Breanne Flynn has broken new ground in her squash career, achieving a career-best PSA women’s ranking of No.103 following her run to last Saturday’s Schraglage Open final in Stuttgart.
The Dubliner came into the tournament as the world’s No.109 following her encouraging progress in recent weeks at the Monte Carlo Classic and the 12 Pierre & Vacance in Andorra, and three wins on the bounce qualified her for the final.
A highlight of that run to the decider was her semi-final against Malak Samir of Egypt, as she was 0-2 down before reeling off three games on the bounce to win 3-2.
However, another Egyptian, Nour Megahed, proved just a step too far when it came to clinching the title. Flynn went 2-1 up only for her opponent to finish stronger and take the last two games 6-11 and 4-11.
Victory in the final would have netted Flynn (pictured above by Christian Lortat following the tournament in Germany) a better rankings bounce and taken her into the top 100 – the title win fuelled Megahed’s jump from No.116 to No.101 – but enough points were still secured to move her up six places, climbing from No.109 to a best-ever No.103.
It was October 2022 when Flynn registered her previous best of No.104. That was at a time in her career when she was juggling work as a physio with part-time squash.
Now working full-time in squash, she outlined her ambitions in this candid Squash Ireland interview and has delivered on her intention to achieve like never before.
While the rankings were kind to Flynn, they worked against Hannah Craig despite her enjoyable run to the Indian Open semi-finals where she led the PSA No.33, India’s Anahat Singh, 2-1 on the outdoor glass court.
However, games four and five went against her 6-11 and 4-11, and her exit was followed on Monday by the rankings update that confirmed a drop of two places – from No.67 to No.70 – despite her two wins to reach the last four.
Craig travelled to India following an appearance at the China Open, and her adventure continues this week as she is on court on Tuesday in the Hong Kong FC Open, starting against Lucy Turmel, the No.31 from England.
Switching to the men’s circuit, Sam Buckley has moved from No.99 to No.97 with his run to the London Open quarter-finals. Two wins were followed by a four-game, last-eight encounter with England’s George Parker, the No.56, that finished 1-3.
Conor Moran hasn’t been in action since his Connacht Open win at the start of November, but his body of excellent work over the course of 2025 has stood to him in the latest rankings update as he has moved from No.138 to No.137, another career-best for the player who started the year as the No.345.
Breanne Flynn is on the cusp of achieving a career-best PSA ranking after enjoying a sharp rise of seven places following last week’s Monte Carlo Classic.
The 30-year-old went into the 24-player, $32.5K Copper status tournament ranked No.116, and she scored a deserved 3-0 win over Nadia Pfister, the No.99 from Switzerland, in the round of 32.
That booked a glamour round of 16 tie versus Melissa Alves, the No.19 from France, and while the result was a 0-3 loss, there was solace to be had from the No.1 seed going on to win the title with three more 3-0 wins.
Flynn learned on Monday that her rankings reward for reaching the second round was a jump to No.109, just five places shy of the career-best No.104 registered in October 2022.
The Sutton player is back on court this Wednesday in the round of 16 of the 24-player, $6K Schraglage Open in Germany, where she is seeded No.2. Flynn, who had an opening round bye, will face Tereza Siroka, the No.245 from the Czech Republic, in the round of 16.
Hannah Craig is also in action on Wednesday in the $73.5K Copper status Indian Open in Indore, having moved up one place in the rankings to No.67 following last week’s China Open.
The 26-year-old was beaten 0-3 in the round of 32 by Aifa Azman, the PSA No.32 from Malaysia, but she has travelled to India confident of enjoying a much longer run.
Listed as the No.3 seed in the 24-player event, she opens against Anika Dubey, a local player ranked No.415, after getting an opening round bye on Tuesday.
Victory would secure a quarter-final on Thursday against either Nga Ching Cheng, the No.104 from Hong Kong China, or Rathika Suthanthira Seelan, the No.146 from India.
Switching to the men’s circuit, Sam Buckley will be in action in the opening round of the 24-player, $15K London Open. Having enjoyed a career-best No.95 earlier this month, the 24-year-old is currently positioned No.99.
He will play Heston Malik, the No.201 from England, with a round of 16 fixture against Elijah Thomas, the No.96 from New Zealand, up for grabs.
