Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: Action from Hong Kong & Australia

There are two events on the Challenger Tour this week, with both tournaments coming from the Eastern Hemisphere, in Hong Kong and Australia.

Due to the ongoing COVID-pandemic, both events have restricted entry criteria, with only players currently residing in those, or nearby countries, being allowed to enter.

The Chairman Cup 2 will be the first event of the week starting on Wednesday 5, and it will take place in Hong Kong. The North Coast Open will be played in Coffs Harbour, Australia, and will take place over the coming weekend.

Chairman Cup 2
For the second time in six weeks, the Hong Kong Squash Centre will play host to a Challenger 10 event, with the Chairman Cup 2 taking place throughout the week.

Only those residing in the Asian nation have been allowed to enter the Challenger 10 level tournament, with World No.41 Liu Tsz-Ling, the woman who won the first Chairman Cup event, as the top seed.

Tze Lok Ho, Tsz-Wing Tong, Lee Ka Yi and Vanessa Chu all are inside the top 60 in the World Rankings, and will all be looking to challenge Liu for the title.

Tsz Fung Yip will be the top seed for the men’s draw, while Chi Him Wong, the win of March’s event, will be the No.5 seed. Max Lee, Henry Leung and Tsz Kwan Lau will also be in amongst the final rounds.

North Coast Open
Starting on Friday 7 May, the North Coast Open will be a Challenger 3 level tournament, and will be open only for those living in Australia or New Zealand.

There will be three non-Australians in action in the men’s draw, in Malaysia’s Bryan Lim Tze Kang, South African Tate Zak Norris, and Maltese junior Kijan Sultana. The former will be the No.4 seed.

World No.134 Joseph White will be the top seed for the men’s event, while World No.66 Jessica Turnbull will head up the women’s event, with the likes of Tamika Hunt, Selena Sheikh and Chrisine Nunn also in action.

This Week’s Schedule
Chairman Cup 2: Wednesday 5 – Saturday 8 May
North Coast Open: Friday 7 – Sunday 9 May