Gibraltar Open: Tournament Preview

The Gibraltar Open gets underway on Wednesday, with the tournament returning for an 11th time on the PSA Challenger Tour.

The tournament first took place in 2012, with the event adding a women’s draw in 2021. The likes of German Raphael Kandra, England’s Nick Wall and Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais have all won this event in the past.

Spain’s Edmon Lopez and Egypt’s Rana Ismail were the victors last year, with the Spaniard returning to defend his title at the Europa Sports Center from Wednesday, June 28 to Saturday, July 1.

He will be among the 9/16 seeding bracket, and one of two Spaniards in action this week in Gibraltar. Ivan Perez will be the other, with Perez being the No.2 seed for the competition. The Czech Republic’s Martin Svec will be the competition’s top seed, with Welshman Emyr Evans and England’s James Peach making up the top four seeds.

England’s Perry Malik, Frenchman Toufik Mekhalfi, Welshman Owain Taylor and the Czech Republic’s Daniel Mekbib round out the eight seeds for the Challenger 5 level competition.

Spain’s Marta Dominguez Fernandez will be the top seed for the women’s competition, with England’s Torrie Malik as the No.2 seed. The Englishwoman will be looking for her seventh title of the season, which would be a Tour-leading mark.

Compatriots Saran Nghiem and Kiera Marshall will also be among the eight seeds for the women’s draw. They will be joined by Singapore’s Au Yeong Wai Yhann, Austrian No.1 Jacqueline Peychar, France’s Lauren Baltayan and Danish No.1 Klara Moller.

The event takes place from Wednesday, June 28 to Saturday, July 1 at the Europa Sports Centre in Gibraltar. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

Men’s First Round Draw: Gibraltar Open
[1] Martin Svec (CZE) v Miles Jenkins (ENG)
Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) v [7] Toufik Mekhalfi (IND)
[5] Perry Malik (ENG) v Edmon Lopez (ESP)
Jakub Solnicky (CZE) v [3] Emyr Evans (WAL)
[4] James Peach (ENG) v Stuart MacGregor (ENG)
Manu Paquemar (FRA) v [3] Daniel Mekbib (CZE) 
[8] Owain Taylor (WAL) v Elliott Morris Devred (WAL)
Robin Gadola (SUI) v [2] Ivan Perez (ESP)

Women’s First Round Draw: Gibraltar Open
[1] Marta Dominguez Fernandez (ESP) v Lowri Roberts (WAL)
Emilia Korhonen (FIN) v [7] Lauren Baltayan (FRA)
[5] Saran Nghiem (ENG) v Caroline Lyng (DEN)
Siena Hall (GIB) v [3] Au Yeong Wai Yhann (SGP)
[4] Jacqueline Peychar (AUT) v Sofia Mateos (ESP)
Katriona Allen (SCO) v [8] Klara Moller (DEN)
[6] Kiera Marshall (ENG) v Marie Van Riet (BEL)
Hana Ismail (EGY) v [2] Torrie Malik (ENG)