Harrogate Open Preview: Prott Happy With 2022 Outcome

The Harrogate Squash Open is the sole event on the Challenger Tour this week, with 16 players aiming to take home the glory at the Challenger 3 level event in England.

The New Zealand duo of Lwamba and Temwa Chileshe will be the top two seeds for the competition, and will be among five players from the Oceanic nation in action. Joel Arscott and Elijah Thomas will also be seeded, with the latter taking on compatriot Mason Smales in the opening round.

The English trio of Perry Malik, Finnlay Withington and Lewis Doughty will also be among the seeds for the tournament, and will be joined by Scotland’s Alasdair Prott. 

We spoke to the Scot ahead of this tournament, and after making it into the last four of his last three Challenger Tour events, he is looking to push one step further into a first final, and possibly to a maiden Tour title.

“I’m happy with my form over the last few tournaments. I feel like I’m starting to see the things I’m working on in training coming through in the way I play, which I’m really happy about,” Prott said.

“Making the semi-finals in my last 3 Challenger 5 events has been great for me. I definitely feel like I’m right around the level I need to be to start pushing for that first final on tour. After coming so close in Romania I’m really keen to show that I can start to consistently get this far and potentially even further in these competitions.”

“Obviously, making the final is the first step before I can think about grabbing the first title on Tour. However, the improvements I feel like I have made over the last few months if maintained in the near future should hopefully put me in with a fighting chance of doing so.”

Over the course of 2022, Prott has enjoyed a steady rise into the world’s top 200 for the first time in his career. He is looking to keep that rise going over the near future, and to push into a higher ranking bracket by the end of the campaign.

“2022 has been a great year so far for myself so I’m really hoping to continue my form in Harrogate and finish the year well to give me the momentum going into the New Year,” he explained.

“I think my progress through the rankings has been steady, maintaining around the 200 mark over the last year. Now that I’m finishing up at university I’m hoping to prove that I can continue my progress through the rankings.

“I’m not one for making overly bold predictions but I’m hoping to continue the way I have started this season and make a push to get into the top 150 by the end of the 2022-23 season.”

The event takes place from Thursday, December 8 to Sunday, December 11 at the Harrogate Sports & Fitness Club in England. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

First Round Draw: Harrogate Squash Open
[1] Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) v Pablo Quintana Estevez (ESP)
Aaron Allpress (ENG) v [5] Lewis Doughty (ENG)
[8] Elijah Thomas (NZL) v Mason Smales (NZL)
Vinicius Leao Rodrigues (BRA) v [3] Perry Malik (ENG)
[4] Finnlay Withington (ENG) v [WC] Josh Rowley (ENG)
Jonah Bryant (ENG) v [6] Alasdair Prott (SCO)
[7] Joel Arscott (NZL) v Aron Astray (ESP)
Laouenan Loaec (FRA) v [2] Temwa Chileshe (NZL)