Spectacular Nantes venue showcases best of squash as Paris counts down towards Olympics

The 2018 edition of the event showcased the best of squash and the city of Nantes through a week of high-quality competition on the stage of the stunning 18th century Théâtre Graslin.

The tournament was broadcast live to thousands of spectators via Eurosport Player with the host city located just two hours from Paris, which will stage the 2024 Olympic Games.

As squash is vying to be included in the Olympic programme, the Open International de Squash de Nantes offered the perfect taster of what the sport could offer with its innovative and spectacular venues and dynamic play.

During five days of top class action, World No.23 James claimed his first win over Commonwealth Games doubles partner Willstrop in a dramatic 76-minute final.

Willstrop took an early lead, before 25-year-old James fought back to level the scores in the second. The momentum of the match continued to constantly shift between the two Englishmen right up until the last moment when, with the scores locked at 9-9 in the fifth, James held his nerve to edge ahead and claim his biggest PSA title with a 2-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9 victory.

Meanwhile, in the women’s final, Gilis avenged last year’s final defeat at the tournament as she dispatched 24-year-old top seed Whitlock in a thrilling five-game final.

Gilis, who knocked out defending champion Fiona Moverley in the semi-finals, showed incredible resilience and physicality to come from a game down against Whitlock, to win her biggest PSA title.

Since its inception in 2014, the Open International de Squash de Nantes has combined sport and culture. This year’s tournament proved no different, as a state-of-the-art all-glass showcourt was erected in the beautiful setting of the Théâtre Graslin and each match was opened by a musical performance featuring the soprano Anne-Sophie Duprels, quatuor Liger and DJ One Up.

Over the years, the Open International de Squash de Nantes has taken world-class squash to some of the most eye-catching venues in Nantes, such as Les Machines de L’Ile – home to the incredible Grand Éléphant – and the Cité Internationale des Congrès, one of the top convention centres in France.

The tournament is the biggest PSA event to be held in France and welcomed over 4,000 spectators across the past week as they turned out to watch top-class action. 

“I really enjoy playing in France,” said 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Willstrop.

“I’ve seen some amazing tournaments here over the years and this is an incredible place to play squash. I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like it, I sat and watched the opening phase and it was absolutely breath-taking.”

“The Open International de Squash de Nantes has got bigger and better year after year and we are delighted to see the tournament reach even greater heights over the past week” said PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough.

“We would like to thank the tournament organisers for their hard work in putting on a world-class tournament such as this, while their commitment to combining squash and culture has resulted in one of the most unique tournaments on the PSA Tour calendar.”

Result: Men’s Final
[2] Declan James (ENG) bt [1] James Willstrop (ENG) 3-2: 2-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9 (76m)
Result: Women’s Final
[4] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [1] Emily Whitlock (ENG) 3-2: 4-11, 11-6, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6 (72m)