Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: First 15K Begins in USA, Familiar Faces on Show in Canada

There are two events taking place on the Challenger Tour this week, both taking place in North America, with the first PSA Challenger Tour 15 event of 2024 happening in Colombia, USA, and a men’s 6k kicking off in Medicine Hat, Canada. 

Squash Inspire – Women’s Open presented by Expression Networks LLC & Play Squash Academy 

This week’s schedule is headlined by the Squash Inspire – Women’s Open presented by Expression Networks LLC & Play Squash Academy, a women’s 15k event featuring a host of top-100 players and some stars of the future. 

There are eight different nationalities represented among the top eight seeds, led by World No.45 Ki Ya Lee of Hong Kong and France’s Enora Villard, with Egypt’s Nardine Garas at No.3 

Hopes of a home winner will rest primarily with rising star Carouline Fouts, who will be targeting a first PSA Challenger Tour final after recording a stunning win over World No.20 Melissa Alves at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York a few days ago. 

Fouts is still just 18 years and was one of our ‘Ones to Watch’ for 2024, after reaching the British Junior Open final in early January. 

She now takes her place on the entry list of a Challenger Tour event for the first time this year, coming into this tournament as the No.5 seed, setting her up for a potential quarter-final tie with second seed Villard. 

The only other American in the draw is fellow teenager Riya Navani, who has also made a name for herself on the World Tour stage this season. 

The 17-year-old recorded a stunning victory over Nour Aboulmakarim at the 2023 South Western Open Presented by Cotidié, and reached the quarter-finals of her last Challenger Tour event too, the International Tournament Madeira Island. 

Elsewhere in the draw, Canada’s Danielle Ray continues her comeback from injury. The 30-year-old is already back inside the world’s top 100 despite missing most of 2023, and will take on Colette Sultana in round one, with No.6 seed Diana Garcia awaiting the winner in round two. 

Talented French 16-year-old Lauren Baltayan is also in first-round action, playing Sri Lankan wild card Nadindhi Udangawe for the right to play Yasshmita Jadish Kumar in round two. 

Action from the Squash Inspire – Women’s Open presented by Expression Networks LLC & Play Squash Academy will stream live on the Play Squash Academy’s Instagram channel from the quarter-finals onwards. 

Gas City Open 

The second event this week will be the Gas City Open, which will have a familiar feel to it for those who followed the Lethbridge ProAm last week. 

Egypt’s Kareem El Torkey won that event in Alberta as the No.2 seed, and he’s the same seeding here in Medicine Hat, which is less than 200km from where last week’s event took place. 

In fact, the top five seeds are the same as for the Lethbridge tournament last week, with Brice Nicolas top seed once more, hoping to go one better than last week when he was beaten to the title by El Torkey. 

Liam Marrison is again the highest-seeded Canadian player, at No.3, looking to improve on a quarter-final exit last week, while Robin Gadola and Laouenan Loaëc are at No.4 and No.5 respectively. 

Paul Gonzalez was not among the seeds last week but did reach the semi-finals nonetheless, and should have a kinder draw this time around as the No.7 seed. 

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