Chestnut Hill Classic draws international athletes

Posted 3/16/23

This past weekend, 24 of the best female squash players in the world spent five days battling it out on the courts of the Philadelphia Cricket Club at the inaugural Chestnut Hill Classic.

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Chestnut Hill Classic draws international athletes

Posted

This past weekend, 24 of the best female squash players from all over the world spent five days battling it out on the courts of the Philadelphia Cricket Club (PCC) at the inaugural Chestnut Hill Classic sponsored by Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.

The Philadelphia Cricket Club and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy co-hosted the tournament, a major PSA event, jumping in after a tournament scheduled to take place in Egypt ran into difficulties. 

The athletes came from Belgium, Egypt, Latvia, Hong Kong, England, Malaysia, Switzerland, France, Canada, Germany and Ireland, and also included two Olivias who grew up and learned the game locally and now live in Philadelphia. 

After three hard-fought matches leading up to the championship, it was the Olivias – Olivia Fiechter, ranked ninth, and Olivia Clyne, ranked no. 15, and Team USA teammates who faced each other on the court in the final round of competition. 

“It will truly be a dream come true to compete on the very courts where I first learned and fell in love with the game,” Fiechter, SCH class of 2014 said in preparation for the event. 

She was joined in the tournament by SCH Academy junior Allie Stoddard, who was thrilled to make her Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour debut after earning one of two wildcard spots to play in the first round. Stoddard was fresh off a major win in Houston at the Texas Junior Championship Tour event, placing her fourth nationally in the Girls Under 17 category.

Fiechter and Clyne both had a challenging route to the final, and it seemed scripted to see them both compete for the fourth event in succession, this time for a PSA title. The early exchanges were a sign of things to come with incredibly long rallies, both showing elite levels of athleticism and neither wanting to give an inch. It was Fiechter who took the first game in front of a packed crowd on PCC’s show court. Clyne drew level and silenced the home crowd that was desperate to see one of their own win on her home court. 

The third game was neck and neck until the players reached seven-all, when Fiechter pulled away with four quick points and then didn’t look back. Fiechter remained on the offensive, using the backhand side to contain her opponent and capitalizing on any loose balls. Clyne had won two of the previous three matchups between the two, and certainly didn’t lack belief in her ability to make a comeback. But after Clyne saved three match balls, Fiechter hit a great backhand volley-kill and claimed the title in four games and fifty-five minutes, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8.

SCH Head of School Dr. Delvin Dinkins helped present the trophy to Fiechter along with director of squash at PCC Rich Wade. 

“For several days I’ve been witnessing what real squash looks like – not the scrappy kind that I play,” Dinkins said. “And to see pros like Olivia play, it's just so elegant. It's like they're ice skating, ice dancing, and something I could never imagine doing myself without many more hours under my belt. What excellence looks like at this level is really tremendous.”