SINGAPORE — Top-seeded women’s player Joelle King has withdrawn from the upcoming VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open 2023 due to a back injury. She will be replaced by world number 57 Emilia Soini in the competition. Egyptian Nour El Tayeb will now be the top-seeded player in the Professional Squash Association World Tour Gold event, which will be held from Nov 14-19 at the OCBC Arena, Singapore Sports Hub.
The highly anticipated squash tournament, which returns to Singapore after its resounding success last year, will feature 48 of the world’s top squash athletes vying for a combined prize purse of US$220,000 at the Singapore Squash Open. This tournament marks one of the first major competitions since squash was officially included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The updated women’s draw and schedule can be found below.
The Singapore Squash Rackets Association president, Patrick Thio said that they are thrilled to host the world’s top squash players, and aim to foster local appreciation for squash and inspire young athletes through high-caliber competitions like the Singapore Squash Open, especially with the 2028 Olympic Games in sight.
“We are delighted to welcome back the world’s best squash players to Singapore. We’re saddened that Joelle King will be unable to defend her crown and wish her a speedy recovery. Nevertheless, fans can expect thrilling on-court action from the world’s best who will be competing at the OCBC Arena,” expressed Thio.
“We also hope that the SSO 2023 can create a platform for local audiences to grow a fond appreciation of the sport. In addition, we hope that, by bringing high-calibre competitions like SSO 2023 to Singapore, we will inspire our next generation of young squash athletes to continue their pursuit of sporting excellence, especially with LA28 on the horizon,” added the Singapore Squash rackets Association’s president.
On Saturday, Nov 11, the organiser announced another withdrawal. World number 25 Aifa Azman from Malaysia has pulled out of the tournament, and will be replaced by her sister, 52-ranked player Aira Azman.
TEAM SINGAPORE AT SINGAPORE SQUASH OPEN 2023
Local squash fans will also be able to cheer on Team Singapore national squash players as Marcus Phua and Au Yeong Wai Yhann have been drawn in Round 1 of the competition as wildcard entries.
“I’m so happy to be able to return to Singapore for SSO 2023 and test myself against the world’s best women squash athletes. Coming home is always special, and playing in front of a home crowd always brings a buzz of excitement. It’s even more meaningful for me, as I will be facing off against Rachel, one of my best friends, in the first round. I know we’ll both be bringing our A-Game, and put on a show for all the local fans,” said Au, who will be up against Malaysian Rachel Arnold in the first round of the competition.
The Sport Singapore’s Sport Excellence scholar enters the Singapore Squash Open in a rich vein of form. The women’s world 87 just became the first Singaporean woman to clinch a PSA Challenger Tour event at the PSA Tour Schräglage Open held in Germany this September as well as winning a historic six successive Singapore Nationals titles in March this year. After her success in Germany, Au competed in the France’s Open de Couzeix and the Monte Carlo Classic. Her journey in France ended in the quarter-finals, losing to world number 98 player Lauren Baltayan. At the Monte Carlo Open earlier this month, although she failed to make it past her opponent in Round 2, she definitely gained valuable playing experience when she went up against 47-ranked player Grace Gear of England.
In the men’s category, Phua will take on 39th ranked-player David Baillargeon of Canada. 34-year-old Phua is a veteran of the local squash game, and was part of the four-man squad for the recent Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Singapore put up a strong fight against some of the best from the continent, including a narrow 2-1 loss to 5th seeds Kuwait, and wins against Qatar and Nepal in the group stage. The team bowed out of the competition in a respectable seventh place. The Singapore Squash Open 2023 men’s draw and schedule can be found below.
