CHALLENGER TOUR WEEKLY PREVIEW: ACTION FROM THREE CONTINENTS

There will be three events on the Challenger Tour this week, with all the action coming from three different continents, as Australia, Switzerland and the United States all host tournaments.

There were two tournaments on Tour last week, with Spaniard Edmon Lopez claiming his first title for three years at the Santiago Open, before Ryunosuke Tsukue and Akari Midorikawa claimed victory on home soil at the Aida Sekkei Greetings Squash Championships in Saitama, Japan.

There is one European tournament this week, with the 3rd Silvester Trophy beginning on Thursday, the same day as the Roberts & Morrow North Coast Open starts in Australia. A day earlier, the Kinetic 3k Challenger Presented by Sundip Murthy kicks off the week’s action in Boynton Beach, Florida, USA.

Here is what is going on this week on the Challenger Tour…

Kinetic 3k Challenger Presented By Sundip Murthy
The first tournament of the week will take place in Boynton Beach, United States, with the Kinetic 3k Challenger Presented By Sundip Murthy beginning on Wednesday, February 16.

The four day tournament will see 16 men take the the court in an attempt to win the Challenger 3 title come Saturday afternoon. England’s Tom Walsh will be the top seed for the event, with compatriot Mark Broekman also amongst the top four seeds.

A trio of Pakistani players, in Noor Zaman, Ahsan Ayaz and Muhammad Abdul Qadir will all be in the top eight seeds, with Mexico’s Miled Zarazua and Jorge Gomez, along with Colombian Andres Herrera also in that bracket.

Roberts & Morrow North Coast Open
The Roberts & Morrow North Coast Open begins on Thursday, February 17 at the Coffs Harbour Squash & Swim Centre in Australia, with both a men’s and women’s draw at the Challenger 10 level tournament.

The event is a cross-border event, meaning only those currently based in Australia or New Zealand have been permitted to enter the tournament. However, there will be solely Aussies in the field for the two draws.

Sarah Cardwell will be the top seed for the women’s event, but both Jessica Turnbull and Tamika Hunt will come into the tournament ranked above their compatriot. Former World No.1 Rachael Grinham, who turned 45 in January, will be aiming for a 37th win on Tour.

World No.130 Rhys Dowling will be the top seed for the men’s draw, while compatriot Joseph White, who sits four places above him in the World Rankings, will actually be the hight-ranked player in the field. Brothers Thomas and Nicholas Calvert will be among those in the top eight seeds.

3rd Silvester Trophy
The last event of the week will be the 3rd Silvester Trophy, which will take place from Thursday, February 17 to Monday, February 21 at Squash Arena Uster in Switzerland.

The Challenger 5 event was postponed from December 2021, with the same entry list being kept where possible, with England’s World No.64 Lily Taylor as the top seed for the women’s draw.

She is joined by compatriots Lucy Beecroft, Alicia Mead and Anna Kimberley in the top eight seeding bracket, with Frenchwomen Lea Barbeau and Taba Taghavi, along with the Swiss duo of Nadia Pfister and Celine Walser, who will be in action on home soil.

England’s Robert Downer will be the men’s top seed, with New Zealand’s Lwamba and Temwa Chileshe, along with the leading Swiss male in the draw, in Robin Gadola, in the top four seeds. Czech Republic, France, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain will all be represented in the men’s draw.

This Week’s Schedule:
Kinetic 3k Challenger Presented By Sundip Murthy: Wednesday, February 16 – Saturday, February 19
Roberts & Morrow North Coast Open: Thursday, February 17 – Sunday, February 20
3rd Silvester Trophy: Thursday, February 17 – Monday, February 21.

 

Source: PSA