The draw and schedule for the 2024 Canadian Men’s Squash Open, presented by AirSprint Private Aviation, has been released.
Action kicks off on March 3, with eight matches on the all-glass court in downtown Calgary’s Bow Valley Square.
The field is headlined by current world No.2 Diego Elias of Peru, competing in Canada for the first time since 2020.
Following an opening round bye, Elias will take on the winner of Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) and Todd Harrity (USA) in round two. The Peruvian is seeded to meet Egypt’s Mazen Hesham in the final. Elias and Hesham have already met twice in 2024 with each player claiming one victory.
Two Canadians will be featuring in the opening round of matches. Three-time national champion David Baillargeon of Quebec will take on England’s Ben Smith, while Bow Valley Athletic Club head pro Connor Turk will face Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue.
Turk won a playoff on his home courts to earn the single wildcard spot in the draw. If victorious, Baillargeon will face No.6 seed Nicolas Mueller of Switzerland in round two, while Turk would match up against Gregoire Marche of France.
This is the third consecutive year the Canadian Men’s Open has been staged in Oxford Properties’ spectacular Bow Valley Square. The 2024 edition features a prize purse of $100k CAD, making it the largest event in Canada alongside the Canadian Women’s Open, which is slated for October 2024 in Toronto.