Calgary CFO Consulting Services PSA Women’s Squash Week: Marshall Wins Thriller, Allinckx Impresses on Day One

Switzerland’s Ambre Allinckx caused one of three upsets on day one of the Calgary CFO Consulting Services PSA Women’s Squash Week, while England’s Kiera Marshall edged a five-game thriller in the final match of the day. 

Playing the Netherlands’ Tessa ter Sluis – a player ranked 22 places above her in the world rankings – Allinckx produced a dominant display to win 3-0 in just 19 minutes. 

She dropped only 11 points in the match and will now hope to carry that form into a second-round encounter with World No.41 and No.3 seed Salma Eltayeb. 

Later in the day, Marshall fought back from 2-1 down to sink Colombia’s Lucia Bautista, booking a second-round clash with No.2 seed Georgia Adderley. 

Marshall and Bautista split the first two games, both 11-9, before playing a lengthy third which went deep into a tiebreak. 

Both players saw game balls come and go, with Marshall saving three and Bautista two, before the Colombian eventually took her fourth opportunity, clinching the game 15-13 to move within one game of round two. 

At 7-4 up in the fourth, Bautista then had victory within her reach, but Marshall dug deep, winning seven of the next nine points to keep her hopes alive. 

The deciding fifth followed a similar pattern, with the Colombian racing out to an early lead, only for that lead to be erased by the 22-year-old, who closed out the match 11-8 in the fifth. 

Ireland’s Hannah Craig was the only other [9/16] seed to go out in round one, losing 3-1 to Poland’s Karina Tyma, who overcame a slow start to win 3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 in 40 minutes. 

Recently-crowned NSA Individual National Champion Saran Nghiem and Egypt’s Nour Heikal were among the other winners on day one, beating Iman Shaheen and Catalina Pelaez respectively. 

The action continues all week long in Calgary, with every match streaming live on the Calgary Women’s Squash Week Facebook page. Click here to watch. 

You can also stay up to date with all the results on the PSA Challenger Tour here.