#5: Sarah Kippax
NATIONALS A BIG DEAL FOR KIPPAX
Sarah Kippax and the
National Championships go back a long way – 17 years to
be precise – and are indeed the reason she took up squash and
decided to play it professionally.
 “It’s
the event I grew up watching,” recalled the 5/8 seed from
Cheshire. "In fact, I was a court attendant at the age of 13,
there to clean the white ball and mop up the sweat between
games. I loved it because it meant that I had the best seat in
the house!
“I remember being mesmerised. It allowed me to watch and learn,
and left me completely inspired and determined that one day I
would compete on the same stage.
“So, as you can tell, it’s a BIG deal to me and very special for
a number of reasons.
“As we are such a dominant nation in the world of squash past
and present, the British National Championship is an extremely
prestigious title.”
As such, the nine-time WSA Tour tournament winner would dearly
love to win the trophy for the first time, but she is looking no
further than her first-round tie with Wales’ Deon Saffery.
 “I
am not one to study the draw in great detail, but I know I have
Deon in the first round,” said Kippax. "She is a skilful player,
whom I haven’t played for years, so I’m looking forward to the
match.
“I always aim to take one match at a time, as you can’t afford
to get ahead of yourself. My focus will be to perform to the
best of my ability on the day and the results will take care of
themselves.
“However, it would be nice to get past the quarters for the
first time!”
In fact, the Halifax-based 30-year-old has reached the
quarter-final stage at the last six Nationals, but she is
pleased with her current form.
“I had a few injury niggles at the end of 2013, so since
Christmas I’ve altered the balance of my training,” she
explained. “Now I feel good physically, happy with the way I’m
playing and excited to compete in the Nationals so close to
home.” |
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