Men’s top three ranking players, Paul Coll, Ali Faraq, and Mostafa Asal will be in town next month for the Marigold Singapore Squash 2022, the first-ever Professional Squash Association World Tour Gold event to be held at Kallang Squash Centre and OCBC Arena from 15 to 20 Nov.
Organised by the Singapore Squash Rackets Association (SSRA), it is the first major international squash competition to be held here in 10 years, which will see prize money of US$220,000 split equally between the male and female players.
“An event of this stature is a boost to the local squash community and to the wider Singapore population, especially with the top-ranked players competing here alongside our local athletes. In addition to the thrilling displays of squash, there will also be clinics and opportunities for interaction with these athletes,” said SSRA president Patrick Thio.
In the women’s category world number four and top seed Amanda Sobhy, who recently won the Oracle NetSuite Open for the third time, is joined by second seed Joelle King of New Zealand and third seed Nour El Tayeb of Egypt, ranked fifth and sixth respectively.
There are two Singapore wildcards in the tournament, Au Yeong Wai Yhann and Samual Kang. Yeong will be up against Hollie Naughton from Canada, a silver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In the men’s event, Kang will face top German player Raphael Kandra.
“The major tournaments that we’ve competed in have mostly been held overseas, and it’s rare that we get to play at such a high-level event on home soil. The MARIGOLD Singapore Squash Open will be a very special experience, and not only because our friends and family can be present to watch us play,” said five-time national champion Wai Yhann.
“It also creates an opportunity for those in Singapore to come and learn more about squash and what an exciting sport it is, and it gives them a glimpse of what we train for as national athletes: the chance to compete at the top levels of our sport. We’re working hard so that we can give our best performance next month, and we can’t wait to play in front of the home crowd again.”
Tickets for the MARIGOLD Singapore Squash Open will go on sale on SISTIC from 17 Oct 2022, 2pm. Fans can also watch the action live on SquashTV.