Erisa Sano Herring plays what she calls a high-speed game of physical chess. In squash, there are no nets, no quiet country-club crowds. Just two players enclosed in a glass box, trading shots until someone breaks.
Born in Montreal?to a Japanese mother and Canadian father, the 25-year-old squash player?had the opportunity to play for either nation. She opted for the Japanese flag and will compete at the Asian Games in Nagoya, where squash begins Wednesday?and runs?until?Oct. 2 at Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena.
It is a stage she had chances to reach twice before. At 18 — having grown up in Canada before attending Drexel University in Philadelphia — she didn’t realize what she was missing. She was familiar with the Pan American Games but had never heard of the Asian equivalent.
“I didn’t know what the Asian Games were, and I was just focused on university,” Sano Herring admitted. It wasn’t until a year later that the weight of the opportunity hit her. “I was like, ‘Oh! That was such a big opportunity!’” she laughed.
After the 2022 Asian Games were delayed until 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she fell short of making the team that competed in?Hangzhou, China. She did not let her next opportunity slip by, sweeping through the selection trials in March without dropping a single game.
“It was very upsetting when I didn’t make the last team,” she said. “This time, I just couldn’t miss playing in Japan. It was also nice to officially show that I am better than everyone, and to have it on paper so people can see it now.”
Inheriting the racket
Squash was built into her life early. Her father discovered the sport while earning his Ph.D. in England — where squash was invented over 150 years ago — and her mother picked up a racket after they met. Sano Herring was on court by age 5 alongside her younger brother and sister, laying the groundwork for a career that eventually saw her turn pro at 21.
“I started playing almost as early as I can remember because my parents were playing,” she said. “I didn’t imagine I’d be playing squash for this long. I always knew I’d be playing a sport, but not professionally. I’m very competitive by nature, and squash is a way I can express myself.”
While she tried everything from figure skating and volleyball to swimming, kendo and ballet as a child, squash was the one that stuck. Part of its appeal was its accessibility compared to other athletic pursuits.
“You don’t need an expensive racket to start with,” she noted. “It’s about how well you can hit and control the ball. It’s definitely more affordable than sports like golf or figure skating.”
She made her mark by competing across divisions and taking on older players.?
“When I was 11, I won the boys’ Under-15 draw at a local tournament. I was so happy to beat the boys — I was a big tomboy,” she recalled. “Not only was it fun on court, but the community is really great. You get to mix with different age groups.”
Today, her brother Jason is also a pro, holding the family bragging rights as the better player for now, though she still plans to settle the score.
That shared involvement stems from her father’s guiding philosophy for picking a sport for his children.?
“He said if he was going to invest in us learning one, it should be something we could play our whole lives,” Sano Herring said. “You don’t really see 60- and 70-year-olds playing soccer or basketball. But you do see them playing squash.”
Developing her style
Sano Herring spent parts of her youth in the coastal town of Yui, Shizuoka Prefecture, staying with her maternal grandmother. Beyond holiday visits, she also spent time in Japan during the academic year, attending local schools at various points from kindergarten through junior high.
The dual upbringing gave her what she describes as a “good mix” of Japanese and Canadian cultures.
When asked which parts of her personality she traces to her Japanese side, she pointed to her sense of order.?
“I like to keep my space organized and clean,” she said. “And I love efficiency. Even with my training, I want to be efficient with my time — to train smarter, not harder.”
Entering the pro circuit later than most of her peers created an immediate urgency.
“Because I started late, I had a smaller window to improve quickly,” she said.?
Match film remains her primary textbook; she routinely turns to YouTube and SquashTV, the official video streaming platform of the PSA World Tour, to study the game.
That search for efficiency led her to spend five months in England earlier this year looking for a coach. She chose three-time world champion and former world No. 1 Nick Matthew, finding his positive reinforcement a better fit than the “tough love” style she views as typical in Japan.
On the court, she benefits from a distinct physical edge: She is a rare left-hander in a sport dominated by right-handers.
?“My playing style is very deceptive,” she said. “Because I’m left-handed, I can add a different angle to my shots and my shot selection.”
Her allegiance to Japan was a practical decision. At 18, she chose to represent the country over Canada, drawn by the federation’s financial and tournament support.
With an estimated 100,000 players nationwide — compared with more than 3 million tennis players — squash remains a niche sport in Japan. But Sano Herring believes squash could find an audience there.
“Because squash is such a tactical game, like 90% mental, and I know the Japanese are really smart, I think they would enjoy it a lot,” she said. “Once they get the first few rules, they start seeing the patterns players use to win points.”
The road to Nagoya and LA 2028
Life as a professional squash player is rarely glamorous. Outside the elite ranks, Sano Herring notes that most players struggle to break even — estimating that female players generally need to reach the top 70 to cover their baseline expenses. At No. 150?in the world, Sano Herring remains well outside that threshold.
Financial support from her parents and income from private squash lessons help sustain her career, though budget limits force her to skip overly expensive tournaments. Continuing to balance squash with her education, she will begin a master’s degree on a sports scholarship at Loughborough University in England after the Asian Games.
For now, her focus remains on training two to three times a day, six days a week, combining gym work and running. It is a grueling pace that has also seen its share of setbacks, including lower back and wrist injuries that sidelined her for eight months two years ago.
“Toward the end of the week, I’m just completely drained and I look like a ghost,” she joked. “All the color leaves my body.”
All that work leads to Nagoya, where she will compete for Japan in front of her family. When she steps on court, her parents, her aunts, her 84-year-old grandma?and her great-aunt will be in the stands to support her.
For Sano Herring, the upcoming tournament represents the biggest moment of her career, as well as an opportunity to test herself against the world’s best.?
“I’ve never been on a stage this big before,” she said. “It will be an extremely important learning curve to see the level of the players.”
Looking ahead, she envisions competing at the highest level for years to come. “The longest I’ll play pro squash might be 35,” she said. “For squash players, a lot of them peak from 28 to 31. So I know I have that range to look forward to.”
With squash officially joining the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Sano Herring already has her sights set on the Olympic horizon. “I have a very slim chance of getting in, but I’m going to take that slim chance full on,” she said.
For now, as she prepares to step out in front of a home crowd, she feeds on the anticipated energy. “When people back me up, it helps me back myself up too, to know I can push until the very end,” she said. “I’m really excited to represent Japan in Japan.”
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