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
Indian Open: Hannah Craig v Anika Dubey (8am Irish time)
Schraglage Open: Breanne Flynn v Tereza Siroka (2:30pm Irish time)
London Open: Sam Buckley v Heston Malik (8pm Irish time)
Hannah Craig is hoping to fire up her season with participation at this week’s $124.5K China Open.
The PSA women’s No.68 has yet to break the first-round barrier in 2025/26, as she fell at the first hurdle in New York and Toronto.
However, she is now in Shanghai preparing to take on Aifa Azman, the PSA No.32 from Malaysia, on Tuesday.
At stake in the 24-player tournament – where Hania El Hammamy, the PSA No.2 from Egypt, tops the seedings – is qualification for a second-round fixture against Amina Orfi, the PSA No.3 from Egypt.
The trip to China is the start of a busy period for Craig, as she is also entered in the $73.5K Indian Open in Indore and the $6k Fountain Tire Winter Open in Edmonton.
Breanne Flynn is closer to home this week, taking part in the $32.5K Monte Carlo Classic.
The PSA No.116 enjoyed a cracking start on Monday, winning 3-0 against Nadia Pfister, the No.99 from Switzerland, to book a glamour Tuesday meeting with Melissa Alves, the No.19 from France.
Sam Buckley and Conor Moran are back on court this week in Europe looking to build on the respective career best rankings they recently achieved on the PSA men’s tour.
Buckley will be in action in the Czech Republic on Thursday as the PSA No.105 – his highest rating yet after moving up two more places following participation in last week’s Richardson Wealth Open in Canada.
Having started the season last month at No.126, the Dubliner has enjoyed some fruitful trip abroad, reaching the quarter-finals of the Helsinki Challenger in Finland and the semi-finals at Simply The Brest in France.
Last week’s trip to Canada turned out to be a short-lived campaign as Buckley was eliminated in the opening round in Vancouver.
But that appearance helped to bolster his latest ranking and he will now hope to do better at this week’s Czech Open on Brno, a $33,500 Copper status event catering for 24 players – including Declan James, the PSA No.25 from England.
Buckley will be on court on Thursday morning (10am Irish time) against Aly Hussein, the PSA No.103 from Egypt. At stake is progress to a second-round fixture versus Yannick Wilhelmi, the PSA No.45 from Switzerland, who is seeded fifth in Brno.
Moran, meanwhile, will be back in the thick of it in Switzerland following his recent break. Buoyed by a quarter-final run in Helsinki, a title win at the Stourbridge Open in England and then reaching round two at Simply The Brest, the 2025 Irish Nationals champion rose to a career-best of No.146.
Last week’s inactivity will see him go into the Swiss Open in Geneva listed at No.149 but with every confidence when he meets Lwamba Chileshe, the No.125 from New Zealand, in a first-round match on Wednesday (1:30pm Irish time).
Up for grabs at the 24-player, $12K Challenger event in Switzerland, where PSA No.94 Yassin Elshafei of Egypt is the No.1 seed, is a second-round meeting with Elijah Thomas, the PSA No.97 from New Zealand who is seeded seventh.
Switching to the women’s tour, PSA No.71 Hannah Craig has a tall assignment to begin with on Saturday in Toronto at the Canadian Open, a silver status, $96,250, 24-player event.
The Irish No.1 has been drawn against Torrie Malik, the PSA No.42 from England, with the tournament’s second seed and PSA No.7, Tinne Gillis of Belgium, awaiting the winner in round two.
Craig, who achieved a career best No.61 ranking earlier this year before injury, has had just one outing so far this season on the circuit. That was a first-round loss at the Open Classic in New York on October 5th.
Meanwhile, Irish No.2 Breanne Flynn, the PSA No.118, is next on court on October 28th in Andorra.
This 24-player, $12K Challenger event will also feature Hannah McGugan, the PSA No.233, who is also due to feature at this week’s Swiss Open where her opening round opponent on Wednesday has yet to be confirmed.
Sam Buckley’s run to the semi-final at the Simply The Brest tournament in France has resulted in a massive bounce to his PSA ranking.
The former Irish Nationals champion was placed No.122 on the world list before last week’s event, but a bumper harvest of 96 rankings points has lifted him 13 places to No.109 – his highest ever position.
Buckley was in terrific form in Brest, where his three wins included his 3-1 elimination of the No.1 seed, Emyr Evans of Wales, who was the PSA No.69.
Even more ranking points could have been harvested as Buckley was most unfortunate to narrowly lose his semi-final 2-3 (11-13, 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 7-11) to Edward Clain, the PSA No.82.
