March 7, 2025 • 10 mins
This week's New Zealand Squash Open has seen a huge upset.
It was a Wellington teenager and world number 255 who stole the show, taking on both world number 54, and 3rd seed, world number 12.
Ollie Dunbar talks to Piney about his journey to Squash, and how he became a wildcard in the squash open.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Edb a big upset in the first round of this
week's New Zealand Squash Open in christ Church, Going back
and there you go. What on absolutely immaculate performance from
Oli Dunbar here Wellington teenager tournament wildcard and world number
(00:32):
two fifty five Oli Dunbar stunning world number fifty four
Ruey Suarez from Portugal three games to one. It meant
he faced third seed and world number twelve Ian Yo
Ng in the second round, where he put up a
great fight before going down in three sets. Olli Dunbar
is with us congratulations on a pretty special few days
(00:53):
for you. Oli. When did you find out first of
all that you'd be included in the New Zealand Open
as a wildcard?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Oh yeah, well, thank you. I got a call from
the national coach about a couple about in the December.
He gave me a ring and told me I'd be
the wild carter. Yeah, there was a really cool experience
or the draw and yes, just keen to have a
good crack.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
How did you feel going into your first round match?
What what we you know? How did you feel ahead
of your first game.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yeah, I felt felt good, you know, nothing to lose,
no pressure like obviously, being a wild card, I'm not expected,
not expected to win, so it was good. All the
pressure was on him. I just thought, just try to
play my game.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah, at what point in the match did you feel
as though you might have a chance to win it?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Well? After the first hip, I was up about eight
four in the first hit, I think, and about then
I was like, all right, going to keep keep doing
what you're doing and might have a good shot here.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Did you how difficult is it to look across the
court and say, okay, well this is the world number
fifty four. I'm two fifty five in the world, so
here's a blow two hundred places above me in the
world rankings. Like, how do you not get overawed in
a situation like that?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Just I've just tried to stay focused on my game plan,
just trying and keep things simple, stay in the momument,
the big thing, not think about the end result.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
What did you do particularly well that night? Do you think?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I think I had found my targets really well as
played quite accurate, which was good. Always helps me, especially
on a glass court. It's a bit different to a
traditional court, so yeah, it was good to you've got
that right from the start.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
How are the emotions when you secured the one?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Oh yeah, I felt great, Probably one of the best
feelings I've ever had, so yeah it was. It was
awesome and had to crowd behind me as well, so
it was good.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
It must be quite nice playing on a home court.
What's the venue like there at the because they've basically
put a glass court, a glass court in the middle
of a theater, is it.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Right, Yeah, that's right. So it's at the Isaac Theater
Royal and crush it. So it was absolutely awesome, like
one of the biggest crowds I've played in for an
than Yeah, it was great. The theater that looks awesome
just itself, and then put a squash caught up on
the stage. Is awesome that Not many of the players
have played anything like that before. So ye, it's come.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
How was your opponent Ruy Suirez? Afterwards? Was he was
he humble and defeat?
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, he was humble and defeat you look at well,
well it could be quite tough for some people, but yeah,
he took it well. So that was good.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And then you fit into a second round match against
the world number twelve. How do you reflect on on
the way you performed in that match.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, I don't think I played too poorly, Like the
score line wasn't that close, but I felt I played okay.
Just experience of a big part was specially pipping up
to that level. So hopefully get a bit more experienced
over the next few years and improved few aspects of
my game and hopefully get to that level.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Because I watched some of that game and there seemed
to be a lot of rallies that you were staying in.
You know, it wasn't as though it was a complete
whitewash by any stretch of the menation. Do you take
a quite a bit of heart from the fact that
that you, you know, you didn't just lie down against
one of the top players in the world.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, definitely. I spoke to national coach at host and
he who thought it was a thought I played well,
you know then just all the helleys, you know, competing
with him, but just he was just finishing them off better,
which is a big part, especially at the next level.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Paul Cole, of course, is top seed, defending champion. Is
he someone who as your squash journeys has sort of
started that you look up to.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Yeah, definitely. I remember watching him when I was younger
and like in the early hours of the morning, him
playing in finals overseas, and yeah, getting to know him
over the past few months have been really cool. He's
a great guy and obviously very successful squash player over
his career and more of them. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Have you spent a bit of time, I mean, you're
both in the same tournament, you're both in the same
city at the moment. Have you had the chance to
spend any time with him in the last week or so?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah, I've spent a bit of time with him, had
a media things to do with him, and yeah, I
had a couple hits of him which has been great,
giving me some advice and it's been really good again
to know him better.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Good stuff. So are you now a full time squash professional?
