I’ve been looking forward to Nash Cup all year. Its one of my favourite events- partly because I had a great result last year- but mainly because the atmosphere at the club is incredible. Everyone is very welcoming, excited about squash, and easy to talk to.
Nash Cup started out a little rough this year. The morning after I landed in London I woke up with food poisoning and spent the morning getting sick. However, I was determined to go hit at the club and try to get used to the courts. I had a hit with Misaki, and while it was better than expected, I felt pretty weak and tired. Luckily, after a day of lounging at the courts, I started to feel better and slowly regained my appetite. That night I watched a couple of qualifying matches before having dinner back at my billets.
On Wednesday I woke up with a lot of energy and felt great and ready to compete. I played Alison Thompson from England. I played her once before two years ago but hadn’t played her since; however, I had seen her play many times and knew she would run down every ball and would be a tough competitor. Once our match started I felt really confident on court, everything was working, and I was able to control a lot of the rallies. Happy to win 3-0.
Onto the quarters against Fiona Moverley! Fiona and I have competed at many of the same tournaments, but have never played against each other. Going into the match I knew she would be tough to beat since she has really good ball control and plays at a fast pace. While I put up a good fight, the match didn’t end in my favour and I lost 3-1. I’m disappointed with the result but overall I feel like my game is coming along and I am making smarter decisions and dealing with the pressure better than I used to.
My next tournament- the Netsuite Open- starts Sunday, September 24th in San Francisco. My first round match will be in qualifying against Latasha Khan. Wish me luck!
Danielle Letourneau 