naughton put in a dominant performance to overcome World No.27 Lisa Aitken 4-0 in the first match to use the new Nations Cup scoring format.
Naughton had won their only previous match – which came at the CIB Egyptian Open PSA event in September – and while Aitken was able to take a game on that occasion, she was unable to stop a rampant Naughton from taking all the spoils in straight games today.
The Canadian settled in well and quickly found her rhythm. There were a few errors from both players in the early stages, but it was Naughton who cut them out to take the opening game. The second swiftly followed as Aitken struggled to build up any rhythm.
The first Powerplay – which sees the player who called for it being awarded with two points if they win the rally – came about in the third game, with Naughton using it successfully to turn her 5-3 lead into a 7-3 one, which saw her make it three games on the bounce.
And it didn’t take her long to complete the rout, with Aitken losing two further Powerplays as Naughton closed out a 7-4, 7-1, 7-3, 7-4 victory in 21 minutes.
“I said to Lisa before the match that we’re kind of the guinea pigs going into this,” said Naughton afterwards.
“We didn’t really know what to expect. It was a lot of fun, actually. I found it quite relaxing, especially the Powerplays. I felt like that was a nice way to relax and kind of take the tension out of it a little bit in a fun way. So it was a lot of fun.
“It’s just like any team event where it’s round robin, and again with the different scoring system, we don’t really know what to expect. It does have a more fun component to it. We’re obviously going out there and still wanting to win, so I think there’s still the seriousness, but like I said, with the new elements in the game, it add a bit more fun and relaxes you.
“After the second, I knew that I needed to try and let her have as few points as possible and close it out in four. That fourth game, it was a bit neck and neck in the first few points. I couldn’t drop a game, so the pressure for David [Baillargeon] is less.
“He just knows he has to go out there and try his best. That’s a fun thing about this, it’s new, it’s different, so we just want to have fun and do as well as we can.”
Result
Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 4-0: 7-4, 7-1, 7-3, 7-4 (21m)
Baillargeon Seals Win for Canada
World No.69 David Baillargeon sealed the win for Canada as he completed a 4-3 victory over World No.25 Greg Lobban to keep Canada top of Pool A.
It was an up-and-down match which initially saw Lobban strike first to take a 2-0 lead against his lower-ranked opponent.
Baillargeon required just a game, or 13 points, to win the fixture for Canada and some intelligent use of the Powerplay saw him turn a 3-1 lead into a 7-1 victory to take the third game.
He wasn’t done there though and rode the crest of his momentum to a 7-5 win in the fourth to restore parity. Lobban recovered to take the fifth game, but it was Baillargeon’s day as he kept scrapping away and rose to wins in the sixth and seventh games to record his first win over Lobban.
“I’m feeling pretty good, it’s one of my biggest wins in my career,” said Baillargeon.
“I’ve been trying to add stuff to my game and finally I can see the improvements. I’ve had a couple of tough weeks in Australia, but I’m happy to get a fresh start in New Zealand. The floors are a bit softer here and in Australia the floors were quite hard and it’s tough for a bigger guy like me.
“I played at the Devoy Squash Centre to practice there a few days ago and the courts are great there. It’s the same here, the court is very good, so I feel better physically and mentally.
“[Naughton winning] puts more pressure on me because after her doing so well, I thought that I had to do it myself now, like I have to win a game or have to make it through because she did really well. I maybe put a bit too much pressure on myself in the first two and I didn’t play as well as I could have.
“Then I used my two Powerplays back-to-back in the third game and I won that game to clinch our spot and the victory. Then I was more relaxed and I played way better after that. I knew even if I lost 4-0 and I made a good amount of points we would go through.
“But I didn’t want to count the points, I wanted to win at least one game to clinch it.”
Result
David Baillargeon (CAN) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 4-3: 4-7, 4-7, 7-1, 7-5, 6-7, 7-3, 7-5 (61m)
England v New Zealand B
Perry Overcomes Watts
World No.8 Sarah-Jane Perry ensured it was a winning start for England as she defeated World No.88 Kaitlyn Watts to open up a four-game lead for England at the summit of Pool B.
Watts tested her opponent in the opening two games as she moved Perry around court and forced her into some errors, but the player from England was able to raise her game when needed to avoid dropping a game.
The third game was the most one-sided of the lot as Perry dominated the ’T’ and dictated the tempo of the match, dropping just a solitary game, and she was even able to pull off some exhibition-style shots in the fourth as she closed out the win.
“Kaitlyn did start really strongly, also I think I was a little bit nervous with the new format,” said Perry.
“I had to get used to that and I think there’s a couple more things to think about that are new, so that was quite interesting as well.
“She came out firing, so all credit to her for that. I was quite happy she didn’t use her Powerplays when she got to five points in that first game. She might regret that in hindsight, but I thought I settled a bit then and it was it was really good fun. I think the format so far has been working quite well.
“I think you’re aware that you’ve got them [the Powerplays] and you want to make best use of them. I guess it’s similar to the reviews in a sense you’re used to having some, but you need to save for the right time.
“You might as well use them at some point and you’re trying to find the right point
to do that, whether it’s to close a deficit or to actually extend the lead or to just potentially try and stop your opponent winning as many points if you think it might come down to the points as well. So there’s lots of potential strategies to use them.
“I think we might see a few of those as the week progresses.”
Perry will represent England this week together with former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy, who switched his allegiance from Egypt in June of this year.
It’s his first event wearing the England colours and Perry said: “He’s obviously a legend of the game and wearing the England colours means a lot to him, so it’s a real privilege to be alongside him for for this tournament.
“He’s a great addition to the team, and we’ll be hoping to do well this week. I might need to work on my coaching though and ask him actually how he likes to be coached because I think I just went over after the first game and it was a bit like, I’m not sure what I can tell him actually that he doesn’t already know.
“I think a lot of it is about just supporting each other. He was very good during my match and I’ll try and return the favour if I can.”
Result
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) 4-0: 7-5, 7-4, 7-1, 7-4 (25m)
ElShorbagy Sees Off Chileshe
World No.4 Mohamed ElShorbagy made it an England double as he dispatched World No.99 Lwamba Chileshe to ensure his country will end the afternoon at the top of Pool B.
The former World No.1 came out all guns blazing and swept his opponent away in an opening-game salvo which saw him drop just a single point.
Backed by his home crowd, Chileshe was able to get more points on the board in the second and looked more relaxed as he put in some nice winners to draw level.
That proved to be a temporary respite, though, as ElShorbagy redoubled his efforts to take the next three games, culminating in a 7-0 triumph in game five.
“I’m really happy to get my first England cap with a win,” ElShorbagy said.
“It was a good match, it’’s very different with the format, it was quick-fire.
“It was a very proud day for me to be representing England officially for my first time and I hope it continues.
“I didn’t start the second game very well and all of a sudden I found myself 3-0 down. Before I knew it, he was a few points away from winning the game. You forget sometimes that there is a bit of time and you can get away with it up to 11 if you lose focus a little bit in the first game.
“But today there was no time, and I think it was good for me that it happened because as the tournament progresses, you know that it’s different tactically and it’s a different mentality.
“You can’t really lose focus at all in the game, especially at the beginning of each game. It kind of teaches you a lot about how to play that new format and it was fun.
“SJ and I spoke about tactics this morning regarding how to use it [the Powerplay]. We’re going to keep these tactics to ourselves for now and we’re going to probably use them when we need to.
“SJ’s been England No.1 for a long time on the women’s side and she’s a fantastic ambassador for England. She did amazing in the Commonwealth Games, she’s had so many medals, you lose count.
“It’s good that both of us are teaming up, you have No.1 for England on the men’s and women’s side and we’re coming full guns here.”
Result
Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) 4-1: 7-1, 3-7, 7-4, 7-1, 7-0 (25m)
New Zealand A v Australia
King Downs Turnbull
World No.5 Joelle King got the better of Jessica Turnbull in a fast-paced five-game encounter on the opening day, giving New Zealand A the lead in their contest with Australia.
Both players started well, but the first game went the way of the Kiwi, who is featuring on home soil for the first time in over a decade. She then dominated the second game to double her advantage in the contest.
After losing the third game as well, Turnbull came out stronger in the fourth game and led 6-2. King fought back to make it 5-6, and opted for a Powerplay to make it match ball. The Aussie was able to take the point to win the fourth 7-5, but the World No.5 regrouped, claiming the fifth game 7-1 to secure victory in half an hour.
“I loved it out there today. I think it’s obviously being at home and seeing some familiar faces as I walked on, but it makes you quite edgy. The new scoring system, I think because nobody’s played it, we didn’t really know exactly what to expect,” King said.
“But I’m actually loving it, I was watching some of the matches before I played and seeing how players are using the Power play. I think it’s quite an exciting thing and you can’t relax for a second, so yeah, good start.
“I mean, as you said, we’ve done really well in the past before, but it’s a new event and it’s a completely different set up. So we’ve got a bit on it from today’s match. The pool play is quite tough. you know, we’ve got such a strong pool, but you know, you can only do as well as you can do.
“And I think we’re just both excited to be here playing on home soil. It’s funny, it makes it easier in some ways, but it probably brings a bit more pressure, you know, the expectation is high from not only everyone here, but from ourselves.
“So it’s kind of making sure that you don’t get carried away or take your foot off the pedal for a second. Obviously, it’s an opportunity to visit family and stuff back home as well. So it’s kind of getting the balance of all of that right. But yeah, I’m trying to just embrace the pressure that comes with it and enjoy every moment.”
Result
Joelle King (NZL) bt Jessica Turnbull (AUS) 4-1: 7-5, 7-1, 7-5, 5-7, 7-1 (30m)
Coll Overcomes Hedrick
World No.2 Paul Coll made sure New Zealand secured victory in their opening night clash with Australia, as he defeated Rex Hedrick in four games.
In front of the home crowd, Coll started slowly, but he was able to fight back and take the first game 7-5 with some of his signature squash.
The World No.2 remained in control throughout the rest of the contest, and went on to win in straight games, to delight the home fans at the Trustpower Baypark in Tauranga. New Zealand come out of the tie with eight games won, and sit 2nd in Group A behind Canada.
“Yeah, it was great, me and Rexy have had, you know, great mates from, back in the day. We’ve played countless battles back in Aussie in the 5ks [Challenger 5 level tournaments],” Coll said.
“So yeah, I think for both of us, it was enjoyable to get on court again with each other and obviously me with my home crowd, it was also really nice for the first match to play against him and with the crowd it was, it was good fun.
“[On playing with Joelle King] Yeah, we’re great friends, you know, we’ve had a lot of nice experiences together, a lot of horrible experiences together, so that sort of builds a real good relationship. And, you know, we’re super close. We enjoy playing squash with each other and it’s nice to be on the New Zealand team on our home shore with her.
[On the new scoring format] Yeah, I didn’t really think too much about it. But you know, when I was on there, sort of every point is a big point. You know, I lost the first four points in the first set and it was already half the set gone, so you’ve sort of got to be a bit more ready to go from the word go because every every rally is a big rally and an important point. So it was interesting. You know, it was good fun, pressure packed points from the word go and yeah, I really enjoyed it.”
Result
Paul Coll (NZL) bt Rex Hedrick (AUS) 4-0: 7-4, 7-3, 7-5, 7-4 (36m)
Europe v USA
Gilis Defeats Clyne In Tight Contest
Belgium’s Nele Gilis opened up Team Europe’s account with a 4-1 victory over the USA’s Olivia Clyne, in a battle that lasted more than 40 minutes in Tauranga.
The first three games all finished with a 7-6 scoreline, showing how close the two players were matches in the early stages. Gilis took the first couple to hold a healthy advantage, and she then led 6-5 in the third. However, a timely Powerplay from the American saw her win the final point, and with it being with double, she flipped the score line to make it 7-6 in her favour, cutting the gap to 2-1 in games.
The match continued to be tight into the fourth game, but Gilis was able to just keep Clyne at bay throughout. She then did the same in the fifth game as well to wrap up a 4-1 victory, and give Team Europe a great start in the tie.
“I wasn’t really sure how to approach it [the new scoring system]. I had been thinking about it a lot, but luckily I was able to watch the previous matches and yeah, I kinda saw what they were doing with the Power play and how long the games were in comparison to other matches. But it was fun. It was fun,” the Belgian said.
“It kind of makes me a bit like, like, ‘Oh, no, Power play’ [opponents using them]. So, yeah, it made me a bit edgy or something, yeah.
“We’re [herself and Sebastien Bonmalais] good friends, so we get along really well. He’s very laid back, so, you know, he’s a good team mate, and I’m actually really excited to be Team Europe with him. Maybe just like about when to use the power play and like, we’ll talk to each other in between games and stuff. So yeah, it works well.”
Result
Nele Gilis (EUR) bt Olivia Clyne (USA) 4-1: 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, 7-5 (41m)
Bonmalais Survives Seven-Gamer
Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais had to go the distance to defeat American Timothy Brownell on the opening day of the Nations Cup, giving Team Europe their second win of the tie.
After seeing Nele Gilis win 4-1, the Frenchman then started strongly, and by winning the first two games, he had sealed the tie for the European team. He did so after dropping the first five points of the opening salvo, before then going on to win both the second and third games 7-2.
From there, though, Brownell fought back, and defended a match ball with a well-timed Powerplay to win the fourth game 7-6. The American then carried the momentum into the fifth and sixth games, sending the match into a decider. Bonmalais was able to recover well, coming through to take it 7-3, to claim the win, and to move Team Europe to the top of Pool B.
“It is quite different. I like it! Seven points is quite fast! I just want to play fast and with intensity to the game. I know I can take a break after seven points. It is just hard to keep the focus, with the Powerplay and the video review, it is quite new but I like it,” Bonmalais said.
“I just tried to find my lengths and accuracy because I totally lost them. I lost my focus a bit, I was a bit off. He was playing well and he took his opportunity every time. The Powerplay messed up with my head, I was 6-5 up match ball, and after he won that, I tried to rebuild and keep it simple.
“It is a good team! She [Nele Gilis] is playing well and we are a good team! Maybe we can make some upsets, let’s see!”
Result
Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt Timothy Brownell (USA) 4-3: 7-5, 7-2, 7-2, 6-7, 3-7, 3-7, 7-3 (61m)
