American Olivia Weaver boosted hopes of a home victory in the upcoming US Open by claiming her maiden Gold-level title at the Silicon Valley Open 2024, while Joel Makin did the same to lift the men’s trophy.
US No.1 Weaver claimed a dominant three-game victory over No.6 seed Satomi Watanabe, while Welsh No.1 Makin came through a gruelling 80-minute encounter with No.8 seed Youssef Soliman in four games.
In the first final of the evening at Squash Zone, it was top seed Weaver who delighted the home crowd in San Francisco with a clinical performance, defeating the Japanese No.1 by an 11-4, 11-2, 11-8 scoreline.
Weaver was on song from the offset, finding an immaculate length on the all-glass court and neutralising the attacking weapons of Watanabe to great effect.
After taking the first two games in comfortable fashion, the inevitable response came from Watanabe, with the 25-year-old beginning to find her short game and step up the court. However, Weaver showed great composure to draw parity and subsequently close out the victory after just 28 minutes of play.
After the match, Weaver said: “It’s surreal that I’ve just won my first Gold-level event. When I started my career, I don’t know if I saw this on the cards, so I’m over the moon.
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“I think with Satomi’s skill, deception, and racket ability, it was obviously the plan to keep it out of the middle and keep it in the corners. I just wanted to play to my strengths and my game. I felt like if I could play to all four corners and make it physical, I stood a good chance, and I’m glad that it worked out in my favour.”
The moment @Olivia_Weaver1 became a Gold-level champion 🤩
What a tournament the top seed has enjoyed! #SiliconValleyOpen pic.twitter.com/pwjP5GNXq7
— PSA Squash Tour (@PSASquashTour) October 17, 2024
Meanwhile, in the men’s final, it was Welsh No.1 Joel Makin who capped off an outstanding week at the Gold-level event with a 12-10, 12-10, 8-11, 11-3 victory over Youssef Soliman.
In a match comprised of intense, lengthy exchanges, it was Makin who found a way to close out the crucial rallies, winning two tie-breaks in the opening two games, and racing away with the match in the fourth game after the change to a new, livelier ball.
“It’s massive, I’ve obviously lost in the final of a couple of Gold events, so it’s nice to get one done,” Makin said after the match. “I’ve obviously just gone to eight in the world last week, so hopefully this win will help me go towards seven or six in the world over the next couple of months.
“I was struggling to find my length today, I clipped the side walls a few too many times, but it was just one of those days where you just have to grind when it’s not going that well.”
Result: Silicon Valley Open 2024 – Men’s Final
[5] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [8] Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-1: 12-10, 12-10, 8-11, 11-3 (80m)
Result: Silicon Valley Open 2024 – Women’s Final
[1] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt [6] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) 3-0: 11-4, 11-2, 11-8 (28m)