Is this your job now?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah? Well, basically do a bit of work. I'm pack
and save on the on the spot and make a
bit of money, but yeah, most of the time. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
And so what does the next twelve months look like
for you then, Ollie? Are you going to be traveling
far and wide? Have you charted out what the year
looks like for you.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yeah, so the next twelve months, well, the next probably
until in the July of the Worldingior Champs in Egypt,
which is a big focus for me, try and get
a meddle there. So I'm going to go overseas for
about a month beforehand to England just to get some
training and over there and then play the Worldingior Champs
in Egypt, and then I come home and regroup for
(05:59):
a bit and then gets stuck into the Senior tour.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Outstanding. How did you become involved in the game? When
did you first pick up a record?
Speaker 3 (06:07):
First picked up for recup when I was probably about
seven or something like that and my parents just took
me down to the Kendala squash club and yeah, just
played ever since, both of them played.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
So yeah, when did it become something you started well,
A realizing you were quite good at and B started
to take quite seriously and devote a lot more time
to What age would you have been Well, I.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Played it well since I was seven or so, but
I played other sports like cricket and football until I
was about fifteen maybe, so Yeah, when I was about fifteen,
I started to focus a lot more on squash, and yeah,
it's been good.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Well this has happened quite quickly then, because we're only
talking about three years. So where are the improvements still
to come in your game? What are you now two
hundred and fifty five in the world to really start
making strides up the world rankings and to have success.
What are the improvement areas that you're targeting at the moment.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Targeting like my short game and my attacking skills, like
I was like, like I said, I can compete in
the valleies against the top guys, but just finishing them
off at a whole other level. And obviously fitness can
always improve. You can always get fitter, and physicality is
a big thing at that level. Will be able to
do play like that for a long time, and the
intensity of the top guys is really high.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Indeed, what about patients, Ollie, do you have to be
quite patient because these rallies, I mean most of us
will never be in rallies as long as the ones
that you'll run. But do you do you have to
be patient and wait for the right opening to play
that winner.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Yeah. Mentally, there's also another area I need to focus on,
like just woritning for the right one, because it's like
you say, it's easy to just there's one. I could
go for it and then just go for it and
might not be the right time or might not play
the right shot. So yeah, just being patient is a
big Obviously Black Poor was very patient and wait for
(08:02):
the right one, and yeah, it's a really big part. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
And squash is now an Olympic sport, or will be
in Los Angeles twenty twenty eight and beyond. Have you
thought about what it might be like to represent your
country at in Olympic Games?
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Yeah, that would be awesome. You know, it's a big
goal of mine to make you the twenty twenty eight
Olympics or hopefully twenty twenty or twenty thirty two. So yeah,
that would be awesome. You know, it's a pennacle of
every sport in the world, so to be able to
do that would be awesome.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
And you're eighteen now, I don't know how old Paul Kohlers,
I get the feeling is in his late twenties. Now,
do you feel as though you're like win is the
win is the typical peak for a male squash player.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Yeah, probably, It varies for a lot of players. But Paul,
I think he's thirty two now thirty three maybe, so
he's like he's still in physically great condition like obviously,
and a lot of the top players that can be
anywhere from really twenty seven to thirty two or something
that's quite yeah, convary in this great players who were
(09:07):
younger as well, in their early twenties as well, So yeah, vary.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
So you might have another fifteen years of this, you know,
I could imagine could become all consuming. What do you
do to relax when you're not hitting a squash?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
For I spend time with my family is a big thing.
Play a bit of golf as well, which is good.
To get outside obviously squashes indoors. Yeah, so it's good
to get outside and see a bit more sunlight, which
is good.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Tremendous. Well, it was a great thrill for a lot
of squash fans around the country to watch you win
that first round match during the week. Oli a terrific
achievement for you, the first of many significant achievements. I'm
sure to come all the best for the rest of
you stay in New Zealand and towards the World Junior Champs.
I really enjoyed the chance.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
To chat to you chess.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Thank you very much, Thank you for joining us. Oli Dunbar.
