Top ranked Tasmanian breaks through for maiden Professional Squash Association victory

Tasmania’s No. 1 ranked squash player has started 2021 in blistering fashion in the Victorian Super Satellite Series while the state’s top female has also made a successful return to action.

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A BREAKTHROUGH Professional Squash Association title in the Victorian Super Satellite Series has set Jack Hudson up for a bumper 2021 campaign.

Tasmania’s top ranked player is quickly making up for a COVID-19 impacted 12 months, snaring his first victory in the men’s ranks at last weekend’s Grace Park Hawthorn Club Pro Satellite event.

It came after consecutive runner-up finishes at the Mulgrave Country Club and Geelong Open Squash Championships.

With two more tournaments in the PSA series in Victoria, including this weekend’s Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club event, 20-year-old Hudson is looking to continue his hot streak as he banks invaluable ranking points for more lucrative tournaments later in the year.

“Finally being able to get one PSA tournament under my belt was really exciting and hopefully many more to come,” he said.

Squash players Maggy Marshall and Jack Hudson. Tasmanian squash players Maggy Marshall had success last weekend, with Marshall winning the Willoughby Women Open taking out the number 1 seed and Jack Hudson claiming his first PSA (professional squash association) event in Victoria. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“I’m going to try and play in a lot more PSA tournaments this year in Australia and hopefully in New Zealand if that travel bubble opens up as well.

“Playing in those will boost my ranking and then I can get into the bigger tournaments.

“One is the Australian Open in August, that’s held in NSW and people from all over Australia will be competing in that.”

The state’s top ranked female also made a successful return to competitive squash last weekend.

Maggy Marshall, 31, was the top seed at the Willoughby Open in NSW and despite a lack of high level action did not drop a game on route to defeating second seed Shehana Vithana in the final.

“I’m just trying to increase my training a little bit this year looking at playing a few tournaments, this was my first one and went quite well,” Marshall said.

“I’m a little bit older now so seeing how my body holds up and then I’ll see how I go with these tournaments.

“I’m playing in the Moorabbin Open in two weeks time, that’s a PSA women’s event, that’s the first one of those I’ve played in for a fair few years, so it will be interesting.”

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