Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: Action From Four Countries

The action continues on the Challenger Tour this week, with four tournaments taking place across four countries and three continents over the next seven days.

Two of the four events are fully international, while the other two have allowed regional entrants, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The action begins in Germany on Monday, with tournaments taking place in Egypt, Scotland and the United States over the course of the week.

Bremer Schlussel
The first of two events this week to have regional entry requirements is the Bremer Schlussel, which takes place in Bremen, Germany, from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 September.

India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar will be the top seed for the men’s draw, with the World No.57 facing competition from Spain’s Bernat Jaume, Colombia’s Juan Camil Vargas and Austria’s Aqeel Rehman. England’s Robert Downer, Czech Republic’s Martin Svec and Hungary’s Farkas Balazs, all inside the top 100, will also be in action.

The Dutch duo of Milou van der Heijden and Tessa ter Sluis will be the top two seeds in the women’s draw, with Spain’s Cristina Gomez and Hungary’s Hannah Chukwu also in action.

Springfield Scottish Squash Open
The only event taking place on British soil this week is the Springfield Scottish Squash Open, which will be a fully international tournament. The Challenger 10 level event takes place from Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26 September at Inverness Tennis and Squash Club.

England’s World No.31 Julianne Courtice will be the top seed for the women’s event, with compatriots Rachael Chadwick and Georgina Kennedy, along with the French duo of Enora Villard and Marie Stephan also in the top five seeds. Alison Thomson and Georgia Adderley will be the leading two Scots in the draw.

Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais leads the way in the men’s draw, with Portuguese No.1 Rui Soares, Scotland’s Rory Stewart and Czech Republic’s Jakub Solnicky in the top four seeds.

T.H.Quinn Cincinnati Queen City Open
The T Squash Academy in Cincinnati plays host to the T.H.Quinn Cincinnati Queen City Open this week, with the Challenger 10 level event taking place from Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26 September.

Englishman Nathan Lake will be the top seed for the tournament, with Frenchman Auguste Dussourd, fresh off defending his title at the Nash Cup, as the No.2 seed for the event.

The American duo of Faraz Khan and Christopher Gordon, along with Malaysian pair of Mohammad Syafiq Kamal and Addeen Idrakie, Jamaica’s Christopher Binnie and Czech No.1 Daniel Mekbib will all be in action in Cincinnati.

CIB Egyptian Challenger Tour 4
The final tournament of the week takes place at the El Shams Sporting Clubs, with the CIB Egyptian Challenger Tour 4 starting on Saturday afternoon.

The Challenger 20 level tournament was open to regional entrants, with three members of the 24-strong men’s draw hailing from outside from Egypt. Qatar’s Syed Azlan Amjad, Kuwait’s Ammar Altamimi and Iraq’s Mohamed Ferman Hassan will all be action.

World No.15 Zahed Salem as the top seed, while Moustafa El Sirty, who already has five titles to his name in 2021, and two this month, will be the No.4 seed for the tournament. Karim El Hammamy and Mazen Gamal will be the other major contenders.

The entirety of the women’s draw is Egyptian, with Hana Ramadan as the top seed, and one of five members of the top 100 in the World Rankings in action. Sana Ibrahim, Salma Eltayeb, Nour Aboulmakarim and Kenzy Ayman will also be in action.

This Week’s Schedule
Bremer Schlussel: Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 September
Springfield Scottish Squash Open: Wednesday 22 – Sunday 26 September
T.H.Quinn Cincinnati Queen City Open: Wednesday 22 – Sunday 26 September
CIB Egyptian Challenger Tour 4: Saturday 25 – Wednesday 29 September