Their eighteen year old Oli Dunbar, who yeah, did something
pretty special during the week in his first crack at
the news on Squash Open and one out of the
world number fifty four. He's world number two fifty five,
So that gives you an idea of just what a
significant achievement that is. It's a name to remember, Ollie Dunbar.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to news Talks at b Weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Edb a big upset in the first round of this
week's New Zealand Squash Open in christ Church, Going back
and there you go. What on absolutely immaculate performance from
Oli Dunbar here Wellington teenager tournament wildcard and world number
(00:32):
two fifty five Oli Dunbar stunning world number fifty four
Ruey Suarez from Portugal three games to one. It meant
he faced third seed and world number twelve Ian Yo
Ng in the second round, where he put up a
great fight before going down in three sets. Olli Dunbar
is with us congratulations on a pretty special few days
(00:53):
for you. Oli. When did you find out first of
all that you'd be included in the New Zealand Open
as a wildcard?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Oh yeah, well, thank you. I got a call from
the national coach about a couple about in the December.
He gave me a ring and told me I'd be
the wild carter. Yeah, there was a really cool experience
or the draw and yes, just keen to have a
good crack.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
How did you feel going into your first round match?
What what we you know? How did you feel ahead
of your first game.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yeah, I felt felt good, you know, nothing to lose,
no pressure like obviously, being a wild card, I'm not expected,
not expected to win, so it was good. All the
pressure was on him. I just thought, just try to
play my game.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah, at what point in the match did you feel
as though you might have a chance to win it?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Well? After the first hip, I was up about eight
four in the first hit, I think, and about then
I was like, all right, going to keep keep doing
what you're doing and might have a good shot here.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Did you how difficult is it to look across the
court and say, okay, well this is the world number
fifty four. I'm two fifty five in the world, so
here's a blow two hundred places above me in the
world rankings. Like, how do you not get overawed in
a situation like that?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Just I've just tried to stay focused on my game plan,
just trying and keep things simple, stay in the momument,
the big thing, not think about the end result.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
What did you do particularly well that night? Do you think?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I think I had found my targets really well as
played quite accurate, which was good. Always helps me, especially
on a glass court. It's a bit different to a
traditional court, so yeah, it was good to you've got
that right from the start.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
How are the emotions when you secured the one?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Oh yeah, I felt great, Probably one of the best
feelings I've ever had, so yeah it was. It was
awesome and had to crowd behind me as well, so
it was good.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
It must be quite nice playing on a home court.
What's the venue like there at the because they've basically
put a glass court, a glass court in the middle
of a theater, is it.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Right, Yeah, that's right. So it's at the Isaac Theater
Royal and crush it. So it was absolutely awesome, like
one of the biggest crowds I've played in for an
than Yeah, it was great. The theater that looks awesome
just itself, and then put a squash caught up on
the stage. Is awesome that Not many of the players
have played anything like that before. So ye, it's come.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
How was your opponent Ruy Suirez? Afterwards? Was he was
he humble and defeat?
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, he was humble and defeat you look at well,
well it could be quite tough for some people, but yeah,
he took it well. So that was good.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And then you fit into a second round match against
the world number twelve. How do you reflect on on
the way you performed in that match.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, I don't think I played too poorly, Like the
score line wasn't that close, but I felt I played okay.
Just experience of a big part was specially pipping up
to that level. So hopefully get a bit more experienced
over the next few years and improved few aspects of
my game and hopefully get to that level.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Because I watched some of that game and there seemed
to be a lot of rallies that you were staying in.
You know, it wasn't as though it was a complete
whitewash by any stretch of the menation. Do you take
a quite a bit of heart from the fact that
that you, you know, you didn't just lie down against
one of the top players in the world.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, definitely. I spoke to national coach at host and
he who thought it was a thought I played well,
you know then just all the helleys, you know, competing
with him, but just he was just finishing them off better,
which is a big part, especially at the next level.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Paul Cole, of course, is top seed, defending champion. Is
he someone who as your squash journeys has sort of
started that you look up to.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Yeah, definitely. I remember watching him when I was younger
and like in the early hours of the morning, him
playing in finals overseas, and yeah, getting to know him
over the past few months have been really cool. He's
a great guy and obviously very successful squash player over
his career and more of them. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Have you spent a bit of time, I mean, you're
both in the same tournament, you're both in the same
city at the moment. Have you had the chance to
spend any time with him in the last week or so?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah, I've spent a bit of time with him, had
a media things to do with him, and yeah, I
had a couple hits of him which has been great,
giving me some advice and it's been really good again
to know him better.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Good stuff. So are you now a full time squash professional?
