Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: Action From Four Events

The PSA World Championships 2020-2021 begins on Wednesday in Chicago, but there are also four events on the Challenger Tour this week, including two on Egyptian soil.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all of the events have had strict restrictions on entrants, with three being domestic only, while the Liquorland Howick Open allowed participants from neighbouring Australia as well as host nation New Zealand.

Smash Basem Makram
The first of two events to take place in Egypt this week is the Smash Basem Makram, which takes place from Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 July in Cairo.

World No.364 Ali Yacout will be the top seed for the tournament, with Abdelrahman Abdelkhalek, Mohamed Sayed El Boraie and Omar El Torkey among the top seeds.

CIB Egyptian Challenger Tour
Cairo International Stadium will play host to another Challenger Tour event this week, with the CIB Egyptian Challenger Tour taking place from Wednesday 14 to Sunday 18 July.

Mexico’s Diana Garcia, who now lives in Egypt, is the only non-Egyptian in the field, and she will be the top seeding the women’s draw. Salma Eltayeb and Nour Aboulmakarim, both members of the top 100, will be challenging Garcia for the title.

Moustafa El Sirty and Yahya Elnawasany will be the top two seeds in the men’s draw, with the pair aiming to claim victory at the Challenger 10 level event.

The Eriswell Challenge at St George’s Hill
St George’s Hill LTC, the venue of the Channel VAS Championships on the PSA World Tour, will play host to the Eriswell Challenge this week, a Challenger 10 level men’s event.

A quartet of non-Englishman lead the way in the draw, with Portugal’s Rui Soares as the top seed. The World No.74 is closely followed by Welshman Emyr Evans, Ireland’s Sean Conroy and Scotland’s Rory Stewart.

Liquorland Howick Open
The final tournament of week takes place in Auckland, New Zealand, with the Liqourland Howick Open being held from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 July at Howick Squash Club.

Once again, the Chileshe brothers, Lwamba and Temwa, will be among the top seeds for the tournament, with Joel Arscott also in close company. Abbie Palmer will be the top seed for the women’s event.

This Week’s Schedule
Smash Basem Makram: Wednesday 14 – Saturday 17 July
CIB Egyptian Challenger Tour: Wednesday 14 – Sunday 18 July
The Eriswell Challenge at St George’s Hill: Thursday 15 – Sunday 18 July
Liquorland Howick Open: Friday 16 – Sunday 18 July