By ALAN THATCHER (Squash Mad Editor)
The PSA World Tour calendar has been published for the new season, with 13 events set to take place from August to December.
The action commences at the inaugural CIB Zed Squash Open between August 24-28 in Cairo, before the first PSA Platinum event of the season, the QTerminals Qatar Classic, takes place in Doha between September 4-10.
Trips to Houston, for the inaugural South Western Women’s Open, and Nantes, for the return of the Open de France de Squash, follow in September, before the CIB Egyptian Open is held at squash’s most spectacular venue, in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza, between September 19-25.
The Tour goes back to the United States for the Oracle NetSuite Open and U.S. Open in October, while the Grasshopper Cup returns to the calendar in Zurich for the first time since 2019 later that month.
Moving East, New Zealand will host the country’s biggest ever squash tournament, with the men’s Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Open and the women’s Robertson Lodges New Zealand Open following the inaugural Nations Cup between November 8-13.
The year is then rounded out with events in Malaysia and Singapore, before the Hong Kong Open returns to the calendar for the first time since 2018.
In addition to the various trophies on offer, points for the CIB Road to Egypt Standings will be available at all PSA World Tour events throughout the season. The top eight players on the standings qualify for the season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals next June, while all Platinum winners and the reigning PSA World Champions qualify automatically for the season-ending spectacle.
“We’re excited to announce our calendar for the rest of 2022 and look forward to showcasing more matches than ever before through SQUASHTV throughout the upcoming season,” said PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough.
“We are delighted to be taking the SQUASHTV cameras to New Zealand for the first time, whilst we are eagerly anticipating the return to the calendar of some of our fan-favourite tournaments, such as the Hong Kong Open, Open de France and Grasshopper Cup.
“The new campaign promises to be the most exciting season of professional squash ever, and I hope squash fans enjoy witnessing all of the drama unfold on the PSA World Tour over the coming months.”
Where noted above, action will be streamed live on SQUASHTV – the OTT platform of the PSA. The PSA World Championships, PSA World Tour Finals, all Platinum events and selected other tournaments will also be shown live by PSA’s broadcast partners.
The calendar for January – June 2023 will be announced later this year.
PSA World Tour Calendar: August – December 2022 (Dates Subject to Change).
CIB Zed Squash Open (Bronze): August 24-28 in Cairo, Egypt – SQUASHTV
QTerminals Qatar Classic (Platinum): September 4-10 in Doha, Qatar – SQUASHTV
South Western Women’s Open (Gold): September 6-11 in Houston, United States – SQUASHTV
Open de France de Squash (Bronze): September 12-17 in Nantes, France – SQUASHTV
CIB Egyptian Open (Platinum): September 19-25 in Cairo, Egypt – SQUASHTV
Oracle NetSuite Open (Silver): October 30 – September 4 in San Francisco, United States – SQUASHTV
U.S. Open (Platinum): October 8-15 in Philadelphia, United States – SQUASHTV
Grasshopper Cup (Gold): October 18-23 in Zurich, Switzerland – SQUASHTV
Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Open (Silver): November 8-13 in Tauranga, New Zealand – SQUASHTV
Robertson Lodges New Zealand Open (Silver): November 8-13 in Tauranga, New Zealand – SQUASHTV
MARIGOLD Singapore Open (Gold): November 15-20 in Singapore – SQUASHTV
Malaysian Open Squash Championships (Bronze): November 22-26 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hong Kong Open (Platinum): November 28 – December 4 in Hong Kong – SQUASHTV
Pictures courtesy of PSA World Tour