One year after winning his maiden S.L. Green U.S. Men’s Championship, Chris Hanson successfully defended his title against the same opponent, Andrew Douglas, on the same court Sunday afternoon at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
The 2018 S.L. Green semifinals and final completely mirrored that of 2017, with Hanson and Douglas reaching the final with two more upsets against Chris Gordon and Todd Harrity, respectively.
In Sunday’s final, the scoreline reflected that of the 2017 final, with Hanson prevailing against the UPenn freshman in four games 11-8, 11-4, 8-11, 11-5.
“It’s surreal to come back and do this again,” Hanson said. “Last year was unbelievable, but this proves to myself that I can play at this level consistently now. Credit to Andrew for another tough final.”
The Dartmouth graduate has enjoyed a successful month so far, having reached a career-high PSA world ranking of No. 63 at the beginning of the month. Hanson is supported by the US Squash Elite Athlete Program.
“Last year I went in to the tournament not expecting to win, so I went in more relaxed,” Hanson said. “This year I put a lot more pressure on myself, but I also did a lot more work coming in, which is all thanks to my coach Rod Martin. I’ve been working with Rod since I was a little kid. He’s stuck with me through everything, and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. Thanks to my family who were all here supporting me today. Finally, US Squash does an incredible job putting on this tournament, but they really are a year-round support system for me so I couldn’t thank the organization enough.”
Hanson is the sixth American to repeat national titles since the transition to softball, following in the footsteps of Marty Clark, Damien Walker, Preston Quick, Julian Illingworth and Todd Harrity.
