Elani and Lume Landman retained their NYC Open at The University Club of New York in a replay of the 2022 final. The twin sisters, originally from South Africa, cruised to victory with a 3-0 win over top seeds and #1 ranked team, Kayley Leonard and Maria Elena Ubina. Two close fought games was rounded out with a deceive third game from the South Africans, as they used great length and variation to open up the court allowing them to punish Leonard/Ubina in the front left corner.
Both Landman/Landman and Leonard/Ubina had to battle their way to the finals, with long 3/2 wins over their semi final opponents. Leonard/Ubina came through a seesaw match with Georgina Stoker and Suzie Pierrepont, with both teams looking in control at various points only for Leonard/Ubina to start the 5th too strongly for Stoker/Pierrepont to battle back. Landman/Landman came close to relinquishing a 2-0 lead in their semi final against Katie Tutrone and Victoria Simmonds. Simmonds, a late addition to the draw after Nikki Todd was called away to represent Canada in the PanAm games in Chile, found her attacking range in the 3rd and 4th games as Tutrone upped her court coverage to push the match to a 5th game. Much like the semi final before it, the team who started the 5th well prevailed.
This event, started in 2015, saw the UCNY squash program extremely well represented with seven members appearing in the draw, as well as Head Pro, Suzie Pierrepont. The University Club, fast becoming the strongest adult women’s program in the country, has an extremely active membership which includes World #1 Kayley Leonard, #16 Jess Davis, #26 Gabby Garr, #28 Ashley Tidman, #29 Lindsay Stanley, #34 Nicole Kendall, and #45 Taryn Clary.