As it was, the 96 points credited to him, added to the 60 banked for reaching last month’s Helsinki Challenger quarter-finals, lifted him to a career-high ranking that he will now look to build on in Canada and the Czech Republic.
Buckley has been drawn to play the No.81, Matthew Lai of Hong Kong China, in the opening round of the Richardson Wealth Open in Vancouver on October 15th, while the No.94, Aly Hussein of Eqypt, will be his opening round opponent in Brno on October 23rd at the Czech Open.
2025 Nationals champion Conor Moran only had a one-place lift in the rankings this week after his campaign in Brest ended with a 2-3 defeat to Brice Nicolas, the No.83 from France.
However, his move up to No.147 still represented a career high in a super season where his next adventure – the Swiss Open in Zurich – is scheduled to begin with an opening round match on October 22nd against Lwamba Chileshe, the No.126 New Zealand-based player from Zambia.
Moran had arrived in France fresh from his Stourbridge Open title win in England, which lifted him 10 places in the rankings.
Switching to the women’s PSA circuit, the new season opener for No.71 Hannah Craig ended in a hard-fought 2-3 opening round defeat to the No.70, Alexandra Haydon of Australia, at the Open Classic in New York.
Craig’s PSA schedule next has her drawn against Torrie Malik, the No.42 from England, at the Canadian Open in Toronto on October 25th.
Breanne Flynn, the No.115-ranked player, has been paired against Ruqayya Salem, the No.199 from Egypt, in the opening round of the PSA Challenger 12 Pierre and Vacance in Andorra on October 28th.
She is also due to face Lauren Baltayan, the No.72 from France, in the opening round at the Monte Carlo Classic on November 10th.
The Ireland Women’s team of Hannah Craig, Hannah McGugan, Aimee McConnell, and Lydia McQuillan claimed the bronze medal at the European Team Championships Division 2 in Wrocław, Poland.
The team emerged from Pool B with wins over Portugal and Slovenia, which saw them progress to the medal matches. A narrow loss to the Netherlands teed up a match against Italy in the battle for bronze.
Hannah Craig was up first against Cristina Tartarone of Italy. Tartarone took the first game 12-10, Craig fought back in the second winning 11-9. The back and forth continued but in a nail biting finish Craig took the fifth game 11-9 to get Ireland off to a winning start. Aimee McConnell sealed the win with a convincing 3-0 win over Beatrice Filippi in just 23 minutes.
The result was a major positive for the squad, with Aimee McConnell and Lydia McQuillan both earning their first senior caps for Ireland showing the strength in depth of the squad.
Ireland Men Relegated Despite Win Over World #7
The Ireland Men’s team finished 11th in Division 1, resulting in relegation to Division 2 next year. The team of Sam Buckley, Conor Moran, Michael Creavan, Oisin Logan, and Sean Conroy got off to a promising start as Conroy opened the scoring with a win over Rory Richmond of Scotland.
Sam Buckley, with a world ranking of 116, was next on court, playing exceptional squash against world number 18, Greg Lobban. A five-game thriller unfolded over the next hour, with Lobban eventually edging out Buckley. Narrow losses by Michael Creavan (against Alan Clyne) and Conor Moran, ranked 217, (against Rory Stewart, ranked 55) meant that Ireland lost the tie.
Motivated by a chance to reach the top 8, and buoyed by their performance the previous day, Ireland faced 44-time champions England with grit and determination. Oisin Logan suffered an early loss to world number 66 Tom Walsh.
Next up, Sam Buckley took on world number 7, Marwan Elshorbagy. Buckley had the Englishman under pressure from the outset, with the pair trading blows in a tight first game. Elshorbagy edged it 20–18, then took the second quickly. However, Buckley staged a remarkable comeback, taking the next three games 11–4, 11–9, 11–7. The win will go down as one of the greatest upsets in European Team Championship history and serves as a huge confidence boost for Buckley and the entire Ireland squad.
Michael Creavan followed, facing world number 33 Curtis Malik. Creavan took an early lead, winning the first two games 11–8, 11–7. England looked shaken, staring down the barrel of an early exit. But to his credit, Malik fought back and claimed the next three games 11–5, 11–8, 11–3. Creavan can be proud of a performance that raised his game to new heights.
Conor Moran was the final Irish player to take the court, facing rising star and world number 35, Jonah Bryant. Moran lost the first game 11–2 but had Bryant under pressure in the second and third, holding the lead at times with opportunities to win. However, it wasn’t to be, as Bryant sealed the win for England.
