Micah Franklin and Melina Turk were crowned winners of the open divisions at the Gnosis Bermuda National Squash Championships at the Bermuda Squash Club on Friday night.

In a rematch of last year’s men’s final, Franklin defeated Taylor Carrick 3-0 to capture his sixth national title. Turk bested Rachel Barnes 3-1 to lift the women’s trophy for the second time.

“I knew it was going to be a hard match,” Franklin told The Royal Gazette.

“Taylor is a fantastic fighter, he’s young and just so hungry to improve. I knew that I would have to try and get really mentally up for this and try not to let him believe he could beat me comfortably.

“I knew it was going to be a fight and I'm really pleased with winning those big points in those big games. The conditions for nationals are always difficult with the pressure and the nerves of playing in your home crowd.

“I personally like to compete abroad for Bermuda, whereas when I play locally it always feels like I have so much pressure and distractions here.

“So that’s a mental battle that I have to overcome and all these years of playing the tournament have taught me how to cope with those emotions.”

While the scoreline might suggest that it was a stroll on the court for the 33-year-old Franklin, it was an intense battle between the island’s top two male players.

Carrick surged to a 3-1 lead in the first game, before Franklin came back to win it 12-10, sealed the second 11-8, then clinched the third 11-5 to secure the title.

“If you look at it on paper it says 3-0,” the men’s champion said.

“But we had two tie breaks or close to two tie-breaks. Even in the third, my body was cramping, I was feeling it and I knew that if he had continued to push, I was in for it.

“So 3-0 doesn’t always reflect how difficult that match was for me. I think what won it was being more aggressive, proactive and productive on the tee.

“I’ve been doing a lot of work internally about what it takes to be a better squash player and what kind of steps need to be taken to go to the next step.

“I think that push and drive I had tonight really helped me push to the finish line.”

Turk was delighted to emerge victorious from what she described as a difficult women’s draw.

“ Honestly, this one means a lot because the draw was a lot stronger,” she said.

“I played Eilidh Franklin, who I lost to in the final last year. I played her in the semi-final this time around, so I had to get through that match, just to get to the finals.

“It was a tough draw and it feels even more rewarding to have come through.

“I trained hard and did a lot of work, especially from January. After Christmas, as soon as I got back from Canada it was straight into physical training, playing a lot of squash, and trying to get my fitness up.

“I knew that the draw was going to be strong. I knew that the competition was putting in a lot of work too and it just fuelled me to make sure I was up to that level and that I could hang in there in the final and make sure that I didn’t get tired.

“I knew my squash was there, but sometimes my fitness is not there, depending on the time of year and if I’m putting in the work or not. But I did a lot of training leading up to it and I actually have been working with a mental coach for the last year, which has really helped.

“I told myself, you’ve done the work and you’re going to just go out there and enjoy yourself. I really enjoyed the match and I feel like that helped me play more positively and ultimately got me through.”

Anaya Smith defeated Kristian Muldoon 3-2 in the men’s third place play-off while the women’s bronze went to Sydney Wallace, who was awarded the match after Eilidh Franklin retired because of injury.

Susie Howells won the women’s over-40 division by beating Joann Bielby and Suzy Stones in a round-robin. The men’s title in the same age group went to Anthony Fellowes, whose victory came against Chris Dawson.

Hadleigh Farrer, the No 1 seed defeated the second-seed Nick Leach to win the men’s over-50 competition, while Deborah Sagurs retained the women’s title for the age group. Sagurs also preserved her status as the women’s B tournament champion.

Top seed Jan Brewer maintained his reign in the men’s over-60 title with victory over No 2 Peter Drury.

Michael Schrah won the men’s B title through a walkover as Owen Roserea withdrew due to injury. One of Bermuda’s most promising players Mason Smith was third in this division after losing to Roserea in the semi-finals.