By Ewen McRae
Dylan Molinaro won his first national squash championship in straight games, but he said it was far harder than the scoreline indicated.
The Williamstown 16 year-old was last month crowned the Australian-under 17 champion following a gruelling tournament in Darwin, and while the final’s 11-3, 11-5, 11-8 scoreline against top seed Sam Sergo pointed to a one-sided match, Molinaro said that was not the case.
“I certainly didn’t expect to win like that,” Molinaro said.
“I’d done a lot of work with my coaches on getting faster and stronger, and that definitely helped when the match got tough.
“This is a tournament I looked at at the start of the year and wanted to win, so to do that was a great feeling. I came through a lot of tough competitors and a very talented draw, so it was tough just to get to the final: I was very relieved to win the title.”
While Sergo breezed his way through the preliminary games, Molinaro endured back-to-back five-game matches in the quarter- and semi-finals, which prepared him for the biggest match of his career.
“It was tough all the way,” he said. “I was seeded second so there were some tough games throughout.
“But it also meant I got more court time than my opponent in the final, so I feel like I was a bit more experienced and understood the court conditions a bit better.
“In Melbourne, the ball dies a lot on the court. But in Darwin, it bounces more and keeps going, so you’ve got to be prepared for the longer rallies and have the endurance to keep going.”
Now ranked No.2 in Australia for his age group, Molinaro has been steadily building a reputation as one of the rising stars of the sport, and will now set his sights on two upcoming junior tournaments and a potential berth in national colours.
“My coaches have been working with me on not focusing on the end result, but just getting the process right,” he said.
“I’m hoping to do well in the Oceania Junior Championships and the Australian Junior Open early next year, and then hopefully play in the Trans Tasman team – a Test match against New Zealand.
“Representing my country would be awesome – I really hope I can make that squad and experience that.”
