{"id":76170,"date":"2026-08-20T03:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T03:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/76170\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T03:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T03:19:09","slug":"perth-homecoming-a-special-moment-for-world-masters-champion-sue-hillier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/76170\/","title":{"rendered":"Perth homecoming a special moment for world masters champion Sue Hillier"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SueHillier.jpg\" data-caption=\"Perth's Sue Hillier will defend her World Squash Masters Championships title in Perth.\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"349\" class=\"entry-thumb td-modal-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SueHillier.jpg\"   alt=\"\" title=\"SueHillier\"\/><\/a>Perth&#8217;s Sue Hillier will defend her World Squash Masters Championships title in Perth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 40 years after winning her first WA Open State Championship, Perth squash champion Sue Hillier is preparing for one of the most special events of her remarkable career \u2013 competing for another world title on home soil.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hillier claimed her maiden State Championship in 1988 and has since built an extraordinary international r\u00e9sum\u00e9, winning three World Masters Championships and a World Masters Games title while forging lifelong friendships through the sport.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, as Perth hosts the 2026 World Squash Masters Championships for the first time, Hillier will have the rare opportunity to compete in front of family, friends and the local squash community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The City of Stirling will welcome the world\u2019s best masters squash players when Mirrabooka Squashworld co-hosts the championships from 30 August to 6 September.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A purpose-built glass court at Karrinyup Shopping Centre will also showcase the sport in a unique setting, giving visitors and shoppers the chance to watch world-class squash up close.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting,\u201d Hillier said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy family and friends will get to come and watch, and I have a training group on Wednesdays and a lot of them are playing as well. It\u2019s just really good to have it here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hillier heads into the tournament as the defending champion after winning the 2024 World Squash Masters Championships in Amsterdam and will be the No. 1 seed in her division.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite her success, the experienced competitor says she doesn\u2019t focus on rankings or expectations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI just back myself, try my hardest and see what happens,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That approach has helped Hillier remain among the world\u2019s best, where experience, strategy and composure are just as valuable as physical ability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe biggest thing I love about squash is the people and the social connection,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThen, it\u2019s the fact that it keeps me fit, and the third thing is the challenge. Every time I play someone new, it\u2019s about working things out \u2013 it\u2019s a mental game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt my age, I\u2019m not necessarily getting faster, so it becomes about the mental challenge and figuring things out \u2013 it\u2019s like physical chess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the championships coming to Perth for the first time, Hillier hopes the event will inspire more Western Australians to discover squash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m really hoping people come along and watch because squash is such an exciting sport,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor people who have never seen it before, masters squash is probably a great introduction because it\u2019s not quite as fast as the professional game. People can actually see the rallies and understand what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also hopes more people discover masters competition, which begins from age 35.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople get to 35 and think they\u2019re too old for sport, but that\u2019s actually when the masters category starts,\u201d Hillier said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI just wish more people would play masters because it\u2019s so good. It\u2019s competitive, it\u2019s social and it gives people a reason to stay involved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSquash has given me so much \u2013 fitness, friendships, travel and so many amazing experiences. It\u2019s been a huge part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The City of Stirling is a proud sponsor of the championships, working with Squash Australia and Tourism WA to bring the event to Perth for the first time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Around 1,500 competitors, supporters and officials from more than 55 countries are expected to visit Perth for the championships.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin AM said the event highlighted the City\u2019s commitment to attracting world-class sporting events while encouraging active lifestyles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are passionate about attracting world-class events and fostering an active and connected community, so these championships are a great fit,\u201d Mayor Irwin said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSue is a fantastic ambassador for this sport and someone we can all look up to when it comes to staying active and connected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo everyone who is visiting for the event, I encourage you to explore all the City of Stirling has to offer, from the idyllic Scarborough Beach in the west to the cultural hub of Mount Lawley in the east and everything in between.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Perth&#8217;s Sue Hillier will defend her World Squash Masters Championships title in Perth. Nearly 40 years after winning&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":76171,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[14137,335,112621,112622],"class_list":["post-76170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-perth","tag-city-of-stirling","tag-perth","tag-squash","tag-world-squash-championships"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}