Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: First Three Events of 2022

The first three tournaments on the Challenger Tour will take place this week, with the Tour returning after a three-week break in the New Year, with action in France, Mexico and the United States.

The Tour’s last outing came in Pakistan, with Tayyab Aslam winning the final event on 2021 on New Year’s Eve, and finally, the Tour will get underway in the United States on Wednesday 26th, with the Equinox Women’s Boston Open.

Following on from that, action will come from Mexico City, with the Squash Inn Classic – Sponsored By Faltami, with the French-based PSA Challenger Le Reve beginning on Friday 28th.

Here’s what’s coming up this week on the Challenger Tour…

Equinox Women’s Boston Open
The first tournament of the week comes from the United States, with the Equinox Women’s Boston Open beginning on Wednesday, January 26, and running through to Sunday, January 30.

The Challenger 10 level women’s event will see 24 players in action at the Equinox Sports Club in Boston, with England’s World No.25 Lucy Turmel as the top seed for the tournament.

The Hong Kong trio of Tze Lok Ho, Liu Tsz-Ling and Tsz-Wing Tong make up the rest of the top four seeds. 17 members of the world’s top 100 will be in action in the five-day tournament, with World No.91 Lucie Stefanoni as the only American featuring on home soil.

England’s Lily Taylor and Lucy Beecroft, Poland’s Karina Tyma, Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir and New Zealand’s Kaitlyn Watts, all winners on the Tour in 2021, will be aiming to being the New Year in the same way.

Squash Inn Classic – Sponsored By Faltami
The second event of the week will be held in Mexico City, with the Squash Inn Classic – Sponsored By Faltami, a regionally restricted Challenger 3 level tournament, beginning on Thursday, January 27.

Due to the restrictions, only players from North, Central and South America have been allowed to enter, but there will be just two nationalities on show at the event, with Colombia’s Laura and Maria Tovar as the top two seeds.

The rest of the 16-strong field hail from host nation Mexico, with Diana Gasca, Aileen Dominguez, Lia Paz, Blanca Vallarta, Julieta Mondragon and Jacqueline Camacho all featuring among the top eight seeds.

PSA Challenger Le Reve
The only tournament taking place on European soil this week will be the PSA Challenger Le Reve, which will be held at Squash Le Reve from Friday, January 28 to Sunday, January 30.

Welshman Emyr Evans will be the top seed for the Challenger 3 level tournament, which features a mainly-French field, including Edwin Clain and Toufik Mekhalfi, both among the top four seeds with Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi.

Italy’s Yuri Furneti, Czech Republic’s Ondrej Vorlicek and Austria’s Lukas Windischberger will be among the seeds, while Dutchman Marc ter Sluis and Spain’s Pablo Dolz will be the other non-Frenchman in action.

This Week’s Schedule
Equinox Women’s Boston Open: Wednesday 26 – Sunday 30 January
Squash Inn Classic – Sponsored by Faltami: Thursday 27 – Sunday 30 January
PSA Challenger Le Reve: Friday 28 – Sunday 30 January