Get ready for an electrifying night of squash at the Brisbane Australian Open! We're diving into the quarter-finals of this prestigious PSA gold-tier event, held at the stunning South Bank Piazza on the banks of the Brisbane River.
Join us as the world's elite players battle it out under the setting sun. This is day three of the tournament, and we're focusing on the top half of the draw, featuring incredible talent and gripping matches.
With expert insights from squash legends Dame Susan Devoy and Lisa Aitken, we'll break down the key matchups. From seasoned pros like Paul Cole to emerging stars like Jonah Bryant and Melville Siena Manico, witness the future of squash unfold.
Don't miss the drama as Naila Hillis faces off against Aifa Azmin, with the added intrigue of a walkover for Siva Sangari Subramaniam due to injury. This is more than just a game; it's a showcase of skill, determination, and the vibrant spirit of Australian sport.
#SquashAustralianOpen #PSASquashTour #BrisbaneSquash
Join us as the world's elite players battle it out under the setting sun. This is day three of the tournament, and we're focusing on the top half of the draw, featuring incredible talent and gripping matches.
With expert insights from squash legends Dame Susan Devoy and Lisa Aitken, we'll break down the key matchups. From seasoned pros like Paul Cole to emerging stars like Jonah Bryant and Melville Siena Manico, witness the future of squash unfold.
Don't miss the drama as Naila Hillis faces off against Aifa Azmin, with the added intrigue of a walkover for Siva Sangari Subramaniam due to injury. This is more than just a game; it's a showcase of skill, determination, and the vibrant spirit of Australian sport.
#SquashAustralianOpen #PSASquashTour #BrisbaneSquash
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NewsTranscript
00:28Welcome to Brisbane Australia.
00:29For the next leg of the PSA squash tour, our venue for this year's gold tier event is the South
00:35Bank Piazza located right here on the banks of the Brisbane River. The world's best players are inside. It's quarter
00:41finals night so we don't want to keep them waiting any longer. It's time to find out who will be
00:45taking centre stage tonight.
00:47G'day Brisbane. Get ready for the squash Australian Open. Join us for an exciting showcase of skill and drama right
00:54here in our beautiful city.
01:01I know I want to feel safe.
01:34Good evening and welcome along to the squash Australian Open.
01:38It's day three, quarter finals night. We're going to be focusing on the top half of the draw at this
01:43gold level event. One of seven gold level events on the PSA squash tour.
01:47And what a fantastic setting that is as the sun goes down here in Brisbane, Australia.
01:52Very good evening to you all. We've got some great guests in the studio with us tonight. Dame Susan Devoy
01:56and Lisa Aitken here to guide us through the matches that we've got coming your way.
02:01We'll have a look at those very shortly. Susan, great to be in Australia. I know we've just come over
02:05from your neck of the woods in New Zealand.
02:06And great to have the world tour down in the Southern Hemisphere once again.
02:10Yeah, it's fantastic. You know, I've been at the New Zealand Open in Christchurch. It's somewhat colder than the temperatures
02:16here.
02:17But it's great that we've got these gold and silver events back in the Southern Hemisphere. It's really important for,
02:22you know, squashing this part of the country.
02:24The players love it as well, don't they, Lisa? They're coming down here. The vibe behind the scenes is really
02:29positive.
02:29Yeah, certainly at this time of year. I think the players have been in the cold temperatures of America and
02:35having to wrap up.
02:36So, yeah, it's great to be here. I mean, this venue, I keep saying all week, it's absolutely perfect for
02:40squash.
02:41And yeah, it's a welcome break from the cold for the players.
02:44Let's have a look at the order of play for today. As I said, it is quarterfinals night, but there
02:49is a match missing from our rundown there.
02:51The third match down, Siva Sangari Subramanian will get a walk over Ira Asman. Asman just not recovering from a
02:58hamstring injury.
02:59A slight tweak there, and she's not going to risk it tonight.
03:02But other than that, the schedule is as is with Aifa Asman, her sister, in action against Naila Killis to
03:09kickstart things.
03:10And then, obviously, some action there for you, Susan, with Paul Cole up against Auguste Dussault and Melville Siena Manico
03:17up against Jonah Bryant, our last match of the evening.
03:20So, what are we looking forward to there, Susan? What pops for you?
03:22Well, I think, you know, I'm a bit of a Paul Cole groupie. It's hard not to be a fan,
03:28hard not to be a fan of Paul's.
03:30But, you know, I think it's interesting, isn't it? We've got two sisters, two sets of sisters in the world
03:35top ten.
03:36I mean, how many sports could say that? I think Naila is, you know, after probably a little bit disappointed
03:42from losing to her sister in the New Zealand Open,
03:45and she'll be wanting to get through to the semis tonight.
03:49And more importantly, I'm looking forward to the young bucks, you know, at the end of the night.
03:55Two 20-year-olds that are probably going to be the future of squash.
03:59Jonah probably disappointed in his results in New Zealand, looking a bit, I don't know, off colour, out of sorts.
04:05I thought he probably took it a little bit easy and then couldn't get back into it.
04:09And the other young man, well, they're the future, aren't they? I've never heard of him until just recently.
04:15I'm still getting my lips around his name.
04:16And suddenly he's, you know, a star. It's fantastic.
04:20Lisa, your pick of those matches that we'll see tonight?
04:22Yeah, I have to go with that last match. Melville Siani Manico taking on Jonah Bryant.
04:26Two 20-year-olds, the future stars of Europe. You're looking at potentially a remake almost of Gregory Gaultier and
04:34Nick Matthew
04:34that we've seen two former well number ones in the past. So, yeah, their stats are interesting.
04:39They're obviously come out the juniors at the same time. They've played six times in juniors and Jonah Bryant's had
04:44the better of them there.
04:45But coming into their meeting here, their only meeting here on the professional circuit so far, it's the Frenchman that
04:50takes it.
04:51And Siva Sangari Subramaniam will be licking her lips, won't she?
04:54She's straight through to the semifinals because of that injury to the other Azman sister.
04:58So, I guess that's a positive for her or a negative? Would you want to be playing more squash or
05:02will you just take that, will you?
05:04I think I saw her having a pretty decent practice. I think a win's a win and I think most
05:09players will never say that they wanted to play.
05:13So, yeah, no, I think it's interesting. It makes it tougher for the others. You know, they have an extra
05:17match to play.
05:19But, yeah, it'll be a good night squash tonight.
05:22Okay, we've got a lot of things to discuss. So, let's start with Neila Hillis and that run in New
05:26Zealand.
05:27Making it all the way to the finals, remember, but losing out to Tina Hillis in the women's final just
05:31last week.
05:32And she was on some great form to get to that final, wasn't she, Lisa?
05:36Yeah, this was a tricky one for the Belgian, actually.
05:38Aifa Azmin, obviously, she's a very difficult customer to play.
05:41She's got a very difficult style to play against.
05:44And Hillis actually was down in both of those two games against the Malaysia and managed to get through.
05:48And then this one here, Tori Malik, unfortunately, having to retire, you can see the significant strapping that she's got
05:54on that left knee there.
05:55It was a great event for her, getting to her first silver semi-final.
05:59And then, obviously, the match that everyone was waiting for, the battle of the two sisters.
06:03It's a very hot talking point on tour.
06:06And, yes, they're just doing great things for squash in Belgium.
06:09They're smiling there, aren't they, side by side, but it was pretty ferocious on call.
06:12Until the cameras were off. Yeah, exactly.
06:13I think there's an intense rivalry. They're very different personalities.
06:18And whilst I think their squash styles are quite similar, I think their mental approach to the game is quite
06:24different.
06:25How so?
06:26Well, I think Nayla is far more tense and anxious.
06:30Tine seems to be, you know, a little bit more relaxed.
06:34And, you know, I can only imagine how difficult it is to be, you know, to have to play your
06:39sister in the final of a, you know, a tour event.
06:43And there's a lot riding on it. I mean, they've got the Olympics coming up as well.
06:47I mean, there's a lot of tension and pressure.
06:49But, you know, off the court, I know that family means everything to both of them.
06:53So I'm sure they, I'm sure once they close that door, it stays inside.
06:56Anything to add there, Lisa, to that one?
06:58I was just thinking as you were talking there, obviously, there's a few people who have friends.
07:02And when you were on the tour, did you have any? Did you find it difficult to play anyone in
07:05particular?
07:07Um, yeah, I mean, we had lots of fierce rivalries.
07:10Were we all best friends? I don't necessarily think so.
07:13But, you know, the funny thing is all these years later, we're catching up.
07:16You know, I caught up with Lisa Opie at the British Open last year.
07:18I've just caught up with Liz Irving here in Brisbane.
07:22Some great legends, you know, around in the game.
07:24I mean, Heather Mackay is going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday.
