Hannah Craig has described becoming the first Irish women’s player to qualify for the World Championships in 12 years as an amazing reward for all the people who helped her behind the scenes on her long journey to the top.
Not since Madeline Perry competed at the 2014 Championships in Cairo has Ireland had a representative at the tournament, but that will change next month when Craig, the PSA No.63, takes her place in the first-round draw.
The 64-player tournament at Giza, near Cairo, will pit Craig against Egyptian Sana Ibrahim, the PSA No.18, in the opening round after she lived up to her status as the No.1 seed for last week’s European qualifier in Pontefract.
It was no easy route to the title in England, as Craig had to start her campaign against fellow Irish player Breanne Flynn, and the pair produced a rip-roaring repeat of their recent Senior Nationals final at Fitzwilliam as their match again needed five games before producing a winner.
Craig took the fifth set 11-8, and she then went on to defeat Germany’s Katerina Tycova 3-1, Wales’ Lowri Roberts 3-2 and Poland’s Karina Tyma 3-2 to book her ticket to the World Championships in Egypt, beginning on May 8th.
Speaking to Squash Ireland from Germany, where she will play Tanvi Khanna, the No.71 from India, in the first round of the Sportwerk Hamburg Open on Wednesday, Craig explained her excitement at winning through to next month’s glamour event in Africa.
“It feels surreal right now and then in other ways, it kind of doesn’t because it is something I have put so much work and mental energy into preparation for this event,” she said. “Achieving it really feels so fulfilling. It was my biggest goal for the year, to play in the World Championships.
“The way I did that in terms of not getting into the main draw originally and then being seeded No.1 for the European qualification, I really felt like, ‘Okay, if I am going to get there, I’m going to have to prove I deserve that place’.
“Europe is definitely one of the strongest in terms of the continents, so I am really happy and it feels so rewarding that I was able to fulfil this and prove through multiple, very tough matches that I have earned that place in Egypt, so I can’t wait to be there.”
Reflecting on her four-match winning streak in England, Craig paid tribute to the quality of opposition provided by Flynn, the PSA No.101. “I had Breanne in the first round, and it was such a tough match. I knew that if I could get through that in terms of how physically and mentally exhausting it was, I would be in good standing for the rest of the event.
“That gave me a lot of confidence getting through that one, it felt like a final in many ways playing Breanne. I absolutely loved that battle again with her, and it helped me get through a couple of other battles later on in the tournament, in the semis and in the final.”
Twelve years is a long time for Ireland to go without a player featuring at the World Championships, and Craig dedicated her qualification to the people who unwaveringly supported her along the way. “It just means so much to be able to do it for the people that have really believed in me and spoke to the winner in me before I started winning anything,” she enthused.
“This has been a long journey, and a lot of people behind the scenes have been there. There was Brian Murray, who went to Pontefract to support me. He is a coach at Windsor in Belfast. He and I grew up together, playing at the Boat Club with Walter Murray, who is related to him.
“Just having someone there who had seen me since I was a junior gave me so much energy, and his support was amazing. Winning these things on a personal level is really nice, but it really is for all the people – the coaches, the sponsors, the friends and family – that have been there through the whole journey.
“The highs are incredible, but it is also in the tougher moments with injuries and losses and things that you really depend on those people, so I just want to thank everyone massively who helped and believed in my dream and contributed to that.
“Another person is Rory Gillen, of course. When I was a junior, he enabled me to play some tournaments around Europe, and he always said to me, ‘You have got to give the tour a try, you have got to give it a go’. I’m very grateful to be achieving something like this, and if feels even better that I have done it around the people who have enabled it.”
Stating that her body “feels surprisingly okay” heading into this week’s tournament in Germany after her exploits in England, Craig, who will represent Ireland at the European Team Championships at the end of the month in Amsterdam, wants to build on the momentum of her World Championships qualification.
“Getting this opportunity to go to Egypt and the World Champs, I just want to squeeze all of the juice out of that I can through competing, training and absorbing all of the highest level of squash that I can. It really is any athlete’s dream to put in the hours and then being in these environments to see and learn.
“I’m just really looking forward to being there. I am going to maximise every single thing that I can out of that trip and then finish the season on a high. I’ll have the British Open qualifying at the end of May and then I will be done for the season.
“That’s another very big qualification event and a large tournament. It’s one of the most prestigious tournaments for squash players, so I will be using this momentum and I’m very much looking forward to everything that is to come next.”
