WATCHED by a packed Squash Hall at the National Racquet Centre (NRC), Daniel Ince and Ashley Khalil carted off the top honours when the curtains came down on the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) and Enet Senior National Squash Championships on Sunday in a fantastic atmosphere.

The 33-year-old Khalil captured her fifth title in this tournament when she beat the 32-year-old Mary Fung-a-Fat, 7-11, 11-7, 8- 11, 11-7, 11-7 in a stupendous exhibition of Squash, which
lasted five games.

Mary, who made her debut on the professional circuit in 2017, took the first game 11-7.

Ashley took the second game, which was highlighted by long rallies and expertly executed drives and drop shots, to make it 1-1.

Mary dug deep to win the third stanza, 11-8 to lead 2-1 and set up the hard-fought five-game match.

Ashley won the next two games 11-7,11-7 to be crowned Guyana’s Squash Queen to the delight of her supporters, which included her brother and coach Jason-Ray and her elated parents.

Ashley, drenched in sweat, said after the match that winning a fifth title in this tournament was something she would never take for granted.

“Every title comes with its own hurdles, sacrifices, lessons and moments that have tested my resolve,” said Ashley, who thanked those who continue to stand beside her.

The men’s final was a repeat of the 2025 final between the 36- year-old Daniel Ince and his 22-year-old cousin, Samuel Ince- Carvalhal; the result was the same as last year.

Daniel emerged the winner by an 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 margin in a high-quality final to show that age is just a number.
In one of the best men’s squash finals in recent times, the bets were favouring Samuel, maybe due to Daniel’s last game when he played below what was expected for a player of his
standard.

The British-born cousins employed very long rallies; on several occasions, they lasted over 30 shots (the record in a 2025 PSA match is 250 for a single rally, which took 8 minutes) before ending with precise drop shots as they scrambled to the front of the Court for retrievals, inches from the ‘tin’ in a high-intensity game that ended 11-6 in favour of Daniel.

Daniel, 14 years older than Samuel, played wonderful squash and pushed Daniel in another fast-paced game with some hard backhand drives.

Daniel demonstrated better use of the court and used his vast experience to counter Samuel’s cross-court drives and took the game 11-8.

In a ‘must-win’ third game for Samuel, Daniel jumped out to a four-point lead as Samuel began to show signs of frustration, missing balls he should have hit and hitting the ball into the ‘tin’ by trying to hit it too hard.

With the raucous gathering on their feet, urging on both lads, it was Daniel who won the game 11-4 to successfully defend his 2025 title.

An emotional Daniel exulted on the court while Samuel was visibly upset as both players received a standing ovation for playing magnificently.

At the conclusion of the epic battle, Daniel spoke about the contest.
“Last year when we played, I was stronger and fitter but after a year Samual had put in a lot of work had improved his strength and fitness. I got into his head…but he is only 22 and very
talented …as he gets more matured, he will gain experience and not lose focus on what he has to do on court,” explained Daniel.
David Fernandes, President of the GSA, said that he was very pleased with the standard of the tournament, which had the most players, making it the biggest nationals ever.
Fernandes thanked Lorriane Ince for getting the Professional Squash Association (PSA) accreditation for the first time in the history of local squash.
The elite winners got 100 International points, while the losing finalists were awarded 60 international points.
Fernandes, a former national hockey player, felt that this tournament was very good preparation for the Senior CASA, scheduled for November 22-28 in Jamaica.
“Before the Senior CASA, we have five international tournaments we are hoping to attend. Four of those
tournaments are set for next month, starting with the CAC Games from August 2-7 in the Dominican Republic,” posited the GSA’s top man.