07:27You know, suppose, well, not supposedly, the goat of female squash.
07:31So for me...
07:32I thought it was you.
07:33No, no, no.
07:34Oh, come on.
07:35I'm not that, I'm not that egotistical.
07:38I always think that the goat is the greatest of all time at the time.
07:43Yes, that's a very good point.
07:45And comparing people is just a wasted exercise and quite insulting, actually, to the people concerned.
07:50And, of course, everything improves.
07:52People run faster.
07:53The game is totally different than when I played.
07:54That always evolves, doesn't it?
07:55It does evolve.
07:56And, you know, thankfully for that, what we're seeing now in the women's squash in particular is phenomenal.
08:02It's firing on all cylinders, isn't it?
08:03Oh, they're just, you know, it's exciting to watch.
08:06It's athletic.
08:07There's tense rivalries.
08:08It's skillful.
08:09And, you know, that's what we should all be...
08:11I'm just grateful that I got to play the game in my era.
08:15I've got to follow up with what do you think the state of the men's game is then?
08:18You've got some great words for the women, but where are the men lacking?
08:22Well, I mean, you know, it's just a different game.
08:24I mean, I always say that women's sport's not a mini version of men's sport.
08:27It's women's sport.
08:28But, you know, there's a...
08:29But it's not as exciting to watch the women's stuff on the tour.
08:32Well, you know, it's as boring as batshit sometimes, isn't it?
08:34I mean, you know, you have to sit there for a long time.
08:36And no disrespect to certain people.
08:39But, yeah, I just think, you know, when the women play now, you don't know who's going to win.
08:44Yeah.
08:45And amongst those very top, there's nothing between them.
08:47So that makes it exciting.
08:48Exactly.
08:48And I think the skill level is phenomenal in the athleticism.
08:52It's, you know, it's just that we deserve to be there as an equal footing on the stage.
08:55And that's what I'm delighted to see.
08:57I'll just take the opportunity to apologise to any younger viewers that might have been watching there for some of
09:01the colourful language.
09:02The bats are out, though.
09:03You're absolutely very out.
09:04They are, between six and seven.
09:05Yeah, well, it's Australia.
09:06They have bats, you know what, here.
09:07Yeah, everywhere.
09:09Good save.
09:10Good save.
09:11I think we got away with it.
09:12Speaking of the future of men's squash, you highlighted this, the two young lads that we'll see later.
09:17Sianna Manicoe against Bryant.
09:19Let's start with Sianna Manicoe.
09:20He had a great run in Texas.
09:22He beat Mohamed El Shibagi.
09:23He beat Karim Gawad.
09:25Tell us more about this, Lisa.
09:26Yeah, he did.
09:27He faced Nur Zaman, actually, which is up and coming in his first round.
09:30He got through that three games to one.
09:31He's lost him in the past.
09:32It was technically a good win for him.
09:34Coming up against Mohamed El Shibagi is not easy.
09:36You don't know which version you're going to get.
09:38He's been number one world champion.
09:40He's won it all.
09:40And to get over the line against him is incredible.
09:43I don't know if he was dipping in and out of injury, concentration, whatever, but he wasn't 100%.
09:47But this match, Karim Abdel Gawad was 100%.
09:51And he actually played not bad.
09:52It was all credit to Sianna Manicoe.
09:54He came out with a plan.
09:55You know, we see a lot of the junior players or the younger players coming up against these
10:00former world number ones, former champions, and just having a goal.
10:04But Sianna Manicoe had a goal with a plan.
10:06And it was game plan A, game plan B.
10:09And he was very, very organized.
10:10His shot selection, his tactics.
10:12And he knew what he was doing.
10:13And that's why it was three love.
10:15What do you make of these youngsters?
10:16I know that you didn't necessarily know as much about the Frenchman.
10:19I watched it on Squash TV.
10:23Yes, you did.
10:23I think sometimes you just need a breakthrough.
10:26Yeah.
10:26You know, it can be incredibly demoralizing if you're putting in all the effort and you're
10:31not getting the results.
10:31And I think for this young man, he will probably get a lot of self-belief out of that.
10:36And that's, you know, because it is brutal and cutthroat on the tour.
10:41And to get that cut through, I mean, so important for your rankings.
10:45And he'll come here with a real sense of confidence that he hasn't had before.
10:49And anything just to add to wrap on this rival that we're going to see this evening?
10:53What are you expecting from the Frenchman from what you've seen this week?
10:56Yeah, I think he kind of moves like Ali Farag.
10:58We see and talk a lot about the French style's movement.
11:01They're very strong, heavy in the glutes and the quads.
11:03And they move laterally very well. They're very explosive, powerful movers in the game.
11:08He isn't. He's very agile. He's a light frame.
11:10He doesn't have too much muscle on him yet.
11:12And that just gets him around the court super fast.
11:14He's got a great ability to change direction.
11:16So if he gets sent the wrong way, his adjustment steps
11:20and then position that he gets on the ball is very, very impressive.
11:23And that just sets him up to hit consistent quality.
11:26Might have a bit of a shiner tonight as well.
11:28I know he took a bit of a knock against Curtis Malik yesterday in that round two match.
11:31Yeah, he did.
11:32He took a bit of the follow through into the eye.
11:34He was in the front right corner, buried his head in.
11:37And his hand was full of blood.
11:39He took to social media and said that.
11:40But he's got a little bit of a little plaster on,
11:43a little band-aid and he's fine.
11:44Nelly style, if you know the rapper.
11:46His opponent tonight is Jonah Bryant.
11:49Let's talk a little bit about him.
11:5020 years of age as well.
11:51Another one of those players that didn't quite have a good day out in New Zealand.
11:55You watched this one, I think, Susan.
11:57Yeah, I think he looked for a moment that he may have been taking it, you know, a little easy.
12:03And then it sort of got away from him.
12:04I don't know.
12:05But look, you can't be on form all the time.
12:07I think, you know, he'd be really disappointed.
12:09So he's got the opportunity today to show that, you know,
12:12that was just a small blip in the whole scheme of things.
12:16But I was really impressed with him.
12:17I saw him play live for the first time in the British Open last year.
12:19And I just, ironic with a name like Jonah.
12:21Yeah.
12:22And I thought, well, that's the future.
12:24And I think he moves a little bit like Ali Farag too, actually.
12:28They're both quite light on their feet, you know, quite agile, as you said.
12:32And they've got that tall, sort of completely different, someone like Paul and Joel, you know.
12:36So it's great to see the different styles.
12:37I really enjoy that.
12:38And what do you make of Jonah's sort of up and down form this last couple of weeks?
12:42I think Susan just made a really great point.
12:45Being consistent with your form is incredibly difficult.
12:48It's a very long season.
12:49We start, you know, the start of September and we roll right through to June with the
12:53British Open and the World Tour finals there.
12:55So it's hard to keep that level, that form.
12:58And then you've got to take into consideration the amount of matches, the amount of minutes
13:02that he's had on court coming into this.
13:04It's more than he's ever done in his whole life.
13:06Yeah.
13:06He's just 20 years of age.
13:07You know, all eyes are on him.
13:09Yes, he's 11 in the world.
13:10We're waiting for him to break into the top 10.
13:12But we can't expect him to be superhuman as well.
13:16He's going to have dips.
13:16He's going to feel, he's going to come to the other end of the world and not feel very
13:20good.
13:21And I think that's just what we're seeing.
13:22Hard to manage that urgency from an enthusiastic youngster though.
13:26And let's talk about one of the other greats of the sport.
13:29De Soar against Cole is another match that is coming your way this evening.
13:32We'll start with De Soar.
13:33He had a great run here last year, making it all the way to the semifinals.
13:37So just remind us of what happened here in 2025.
13:40Yeah, this was an incredibly scrappy match.
13:42To be honest, as you can see, the first clip we're getting there is the two of them on
13:45the floor.
13:46It was very bitty.
13:47I mean, Jean the Spaniard has got incredible amount of skill and he's got that ability to
13:51send your opponent all over the court whenever he wants.
13:54It got a bit, as I said, yeah, a bit heated.
13:57The referee was involved.
13:58There was obviously not much sportsmanship going on in the end there.
14:01And here we are tied at two all with the match ball for De Soar.
14:05And he got it over the line in the end.
14:06And as you would expect, big, big celebrations.
14:09This was then obviously in the semifinal, the next match for De Soar up against Karim
14:14Abdel-Gawad, who then went on to win the tournament.
14:16So it was a very different situation for him today.
14:19It was all about the squash.
14:20The squash won that day.
14:21And that was a great learning opportunity for him.
14:24Susan, have you had much chance to have a study of this Frenchman?
14:27I know you're going to be rooting for Paul tonight.
14:29We know where your cards are.
14:30Well, funny enough, I met August at Boha Golan's Academy a couple of years ago
14:36when I had just finished walking the French Camino.
14:38Oh, wow.
14:39And I was with a young Kiwi who was training there.
14:41He had no idea who I was.
14:43And some of the questions were really funny, like,
14:45oh, so you're from New Zealand and do you play squash?
14:49So he was about to head down under for the world team.
14:52So I gave him a $10 New Zealand note and said,
14:55I'll shout you a drink if you manage to win a game.
14:57But I think Paul will be too strong.
14:59I mean, I think it must be, you know, mentally hard to go on to face someone like Paul Cole,
15:04knowing that even if you haven't even if Paul's not playing well,
15:08it's going to be a very tough battle.
15:10And so I think that that mental stuff you have to really on top of your game.
15:14What can he get out of tonight's experience against Paul Cole?
15:17I think what we've seen with Dussard is he hasn't won a lot of matches recently.
15:22So the season started, as I said, in September.
15:24He didn't play an event until November in Hong Kong, the silver event there.
15:27He then went on to play Hong Kong, the platinum event.
15:30And then he didn't win any matches there.
15:33So he was coming back from injury.
15:34He then came up against Mohamed El-Shabagi, Paul Cole and Ali Abu El-Anin in the next three platinum
15:39events.
15:40So they're very difficult opponents to come up against.
15:43But what we've seen here is he's finally got two wins in the bank.
15:46So he's he's obviously growing in confidence.
15:48He's over that injury and he's here to play.
15:50Let's talk Paul Cole next.
15:52And here's his run in New Zealand just last week going on to lift the title there.
15:55And he's looking to back it up here.
15:57There's no Mustafa Asal.
15:59Remember, none of the big names.
16:00It's a really good opportunity for Paul Cole to win back to back titles here in New Zealand and Australia.
16:08A great run of form, Susan, in your home country just last week.
16:12Yeah, he always seems to rise to the occasion.
16:14He's got a great support base, you know, and it's a fantastic event.
16:18How much does that GM on?
16:19Because I know when he comes to London, he has that same sort of base of fans.
16:23You've traveled to the...
16:23Yeah, well, we've got, you know, he's got his own fan base.
16:27As I said, it's hard not to be a fan of Paul's because he's a great person on and off
16:30the court.
16:31I think he was lucky.
16:32Mohamed Zakaria was, you know, that game with Joel in the semifinals, two hours, you know,
16:37even though you prepare for that, it certainly took it out of him.
16:40You could tell in the second and third sets.
16:42It would be a different story, I think, if he was, you know, fresh.
16:45So, but yeah, no, Paul does, you know, and look, we need it.
16:49That's what promotes the sport in our country, you know,
16:52and he didn't win last year when he came to the Australian Open.
16:56So I'm sure he's got his sights set on winning the Australian Open as well.
16:59Yeah, lost in the final to Gawad last year.
17:03So, Paul Cole this year, can he go on and deliver the goods?
17:06Yeah, I certainly believe that he can.
17:07I mean, looking at that graphic that we just saw there, just dropping one game,
17:10it's the sort of form that we saw when he won that first British Open,
17:14and I think it's really encouraging signs.
17:16He's obviously been that one that everyone's been waiting to really challenge.
17:20Mustafa, Sal with Diego, Elias being out injured,
17:23and Joel Macon struggling with his body as well.
17:25And I think he's getting there.
17:26There's a plan there in place, and I think his performances are coming on.
17:29Okay, thanks very much for your insight and expert views.
17:33We're going to just take a little break here on the squash.
17:35We'll come back to the quarterfinals shortly.
17:37I got to chat with the CEO of Squash Australia in the week.
17:41Robert Donahue had this to say to us.
17:43Rob, great to be back here in Australia, and what a wonderful venue for this year's event.
17:47Yeah, welcome. Great to have you here.
17:48Yeah, it's a spectacular venue, and certainly iconic, I think, in the squash world now.
17:53I guess there's been a lot of work going on behind the scenes,
17:55A, to get this back to a gold status, which you must be incredibly proud about,
17:59and also just to try and attract the world's best players.
18:02Yeah, it's been five years in the making,
18:04so I think Tommy and I came here about five years ago and looked at the venue
18:08and said, imagine if we could put a glass court in here,
18:09and here we are five years later.
18:11Having done it last year, learned some lessons last year,
18:13and I think really putting on a great show this year,
18:16and having the best players in the world here in Australia is just brilliant.
18:19I guess there's still a couple of those top names that are missing,
18:22certainly in the men's and the women's draws.
18:25How do you attract players down to this part of the world, to the southern hemisphere?
18:29Yeah, I guess it's a world tour,
18:31so we ultimately want to have great events down here that attract the best players,
18:35and I think pairing it with New Zealand gives the players, I think,
18:40an opportunity to come down and spend a bit of time here,
18:42as opposed to a four- or five-day turnaround and then having to go back to Europe.
18:46So I think the more tournaments we can build down here,
18:48I think if we can pair it with some more tournaments in Asia as well,
18:52and really make it a couple of weeks where the whole tour can move to this part of the world,
18:56and make it really viable and exciting for the players to come down here.
19:00And so what's the state of Australian squash at the moment?
19:02I guess, again, if you can attract those top-tier players,
19:05that's also going to improve the level of squash within the Australian community.
19:08Yeah, look, we had a golden generation up until the 2018 Commonwealth Games here on the Gold Coast,
19:15but eventually they were going to retire, and so we spent, again, the last four or five years
19:20really working hard on making sure that next generation are coming through.
19:22Obviously, Jenny, she was the first decision that we made when I came into this role,
19:26is to make sure that we had a full-time national pathways coach who was able to nurture that talent
19:30through.
19:30We're starting to see the fruits of that labour.
19:32Maddie is one of our first juniors that have graduated out and now onto the tour and working hard,
19:37I guess, to now progress to the level that she needs to really be able to compete.
19:42But yeah, I think there's, with the Olympics coming up and obviously with the potential of Brisbane 2032,
19:47a real excitement from kids to be a squash Olympian and that real aspiration, I think, there now.
19:52Yeah, talk to us a bit more about that bid and where you are in that process just for our
19:56fans back home.
19:57Yeah, so, I mean, having it here in this venue gives us an opportunity to show Brisbane 32
20:01what a squash event could look like here in the Olympic City.
20:04It is a proposed venue. 3x3 basketball was a sport that they were proposing for this venue here.
20:09So, yeah, it's a really great opportunity for them to actually see what the event can look like
20:13in the Olympic City in a potential Olympic venue.
20:16And, yeah, that was part of the strategy of bringing the event here to Brisbane.
20:19So, my understanding is you're sort of partway through that bid now.
20:22What still needs to happen for squash to make it to its second Olympic game?
20:26Yeah, well, as we understand it, midway through this year,
20:28they'll make a decision on what sports will be included and that'll be proposed to the IOC.
20:32So, you know, we just keep talking to them and keep providing whatever information we possibly can
20:36to make them, you know, or to help them make a decision on that.
20:40Clearly, you know, Australia loves their sport and there's plenty of sports in Australia
20:43who want to be included in the Brisbane Olympics in the home Olympics.
20:45So, you know, we're up against some stiff competition,
20:47but I think, you know, the things that we're doing here,
20:50I think the uniqueness of the glass court is really appealing to them.
20:52So, you know, fingers crossed it all goes well.
20:54And, you know, midway through the year, we're announcing our second Olympics.
20:57Amazing. Fingers crossed you've got our vote.
20:59Brilliant. Thanks very much, Rob.
21:00Thanks for coming. Cheers.
21:02Yeah, great to chat with Rob there.
21:03And just saw a bat in the distance there, Susan.
21:06Dame Susan DeVoy and Paul Hornsby join us in the studio.
21:09Let's just have a little chat about what Rob was talking about there
21:11and a bit about the Olympics and a bit about trying to grow the sport within the country.
21:16It's pretty exciting to be down here, but how hard is it to grow a sport in this neck of
21:20the woods?
21:21Oh, Australia faces exactly the same challenges that we do in New Zealand,
21:25is that, you know, we have plenty of juniors coming through,
21:29but, you know, we're so geographically isolated that, you know,
21:33it doesn't matter how hard you train if you're not exposed to good competition all the time,
21:37which is what you get if you're based in America or Europe or Asia.
21:41It's incredibly difficult.
21:43And also, you know, in New Zealand we're affected by the funding.
21:47Squash is not in the Comm Games. That reduced our funding.
21:50You know, we've got the Olympics coming up.
21:53So, you know, that could change the whole dynamic for us as a country
21:57if Paul or Joelle, you know, managed to podium at that.
22:01So, yeah, I mean, we live in hope.
