WJC Profile: Hannah Slyth - Perth teen ready to take on the world

She’s been busy with mid-year exams at college, now Perth teenager Hannah Slyth is ready to test herself against the best junior squash players in the world.

Hannah, just 16, is cramming a European squash tour in before the WSF World Junior Championships, which start July 18 in Melbourne.

Hannah will contest the European Junior Open in Cologne, Germany (29 June-3 July) before heading to Amsterdam for the Dutch Junior Open (6-9 July) ahead of the WJC.

For Hannah, who speaks Mandarin, French and hopes to pursue international relations after graduating Perth’s Penrhos College, it is about building a passport of experience against the best junior players in the world.

“The main reason I wanted to go to Europe now is to get that match experience against girls my own age,” said Hannah. “So often, except for State Titles and the Australian Junior Open, I’m playing against girls a lot older than me.

“In Europe I’ll be playing against 16-year-old girls and getting a real indication of where I am in my age group.”

Hannah was on the Australian team at the 2022 WJC France, and is eligible for juniors for the next two years.

But she is already holding her own against much older opposition. She finished runner-up at this year’s Australian Junior Open in the Under 19s and ranks it as her best achievement to date.

“My training in preparation for the tournament was focused and intentional,” she said.

As she outlines her long-term ambitions in the game, she has a message for organisers of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.

“I think I’ll be at my peak then,” she says, laughing, a further hint at the sport’s push for Olympic inclusion. “Playing in the Commonwealth Games would be a really cool experience, I don’t know if squash will ever be in the Olympics, but who knows.”

Hannah was born in Australia but spent a lot of her early childhood in China. Her family relocated there for a year when she was just three-months-old, then returned there again when Hannah was three. It was only when the family returned to Australia, Hannah then nine, that she took up squash.

“My mum has always been a squash player, she picked up a racquet when she was eight-years-old,” Hannah says. “So, when I was 10, I joined a junior program at Blue Gum Squash Club, which my mum ran.”
Hannah’s parents, Peter and Clare, remain her biggest support and she admits squash would be impossible without them.

“I have very supportive parents. My dad takes me to training in the morning, I go to school, then mum usually takes me to raining afterwards,” Hannah said, adding she never tires of the sport.

“I love that squash is such an exciting, fun and weather-proof sport. I enjoy the endorphins after completing a high intensity workout and find it very satisfying hitting a ball consistently, especially that feeling when you execute the perfect shot you were aiming for.

“There’s so many ways to improve as well, I thoroughly enjoy seeing results through matches after putting in the hard work in training. Most people in the squash community are friendly and easy going which adds to it as well.” 

Having got her first taste of the World Junior Championships in France last year, Hannah is aiming to improve her own results as well as contributing to the four-girl Australian team.

“I was really to be selected for Australia, then also to be part of the girls’ team where it’s the top-four. Obviously squash is more of an individual sport, so I like that team aspect of working together and trying to beat the other teams.

“Last year I had no idea what to expect. I really enjoyed it, being among all the top juniors in the world, watching their styles and seeing why they are so successful.

“Having the World Junior Championships in Melbourne is extra motivating as I’ve already had the opportunity to get used to the courts and the weather conditions at Australian Junior Open. It’s also nice having the home crowd watching and supporting us.”
 

2023 WSF World Junior Championships
18-29 July | Melbourne Sports Centres VIC
Australian Squad
Men: Harvey Allan (VIC), Dylan Classen (WA), Oscar Curtis (WA), Connor Hayes (VIC), Ken Lamb (NSW), Thomas Scott (NSW)
Women: Erin Classen* (WA), Shona Coxedge (QLD), Amelie Guziak* (VIC), Madison Lyon* (QLD), Courtney Scholtz (VIC), Hannah Slyth* (WA)
* denotes competing in women’s team event
Coaches: Stewart Boswell, Jenny Duncalf, Cassie Thomas