The English duo of Curtis Malik and Lucy Beecroft were the victors this weekend at the NTA Squash Classic, claiming their respective titles in very different ways at the Cross Court Squash & Fitness in Boston, Massachusetts.
Malik came into the Challenger 10 level tournament as the No.8 seed, and after receiving a bye through to the second round, he then got the better of Canadian Shawn DeLierre to get his campaign underway, before receiving a walkover into the semi-finals after top seed Christopher Gordon withdrew through injury.
In the last four, Malik overcame the challenge of compatriot Sam Todd, the No.3 seed for the competition, winning against his fellow Englishman in straight games. The final was one of the longest recorded matches on Tour, as he did battle with Egypt’s Aly Hussein for more than 150 minutes. He fell behind twice, but recovered to send the match into a deciding game, where the Egyptian had to retire through injury after a lengthy break.
The women’s draw was much easier for Lucy Beecroft, the tournament’s No.2 seed, as she dropped only two games throughout the competition en route to her second title of the season.
Like Malik, she had a bye through the opening day’s action, before taking on India’s Akanksha Salunkhe, winning 3-1. In the quarter finals, the Englishwoman downed Torrie Malik, the No.8 seed, before then getting the better of another compatriot, in No.5 seed Grace Gear, taking that win in straight games.
In the final, she came up against Ukrainian Alina Bushma, who had come through the event despite being unseeded. However, Beecroft was able to show her abilities in the final, winning in straight games in just under 40 minutes to claim a second victory of the season, both coming on American soil.
Results: NTA Squash Classic
Men’s Final
[8] Curtis Malik (ENG) bt Aly Hussein (EGY) 3-2: 4-11, 16-14, 12-14, 11-8, 5-2 rtd (155m)
Women’s Final
[2] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) bt Alina Bushma (UKR) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-5 (38m)
Men’s Semi-Finals
Aly Hussein (EGY) bt [4] Nick Wall (ENG) 3-1: 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5 (67m)
[8] Curtis Malik (ENG) bt [3] Sam Todd (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-4 (44m)
Women’s Semi-Finals
Alina Bushma (UKR) bt [1] Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 14-12 (46m)
[2] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) bt [5] Grace Gear (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-5 (36m)
Men’s Quarter Finals
Aly Hussein (EGY) bt [7] …….
Source: https://psaworldtour.com/news/view/10034/nta-squash-classic-england-s-malik-and-beecroft-victorious