Laura Jane Massaro (née Lengthorn; born 2 November 1983) is an English retired professional squash player. She was ranked number 1 in the world.

Biography

She was born in

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

and attended Albany High School, Chorley, which is now called Albany Academy. In July 2007, she married Danny Massaro and became Laura Lengthorn-Massaro. She subsequently dropped 'Lengthorn' from her name and is now known professionally as Laura Massaro. She won her first top-level title at the German Open in 2004 and went on to become

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

champion in 2013 and the

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

also in 2013, so becoming the first Englishwoman to hold both titles at once. She is also a three-time silver medallist for England in

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

. Massaro was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sky Sports Sportswomen of the Year awards. She won the WISPA Player of the Year award in 2011. She won the US Open and the Cleveland Classic in 2011, the Sharm El Sheikh Open in 2010, and the Monte Carlo Classic in 2008. In 2010, she was part of the English team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Women's World Team Squash Championships. Massaro also won the

British National Squash Championships The British National Squash Championships are the national squash championships for players from the United Kingdom & Ireland. They are held on an annual basis, with the venue changing for each year. The Championships were inaugurated in 1974 ...

in 2011, defeating Jenny Duncalf in the final 7–11, 11–9, 7–11, 11–7, 11–2. She had previously finished runner-up at the championships in 2008 (losing in the final to

Alison Waters Alison Claire Waters (born 19 March 1984) is an English former professional squash player. She reached a career high ranking of 3 in the world during October 2010. Biography As a junior player, Waters won her first major squash tournament ...

11–6, 7–11, 8–11, 9–11). At the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

, Massaro won a silver medal in the women's doubles (partnering Jenny Duncalf). She followed up four years later at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

with two silver medals: silver in singles after finishing runner-up to

Nicol David Malay titles#Datuk, Datuk Nicol Ann David (born August 26, 1983) is a Malaysian retired professional squash (sport), squash player. She was the world number one for a record-breaking 108 consecutive months, ceding the ranking in September 2015 ...

and another silver in doubles with Duncalf. In 2012, she was part of the England team that won the silver medal at the 2012 Women's World Team Squash Championships. Massaro won the British Open in 2013. She was the first English woman to do so in 22 years. After starting 2014 brightly by winning the

WSA World Tour Sports competitions that are a recurring series of events or races, but do not constitute a sports league. Series Sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability ...

title in Chicago, Massaro won the biggest title of her career to date at the 2013 World Open in Penang upon beating Nour El Sherbini in the final. Her achievement, alongside that of reigning men's world champion

Nick Matthew Nicholas Matthew (born 25 July 1980 in Sheffield) is a former English professional squash player who has won the two most prestigious tournaments in the professional game, the British Open and the World Open, three times each. He reached a ...

, meant that England had two reigning world squash champions for the first time. Massaro's exceptional 2014 season continued when she was runner-up to David at the British Open in

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

in May. At the

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

in July, Massaro went unbeaten through the women's singles – including a semi-final against compatriot Alison Waters – before falling to David in the gold medal match. She and Duncalf then joined forces in the doubles and won through to the final, where they lost to Indians Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa in straight games. October saw Massaro reach the quarter-finals of the US Open, where she lost to Nour El-Sherbini. In December, she was part of the team that helped England reclaim the world team title by winning the gold medal at the 2014 Women's World Team Squash Championships; she had previously won silver on three occasions. In 2015, she progressed to her third British Open final in succession before losing out to eventual victor Camille Serme in the 2015 Women's British Open Squash Championship. Massaro started her 2015/16 season in strong fashion as she achieved victory at the US Open and Qatar Classic. Upon beating world No. 1 Raneem El Weleily (who herself ended David's 9-year unbroken streak as world No. 1 several months prior) in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open, she became the third Englishwoman (and first since 2004) to ascend to the top of the world rankings. In 2016, she was part of the English team that won the silver medal at the 2016 Women's World Team Squash Championships. In 2018, she was part of the English team that won the silver medal at the 2018 Women's World Team Squash Championships. Massaro won eight gold medals for the

England women's national squash team The England women's national squash team represents England in international squash team competitions, and is governed by England Squash. Since 1981, England has won seven World Squash Team Open titles. Their most recent title came in 2014. A ...

at the

European Squash Team Championships The European Team Championships (ETC) are the international squash competition played between teams representing different nations organised by the European Squash Federation. Countries enter teams of four or five players to represent them in ...

from her first in 2007 (under the name Lengthorn) to her last in 2019. Massaro retired at the end of the 2018/19 season and was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to squash.

Major results

World Open

Major WSA World Series finals

British Open Hong Kong Open Qatar Classic U.S. Open Kuala Lumpur Open Tournament of Champions

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Massaro, Laura 1983 births Living people English female squash players Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Commonwealth Games silver medallists in squash Squash players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Squash players at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Squash players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Sportspeople from Great Yarmouth Sportspeople from Preston, Lancashire Members of the Order of the British Empire Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games 21st-century English sportswomen