Sumptuous Squash on the Horizon in the Sekisui Open

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The main draws of the Sekisui Open, PSA M15 and W5 tournaments begin on Wednesday March 9 and Thursday March 10, respectively, as a number of exciting showdowns take place in Kriens, Switzerland.

Scotland’s World No.36 Greg Lobban is the favourite to take a seventh career PSA World Tour title in the Men’s event and is looking to kick on from the form that has taken him to a career-best world ranking.

Lobban has made a number of World Series appearances in recent months which has cause his world ranking to rocket from the World No.50 spot he held before the start of the season.

The 23-year-old is aiming to win his first PSA World Tour crown since triumphing on home soil at the Trac Oil & Gas North of Scotland Open back in April of last year and lines up against Hong Kong’s Chi Him Wong in the opening round.

Second seed Raphael Kandra is also in with a chance of lifting silverware in Switzerland and has already had tournament-winning success so far in 2016 with a fine win over Shawn Delierre in the final of the Bankers Hall Club Pro Am two months ago.

Kandra, who recently played his 200th match on the PSA World Tour against Tom Richards in the Windy City Open presented by Guggenheim Partners and EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, will get his tournament under way against Remo Handl.

Defending champion Kristian Frost Olesen is aiming to retain the title he won last year with victory over England’s Tom Ford as he maintains his attempts to capture a 14th PSA World Tour title.

The 27-year-old Dane, who also won this tournament in 2012 and was a beaten finalist the year after that, has won two of his last three titles in Switzerland so has plenty of experience of entertaining the Swiss spectators. Home hope Jonas Daehler lies in wait for Olesen in round one.

Malaysia’s Ivan Yuen is set to appear at his first PSA World Tour event of the year and comes into the Sekisui Open with an outside chance of lifting silverware. The 25-year-old from Penang captured the Malaysian Tour Squash IX crown in November before reaching the semi-final of the Qatar Circuit II a month later. Yuen will go up against Ahmad Al-Saraj in the first round.

This is the first time in the tournament’s history that a Women’s tournament has been included and France’s Cyrielle Peltier heads the field as she looks to end a succession of quarter-final defeats. The World No.57’s most recent tournament win was in last August’s City of Greater Bendigo International but she has bowed out in the last eight stage of her last two events.

Peltier will go head-to-head with a qualifier for a place in the quarter-final as she eyes up a first PSA World Tour title of 2016.

Sina Wall is Peltier’s biggest challenger for the title and came exceedingly close to capturing the Edinburgh Sports Club Open in January where a defeat to Millie Tomlinson in the final prevented her from lifting a maiden title on the PSA World Tour.

Wall, a two-time German Nationals winner, faces off against Marija Shpakova as she bids to reach the next round.

Main Draw: PSA M15, Men’s Sekisui Open, Kriens, Switzerland
[1] Greg Lobban (SCO) v Chi Him Wong (HKG)
Joe Green (ENG) v [Q] Daniel Mekbib (CZE)
Edmon Lopez Moller (ESP) v [Q] Ondrej Uherka (CZE)
[WC] Patrick Miescher (SUI) v [8] Evan Williams (NZL)
[6] Reiko Peter (SUI) v Rui Soares (POR)
[LL] Christoph Zust (SUI) v [Q] Tristan Eysele (RSA)
Benjamin Fischer (SUI) v [Q] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI)
Jonas Daehler (SUI) v [3] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN)
[4] Ivan Yuen (MAS) v Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR)
Geoffrey Demont (FRA) v [Q] Julian Tomlinson (ENG)
Tang Ming Hong (HKG) v [Q] Roee Avraham (ISR)
Joshua Larkin (AUS) v [7] Piedro Schweertman (NED)
[5] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) v Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
Bernat Jaume (ESP) v [Q] Manuel Wanner (SUI)
Mark Fuller (ENG) v [Q] Martin Svec (CZE)
[LL] Remo Handl (SUI) v [2] Raphael Kandra (GER)

Main Draw: PSA W5, Women’s Sekisui Open, Kriens, Switzerland
[1] Cyrielle Peltier (FRA) v [Qualifier]
Ineta Mackevica (LAT) v [5] Nada Usenko (UKR)
[7] Enora Villard (FRA) v [WC] Cindy Merlo (SUI)
[Qualifier] v [4] Alexandra Fuller (RSA)
[3] Chloe Mesic (FRA) v [Qualifier]
Milnay Louw (RSA) v [6] Birgit Coufal (AUT)
[8] Anna Klimundova (CZE) v [Qualifier]
Marija Shpakova (SUI) v [2] Sina Wall (GER)