Batch Open: Tournament Preview

The first of five tournaments taking place on the Challenger Tour this week will be the Batch Open, which will begin on Tuesday, April 18.

The Societe Sportive du Jeu de Paume will host a tournament for the second time, after playing host to the Open Feminin du Jeu de Paume in 2022, an event that Switzerland’s Ambre Allinckx was victorious at.

This will be the first men’s event to be held there on Tour, and New Zealand’s Lwamba Chileshe will be the tournament’s top seed. His younger brother, Temwa, will also feature, as one of the members of the 9/16 seeding bracket.

After securing his place at this year’s PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family, Frenchman Edwin Clain will be looking to take a third title of the season. He will be the leading home hope at the event, with Spaniard Ivan Perez as the other member of the world’s top 100 in action.

Czech Republic’s Daniel Mekbib, Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi, Welshman Owain Taylor, England’s James Peach and South African No.1 Dewald van Niekerk will make up the rest of the top eight seeds for the event.

Following his first win in four years, Miko Aijanen will come into this event in good form. He won the men’s trophy at the PSA de Normandie on Sunday, and will be aiming to go back-to-back on French soil. 

Along with Clain, there will be seven other Frenchman in action. Toufik Mekhalfi, Maceo Levy, Laouenan Loaec, Manu Paquemar and Brice Nicolas will all feature, with Antoine Riehl and Melvil Scianimanico as the two wildcards for the event.

The event takes place from Tuesday, April 18 to Saturday, April 22 at the Societe Sportive du Jeu de Paume in Paris. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event. Action from the tournament will be streamed live on the venue’s Facebook page.

First Round Draw: Batch Open
[1] Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) – [Bye]
Manu Paquemar (FRA) v [9/16] Guilherme Melo (BRA)
[9/16] Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) v Lowie Delbeke (BEL)
[8] Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) – [Bye]
[5] Edwin Clain (FRA) – [Bye]
[WC] Brice Nicolas (FRA) v [9/16] Nicholas Calvert (AUS)
[9/16] Miko Aijanen (FIN) v Chung Yat Long (HKG)
[3] Ivan Perez (ESP) – [Bye]
[4] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) – [Bye]
Laouenan Loaec (FRA) v [9/16] Aqeel Rehman (AUT)
[9/16] Maceo Levy (FRA) v [WC] Melvil Scianimanico (FRA)
[7] James Peach (ENG) – [Bye]
[6] Owain Taylor (WAL) – [Bye]
Elijah Thomas (NZL) v [9/16] Jakub Solnicky (CZE)
[9/16] Temwa Chileshe (NZL) v [WC] Antoine Riehl (FRA)
[2] Daniel Mekbib (CZE) – [Bye]