Challenger Events
Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: Eltorgman Leads Canadian Hopes, Withington Back in Action
A pair of Canadian 9ks are joined by a 3k in England on the Challenger Tour schedule this week.
Goodfellow Classic
The first event this week takes place at the Toronto Athletic Club, where the Goodfellow Classic runs from February 20th-24th.
Last season’s Challenger Tour Player of the Season Abhay Singh is the top seed, with Mexico’s Alfredo Avila Vergara the No.2 seed.
The No.3 seeding is where Canadian interest will be firmly fixed, though, with Salah Eltorgman targeting more success on home soil.
The 21-year-old enjoyed an impressive second half to 2023, winning three Challenger Tour events – all in Canada – while climbing more than 100 places in the world rankings in the process.
He now sits No.82 in the world having been No.191 in August, and is set to play his first event of 2024 in his hometown of Toronto.
Eltorgman will be joined by at least one other Canadian in the second round, with Cory Mccartney having been drawn against wildcard Elliott Hunt in round one.
MRU Open
More than 2,000 miles away in Calgary, the MRU Open kicks off a day after the Goodfellow Classix, running from February 21st-25th.
Rising English stars Finnlay Withington and Jonah Bryant – the two most recent British Junior champions – will be among the names to watch out for, with Withington the No.4 seed having won his biggest title to date last week, the 9k The Bee-Clean Edmonton Squash Club Winter Open.
The pair would only meet if they both got to the final, but Bryant could present a tricky quarter-final test for No.1 seed Tang Ming Hong, should both players get that far.
No.3 seed Perry Malik is also in that half of the draw, with Withington joining second seed Edwin Clain of France in the top half.
Liam Marrison is the highest-ranked Canadian player on show, with a second-round match against top seed Tang his reward should he get past Jose Gallegos on the opening day.
East Glos Open
The final tournament this week is the East Glos Open, a territory event in Cheltenham, England.
English duo James Peach and Kiera Marshall are the top seeds in the men’s and women’s draws respectively, with Marshall hoping to claim her first PSA Tour title after finishing as runner-up five times.
Among the young stars to watch out for in the women’s competition will be Egypt’s Hana Ismail, England’s Amelie Haworth and Scotland’s Robyn McAlpine, all of whom are also seeking a first trophy on the PSA Challenger Tour.
Haworth is the No.7 seed and could play second seed Lowri Roberts in round two, should she beat Olivia Besant, while Ismail and McApline will take on Polly Clark and Katie Wells respectively on day one.
The men’s draw features 18-year-old Heston Malik, who made his Challenger Tour debut at the end of 2023, plus Wales’ Rhys Evans, who will be hoping to celebrate his birthday in style, turning 20 on day one of the competition.
Stay tuned across the PSA website and Challenger Tour social channels for updates throughout the week.
