Michael "Mike" Desaulniers is a former World No. 1 hardball squash player from Canada.
Hardball squash is a format of the indoor racquet sport squash which was first developed in North America in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It is sometimes referred to as being the "American version" of the sport. Compared to the "British version" of the game – which today is usually referred to as being the "international" version, or "softball" squash – the hardball game is played using a harder rubber ball which plays faster, and usually on a smaller court for singles play, or a much larger court for the doubles game.
Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States, stretching some 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi), is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, with 70% of citizens residing within 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.
Desaulniers played squash for Harvard University, and won the US intercollegiate title in 1977, 1978 and 1980 (he missed the 1979 event because of a broken foot).
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with about 6,700 undergraduate students and about 15,250 postgraduate students. Established in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, clergyman John Harvard, Harvard is the United States' oldest institution of higher learning, and its history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the world's most prestigious universities.
Desaulniers is probably best remembered for his win over the legendary player Sharif Khan in the final of the 1982 North American Open (the most prestigious title in hardball squash at the time). Desaulniers' 10-15, 15-12, 15-8, 15-9 win over Khan ended a run of six consecutive titles at the championship for Khan, and marked only the second time that Khan had failed to win the title since 1969. Khan never won the title again.
Sharif Khan is a Pakistani-Canadian retired professional squash player. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time great players of hardball squash. He was the dominant player on the hardball squash circuit throughout the 1970s. Sharif was born in Pakistan, and is the son of the legendary squash player Hashim Khan.
The U.S. Open (squash) is the most prestigious squash tournament in the United States, and one of the most significant in the world. It is a major international display of supreme talent in the sport, and showcases the top players from around the world.
A series of injuries kept Desaulniers away from the tour in 1983. He made a successful return in 1984, and then retired from the game in 1986.
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Squash is a ball sport played by two (singles) or four players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. The players must alternate in striking the ball with their racquet and hit the ball onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court.
Jahangir Khan, HI sometimes spelled "Jehangir Khan", is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered to be the greatest player in the history of squash. Jahangir Khan was born into a Pashtun family originally from Neway Kelay Payan, Peshawar. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times. From 1981 to 1986, he was unbeaten in competitive play. During that time he won 555 matches consecutively, the longest winning streak by any athlete in top-level professional sports as recorded by Guinness World Records. He retired as a player in 1993, and has served as President of the World Squash Federation from 2002 to 2008, when he became Emeritus President.
Hashim Khan was a squash player from Pakistan. He won the British Open Squash Championships a total of seven times, from 1951 to 1956, and then again in 1958. Khan was the patriarch of the Khan squash family, which dominated the sport from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Roshan Khan was a squash player from Nawakille, Peshawar, Pakistan. He was one of the leading players in the game s and early-1960s, and won the British Open title in 1957. His son Jahangir Khan became the world's leading squash player in the 1980s.
Mohibullah Khan, often referred to by the nickname "Mo Khan", was a squash player from Pakistan. He was one of the leading players in the game in the 1960s and a member of the famous Khan Dynasty of squash. His biggest triumph was winning the British Open in 1963.
Chris Walker is a squash coach and former professional squash player from England.
The North American Open is an annual international professional squash tournament. Started in 1966, this tournament was one of the most prestigious professional events behind the British Open and the World Open.
Aziz Khan is a former professional squash player and member of the Khan squash family. He was a top-ten ranked played on the North American hardball squash circuit in the late-1970s and early-1980s. In 1981, he was runner-up at the North American Open, losing in the final to his older brother Sharif Khan 15-9, 15-5, 15-9.
Mark Talbott is an American squash coach and former professional squash player. He is known as one of the all-time great players of hardball squash.
John G. Nimick is an American squash player and tournament organizer. He was one of the leading hardball squash players in the United States in the 1980s. Following his retirement as a professional player, he has become a central figure in the development of professional squash in the United States.
Ralph Eliot Howe III is an American hardball squash player. He was one of the leading squash players in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.
Kenton L. Jernigan is a squash player from the United States. He was one of the leading hardball squash players in the US in the 1980s and 1990s.
Mario Iván Sánchez Oviedo is a squash player from Mexico. He was one of the leading hardball squash players in North America in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Kenneth Keith "Ken" Binns is a former hardball squash player as well as tennis player from Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Born February 8, 1935 in Muswellbrook, NSW, Australia. Currently living in Toronto, Canada and father of three children : Todd Binns who was also a World Ranked Squash Champion, Susan Masse and Jo-Anne Binns. Grandfather of Susan's children, Desiree Kotnala and Anthony Sabato. At the age of 84, golf is now his passion.
Although hockey is the national sport of Pakistan and cricket is by far the most popular one; the sport in which Pakistan has achieved most success is squash. Pakistan dominated squash like no other country in the world, the domination lasting for the best part of 5 decades. It reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s during the reigns of Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan. Between 1950 and 1997, Pakistan amassed over 30 British Open titles, 14 World Open titles and a lot more PSA professional titles.
Desaulniers is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: