St. James Classic Preview: Abbas Finding Joy On Court

The St. James Women’s 20K Classic presented by Expression Networks begins on Tuesday, March 14 and Egypt’s Nada Abbas is happy to be back on court.

The Egyptian spent time away from the game, after accepting a six-month period of ineligibility following a positive test for a banned substance in El Gouna last year.

Now though, after making her return to the Tour earlier this year, the 22-year-old is happy to be back on court and doing what she enjoys the most.

“Being back bring me joy and I truly feel blessed considering everything I’ve been through. It just makes my return that more meaningful,” she explained.

“A tough year that resulted in several setbacks and I certainly was not in the best place emotionally, nor mentally. However, I feel that I’ve recovered now and I’m ready to focus on my squash only and throw everything behind my back.

“The past eight months were not a break to relax, I was balancing everything that happened with practice. Now, I’m focusing on enjoying myself on court, get more matches under my belt, and  focus on my performance on every match I play so I can get closer and closer to the results I desire.”

Abbas will be the No.2 seed for this week’s Challenger 20 level competition in Springfield, though that will not be changing the way she is preparing for the event. She is also more worried about the process and her performances, knowing that improvements in her world ranking will come as part of that.

“Being the No.2 seed doesn’t place pressure on me as I’m focusing on enjoying my squash, improving my performance, and focusing on each match on its own.

“Rankings are important but at this stage of the process, getting my footing back and playing more matches is key. I will focus on performing better with more matches and eventually my rank will reflect that with time.”

Fellow Egyptians Farida Mohamed and Jana Shiha will be in the top three seeds for the competition, with Mohamed as the tournament’s leading player. Hong Kong’s Chan Sin Yuk will round out the top four this week in Springfield.

Canadian No.1 Danielle Letourneau will continue her return from injury, while Lucy Beecroft, fresh off the back of making the final at the Calgary CFO Consulting Services Women’s Squash Week, will also be seed. Fellow Englishwoman Katie Malliff and Latvia’s Ineta Mackevica make up the rest of the top eight seeds.

Marina Stefanoni will be the leading American on home soil this week, as part of the 9/16 seeding bracket. She will be joined in the draw by Maria Alejandra Porras, who will be one of the tournament’s two wildcards. Maria Moya, the Ecuadorian No.1, will be the other wildcard this week.

The event takes place from Tuesday, March 14 to Saturday, March 18 at the St. James in Springfield, where Nada Abbas will be aiming to take the title. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

First Round Draw: St. James Women’s 20K Classic presented by Expression Networks
[1] Farida Mohamed (EGY) – [Bye]
Menna Hamed (EGY) v [9/16] Marina Stefanoni (USA)
[9/16] Marta Dominguez Fernandez v Xin Ying Yee (MAS)
[6] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) – [Bye]
[7] Ineta Mackevica (LAT) – [Bye]
Alicia Mead (ENG) v [9/16] Nadia Pfister (SUI)
[9/16] Nardine Garas (EGY) v Alex Haydon (AUS)
[3] Jana Shiha (EGY) – [Bye]
[4] Chan Sin Yuk (HKG) – [Bye]
[WC] Maria Alejandra Porras (USA) v [9/16] Chan Yiwen (MAS)
[9/16] Salma Eltayeb (EGY) v Tessa ter Sluis (NED)
[5] Danielle Letourneau (CAN) – [Bye]
[8] Katie Malliff (ENG) – [Bye]
[WC] Maria Moya (ECU) v [9/16] Sarah Cardwell (AUS)
[9/16] Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) v Diana Garcia (MEX)
[2] Nada Abbas (EGY) – [Bye]