Open Costa Brava Preview: Mateos Excited To Play On Home Soil

The Open Costa Brava Squash Project takes place this week, and Sofia Mateos is looking forward to playing on home soil in Spain.

The event, a Challenger 3 level women’s competition, will see Mateos as the No.5 seed. She will be the leading Spaniard in action, and she is looking forward to having the home support behind her.

“Playing at home feels different. A lot of people is supporting you, including family and friends. It’s a nice feeling,” she said. 

“Of course I will have a bit of pressure to do it well but I feel like I’m playing good in this moment. I did well in my past tournaments so I feel confident and ready to play.”

Mateos will be aiming to win her maiden Tour title this week, and to do so on home soil would mean a lot to the Spaniard.

“Winning the title this week in Spain and surrounded by my family and friends would be amazing. It would also be the opportunity to get into the top 100, which has been my main goal these few past months,” she explained.

Mateos will be one of four Spaniards in action this week in Costa Brava. She will take on compatriot Ona Blasco in the opening round to guarantee home representation in the quarter finals. Montse Fajardo and Maria Ballo will be the other two Spanish women taking to the court this week.

England’s Asia Harris will be the tournament’s top seed, and she will be joined by compatriots Saran Nghiem and Kiera Marshall as the top three seeds for the competition. Frenchwoman Lea Barbeau rounds out the top four.

Another Frenchwoman, in Ninon Lemarchand is also seeded for the event, with Egypt’s Hana Ismail and England’s Katie Wells making up the rest of the top eight seeds. There will be two Dutchwomen, in Suzanne Peters and Megan van Drongelen in action this week, along with a pair of Portuguese women. Catarina Nunes and Mariana Ventura Martins will both feature.

The Open Costa Brava Squash Project takes place from Thursday, June 8 to Saturday, June 10 at the Tipi Park Sports Center in Santa Cristina D’Aro, Spain. Sofia Mateos will be the leading Spaniard in the draw, and you can follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

First Round Draw: Open Costa Brava Squash Project
[1] Asia Harris (ENG) v Suzanne Peters (NED)
Ona Blasco (ESP) v [5] Sofia Mateos (ESP)
[8] Katie Wells (ENG) v Franka Vidoric (CRO)
Megan van Drongelen (NED) v [3] Kiera Marshall (ENG)
[4] Lea Barbeau (FRA) v Montse Fajardo (ESP)
Catarina Nunes (POR) v [6] Hana Ismail (EGY)
[7] Ninon Lemarchand (FRA) v Maria Ballo (ESP)
Mariana Ventura Martins (POR) v [2] Saran Nghiem (ENG)