Guilfoyle Squash Classic Preview: Baillargeon Aiming For Second Win In Toronto

The Guilfoyle PSA Squash Classic takes place in Toronto this week, and Canadian No.1 David Baillargeon is aiming to win the title for a second time.

The Challenger 10 level men’s competition will be held at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club in Canada, and will feature a strong 16-man draw, where all bar two are members of the world’s top 100.

Both Baillargeon and Argentinian No.1 Leandro Romiglio have been victorious at the Toronto CSCC in the past, and we spoke to the Canadian prior to the event. 

He is coming straight from Calgary, where he claimed his sixth Tour title, winning the MRU Open. Baillargeon, who has taken two of those wins in the 2022-2023 campaign, would love to grab another win on home soil in Toronto this week.

“I’m really happy with the way I played last week, I’m changing a few things in my game at the moment and it all seemed to click together in Calgary,” he explained. 

“It’s always special to win a title at home, the crowd was behind me all week long and it surely helped loads. I’m also glad I won having the pressure of being the top seed of the tournament, which isn’t an easy feat as everyone is gunning for you. 

“I’ve only got a couple of days off before I’m back on court in Toronto. I’m confident with the way I’m playing at the moment and I’ll be looking to find my groove again, at sea level this time. 

“The tactics will be quite different on this great concrete court but I’ve won this tournament before so I definitely feel good playing at the Toronto Cricket Club, again having the home crowd advantage. 

“It’d be amazing [to win again], the crowd at the Toronto Cricket Club is usually massive when the weekend comes as there’s a big junior tournament happening at the same time ! Personally, it’d consolidate the fact that I’m doing the right things and choices in training even though I’m confident I’m on the right track.”

Baillargeon was the top seed last week at Mount Royal University, but he will be the No.6 seed in a strong draw in Toronto this time round. Having moved up to a career-high of World No.52 following his victory on Sunday, he is now closer to his end-of-season goal. 

“My goal is the same, winning the event, but there’s a bit less pressure on me to do so which hopefully will result in me being a bit less tense on court!” the Canadian admitted.

“I’ve got three tournaments in Canada in the next 3 weeks so a few more good results in the coming weeks and I’ll be there. I’ve had in mind to make top 46 before the end on the season so I can enter all the Platinum events next season. Almost there!”

There will be an American trio amongst the top five seeds for the competition. Todd Harrity will be the top seed, with compatriots Faraz Khan and Timothy Brownell also in action. England’s Nathan Lake and Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau, both coming off strong performances at the Squash On Fire Open in Washington, D.C. will also be among those top five.

Baillargeon will then be the No.6 seed, with the other former champion in Toronto, Argentina’s Leandro Romiglio, as the No.8 seed. England’s Curtis Malik will be the other member of the top eight seeds for the Challenger 10 level competition.

Two more Englishmen, in Charlie Lee and Ben Smith, along with the American duo of Christopher Gordon and Spencer Lovejoy will also be in action this week. The tournament’s wildcard will be the second Canadian in the draw, in World No.143 Liam Marrison.

The event takes place from Wednesday, March 1 to Saturday, March 4 at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, where David Baillargeon will be aiming for his second title in as many weeks. 

Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event. You can also keep up to date with live scores from the Challenger 10 level tournament on our website here.

First Round Draw: Guilfoyle PSA Squash Classic
[1] Todd Harrity (USA) v Ben Smith (ENG)
Alfredo Avila (MEX) v [5] Timothy Brownell (USA)
[7] Curtis Malik (ENG) v [WC] Liam Marrison (CAN)
Christopher Gordon (USA) v [3] Faraz Khan (USA)
[4] Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) v Spencer Lovejoy (USA)
Charlie Lee (ENG) v [6] David Baillargeon (CAN)
[8] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) v Abhay Singh (IND)
Arturo Salazar (MEX) v [2] Nathan Lake (ENG)