Making history has never come more easily

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This article was published 28/05/2018 (2699 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jennifer Saunders didn’t buckle under the pressure of making Canadian racquetball history on Saturday. In fact, the 41-year-old Winnipegger said she didn’t feel any pressure at all, needing just 28 minutes to defeat Christine Richardson and clinch the national women’s title.

“As much as I wanted to win, I have established my racquetball career and I don’t have anything left to prove to anybody,” Saunders said shortly after the win. “The only pressure was internal pressure, because I just thought it would be so much fun to win this title here.”

Indeed, the timing couldn’t have been better for Saunders. Her victory on home soil was made extra special by the fact she was able to tie her friend and mentor, Sherman Greenfeld, another racquetball legend who hails from Winnipeg, for the most Canadian singles titles, with 10. And, after winning a women’s doubles title earlier in the week, Saunders now has more national titles (22) than any other Canadian.

“I think maybe I should quit like Peyton Manning,” Saunders joked, referring to the NFL quarterback who retired after winning the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos. “It’s just so amazing to win in here in front of family and friends.”

She added: “This is the first time my dad has ever come watch me play racquetball. It’s always meant tons to him, but he’s a shy guy, so it was great to have him here. Then tying (Greenfeld’s) record, that means a lot to me because he was a mentor and a hero of mine growing up, and to do it in Winnipeg was very cool.”

In the men’s final, Samuel Murray from Quebec defeated Alberta’s Coby Iwaasa in a tiebreaker, 11-2, after winning the first game 15-7 and losing the second game 10-15.

Saunders executed a near perfect first game, rolling to a 15-3 win and giving the sense that the title might come easy. But Richardson, a native of Regina who has lived in Winnipeg the past two years and trains with Saunders every Tuesday, eventually found her groove in the second match.

Despite falling behind 7-0 to start the second game, Richardson showed some impressive resilience in what was her first national title appearance. After cutting the lead to 13-7, forcing Saunders to take a time out, Richardson earned points on her next four serves, and at one point seemed to fluster her much more experienced opponent.

“I knew she’s very determined, and I knew she wasn’t going away,” Saunders said. “I was kind of waiting for something, and then she just started serving rockets, so I was just trying to hang in there and wait for my opportunity.”

But Saunders, holding a 14-13 lead, was able to channel her emotions to get that final point and seal the victory.

“Jen is an amazing person on and off the court,” Richardson said. “I expected nothing less from her trying to fight and get that title and break that record, and she’s just an awesome person.”

Saunders will now set her sights on the world championships in August (tournament location to be determined), where she’ll compete in women’s singles and doubles, playing with partner Frédérique Lambert of Montreal.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton