Squash Inn Classic Preview: Tovar Focussed On Squash After University

The Squash Inn Classic – Sponsored by Faltami will be the second tournament on the Challenger Tour this week, and will take place in Mexico City from Thursday, January 27.

The Challenger 3 level tournament, which will be held at the Squash Inn Club, is a regionally restricted event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, meaning only those currently based in North, Central or South America have been allowed to participate.

Just two nations will be represented at the tournament, 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 and Aileen Dominguez as the nearest challengers to the Colombian duo.

We spoke to the event’s top seed, World No.155 Laura Tovar, and she admitted how excited she is to be getting her year underway, now she can focus on her squash career.

“I’m really excited to be playing my first PSA tournament of the year. Now, after finishing university in Colombia, my plan is to be a squash player full time,” she explained.

“I’ve been training hard to play this tournament, and I am hoping to travel to Mexico and on to bigger PSA tournaments.”

Tovar is grateful that the tournament is taking place, but she knows how hard the event will be, despite being the top seed for it.

“First of all, thanks to the organisers in Mexico City to make this tournament possible, it’s important that the Latin American countries organise PSA Challenger Tour events for women and make professional squash grow,” she admitted.

“This tournament is challenging for me because there are a lot talented Mexican players, they are strong and move well. As the top seed, my goal is to win the tournament and go up in the rankings to reach top 100 by the end of 2022.”

The event takes place from Thursday, January 27 to Sunday, January 30 at the Squash Inn Club in Mexico City, where Colombia’s Laura Tovar 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: Squash Inn Classic – Sponsored by Faltami
[1] Laura Tovar (COL) v [WC] Melisa Torres (MEX)
[WC] Sofia Chavez (MEX) v [5] Lia Paz (MEX)
[8] Jacqueline Camacho (MEX) v [WC] Regina Camacho (MEX)
[WC] Andrea Juarez (MEX) v [3] Diana Gasca (MEX)
[4] Aileen Dominguez (MEX) v Ivone Diaz (MEX)
[WC] Sofia Ramirez (MEX) v [6] Blanca Vallarta (MEX)
[7] Julietta Mondragon (MEX) v [WC] Margarita Gomez Dominguez (MEX)
[WC] Andrea Zamora (MEX) v [2] Maria Tovar (COL)