Is this your job now?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah? Well, basically do a bit of work. I'm pack
and save on the on the spot and make a
bit of money, but yeah, most of the time. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
And so what does the next twelve months look like
for you then, Ollie? Are you going to be traveling
far and wide? Have you charted out what the year
looks like for you.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yeah, so the next twelve months, well, the next probably
until in the July of the Worldingior Champs in Egypt,
which is a big focus for me, try and get
a meddle there. So I'm going to go overseas for
about a month beforehand to England just to get some
training and over there and then play the Worldingior Champs
in Egypt, and then I come home and regroup for
(05:59):
a bit and then gets stuck into the Senior tour.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Outstanding. How did you become involved in the game? When
did you first pick up a record?
Speaker 3 (06:07):
First picked up for recup when I was probably about
seven or something like that and my parents just took
me down to the Kendala squash club and yeah, just
played ever since, both of them played.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
So yeah, when did it become something you started well,
A realizing you were quite good at and B started
to take quite seriously and devote a lot more time
to What age would you have been Well, I.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Played it well since I was seven or so, but
I played other sports like cricket and football until I
was about fifteen maybe, so Yeah, when I was about fifteen,
I started to focus a lot more on squash, and yeah,
it's been good.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Well this has happened quite quickly then, because we're only
talking about three years. So where are the improvements still
to come in your game? What are you now two
hundred and fifty five in the world to really start
making strides up the world rankings and to have success.
What are the improvement areas that you're targeting at the moment.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Targeting like my short game and my attacking skills, like
I was like, like I said, I can compete in
the valleies against the top guys, but just finishing them
off at a whole other level. And obviously fitness can
always improve. You can always get fitter, and physicality is
a big thing at that level. Will be able to
do play like that for a long time, and the
intensity of the top guys is really high.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Indeed, what about patients, Ollie, do you have to be
quite patient because these rallies, I mean most of us
will never be in rallies as long as the ones
that you'll run. But do you do you have to
be patient and wait for the right opening to play
that winner.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Yeah. Mentally, there's also another area I need to focus on,
like just woritning for the right one, because it's like
you say, it's easy to just there's one. I could
go for it and then just go for it and
might not be the right time or might not play
the right shot. So yeah, just being patient is a
big Obviously Black Poor was very patient and wait for
(08:02):
the right one, and yeah, it's a really big part. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
And squash is now an Olympic sport, or will be
in Los Angeles twenty twenty eight and beyond. Have you
thought about what it might be like to represent your
country at in Olympic Games?
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Yeah, that would be awesome. You know, it's a big
goal of mine to make you the twenty twenty eight
Olympics or hopefully twenty twenty or twenty thirty two. So yeah,
that would be awesome. You know, it's a pennacle of
every sport in the world, so to be able to
do that would be awesome.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
And you're eighteen now, I don't know how old Paul Kohlers,
I get the feeling is in his late twenties. Now,
do you feel as though you're like win is the
win is the typical peak for a male squash player.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Yeah, probably, It varies for a lot of players. But Paul,
I think he's thirty two now thirty three maybe, so
he's like he's still in physically great condition like obviously,
and a lot of the top players that can be
anywhere from really twenty seven to thirty two or something
that's quite yeah, convary in this great players who were
(09:07):
younger as well, in their early twenties as well, So yeah, vary.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
So you might have another fifteen years of this, you know,
I could imagine could become all consuming. What do you
do to relax when you're not hitting a squash?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
For I spend time with my family is a big thing.
Play a bit of golf as well, which is good.
To get outside obviously squashes indoors. Yeah, so it's good
to get outside and see a bit more sunlight, which
is good.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Tremendous. Well, it was a great thrill for a lot
of squash fans around the country to watch you win
that first round match during the week. Oli a terrific
achievement for you, the first of many significant achievements. I'm
sure to come all the best for the rest of
you stay in New Zealand and towards the World Junior Champs.
I really enjoyed the chance.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
To chat to you chess.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Thank you very much, Thank you for joining us. Oli Dunbar.
Their eighteen year old Oli Dunbar, who yeah, did something
pretty special during the week in his first crack at
the news on Squash Open and one out of the
world number fifty four. He's world number two fifty five,
So that gives you an idea of just what a
significant achievement that is. It's a name to remember, Ollie Dunbar.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to news Talks at b Weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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