Challenger Events
Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open: Tournament Preview
The first of two events on the Challenger Tour this week to feature both a men’s and women’s draw will be the Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open, which gets underway on Thursday, June 2 at Parkview Squash Centre.
The Challenger 3 level tournament will run for four days, and feature 32 players hailing from six countries, with the majority of those competitors coming from host nation South Africa.
Defending champion Dewald van Niekerk will be the top seed in the men’s event, with compatriot Jean-Pierre Brits and the Iranian duo of Sepehr Etemadpoor and Sami Ghasedabadi making up the rest of the top four seeds.
In total, there will be four Iranians present at the tournament, with Sahand Kabirjabbari and Ali Tajahmadi both in action. Zimbabwe’s Tayne Turnock and Blessing Muhwati, and Egyptian Abdelrahman Abdelkhalek make up the rest of the non-South African field.
It will be a home quartet that leads the woman’s event, with World No.136 Jenny Preece as the top seed. Teagan Leigh Roux, Shelomi Truter and Makgosi Peloakgosi will be among the top four seeds, with Malaysia’s Yasshmita Jadishkumar as the highest-seeded non-South African. Pakistan’s Anam Mustafa Aziz will be the only other foreign player in the women’s event.
The event takes place from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5 at the Parkview Squash Centre in Johannesburg. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on *Twitter* and *Facebook* for daily updates from the event.
Men’s First Round Draw: Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open
[1] Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) v Reuel Videler (RSA)
Ali Tajahmadi (IRI) v [5] Blessing Muhwati (ZIM)
[7] Christo Potgieter (RSA) v Tayne Turnock (ZIM)
Gary Wheadon (RSA) v [4] Sami Ghasedabadi (IRI)
[3] Sepehr Etemadpoor (IRI) v Abdelrahman Abdelkhalek (EGY)
[WC] Hayden Worth (RSA) v [8] Ruan Olivier (RSA)
[6] Tristen Worth (RSA) v Jonny Matthys (RSA)
Sahand Kabirjabbari (IRI) v [2] Jean-Pierre Brits (RSA)
Women’s First Round Draw: Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open
[2] Teagan Leigh Roux (RSA) v Jess McDonald (RSA)
Elske Garbers (RSA) v [6] Anam Mustafa Aziz (PAK)
[8] Bongi Seroto (RSA) v Tayla Diepenbroek (RSA)
Mariska Wiese (RSA) v [4] Makgosi Peloakgosi (RSA)
[3] Shalom Truter (RSA) v Awande Malinga (RSA)
[WC] Chenya Wood (RSA) v [7] Kimberley McDonald (RSA)
[5] Yasshmita Jadishkumar (MAS) v Savannah Ingledew (RSA)
Rachel Shannon (RSA) v [1] Jenny Preece (RSA)