Curtis Malik: 2022 Year In Review

As we come to the end of 2022, we have taken the time to speak to some of the Tour’s stars of the year, and this time, it’s England’s Curtis Malik.

The Englishman, who is one of a strong family of players, including brother Perry and sister Torrie, the latter of whom claimed her maiden Tour title.

Curtis Malik secured three titles in 2022, with those victories coming across two nations. His first win was the NTA Squash Classic in Boston, MA, United States, before then winning the Hove Ampito Squash Open and Northern Joe Cup on home soil.

The Englishman started the year just inside the world’s top 100, and moved up 34 places to a career-high of World No.61 in October, though he now currently sits at the World No.66 spot.

Curtis Malik

World Ranking – January: World No.95
World Ranking – December: World No.66 (best of World No.61 in October)
Titles Won:
– NTA Squash Classic (Challenger 10 level)
– Hove Ampito Squash Open (10)
– Northern Joe Cup (5)

Take a look at what Malik had to say right here.

“That [Boston NTA Classic] was actually the first time I competed outside of England since COVID. It’s kind of a big deal and it’s good because of traveling again, and Nick Taylor always puts on a good event for players and, yeah, I managed to play well throughout the tournament, get into the final without dropping many games.

“And then in the finals, it was a really, really long and brutal match and like, it kind of got a bit, a little bit physical the closer it got, and unfortunately, the other guy took it a little bit too far in the, in the fifth game. 

“We were at about 95 minutes at that point and then got to a point where I was up 6-1 in the lead and then I got forced to stop the match due to the excessive physical contact but that’s been resolved now between both of us and yeah, overall was a really good tournament out there.

“I think it’s, overall it’s been a really, really good year for me and it’s nice to like, consistently put good tournaments back to back together, like win quite a few events and come up the rankings.

“I think I was like World No.150-odd just after COVID and then like a year later managed to get up to around 60 or 61. So I can’t be too un-pleased with that it’s gone better than I probably thought and hoped it would.

On winning the Hove Ampito Open, where he won all four matches in five games…

“The first match was a bit of a shocker really, I played alright but I just somehow managed to find a way to win 3-2 [against] Viktor, Viktor Byrtus and then, so I snuck that one, then I played Joe Lee in the quarters.

“I think he was the top seed [actually No.2] I’m not sure, but like I played him four times that season and lost 3-0 every time. So I went into that match with kind of no pressure and just [to] see how well I can do and I found myself 2-0 up. Then I dropped the next two and I managed to win the fifth quite, quite convincingly then that put me into the semis and I felt pretty confident going into that.

“I felt a bit fatigued and tired because two tough five setters made me feel a little bit like drained and stuff. But I managed to find a way again in that match to not prolong it too much more than an hour and again, in that fifth game I managed to win quite well.

“And then in the final it was probably the weirdest feeling as it was one of the best I felt all week even after three 3-2s. The first two games I was a little bit like sluggish, but then I got stronger as the match went on, which is kind of strange.

“And then by the end of the fifth game, I thought, I have another game in me and that was an 85 minute match. So it’s kind of the one of the weirdest weeks of my squash career. But I was.. I would still say it’s my most proudest PSA Tour win so far.

On travelling and playing alongside family members…

“Yeah I guess a lot of my training is around putting in like tough days back to back in training. So like I do four or five tough days in a row and then maybe take a day or two a bit lighter and those kind of sessions and days help prepare for these types of matches cause there’s so much stress and pressure that goes into these matches that you’ve got to do as much as you can try to be prepared for them.

You know, again, a great tournament [Northern Joe Cup] for a really, really great cause as well. And is a really well-run event and like it, yeah, it’s nice to come away with a win. And Torrie [Malik, Curtis’ sister] like you said, Torrie almost won and just lost in the final, but it’s really good when we, when we can travel together.

“I think whenever we can, we try and choose to. It’s always good to have, like, a travel companion, someone that you can talk to and just like, train with and hang out with, especially when you’re going to new places and new tournaments and stuff. 

On his week at the Nash Cup…

“That was a really positive week for me because I, like I said, I came off the back of like four or five week training block after the Northern Joe Cup. And I went to Nash Cup, but I knew every match I had would be really tough. You know, even my first round I had Alfredo Avila, so I knew going into that match it would be tough, but I managed to get through that 3-0 so that kind of put me in good stead for the week.

“I backed it up with a good win against Andrew Douglas and then managed to beat Henry Leung in the semis from Hong Kong and in the final, I think it was one of those ones where I was kind of a bit shocked to be in the final.

“But then, yeah, I didn’t produce my best squash but I can’t take anything away from Nathan [Lake] that day because he played really, really well. But it was just nice to get jump that bridge between the Challenger 10s and the Challenger 20, to actually make the final and put in a good performance all week.

“It’s really tough to make those jumps, especially like, you can get lots of good wins here and there. But if you’re not like reaching finals or even like winning titles, it gets really hard to move anywhere because a couple of weeks ago in the Czech [Open], I had a couple of good wins, I beat [Omar] Mosaad in the second round and then lost in a tight match with Dimitri [Steinmann] in the quarters of a Challenger 30 but that only gets you certain points and that really only keeps you where you are.

“So it sometimes doesn’t matter how big your win is, you have to keep winning to actually like jump up the rankings. So it’s a really tough spot to be in right now. So I’ve just got to put in a good block this next, over Christmas and hopefully by the time the New Year comes around, I’ll be able to consistently back up those results.

On featuring at the Hong Kong Open and the future…

“The whole event [Hong Kong Open] was just, there’s just such a different feel going to those events, that type of event compared to the lower Challenger Tour events. To be among those top players and see what they’re doing on a day to day basis.

“The organisation, everything, the preparation needed, it just felt so much more professional. And it’s exactly something I want to be involved in nearly every tournament. So yeah, I’m going to do whatever I can to be in more of those platinum events this, this coming season.

“To get in those tournaments, I need to be at least in the top kind of 50-ish bracket, unless I sneak in with a late withdrawal or something. So if I want to get in those tournaments consistently, I’ve got to get my ranking higher. And to do that, I’ve got to continue to do those Challenger 20s and 30s and get into the latter stages of the semis and finals, that’s where the bigger points are.

“So I can’t see myself doing any Challenger 5s anymore, maybe the odd Challenger 10 here and there depending on what the schedule is looking like, I’m going to be doing those 20s and 30s and sneaking in those Bronzes and trying to get good results.

“And again, I’d like to see myself inside that top 40 in the world and getting to those Platinums and getting through a round or two in those and trying to reach the last 16, last 32 of those Platinum events and pushing those top 20 players now.

“I went from like last year not ever having played a top 30 player to like within the last six weeks playing like five or six top 30 players. And that’s what, that’s what I need.

“I’m learning so much from playing those players and I feel like every time I play them, I get a little bit closer and you learn more about yourself, about the type of game you need to play against top players. And I just want more of those opportunities the rest of the season.”

See what Curtis had to say in full here on our YouTube channel ⬇️