Will Salter climbs to career-high ranking after Madrid success
By Fiona Geaves, East Glos squash performance coach
Last weekend, Will Salter, club member and squash professional, produced the best performance of his career with an outstanding run at the Madrid Open $15 tournament, reaching his first-ever semi-final at this level of event.
Despite competing in temperatures of around 38°C, Will exceeded his seeding of thirteenth in a 24-player draw by two rounds, putting together a series of outstanding performances.
In the second round, Will recorded an impressive straight-games victory over #3 seed Muhd Asim Khan (Pakistan), the world #69. After edging a closely contested opening game 11–9, he took control of the match with commanding 11–5 and 11–4 wins to secure his place in the quarter-finals.
His quarter-final against #7 seed Mathew Lai (Hong Kong), the world #79, proved a sterner test. With the match level at one game apiece, Will claimed a crucial third game 11–8 before producing some superb, accurate squash to close out the fourth 11–5 and book his place in the semi-finals. Consecutive victories over two top-80 players marked the best wins of his career to date.
Will’s remarkable run came to an end against Czech player Marek Panáček, who had already eliminated the tournament’s #1 and #6 seeds on his way to the last four. The two had been roommates throughout the week, adding an unusual twist to the semi-final. Despite battling brilliantly in a gruelling 66-minute contest, Will narrowly missed out on a place in the final.
The tournament represents the best result of Will’s career so far. His semi-final finish earned him his highest ranking points to date, lifting him 11 places in the world rankings to a new career-high ranking of #132.
Congratulations to Will on a superb performance and a thoroughly deserved achievement.
Photo: PSA