The tournament features 24 of the world’s best female players, including Nicole Bunyan and Niki Shemirani, who compete during their match on Oct. 27.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
Sitting in the audience just feet from a glass show court, one gets an unparalleled view of their swiftly moving feet and fast-swinging racquets.
Some of the world’s best female squash players are competing in a unique setting for record prize money in Toronto this week, with crowds enjoying an intimate look.
The Allen Lambert Galleria is a six-storey-high pedestrian walkway in Brookfield Place, a business and shopping hub in the heart of Toronto’s financial district, with foot traffic filtering to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Owing to its dramatic arched roof of steel and glass, the atrium has been called the “crystal cathedral of commerce.”
This week, it’s also a venue for sport. There is professional squash happening under this elegant canopy – the Canadian Women’s Open.
This tournament has been elevated to a silver-level event this year in its second season on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) tour, and it’s awarding the largest purse in Canadian history – US$75,000. This edition features 24 of the world’s best female players, including several of the top 12, plus Canada’s best, Hollie Naughton, who has a world ranking of 25.
It’s a historic time for squash, as it readies for its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games. Many of the women in Toronto this week hope they’ll be Olympians.
“It’s amazing, the opportunity to play in Brookfield Place in a fantastic atmosphere, in front of the people that watched me grow up,” says Naughton, 30, who honed her squash talents at the Ontario Racquet Club in Oakville, Ont., after her family moved from England when she was 10.
“And the Olympics, that’s something that I didn’t think I’d see in my squash career. Now hopefully, fingers crossed, it’ll just be in there for me, as the last thing on my bucket list.”
The Allen Lambert Galleria is a six-storey-high pedestrian walkway in Brookfield Place, a business and shopping hub in the heart of Toronto’s financial district.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
The audience, seated tightly around the glass court as the ball zings off the walls, is about 350 but sounds much louder. Spectators are silent during play, though, hypnotized as the players lunge athletically after shots during rallies.
“We could hold it somewhere less public and have 1,000 seats and sell that out, but the vibrancy of this venue and the amount of people that walk by is the key here,” said Squash Canada CEO Jamie Nicholls.
Other Canadian women are competing this week too – Canadian No. 2 Nicole Bunyan, No. 4 Nikki Todd, and No. 12 Niki Shemirani. Belgian sisters Nele Coll and Tinne Gilis, world No. 5 and 6, respectively, are among the favourites.
“The level of women’s play in the last even five years has skyrocketed,” Nicholls added.
Brookfield Place isn’t new to squash. Canadian world No. 1 Jonathan Power used to wow crowds at men’s events here. While stunning, it can also be tricky to play in this busy setting, with light shining through the intricate arched-glass ceiling and creating different shadows through the day. Matches are scheduled in late day to minimize that challenge. They play with a white ball, which is easier to see inside this sort of fishbowl.
“Good players make it look easy and effortless, but there’s so much nuance,” Bunyan, of Victoria, says of playing in glass courts. “The visibility is challenging, there are people on all sides watching, and you get used to not letting that distract you, but it’s still a factor. We’d still rather be on this stage than playing in a basement somewhere. It’s such a privilege.”
Because glass squash courts are portable, the PSA uses them around the world, assembling them indoors or outdoors. They’ve played before the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, inside New York’s Grand Central Terminal, and atop the Peninsula Hotel in Shanghai.
Canadian squash players Nicole Bunyan, left, and Niki Shemirani compete during their match in the Canadian Women's Open 2024 squash tournament on Oct. 27.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
The court at Brookfield Place belongs to Squash Canada. Bought four years ago, the federation has popped it up 20 times for use in Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Toronto. A crew of eight assemble and disassemble it, and it travels in a 53-foot trailer.
It is made of infused glass. The walls on three sides are tinted such that the audience has a good view of the action inside, while the players have a darkened view of the crowd, helping them concentrate on the ball.
Squash Canada is maximizing the court’s use this week, also reserving time for junior players, players in wheelchairs, and underserved youth.
There is also a copper-level men’s PSA tournament taking place with 24 men from around the world, including Canadian No. 1 David Baillargeon of Montreal. It’s the Cambridge Group of Clubs Classic, with a US$25,000 purse. Just like the women’s tournament, its matches are split between this glass court and three satellite clubs in Toronto.
Squash Canada says about 153,000 Canadians play the sport, including 90,000 registered in squash programs.
“It’s pretty cool to realize little girls and juniors players are looking up to you and know who you are,” said Bunyan, 30, who played at Princeton University before becoming pro. She now also has a business training other players, Squashletic.
“I would have really liked an opportunity to see women play like this when I was junior.”