Christian Borgvall, one of five brothers who all play for Stockholm Squash Club, got his campaign off to a successful start in the men’s over-55 draw at Frans Otten Stadium on Thursday with an 11-4, 11-2, 11-6 win over Germany’s Frank Günther.
He was observed by his mother Margaretha, who is ranked 5/8 in the women’s over 75 category, and his father Björn, who is ranked 5/8 in the men’s over 80 category.
All three have a solid masters squash pedigree. Christian won the ESF European Masters 45+ title in Wroclaw in 2017, father Björn is a 13-time Swedish Masters champion and Margaretha (who celebrates her 78th birthday next week and is the fourth oldest woman in the tournament) has been playing in the WSF World Masters since 2003.
“It’s wonderful to be here with these two great players who are important people in my life,” Christian said of his parents. “It’s an honor to have them here and I’m happy as long as they can play squash. My mother sometimes gets angry on the court, but my father is calmer, so I can give him advice!”
Margaretha, who will play her first women’s 75+ match on Saturday against five-time World Masters record champion Ann Manley of England, said: “The squash environment is like a family to us. It’s incredible that Björn and I can still play at our age. I hope this won’t be our last World Masters!”
The first day in Amsterdam consisted entirely of men’s qualifying and first-round matches. Gavin Roger-Lund was the only top seed in any age group and defeated Dutchman Walter Schreefel 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 in the men’s over-55s.
Roger-Lund, who plays for England but was born in South Africa, won the British Open 55+ in June. He said: “Being top of the table here doesn’t necessarily give me an easier run through. I’m just concentrating on taking it one game at a time.”
“Until two years ago, I hadn’t played squash for a long time because of three children and work commitments. Now I’ve rediscovered my love for it. It’s such a wonderful sport. My daughter Rachael is here with me – she’s my coach, manager and moral support!”
In the men’s over-60s, Singapore’s Peter Hill – the 2003 over-35 champion – showed off a series of trick shots that squash fans of a certain generation may remember from the 1980s and ’90s, when he was world number 26 and training partner of Jahangir Khan. Seeded second and playing at the Hong Kong Ladies’ Recreation Club, Hill started with a routine 11-3, 11-2, 11-4 victory over Germany’s Michael Jansen on the all-glass court.
“I still have a few tricks up my sleeve!” he said. “I love playing in front of an audience. Whether it’s one person or a full house, they’re there for one reason – to be entertained.”
In the scorching heat of the Dutch capital, several seeded players suffered defeats on the first day. The biggest defeats were suffered by England’s Alex Betts (5/8) in the men’s 60+, who lost 7:11, 6:11, 11:8, 11:3 and 11:3 to South African Peter Steyn, and Ireland’s Michael Cowhie (5/8), who lost 11:9, 11:8 and 11:7 to Frenchman Olivier Collignon in the 55+ age group.
Unfortunately, American Wael Elhendy, winner of the 2009 World Team Championship and former world number 8 while competing for his native Egypt, had to withdraw from his opening 40+ match against Argentinian Guillermo Pedernera.
There will be more action on the second day at the Frans Otten Stadium in the men’s draws and women’s events, with Friday’s matches kicking off at 10am local time (CEST).
Head to WORLDSQUASH.TV to watch all the action live and free.
Click here to see all the results from day one, click here to see the schedule for Friday and here to see all the draws.
The WSF World Masters Squash Championships 2024 will take place from 15 to 22 August at the Frans Otten Stadium. Stay up to date with all the action on wsfworldmasters2024.nl.
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