Rochester ProAm: Tournament Preview

The Rochester ProAm returns to the Challenger Tour calendar once again this week, with the event hosting its 16th edition of the competition.

Egypt’s Ali Farag and Karim Abdel Gawad, along with Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez, have all won this title on their way to the very top of the game, while Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas and Alfredo Avila are also among those to taste victory in Rochester.

This week’s tournament takes place at the University of Rochester from Wednesday, April 19 to Sunday, April 23. Defending champion Aly Hussein, who defeated Daniel Mekbib in the final in 2022, will be back to try and retain his crown.

He will be the No.2 seed for the competition, with only compatriot Yassin Elshafei ahead of him. Elshafei comes into this event aiming for back-to-back wins, following his victory at the UCNY PSA Classic, also held in New York, last week.

Two more Egyptians, in Mohamed Nasser and Mohamed Nabil will also be among the top eight seeds for the event, joined by Canadian Connor Turk, Brazil’s Diego Gobbi and Hong Kong’s Harley Lam.

Lam will also have compatriot Matthew Lai as the other Hong Kong representative, with the Pakistani quartet of Saeed Abdul, Ahsan Ayaz, Zahir Shah and Abdul Malik Khan all in action.

American Hollis Robertson played on Tour for the first time as a wildcard at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, and the 18-year-old will be featuring in his first Challenger Tour event this week. England’s Jonah Bryant will also be among the juniors taking part this week.

Mario Yanez will be one of the wildcards for the event this week. The Mexican won this tournament in 2018, his only victory on Tour, and he will also be the tournament promoter. Americans Quinlan Jeudy and Marc Voloshin will be the other wildcards featuring in Rochester this week.

The event takes place from Wednesday, April 19 to Sunday, April 23 at the University of Rochester in New York. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

First Round Draw: Rochester ProAm
[2] Aly Hussein (EGY) – [Bye]
Jayden Shortt (CAN) v [9/16] Jonah Bryant (ENG)
[9/16] Ahsan Ayaz (PAK) v [WC] Mario Yanez (MEX)
[5] Connor Turk (CAN) – [Bye]
[7] Diego Gobbi (BRA) – [Bye]
Juan Hernandez (COL) v [9/16] Saeed Abdul (PAK)
[9/16] Zahir Shah (PAK) v Hollis Robertson (USA)
[3] Jeremias Azana (ARG) – [Bye]
[4] Mohamed Nasser (EGY) – [Bye]
[WC] Marc Voloshin (USA) v [9/16] Veer Chotrani (IND)
[9/16] Vinicius Leao Rodrigues (BRA) v [WC] Quinlan Jeudy (USA)
[8] Harley Lam (HKG) – [Bye]
[6] Mohamed Nabil (EGY) – [Bye]
Dylan Kachur (USA) v [9/16] Matthew Lai (HKG)
[9/16] Nicolas Serna (COL) v Abdul Malik Khan (PAK)
[1] Yassin Elshafei (EGY) – [Bye]