Japan PSA Series Vol.1: Tournament Preview

The final event on the Challenger Tour this week is the Japan PSA Satellite Series Vol.1 in SQ-CUBE, which will be held in Nippa-cho in Yokohama.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Challenger 3 level tournament is only for those currently living in the Asian nation, with all bar two players in the 16-strong men’s draw hailing from Japan.

The two non-Japanese players are both from Pakistan. Muhammad Haris Iqbal and Shahzad Ali will be the No.3 and No.4 seeds for the event this weekend.

The top seed will be World No.152 Naoki Hayashi, who will be featuring on the Tour for the first time win 15 months, having last played in February 2020. His nearest competitor for the title will be the No.2 seed, World No.180, Ryunosuke Tsukue.

Three teenagers, in Kanta Ito, Yujin Ikeda and Kosei Toki, will all be making their debuts on the professional tour this weekend, and will be aiming to cause upsets in their first event.

The event takes place from Sunday 2 to Monday 3 May at the SQ-CUBE in Yokohama, where Naoki Hayashi is the top seed for the tournament. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

First Round Draw: Japan PSA Satellite Series Vol.1 In SQ-CUBE
[1] Naoki Hayashi (JPN) v Teppei Ito (JPN)
Yusei Toki (JPN) v [6] Yuta Kiyosawa (JPN)
[7] Yujin Ikeda (JPN) v Naoki Sone (JPN)
Kato Shoki (JPN) v [4] Shahzad Ali (PAK)
[3] Muhammad Haris Iqbal (PAK) v Shota Yasunari (JPN)
Kosei Toki (JPN) v [5] Kanta Ito (JPN)
[8] Tomomine Murayama (JPN) v Ren Makino (JPN)
Masaki Suzuki (JPN) v [2] Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN)