Peninsular Shanghai to host new $70k event
The PSA World Tour have announced that Shanghai will play host to the largest ever World Tour event to take place in China, when the 2014 China Open – Squash Stats On The Bund, a PSA International 70, gets underway on September 2.
Taking place on the 11th floor of the The Peninsula Shanghai, the China Open will begin just days after the conclusion of the 2014 Hong Kong Open, one of the longest-standing flagship events on the PSA World Series.
With the likes of the Hong Kong Football Club International 25, the Macau Open International 50, Malaysian Open International 50 and the CCI PSA International 25 in Mumbai already established on the Asian continent, the China Open adds yet further Asian flavour to the growing PSA World Tour.
“We are extremely pleased to see the PSA World Tour taking further steps in the Chinese market and are looking forward to what promises to be an exciting event in Shanghai this year,” said PSA CEO Alex Gough.
“The 2014 China Open gives us an excellent opportunity to take the highest level of the sport to a new audience and we hope that this will signal the beginning of a period of growth for the sport in the region.
“We have had positive talks with representatives in many areas including India, Dubai and Singapore in recent months and hope that we can further build on the PSA World Tour’s exposure in Asia over the coming years.”
2014 China Open Tournament Director Franco Amedai, representing promoter SECA, said: “The Bund is the spectacular centre of a modern and dynamic metropolis of more than 20 million people.
“Shanghai, considered as the ‘New York of Asia’ since the first half of last century, is the financial pulsing heart of China’s gigantic economy. We could not imagine a better platform than this for launching a world class squash event in China.”
The 2014 China Open – Squash Stars On The Bund, starts on Tuesday September 2 with qualifying action and the first round of the main draw taking place at the SECA Academy Squash Centre. The competition will then move to to the 11th floor of The Peninsula Shanghai from the quarter-final stage onwards.
Pictures from social media