Juniors remember Mark Sachvie at Canadian Open

Youngsters pay fitting tribute to Sachvie as Junior Open honours his memory

AN incredible 270 juniors from 15 countries competed in the Dunlop Canadian Junior Open – dedicated to the memory of Mark Sachvie – at White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa this month.

Sachvie hosted virtually every edition of the Canadian Junior Open and players assembled on court to remember his life by observing a moment of silence prior to the first match.

Sachvie (pictured right) died of a heart-attack on November 30, 2013 while attending the memorial for Adrian Dudzicki, a Canadian Professional Squash Player who was hit by a car while on his way to train at the National Squash Academy.

Canada won three titles in this international junior squash event on the World Squash Federation World Junior Tour. Nicole Kendell (Girls U13), Akasham Rajagopaul (Boys U15) and Alyssa Mehta (Girls U19) won titles for Canada.

Akasham Rajagopaul, a member of the White Oaks Junior Squash Program, dedicated his Boys U15 title to Mark Sachvie his long-time coach.

Akasham played exceptionally well throughout the tournament and dominated his opponent England’s James Wyatt in the final winning the title convincingly 3-0.

Meanwhile, Canadian National Team member Alyssa Mehta captured the Girls U19 title, defeating fellow Canadian team member Alison Richmond of Toronto in three games, while Nicole Kendell of Toronto defeated Amy Commisso of Toronto in a very deep and talented U15 division.

The most exciting match was the final match of the tournament which featured Mexico number one Edgar Zayas face off against England’s number three ranked player Lyell Fuller.

The match was a hotly contested final featuring excellent shot making and tremendous athleticism. In the end, it was Fuller who edged his Mexican opponent 12-10 in the fifth and final game.

The 2014 edition will take place at White Oaks in conjunction with the Women’s World Team Squash Championships beginning December 1st , 2014.