22:03It's not an easy task to grow a sport that's been a little bit in the doldrums,
22:07but, you know, we've certainly got good coaching and people involved.
22:11And Paul's coaching in New Zealand, so he's helping the young ones.
22:14Talk to us a bit about that.
22:16I've been there a little while now.
22:16Tell us the challenges that you face.
22:18Yeah, I mean, as Susan's just said, it's the geographical challenges.
22:21It's not an excuse, but it's certainly a challenge.
22:24And obviously, it's exactly the same here in New Zealand.
22:27Sorry, in Australia.
22:28For me, the big thing when I moved to New Zealand was to try to create an environment
22:32where players could, you know, get a real solid base of understanding of the game of squash.
22:38They can work on the fitness.
22:39They can get as strong as they like.
22:40But at some point, they need to be off out there and be surrounded by the best players in the
22:44world.
22:45You know, and it's not just about getting match play against them.
22:47It's being on court with them for hours and hours each day and being surrounded by going for lunch with
22:52them,
22:52seeing what they do on a night time.
22:54And there's a huge amount to learn from that.
22:56And I think Australia, it was referred to as the golden generation there.
23:01That sort of thing is not easy and it's not a quick fix.
23:05But if you've got that group of players who are on that journey together and pulling each other through,
23:11then it kind of creates that little bit of a conveyor belt.
23:14And that's obviously needs rebuilding.
23:16How do you create that community and that spirit and then get that drive from those players?
23:21Obviously, they've got to have the talent as well.
23:23Yeah, but it's also a numbers game, you know.
23:25We don't have the same, well, certainly Australia and New Zealand don't have the same squash populations now.
23:30That they did in the 80s and 90s at other countries.
23:33But, you know, if you look to the culture of, you know, Egypt is the obvious one.
23:38Well, I think at our club, you know, the Du Bois Squash and Fitness Club,
23:41we're starting, all the kids are starting to go there.
23:43Because, you know, as you say, it's not just about, it's the environment, isn't it?
23:47Yeah, absolutely.
23:47You know, and Paul coached my son to a World Teams Championship in Poland.
23:54Oh, congratulations.
23:55And I'll give the credit to Paul, actually, not to Jamie.
23:57I don't know about that. I'll take it.
23:59But, you know, he then went on to college because, you know, it's hard in New Zealand.
24:03There's no pathway because it's just so difficult and people forget that.
24:07You know, I mean, I know we're not making excuses, but, you know, you need the numbers.
24:12And coming back to the numbers thing again there, and we obviously refer to Egypt because of, you know,
24:18the players that they've been churning out for several decades now.
24:22You know, don't forget that those guys, they put on a national junior championships
24:25and there's hundreds of players in each draw.
24:27And the cream will naturally rise to the top in that.
24:30And what you produce is a handful of exceptional squash players.
24:35We heard there as well in the interview about maybe trying to collaborate.
24:39So, obviously, at the moment we go from New Zealand, we come here to Australia.
24:42But could you fit in a Singapore or somewhere else on the Asia bit of the tour
24:45or India perhaps and gel those together and maybe up the tier from silver, gold, platinum, diamond possibly?
24:54I don't know. What would you do if you were in charge of the schedule?
24:57Well, if money was no object, Michael, then there'd be, yeah, ten tournaments, let's say,
25:03where, you know, there's that pathway for players to be able to come and perform on their own turf.
25:08The rest of the world comes here rather than vice versa.
25:11It would be nice to have, but it's probably not that realistic in the very near future, unfortunately.
25:18They're only going to come here, though, aren't they, if it's maybe a higher tier tournament?
25:21Well, I think the tour is so busy, you know.
25:25And it's only going to get busier next year with the Olympic qualifiers.
25:28Yeah, and if you have a choice to travel for 12 hours, you know, or 24 hours to another country,
25:33what are you going to do?
25:33Yeah.
25:34You know, so I think in my day, in the old days, we had a distinct Southern Hemisphere tour and
25:39a distinct Northern Hemisphere tour in different parts of the year.
25:42What else was on that tour? Which other stops did you go to on the Southern Hemisphere tour?
25:46Well, we had Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada was, you know, well, that's not the Southern Hemisphere, I know.
25:53But what I'm saying is, so you went to the British Open, you did all of Europe, you perhaps went
25:57to South Africa and then over to North America, because it wasn't very big in the USA then.
26:02And then you had a very, you know, a very distinguished Southern Hemisphere tour.
