Welsh Wonder! Tesni Wins British Squash Title

Tesni Evans is the British women’s squash champion. The World number 12 based in Rhyl won the title in Manchester with a flourish.

Tesni has been the outstanding player during the British National Championships, beating defending champion Laura Massaro 3-0 in her semi-final and was clinical in Sunday’s final.

Highly experienced England international Alison Waters, from Hertfordshire, has won the national title four times, but could not match the power and ferocity of Tesni.

The Cardiff-born player won 11-5, 11-9, 11-7 in 43 minutes and became the first ever Welsh winner of this event.

Tesni has climbed steadily up the World rankings and qualified for the World Championship quarter-finals during December.

This latest win in the British Championships underlines her potential and will boost confidence ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia in April.

Her father, Andrew, watched the final and was among the first people to congratulate his daughter.

Tesni defeated three former British champions on her way to the title, beating Jenny Duncalf, Massaro and Waters. Each victory came in straight games.

This is a huge year for the Rhyl-based player, who trains with her dad at Bangor University and Wales coach David Evans at the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff.

She has a burning ambition to move into the World’s top 10 and firmly believes she is capable of pressing a claim to be World champion.

Tesni was born in South Wales, but the family moved north when she was 10-years-old.

“I’m proud to play for Wales, proud to be Welsh number one,” said Tesni. “I started playing at the age of four, although I believe I was running around swinging the racket around everywhere hockey style.

“My first tournament was at 10-years-old, but those first three years were very much hitting, hoping and seeing what happened.

“Now I’m playing some of my best squash so far. The Commonwealth Games are ahead and, having played in Glasgow four years ago, we will be fully prepared.”

The four squash players in the Welsh team going to the Gold Coast are Evans, Barry’s Deon Saffery, Caerphilly-born Peter Creed, who plays out of Rhiwbina SRC, and Pembrokeshire’s Joel Makin.