Steve’s Sightings
Friends of Maspeth Squash… On Tour
Last weekend I had the pleasure of refereeing at the third U.S. Squash Junior Championship Tour (JCT) event of the season, hosted at the outstanding St. James Club in Springfield, Virginia. The JCT series comprises six elite junior tournaments held across the country, featuring the top young players in the U.S. as they battle for ranking points, national bragging rights, and college offers!
This round, JCT #3, was made even more special thanks to its overlap with the St. James Expression Open, a Copper-level event on the PSA World Tour. With both professional and top junior draws competing under the same roof, the club buzzed with energy all weekend.
And for Maspeth Squash, it was especially gratifying: several familiar faces - “Friends of Maspeth Squash”—were in action across both events. Players who’ve weathered the elements on the Steel Court were now showcasing their skills on the traditional glass and plaster.
Maspeth Pros on the PSA Stage
On the professional side, we saw strong representation from Maspeth regulars:
Timmy Brownell, Nathan Lake, Marina Stefanoni, Alina Bushma, Laila Sedky, Nicole Bunyan, and Margot Prow—all battling for their share of the $32K prize purse.
Timmy Brownell, seeded #3, delivered a spectacular run to the final. Back-to-back, five-game thrillers against Nathan Kueh and Salim Khan showed his grit and staying power. The effort, however, took its toll—Timmy ultimately fell in the final to India’s Veer Chotrani (World #51) in straight games.
Marina Stefanoni, the top seed, faced an early challenge and was edged out in four tight games by Hong Kong’s crafty Sin Yuk Chan.
Laila Sedky, Nicole Bunyan, and Margot Prow also exited earlier than hoped—two at the hands of eventual champion Sabrina Sobhy.
Alina Bushma delivered one of the surprises of the tournament, taking out #5 seed Saran Nghiem in a tough five-gamer. She pushed Chan hard in the quarterfinals, falling in four highly competitive games.
Junior Talent: A Maspeth Final in the Girls’ U19
The JCT side of the weekend gave Maspeth Squash even more to celebrate. In the Girls’ Under 19 draw, Charlotte Sze and Isabella Tang both reached the final—an all–Maspeth showdown.
The final did not disappoint: Charlotte stormed to a 2–0 lead, only for Isabella to claw her way back with fierce determination. In a gripping fifth game, Charlotte rediscovered her rhythm and closed out the match 11–7, clinching the JCT title in style.
A Bright Future for U.S. Squash
Refereeing JCT events offers a front-row seat to the future of squash in America, and this weekend was no exception. With over 600 entries across age groups—from U11 to U19—the depth of talent is truly remarkable.
The standard of play continues to rise each season, and it’s clear the pipeline is strong. Many of these juniors will soon move into the PSA ranks…and perhaps even make their way onto the Steel Court in Maspeth someday.
Until then, it’s a joy to watch “Friends of Maspeth Squash” shine on bigger stages—and a reminder that our small but mighty community is part of something much larger and very exciting.
