Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: Zakaria in Odense Action, Bunyan Leads Canadian Hopes in Vancouver

There are five events on the Challenger Tour this week, including two 15Ks and a 12K mixed event which will be played on a glass court. Read on to find out more. 

Odense Open 2024 

The first event to get underway this week is the Odense Open, a men’s and women’s 12K event at the Squash Center Danmark in Odense. 

Action will stream live from the glass court all week long on the Odense Squash Club YouTube channel, and we’ll be on site providing coverage across the PSA Challenger Tour social media channels and PSA website throughout. 

Egyptian duo Mohamed Zakaria and Nardine Garas are the No.1 seeds in the respective draws, with Zakaria targeting a fourth Challenger Tour title of the season. 

Garas, meanwhile, comes into this event after winning her first 15K crown a few weeks ago at the Squash Inspire – Women’s Open presented by Expression Networks LLC & Play Squash Academy. 

16-year-old pair Lauren Baltayan and Nadien Elhammamy are among the other rising stars to watch out for in the women’s while, while Danish hopes will be focused primarily on Klara Møller. 

Stay tuned to the PSA website tomorrow for our in-depth preview of the Odense Open. 

Oasis Pools & Spas Manitoba Open 2024 

More than 4,000 miles away and one day later, the Oasis Pools & Spas Manitoba Open kicks off in the Canadian city of Winnipeg. 

A men’s 15k, the entry list is headed up by Hong Kong’s World No.51 Tsz Kwan Lau, with Ibrahim Elkabbani and Ben Smith – a semi-finalist in this event last year – at No.2 and No.3 respectively. 

Egyptian teenager Kareem El Torkey, who already has one title and a further runner-up finish on Canadian soil this year, is also among the seeds, at No.6, while England’s Stuart MacGregor will be hoping to continue his fine form after winning the Chronicle Wealth Guilfoyle PSA Squash Classic just two days ago. 

Brett Schille and Connor Turk lead the Canadian interest, playing Aaron Allpress and Leo Vargas, respectively, in round one. 

Richardson Wealth Van Lawn Open 2024 

Running simultaneously, a few hundred miles further west in Vancouver, is the Richardson Wealth Van Lawn Open, a women’s 15K tournament. 

Seven nationalities are represented among the top eight seeds, including Canada, for whom Nicole Bunyan will fly the flag. 

Bunyan is the No.2 seed, behind Tsz-Wing Tong, and she will play either Egypt’s Nour Heikal or 18-year-old fellow Canadian Iman Shaheen in the second round. 

Rana Ismail and Menna Walid are the only two seeds from the same country, with both coming into this event having enjoyed recent success. 

Ismail won last week’s Underhill Geomatics Sport Central Open, while Walid reached the quarter-finals of the Bronze-level Squash On Fire Open in what was just her second ever World Tour event. 

Yellow Dots Squash Open 2024 

The other competition to kick off on Wednesday this week is the Yellow Dots Squash Open, a domestic event held in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Gabriel Olufunmilayo is the men’s No.1 seed, entering this event having won his last two Satellite events but playing in just his third Challenger Tour tournament. 

In the women’s draw, top seed Rofiat Abdulazeez goes into the event in a similar boat. The 21-year-old has just two Challenger Tour events under her belt, but has reached the final of all 10 Satellite tournaments she’s played, winning eight of them. 

University of the West of England The Bristol Open 2024

Rounding out the week is the University of the West of England The Bristol Open, a 3K tournament for both men and women in Bristol, England.

The University of the West of England (UWE) boasts an impressive squash pedigree, with World No.6 Mohamed Elshorbagy among its alumni, while World No.19 Eain Yow Ng was part of the team’s roster that claimed a second successive BUCS Premier League title a few weeks ago.

The club will now play host to a Challenger Tour event, with Singpaore’s Wai Yhann Au Yeong and Malaysia’s Ameeshenraj Chandaran – who were also part of that BUCS-winning squad – the No.1 and 2 seeds in the respective women’s and men’s draws.

Also in the women’s draw is Egypt’s in-form Hana Ismail – who is targeting a third straight PSA Tour title after winning two in the last two weeks – and her University of Birmingham teammate Sophie Fadaely of Australia.

The men’s field is headed up by lefty James Peach, with Wales’ Rhys Evans and England’s Jared Carter the other British hopes among the seeds.

English juniors Amelie Haworth and Heston Malik, plus Scottish junior national champion Robyn McAlpine, are also names to keep an eye on.

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