Challenger Tour Weekly Preview: Five Events, Five Continents

For the first time in 2021, five continents will host PSA Challenger Tour events in the same week, with action on the Tour coming from almost every corner of the globe!

The week’s squash will begin on Tuesday in South Africa, before further action comes from France, Japan, New Zealand and the United States over the course of the next seven days.

The two Southern Hemisphere events feature both a men’s and women’s draw, while the other three tournaments are men’s draws, with the action from the United States being the biggest event of the week, a Challenger 10 level title on offer for the winner.

Western Province Open
The first tournament of the week comes from Cape Town, South Africa, with the Challenger 3 level Western Province Open taking place from Tuesday to Friday.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event is only for those currently residing in the African nation, with the women’s draw made solely of South African players. Teagan Leigh Roux, the World No.150, will be the top seed, while Jenny Preece, Tayla Diepenbroek and Bongi Seroto, all inside the top 200 in the World Rankings, will be challenging for the title as well.

The men’s draw is headed by World No.135 Jean-Pierre Brits, with compatriots Christo Potgieter and Dewald van Niekerk, members of the world’s top 250, will also be inside the top four seeds. Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muhwati will be the No.2 seed, while Zambian Kundanji Kalengo will be the other international member in the field.

Archi Factory Open Lorient
The only European event of the week comes from France, with a Challenger 5 level men’s tournament, the Archi Factory Open Lorient taking place from Thursday 29th.

The tournament will have limited cross-border participation in operation due to the pandemic, with those residing in Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, Switzerland and the host nation France being allowed to play.

Germany’s Valentin Rapp will be the top seed, with the Swiss pair of Robin Gadola and Yannick Wilhelmi, along with Spain’s Ivan Perez and the French duo of Toufik Mekhalfi and Edwin Clain, all aiming for glory in Lorient.

Texas Auto Save Life Time San Antonio 281 International Squash Open 2021 – Presented by Core Path Laboratories
Also starting on Thursday is the Texas Auto Save Life Time San Antonio 281 International Squash Open 2021 – Presented by Core Path Laboratories, the sole American event this week.

The tournament, which will be held in San Antonio, will be a cross-border event, allowing those currently living in Canada and Mexico, along with United States residents, to enter the Challenger 10 tournament.

England’s World No.44 Nathan Lake will be the top seed for the event, with the Mexican duo of Leonel Cardenas and Alfredo Avila and the American pair of Faraz Khan and Spencer Lovejoy, all of whom sit inside the top 100 in the World Rankings, aiming for glory.

Waikato Open
The second event of the week to feature both men’s and women’s action will be the Waikato Open, which will be held in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the tournament is restricted to those only living in the country, with all 32 entrants playing under the Kiwi flag.

World No.97 Emma Millar will be the top seed for the women’s draw, while Kaitlyn Watts, who won the Royal Oak Open last month, beating Millar in the final, will be aiming for glory again. Evan Williams, the World No.84, will head up the men’s draw, with the Chileshe brothers, Lwamba and Temwa, aiming to reach another final, after the pair met at the Morrinsville Open last month.

Japan PSA Satellite Series Vol.1 in SQ-CUBE
The final tournament of the week comes from Yokohama, with the Challenger 3 level Japan PSA Satellite Series Vol.1 in SQ-CUBE taking place on Sunday and Monday.

It is a domestic only event with 14 of the 16 players in the men’s event hailing from Japan. The Pakistani pair of Muhammad Haris Iqbal and Shahzad Ali, who both live in the nation, also in the draw.

They will be the No.3 and No.4 seeds, while top 200 players Naoki Hayashi and Ryunosuke Tsukue will head up the draw for the final tournament of the week.

You can follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from all of these events.

This Week’s Schedule
Western Province Open: Tuesday 27 – Friday 30 April
Archi Factory Open Lorient: Thursday 29 April – Sunday 2 May
Texas Auto Save Life Time San Antonio 281 International Squash Open 2021 – Presented by Core Path Laboratories: Thursday 29 April – Sunday 2 May
Waikato Open: Friday 30 April – Sunday 2 May
Japan PSA Satellite Series Vo.1 in SQ-CUBE: Sunday 2 – Monday 3 May