Samuel Murray (born June 4, 1993) is a Canadian racquetball player. He is the current Canadian Champion in Men's Singles, winning the title for a fifth time in 2023. Murray was the 2022 Pan American Champion in Men's Doubles (with Coby Iwaasa),. He became the 2nd Canadian (after Kane Waselenchuk) to win a Tier 1 or Grand Slam event on the International Racquetball Tour in January 2021, when he won the Suivant Consulting Pro-Am in Lilburn, Georgia. His career high IRT ranking is #3 at the end of the 2021.
Junior years
Murray competed at the Canadian Junior National Championships on several occasions, winning six championships: three in singles and three in doubles. In Boys' Singles, he won U12 in 2006, U14 in 2008, and U16 in 2010. In Boys' Doubles, he won U14 with Pedro Castro in 2006, and they won U16 in 2008. In 2012, Murray and Sebastian Juteau won Boys' U18 Doubles.
2012–2015 – Career begins
Murray played in the 2nd Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event of the 2010–11 season, as it was in Brossard, Québec – his home province. Seeded 16th, he lost to 17th seed Nathaniel Husulak in the Round of 32, 7–15, 15–8, 11–6.
Murray played Men's Doubles with Jean-Philippe Morin in the 2012 Canadian Championships, and they lost in the Round of 16 to Francis Guillemette and Corey Osborne, 15–6, 15–6. In Men's Singles, Murray lost to Hugo Laprise due to an injury.
Murray played in the 2nd Racquetball Canada National Team Selection Event of the 2012–13 season in February 2013 in Brossard, Québec, where he reached the quarterfinals and lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–13, 16–14.
Murray played Men's Doubles with his older brother Tommy in the 2013 Canadian Championships in Langley, British Columbia, where they finished 4th. After winning the quarterfinals against another brother team of James Landeryou and Tim Landeryou, 15–7, 15–6, they lost in the semi-finals to Mike Green and Coby Iwaasa, 15–3, 15–6. They then lost the 3rd place match to Pedro Castro and Eric Desrochers, 15–4, 15–8. In Men's Singles that year, Murray lost to Castro in the Round of 16, 15–13, 15–9.
In November 2013, Murray finished 4th at the 1st National Team Selection Event of the 2013–14 season in Winnipeg, where he reached the semi-finals by defeating Tim Landeryou in the quarterfinals, 9–15, 15–12, 11–9, but lost to Vincent Gagnon, 7–15, 15–11, 11–5. In the 3rd place match, he lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–10, 15–8. In the 2nd National Team Selection Event of that season, he also played Landeryou in the quarters, but lost, 15–10, 15–7, in Brossard, Québec in January 2014.
The 2014 Canadian National Championships were also in Brossard, and Murray became a Canadian Champion for the first time, as he won Men's Doubles with Vincent Gagnon. They defeated Pedro Castro and Tim Landeryou in the final, 15–12, 15–2. In the semis, they beat Francis Guillemette and Corey Osborne, 15–8, 15–10. Murray also had his best showing in Men's Singles, as he finished 4th in Men's Singles. He lost in the semi-finals to Tim Landeryou, 15–12, 15–12, and then lost the 3rd place match to Coby Iwaasa, 13–15, 15–6, 11–8.
Murray qualified to play on Team Canada for the first time for the 2014 World Championships, which were in June 2014 in Burlington, Ontario, where he played Men's Singles. He lost in the Round of 32 to Guatemalan Edwin Galicia, 15–12, 15–12. That summer Murray played for Canada at the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he lost in the Round of 16 to team-mate Coby Iwaasa, 15–9, 10–15, 11–3.
In November 2014, Murray was a quarterfinalist at the 1st National Team Selection Event of the 2014–15 season in Kitchener, Ontario, where he lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–9, 15–10. He was also a quarterfinalist at the 2nd Selection Event that season in Brossard, Québec, where he lost to Pedro Castro, 15–13, 11–15, 12–10.
Murray played at the Pan American Championships for the first time in March 2015 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He lost in the Round of 16 to Daniel de la Rosa of Mexico, 15–14, 15–9. It was his 3rd Team Canada appearance.
Murray reached the finals of Men's Singles at the Canadian Championships for the 1st time in 2015 in Burnaby, British Columbia, where he lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–10, 12–15, 11–7. Murray defeated Vincent Gagnon in the semi-finals, 15–10, 15–10. Murray and Gagnon played doubles together, but they lost in the semi-finals to Iwaasa and Mike Green, 15–9, 9–15, 11–4.