Australian National Championships

The 2026 Australian National Championships took place from 18 to 21 June. Representing Western Australia this year was Daniel Marsh, Lewis Christie, Erin Classen and Hannah Slyth.

 

Congrats team WA on bringing home 3rd place. Way to represent!

Thanks Hannah Slyth!

"It was a hectic but rewarding two days representing WA at the Australian National Teams Championships. We played three matches back-to-back on the first day, followed by another two the next. We had some incredibly close battles against the other states, with several matches coming down to the wire. Daniel and I fought through two massive five-set matches on Monday, which really tested our resilience. The team worked exceptionally well together throughout the event and our collective effort paid off with a third-place finish."

Thanks Daniel Marsh!

"In the lead-up, I was just incredibly happy and relieved to be back doing what I love. After a year out with a major injury, returning to tournament play was a huge milestone for me. What made it even more meaningful was getting to represent my state again after two years away - there's truly no better feeling than that.

The road back to the competitive arena is rarely a straight line, and my preparation for this trip was a testament to that. I only managed to resume match play a mere week before leaving for the PSA events in WA. My lead-up training was constantly disrupted by hiccups in my Achilles tendon rehabilitation - hardly the ideal preparation when you’re staring down three consecutive tournaments. By the time I was playing in Western Australia, I was also managing severe shin pain. It definitely introduced an element of uncertainty regarding my physical readiness for the upcoming teams event.

The calibre of opponents required complete focus. I had only previously played two of them - one from my time in England, and another from my early days on the PSA tour in Australia - so there were a lot of fresh faces. Because of the physical setbacks I was already managing, my general game plan across the board had to be incredibly calculated. I had to focus on deliberate strategies to exploit their weaknesses and minimize the physical work I had to do. My role shifted dramatically when Oscar had to withdraw with an injury, forcing me to step up and play the number one spot. While playing number one was an amazing, fun challenge, the demanding five matches in the span of just two days was brutal on my body. Day one was a baptism of fire; I lost all three matches, including two agonizing five-gamers. I bounced back on day two with a strong win in four, but by my final match, the workload caught up to me, and I had to retire after sustaining a hamstring strain. It was a tough way to finish, but a massive test of resilience.

What’s next is all about playing the long game. After a brutal stretch on the body, I’m taking a temporary break from PSA events to fully reset, rebuild my strength, and make sure these injuries are entirely behind me. I’m really looking forward to sinking my teeth into a massive block of full-time training over the coming months. I’ll be targeting a return to competitive events later in the year, with the goal of being back to full strength, fully fit, and ready to hit the ground running."