The first of two events on the Challenger Tour this week to feature both a men’s and women’s draw will be the Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open, which gets underway on Thursday, June 2 at Parkview Squash Centre.

The Challenger 3 level tournament will run for four days, and feature 32 players hailing from six countries, with the majority of those competitors coming from host nation South Africa.

Defending champion Dewald van Niekerk will be the top seed in the men’s event, with compatriot Jean-Pierre Brits and the Iranian duo of Sepehr Etemadpoor and Sami Ghasedabadi making up the rest of the top four seeds.

In total, there will be four Iranians present at the tournament, with Sahand Kabirjabbari and Ali Tajahmadi both in action. Zimbabwe’s Tayne Turnock and Blessing Muhwati, and Egyptian Abdelrahman Abdelkhalek make up the rest of the non-South African field.

It will be a home quartet that leads the woman’s event, with World No.136 Jenny Preece as the top seed. Teagan Leigh Roux, Shelomi Truter and Makgosi Peloakgosi will be among the top four seeds, with Malaysia’s Yasshmita Jadishkumar as the highest-seeded non-South African. Pakistan’s Anam Mustafa Aziz will be the only other foreign player in the women’s event.

The event takes place from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5 at the Parkview Squash Centre in Johannesburg. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on *Twitter* and *Facebook* for daily updates from the event.

Men’s First Round Draw: Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open
[1] Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) v Reuel Videler (RSA)
Ali Tajahmadi (IRI) v [5] Blessing Muhwati (ZIM)
[7] Christo Potgieter (RSA) v Tayne Turnock (ZIM)
Gary Wheadon (RSA) v [4] Sami Ghasedabadi (IRI)
[3] Sepehr Etemadpoor (IRI) v Abdelrahman Abdelkhalek (EGY)
[WC] Hayden Worth (RSA) v [8] Ruan Olivier (RSA)
[6] Tristen Worth (RSA) v Jonny Matthys (RSA)
Sahand Kabirjabbari (IRI) v [2] Jean-Pierre Brits (RSA)

Women’s First Round Draw: Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open
[2] Teagan Leigh Roux (RSA) v Jess McDonald (RSA)
Elske Garbers (RSA) v [6] Anam Mustafa Aziz (PAK)
[8] Bongi Seroto (RSA) v Tayla Diepenbroek (RSA)
Mariska Wiese (RSA) v [4] Makgosi Peloakgosi (RSA)
[3] Shalom Truter (RSA) v Awande Malinga (RSA)
[WC] Chenya Wood (RSA) v [7] Kimberley McDonald (RSA)
[5] Yasshmita Jadishkumar (MAS) v Savannah Ingledew (RSA)
Rachel Shannon (RSA) v [1] Jenny Preece (RSA)

The first event of the week on the Challenger Tour will be the only one this week to be held on African soil, with the Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open taking place from Tuesday 25 to Saturday 29 May.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Challenger 5 level event has been restricted to only cross-border participation, meaning only those from host nation South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have been allowed to enter. Just the one foreign player will be in the field this week, with Zambia’s Kundanji Kalengo in the 9/16 seeding bracket in the men’s draw.

Parkview Squash Centre will host the tournament, where Jean-Pierre Brits will be the top seed for the men’s event. The World No.135 will be joined by compatriots Christo Potgieter, Gary Wheadon and Dewald van Niekerk in the top four seeds, with the latter of those having claimed victory in his very first outing on Tour, at the Western Province Open, last month.

Lizelle Muller matched van Niekerk’s achievements in that same event, and she will be the No.3 seed for the women’s draw, just behind top seed Teagan Leigh Roux and No.2 seed Jenny Preece.

The event takes place from Tuesday 25 to Saturday 29 May at the Parkview Squash Centre in Johannesburg, and you can follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

Men’s Draw: Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open
[1] Jean-Pierre Brits (RSA) – [Bye]
Grant Woodward (RSA) v [9/16] Sandile Masondo (RSA)
[9/16] Kundanji Kalengo (ZAM) – [Bye]
[8] Jonty Matthys (RSA) – [Bye]
[7] Joshua van der Wath (RSA) – [Bye]
Reuel Videler (RSA) v [9/16] Tyrone Dial (RSA)
[9/16] Zwele Makgalemele (RSA) v Mark Schickerling (RSA)
[4] Gary Wheadon (RSA)- [Bye]
[3] Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) – [Bye]
John Feliks Kuhn (RSA) v [9/16] Tristen Worth (RSA)
[9/16] Hayden Worth (RSA) – [Bye]
[5] Ruan Olivier (RSA) – [Bye]
[6] Makho Ntuli (RSA) – [Bye]
[9/16] Sipho Ncube (RSA) – [Bye]
Blaine Verhage (RSA) v [9/16] Damian Groenewald (RSA)
[2] Christo Potgieter (RSA) – [Bye]

Women’s Draw: Assore/Balwin Johannesburg Open
[1] Teagan Leigh Roux (RSA) – [Bye]

[WC] Jemma Dawson (RSA) v [9/16] Jordan Campbell (RSA)
[9/16] Jess McDonald (RSA) v Megan Shannon (RSA)
[7] Makgosi Peloakgosi (RSA) – [Bye]
[6] Kimberley McDonald (RSA) – [Bye]
[WC] Hannah Hambly (RSA) v [9/16] Mariska Wiese (RSA)
[9/16] Rachel Shannon (RSA) v [WC] Marijke Bruins (RSA)
[3] Lizelle Muller (RSA) – [Bye]
[4] Tayla Diepenbroek (RSA) – [Bye]
Kaylee Hunt (RSA) v [9/16] Amy Farrell (RSA)
[9/16] Shelomi Truter (RSA) v [WC] Emma Shannon (RSA)
[5] Bongi Seroto (RSA) – [Bye]
[8] Panashe Sithole (RSA) – [Bye]
[9/16] Awande Malinga (RSA) – [Bye]
[9/16] Elske Garbers (RSA) v [WC] Nono Sekhoto (RSA)
[2] Jenny Preece (RSA) – [Bye]