26:08Okay, and we'll hold that check there. We're going to switch our attention back to the Malaysians.
26:12And we're going to talk Olympic qualifiers in a moment as well.
26:16Three potential Malaysian names, they're all through to the quarterfinals.
26:19But as a reminder, too, that we lost Ira Asman today.
26:23She won't play against Siva Sangari Subramaniam.
26:26So Siva straight through to the semifinals.
26:29Here's a look at those Continental Games and when they will take place, with the Asian Games getting going in
26:35just 191 days' time.
26:38So that will kickstart on those three Malaysian names that we saw there, all possible contenders.
26:44Yeah, no, it's phenomenal and it's very soon, isn't it? October 26th, I think you know how many days away
26:50that is.
26:50Yeah, 191 I think I just calculated.
26:52And I look at that row and I think how brutal is the African Games it's going to be.
26:56But this is what getting into the Olympics means to squash.
26:58World Squash Federation have been desperately trying to get squashed into some of these Continental Games.
27:04And it's being in the Olympics that's changed this.
27:06So that's going to be exciting.
27:08And, you know, that'll be the first person to guarantee the spot in the Olympics in 2028.
27:14And Paul, lots of conversations to be had.
27:16We're looking there at the top ten ranked women eligible for the Asian Games.
27:20That's not to say that they will go on and win it or qualify, but there's just a few names
27:24to choose from.
27:25No, of course. I mean, it's massively exciting to think that we're less than 200 days away from the first
27:30person getting the name in the draw for LA28.
27:32And making history. I mean, that's going to be huge.
27:34And it's going to, once we reach that date there, the floodgates will open as the following events come round
27:41again and again.
27:42But just talking about the Malaysian group, I mean, you could spot that a mile off, to be honest.
27:47With the, when those four players, because there's Rachel Arnold in there as well, of course.
27:51Yeah. As they were coming through the juniors, you could see that they were going to be a force to
27:55be reckoned with as a nation.
27:57They've got some tough decisions to make though, haven't they?
28:00Because when they get to the Asian Games, they can either go singles or they can play doubles.
28:03And it all affects their funding as well, I believe.
28:05Yeah, 100%. I mean, the thing is with the singles at the Asian Games, only two of those girls can
28:10play.
28:10So if you're not one of those two girls, then you don't have the opportunity to have a pop at
28:17getting your Olympics spot.
28:18But also, if you are playing in the doubles event, you are not allowed to play in the singles event.
28:23So there's a lot of thinking to be done here by the Malaysian selectors.
28:26They'll be scratching their heads a bit on that one, I think.
28:29Sorry, the other thing is, the Asian Games are so huge as it is without the Olympics as a factor.
28:35So there's pressure on to win medals at the Games, so they've got to get it right in various ways.
28:39And we'll just finish on the Olympics, Susan, and just how important it is that the squash has finally made
28:43it there.
28:44No guarantee it'll make it to 2032, but it's definitely there in LA28.
28:48Oh, it's been a long time coming and it's certainly game changing for our sport.
28:52I just, you know, you can feel a sense of excitement, you know, it could and should be the pinnacle
28:58of our sport.
28:58And I think we deserve to be there.
29:01And I, you know, I mean, that's what's keeping me and not in the game, but, you know, I would
29:06just give my heart and soul to be there in LA28.
29:09Yeah, and Paul, will you be heading along, hopefully maybe part of the commentary team or have you got any
29:14involvement?
29:14I thought I might get a job, I'm so good tonight.
29:16You know, I'm just giving my debut performance.
29:19I'm just, I didn't mind doing the, you know, the sweeping or whatever, you know.
29:22Yeah, no, we'll get you on, we'll get you some air time.
29:25Yeah, I've got to get a free ticket somehow.
29:26Well, I'd absolutely love to be there, of course.
29:29If it's as a commentator, then I'd be there with Bells.
29:32And I don't think I'm going to make it as a player, Michael, so I think that's my only chance.
29:35Oh, good stuff.
29:36Listen, thank you very much for your company in this studio this evening.
29:39Dame Susan Dubois and Paul Hornsby is going to be part of our commentary team as well this evening.
29:44Lots of squash to bring you.
29:45As I said, it is quarter finals night, but no Siva Sangari Subramaniam this evening against Ira Asman.
29:51Siva Sangari Subramaniam progressing through in a walkover to the semi-final stages.
29:57We're going to get into the thick of the action very shortly.
29:59Thanks for your company here on the preview show.
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