Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: Action from the US and New Zealand

There are four events this week on the Challenger Tour, with action coming from New Zealand and the United States.

There will be action in Houston and New York in the United States, with the New Zealand action coming from the town of Morrinsville.

Last week, American Spencer Lovejoy and Egypt’s Malak Khafagy both secured titles. Lovejoy was victorious at the Carey Olson Tortola Classic, with Khafagy winning the J.P. Morgan LBSQUASH Summer Pro.

This week, the Champion Fibreglass Women’s Open and the HSC International Open will both take place at the Houston Squash Club, while the Maspeth Squash Open starts a day later in New York. The only event not taking place in the USA this week will be in New Zealand, with the Harcourts KDRE Morrinsville Open beginning on Thursday.

Here is what is taking place on Tour this week…

Champion Fibreglass Women’s Open
The Champion Fibreglass Women’s Open is one of two events taking place at the Houston Squash Club, with the Challenger 10 level competition beginning on Wednesday, June 21.

Egypt’s Kenzy Ayman will be the top seed, with compatriots Malak Khafagy and Menna Hamed among the top four seeds. Khafagy will be full of confidence following her victory in Greenwich last week.

Marina Stefanoni is the No.2 seed, and the leading American in the draw this week. She will be joined by Caroline Fouts in the eight seeded players, with Lucie Stefanoni, Riya Navani, Arisha Khan, Nina Varma and Eliza Schuster all featuring.

HSC International Open
The men’s event in Houston, the HSC International Open, also begins on Wednesday, with the Challenger 10 level tournament returning for its fourth edition. Mexico’s Alfredo Avila is the defending champion, with Cesar Salazar and France’s Victor Crouin having also won this tournament in the past.

Egypt’s Zahed Salem will be the top seed, with Spain’s Bernat Jaume and Pakistan’s Muhammad Asim Khan, a finalist in Tortola last week, in the top three seeds. Defending champion Avila will be the No.4 seed this week.

Christopher Gordon will be the leading American on home soil, with Egypt’s Ibrahim Elkabbani, Mexico’s Arturo Salazar and Guatemalan Josue Enriquez rounding out the eight seeds for the competition.

Harcourts KDRE Morrinsville Open
The only non-American event this week is the Harcourts KDRE Morrinsville Open, with the Challenger 5 level men’s competition being held in New Zealand from Thursday, June 22.

Defending champion Lwamba Chileshe will be the tournament’s top seed, with younger brother Temwa, the man who Lwamba beat in last year’s final, as the No.2 seed.

Dutch No.1 Rowan Damming, the reigning World Junior Champion, will be the No.3 seed, and one of just two players not hailing from either Australia or host nation New Zealand in action.

Maspeth Squash Open
The final event of the week will be the Maspeth Squash Open, and it will be the first of its kind. The Challenger 5 level men’s tournament will be played on an outdoor steel court in Maspeth, New York.

England’s Tom Walsh will be the tournament’s top seed, with Austria’s Aqeel Rehman, Canadian Connor Turk and Egypt’s Mohamed Nabil making up the top four seeds for the event.

A second Canadian, in Liam Marrison, will also be seeded. Mexico’s Leo Vargas, Guatemala’s Ricardo Toscano and Nigerian No.1 Babatunde Ajagbe also among those top eight.

This Week’s Schedule:
Champion Fibreglass Women’s Open: Wednesday, June 21 – Sunday, June 25
HSC International Open: Wednesday, June 21 – Sunday, June 25
Harcourts KDRE Morrinsville Open: Thursday, June 22 – Sunday, June 25
Maspeth Squash Open: Thursday, June 22 – Sunday, June 25