After the emotional high of pushing two of the top teams so close, Ireland struggled in the 9th–12th place playoffs, as fatigue began to take its toll. They tied with Belgium and lost to Hungary on Friday. A win over Israel wasn’t enough to retain a place in Division 1.
It was a rollercoaster campaign for the Ireland men’s team. However, they gained valuable experience and showed they are capable of competing with some of the world’s best players.
Full results here
The 2025 Irish Senior Nationals delivered a weekend of gripping action at Fitzwilliam LTC, with dramatic encounters, upsets, and dominant displays across all divisions. Conor Moran stole the show in the Men’s A final, while Hannah Craig successfully defended her title in commanding fashion. Meanwhile, Brian Knox lived up to expectations in the Men’s B, cementing his status as the top seed.
Men’s A Final: Moran Stuns Buckley in Marathon Thriller: In what will be remembered as one of the most dramatic finals in recent history, Conor Moran triumphed over top seed and defending champion Sam Buckley in a five-game epic. Buckley looked set to retain his title after taking the first two games convincingly (11-8, 11-4), but Moran refused to back down. The Dublin native clawed his way back into contention with a tight 14-12 third-game win before dominating the fourth (11-3). The decider was an absolute nail-biter, with Moran holding his nerve in extra points to clinch the title 17-15, dethroning Buckley and claiming his place at the top of Irish squash. Fifth seed Sean Conroy took the final podium place, pipping Michael Creaven in another full-distance thriller.
Women’s A Final: Craig Goes Back-to-Back with Straight-Game Victory: Hannah Craig proved once again why she is the dominant force in Irish women’s squash, securing her second consecutive national title with a straight-game victory over Breanne Flynn. The Ulster star showcased her clinical finishing and composure in key moments, edging a competitive first game 13-11 before pulling away in the next two (11-7, 11-6). Craig’s back-to-back triumphs further solidify her reputation as the premier female player in the country, with Flynn once again finishing runner-up to her international teammate despite a spirited performance and dominate run to the final. Craig was joined on the podium by her fellow Ulster star, as Hannah McGugan dispatched Aimee McConnell in straight games to take third place.
Men’s B Final: Knox Claims Title as Top Seed The Men’s B division also saw its fair share of high-quality action, with top-seeded Brian Knox emerging victorious over fellow Waterford player Adam Power. In a match that remained tight throughout, Knox proved too steady, taking the final in straight games (11-9, 11-5, 11-9).
A Weekend to Remember – The 2025 Irish Senior Nationals once again delivered an unforgettable weekend of squash, with new champions crowned and old champions reaffirming their dominance. Moran’s resilience in his stunning comeback, Craig’s continued supremacy, and Knox’s composed run in the Men’s B ensured that fans were treated to high-stakes action from start to finish. As the dust settles, anticipation already begins for next year’s edition, where returning stars and rising talents will look to write the next chapter in Irish squash folklore.
Squash Ireland has selected both men’s and women’s teams for the 2024 WSF World Team Squash Championships in Hong Kong, taking place from December 9 to 15.
This is the first time the tournament will feature concurrent men’s and women’s events, as previous editions alternated between the two annually. The men’s team includes Sam Buckley, Conor Moran, Oisin Logan, and Michael Creaven, while the women’s team comprises Hannah Craig, Breanne Flynn, Hannah McGugan, and Ciara Moloney Doheny.
To support the players’ fundraising efforts, donations can be made here. Follow Squash Ireland on social media for updates.
Craig entered this $6,000 event as the number one seed and sought to take advantage of her first round bye.
The Lisburn native made light work of Chile’s Antonia Vera Sepulveda in the quarter final, dropping just 5 points in a comfortable straight games victory.
Hannah proved why she was the #1 seed for the event when she grinded out a 3-1 victory over her #3 seed Mexican opposition in the semi-final winning the last two games comfortably, 11-3, 11-4.
The Irish woman’s best was yet to come as she faced the #2 seed, Lucia Bautista in a titanic final. This was a very tense affair which went to the wire. Luckily for Hannah, she showed immense mettle to win the decider 11-7 and claim her first PSA title in South America.
After turning pro this time last year, Hannah dedicated her victory to the sacrifices she has had to make to to fully commit to squash and to those who have pushed and supported her to chase her dreams.
Congratulations Hannah. The first of many.
