Calgary natives and Princeton graduates David Letourneau & Kelly Shannon celebrated their maiden title amidst their first full season on the SDA Pro Tour at the 2020 Hashim Khan Sunday, March 1, at the Denver Athletic Club in Colorado.
The northern Rocky Mountain natives entered top half of the SDA Bronze draw and opened up their campaign by winning an all-Canadian affair against Viktor Berg & Thomas Brinkman 15-14, 12-15, 15-12, 15-11.
Denver native and SDA veteran Preston Quick returned from retirement with Graham Bassett, and proceeded to knock out top seeds Matt Domenick & Adam Perkiomaki in the first round 15-10, 14-15, 15-6, 15-12. Letourneau & Shannon then spoiled the Quick comeback with a three-game semifinal win.
In the bottom half of the draw, Eric Bedell & Jordan Greenberg fulfilled their seeding, reaching the final with a semifinal victory against Duncan Maxwell & Justin Todd 15-11, 15-14, 14-15, 15-10.
In the final, Letourneau & Shannon rebounded from dropping the first game to clinch their first title 13-15, 15-3, 15-9, 15-14.
“It feels great to have finally ‘put it together’ for an entire event after playing together for most of the season,” Letourneau said. “We actually grew up playing doubles badminton together in Calgary, so I was having childhood flashbacks out there. Thanks to the DAC, the tournament organizers, sponsors and our hosts for a great event. Thanks for making us feel at home.”
The SDA Tour will add another Rocky Mountain event to the calendar next season with Calgary set to host its first professional doubles event.
“For those that don’t know, we have a thriving doubles squash community in Calgary,” Letourneau said. “The city has four courts–3 recently built–that are jam-packed throughout the season. I think an SDA event will only add to the energy at the city. Expect big–and boisterous—crowds next year! We can’t wait for the event.”