Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: Bryant & Harris Headline Harrogate, Swiss Dominate Vaduz Field

There are just two events on the PSA Challenger Tour this week, with a pair of 3k events taking place, one in the English town of Harrogate and the other in the capital city of Liechtenstein, Vaduz. 

Harrogate Open 

The Harrogate Open entry lists are headlined by rising English stars Asia Harris and Jonah Bryant, with Harris the women’s No.1 seed and Bryant the men’s No.2 seed, while there is also a surprise appearance for former World No.20 Chris Simpson. 

The 36-year-old announced his retirement from professional squash in 2019, but will make a brief comeback for this event at his home club, following a number of late withdrawals. 

Simpson will play Jack Mitterer in round one, with No.1 seed Abdelrahman Abdelkhalek of Egypt waiting in round two. 

Bryant tops the bottom half of the men’s draw as the No.2 seed, having won his last two 3k tournaments and reached the semi-finals of the Aston and Fincher Sutton Coldfield International last week. 

The women’s draw has a very international look to the top of the field, with five different nationalities among the top eight seeds. 

Harris is joined by compatriots Kiera Marshall – the No.2 seed – and fifth seed Polly Clark, with Katriona Ross and Ellie Jones leading the Scottish charge. 

Outside of the seeds, teenage duo Nour Megahed and Amelie Haworth will be names to watch out for. 

Megahad won the 6k Sutton Coldfield International last week and beat Harris at The Nothern Joe Cup one week earlier, while Haworth is the reigning British junior champion, and reached the final of her last 3k tournament, the Tesla Media David Lloyd Purley Open. 

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Liechtenstein Open 

There’s a distinctly Swiss feel to the Liechtenstein Open this year, with more than 60% of the players for this territory only event hailing from the ‘Playground of Europe’. 

Among them is 18-year-old David Bernet, the winner of this year’s Italian Junior Open who recently reached the semi-finals of the 6k Swiss Open in Zurich. 

He’s the No.3 seed, sitting only behind compatriot Miguel Mathis and experienced Austrian Aqeel Rehman in the hat. 

Rehman is a veteran of more than 400 matches on Tour having joined the PSA in 2005, with 13 titles to his name in that time. 

The most recent of those came at this year’s Maspeth Squash Open, on the unique steel court in Brooklyn. 

Elsewhere in the draw, David Maier will carry home hopes on his shoulders, as the only player from Liechtenstein among the seeds. 

Maier is the No.4 seed and will open his campaign against Switzerland’s Silvan Oertli. 

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You can stay up to date with all the results on the PSA Tour here.