Kaufman & Anvari Claim Maiden Mixed Doubles Title; Luther Seals Second 50+ Title With Posner

(l-r): George Lemmon, Maria Elena Ubina, Hamed Anvari, Shirin Kaufman

The 2018 U.S. Mixed Squash Doubles Championships saw two seeds Shirin Kaufman & Hamed Anvari surge to their first Open title, while Sara Luther become the only past champion to extend her Mixed title record in the 50+ division at the University Club, New York Athletic Club and the Heights Casino in New York City.

The eight-team Open draw saw the top four seeds progress to the semifinals, where four seeds Maria Elena Ubina and George Lemmon—both former intercollegiate mixed doubles champions with Princeton and UPenn respectively—disrupted the seeding. Ubina & Lemmon knocked out top seeds Emily Lungstrum & Bobby Burns in four games to reach their first Mixed Doubles national final, 10-15, 15-10, 15-9, 15-6.

The Open final came down to the wire with both sides trading games until the fifth, where Kaufman & Anvari prevailed 15-13, 14-15, 15-11, 8-15, 15-10 to claim the title.

In the 50+ division, Luther, joined by first-time partner David Posner, topped a five-team round robin, including two five-game victories against Will Carlin & Beth Fedorowich and Karen Arango & Joseph Purrazzella. In the title-decider, Luther & Posner took out defending champions Dawn Gray & Thomas Harrity 15-12, 12-15, 15-12, 15-9. While Posner celebrates his first Mixed national title, Luther marks her fourth, adding to her 2014 50+ with Harrity and two 40+ titles in 2003 and 2005 with Fred Duboc.

The 40+ division produced first-time Mixed champions in the form of Charlie Humber & Mary Belknap McKee, who ran away with the title without dropping a game in the four-team round robin.

Sam Lehr & Emily Park took the B division honors, defeating Lexi & Chris Saunders in a four-game final 13-15, 15-8, 15-13, 15-8.

The 2018 Mixed Doubles marked the national championship’s fiftieth iteration since the first held in 1969.

View images on the US Squash Smugmug page.