Senior National Championship preview: Martin Ross targets best ever performance after Euro boost
Martin Ross is targeting his best ever performance at this year’s Scottish Senior National Championship, following his European Team Championships heroics earlier this month.
The Edinburgh based squash player, originally from Inverness, won all three of his matches at the continent’s top team competition, including the match which sealed Scotland’s promotion as Division 2 champions.
Martin said: “Hopefully there’s some momentum coming out of the Europeans, obviously it’s difficult to tell as this was my first time playing in that event.
“It could be a bit of a come down from all of the emotions from that week, or it could give me confidence, knowing that I got those wins under pressure.
“I played well and was improving as the week went on and I know that I can compete at that level now, so hopefully that gives me some momentum going into it.”
As fourth seed for the National Championship, Martin has high hopes for this year’s event.
He said: “I’ve never gone further than the quarter finals before (in the National Championship) so the main outcome goal this year is to try and get into the semi-finals and then anything can happen.”
The 28-year-old, currently ranked 309th in the world, has dedicated the last year – following the completion of his PhD in Computer Science – to his professional squash dream.
Martin reflects: “This has been a really good year because I have been pretty much full-time playing squash.
“I’ve been able to dedicate time to the sport and to travel to tournaments and do things that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do.
“Going forward, the money’s running out so I’m in the process of looking for a job, but hopefully it will be something remote or hybrid so that I can continue with the squash as much as I would like – but only time will tell.”
This year’s entry in the men’s draw features all members of the team which clinched European promotion, with top seed Greg Lobban looking to defend his title.
Hot on his heels will be second seed Rory Stewart, looking to win the event for the first time.
Young talents Alasdair Prott, John Meehan and Andrew Glen will look for a post European Teams boost, while Rory Richmond and Matt Bedwell will look to put strong runs together as top eight seeds.
In total, 30 players will compete for the title of Scotland’s best at Newlands Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, with the action getting underway on Friday, and the winner to be crowned on Sunday.
The Scottish Senior National Championships 2024 will take place at Newlands Lawn Tennis and Squash Club from Friday 17th May to Sunday 19th May.
Spectators can watch for free, and the full draw and results can be followed on SportyHQ.
