With the CDC’s directive to cancel or postpone any gatherings of 50 or more persons in the next 8 weeks, the SDA and the promoters of the Buffalo Club Pro Doubles have agreed to postpone the event until the situation improves.
Tavern Club Open, R&TC Challenger cancelled due to COVID-19
After careful consideration, the SDA Board of Directors and event promoters have agreed to cancel this year’s Tavern Club Open and R&TC Challenger. While this is no doubt disappointing to SDA players and supporters, the safety of players, club members, and their communities is the highest priority. The SDA will be closely monitoring the coronavirus outbreak and will make a decision regarding the Buffalo Club Pro Doubles and SDA Combine in the coming weeks.
Calgary’s Letourneau & Shannon Celebrate Maiden Title in Denver
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.”
March 2020 Rankings
| 1-Mar | Name | Country | Tournaments | Average | 1-Feb |
| 1 | Manek Mathur | India | 6 | 4600.500 | 2 |
| 2 | John Russell | England | 9 | 4443.750 | 3 |
| 3 | Chris Callis | USA | 9 | 4417.083 | 1 |
| 4 | Scott Arnold | Australia | 9 | 3992.917 | 4 |
| 5 | James Stout | England | 10 | 3400.000 | 6 |
| 6 | Greg McArthur | Scotland | 8 | 3327.083 | 5 |
| 7 | Yvain Badan | Switzerland | 9 | 3250.000 | 7 |
| 8 | Robin Clarke | Canada | 9 | 2695.833 | 9 |
| 9 | Zac Alexander | Australia | 8 | 2604.583 | 8 |
| 10 | Bernardo Samper | Colombia | 8 | 2462.917 | 10 |
| 11 | James Bamber | England | 9 | 2341.667 | 11 |
| 12 | Mike Ferreira | England | 8 | 2121.667 | 12 |
| 13 | Will Mariani | Canada | 10 | 1845.000 | 13 |
| 14 | Will Hartigan | USA | 6 | 1823.500 | 14 |
| 15 | Colin West | Canada | 9 | 1572.813 | 20 |
| 16 | Adam Bews | Scotland | 13 | 1538.819 | 19 |
| 17 | John Roberts | Ireland | 6 | 1516.000 | 17 |
| 18 | Hameed Ahmed | Finland | 8 | 1503.438 | 18 |
| 19 | Omar El Kashef | Egypt | 8 | 1426.458 | 22 |
| 20 | Graham Bassett | USA | 13 | 1379.792 | 21 |
Stout & Badan Capture First David C. Johnson Jr. Title
SDA veterans James Stout & Yvain Badan enjoyed their first title breakthrough at the sport’s oldest professional event–the David C. Johnson Jr. Memorial–Sunday, February 23, at the Heights Casino in Brooklyn, New York.
The SDA Platinum draw experience an early adjustment after two-time Johnson champion and world No. 2 Manek Mathur was forced to withdraw due to injury. The resulting shift saw world No. 1 Chris Callis team up with Eric Bedell and realign as the three seeds, while Stout & Badan shifted to the top of the draw as the two seeds.
The Johnson attracted four qualifying draws that began the busy week of squash doubles. The most notable qualifiers proved to be former Australian PSA professionals Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley who continue to display their improving squash doubles play. The Aussies upset Canadians Will Mariani & Justin Todd in the first round and pushed four seeds Mike Ferreira & Will Hartigan in a tight four-game quarterfinal.
In the bottom half of the draw, defending champion Zac Alexander partnered with fellow Aussie Scott Arnold as the top seeds. Alexander & Arnold nearly exited in the quarterfinals against Clinton Leeuw & Omar El Kashef, but were able to come back from 2-1 down to win 11-15, 15-10, 11-15, 15-9, 15-7. Alexander & Arnold then dispatched Ferreira & Hartigan in a three-game semifinal to set up Alexander’s title defense in the final.
Stout & Badan progressed to the final some difficult match ups. The top seeds bounced back from dropping the first game against Graham Bassett & Hamed Anvari to win their four-game quarterfinal. In the semis, Stout & Badan held off a tough challenge from Bedell & Callis 15-9, 10-15, 15-13, 15-8. The final proved to be one of the best matches of the tournament as Stout & Badan ground out a tactical win 7-15, 15-12, 15-12, 15-13.
“Both Bedell & Callis and Alexander & Arnold were excellent teams,” Badan said. “We went in with a winning game plan in the semis and had to be patient with it to pay off. In the finals, we couldn’t implement our strategy in the first game, so we had to regroup and make adjustments. Both matches were very demanding physically, which sometimes can disrupt your concentration and ultimately your strategy. Luckily for us, we were able to stay focused, and play the big points well.”
“We knew it was going to be a tough tournament going into the event, and it did not disappoint,” Stout said. “Eric Bedell & Chris Callis were playing well after their quarterfinal win and Zac Alexander & Scott Arnold have both won major tournaments this season. Yvain and I were able to adapt our game plan when necessary and managed to play the big points well. We have gotten used to playing these long, physically exhausting, drawn out matches that although are exciting (similar to regular chess), are much different from the quick, power hitting, blitz style that some teams incorporate. The key is being able to play–and stick to–our game plan.”
Having both finished as runners up before in Brooklyn, Stout & Badan now join the illustrious list of past Johnson champions spanning back to 1938. Stout & Badan mark their second title of the season together having won the Big Apple Open. The result will send Stout back up to world No. 5 in March’s rankings.
“Having both lost in the final in previous years, it felt incredible to finally lift the winners trophy and get our names alongside some of the best doubles players of all time,” Stout said. “The tournament is really well organized and the gallery is always packed with enthusiastic supporters throughout the weekend. We would like to say a special thank you to the Heights Casino and everyone involved in this marquee event.”
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Badan said. “It is not only special to win the Johnson because of the charisma and history of this tournament, but also special because of its people: it is a passionate group of squash doubles connoisseurs. We would like to thank everyone at the Casino, Adam Bews & his team, as well as Graham Bassett and the SDA for making the event exceptional.”
The SDA Tour now heads west to Denver, Colorado, for the SDA Bronze Hashim Khan February 28-March 1.