Busy season ahead as prize money grows
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has announced the calendar for the 2019-20 PSA World Tour season, which will see 29 tournaments take place across five continents between September 2019 and June 2020.
The PSA World Tour is the pinnacle of professional men’s and women’s squash and makes up part of the new PSA Tour structure – which came into effect in August 2018 – alongside the PSA Challenger Tour and the WSF and PSA Satellite Tour.
In addition to the PSA Men’s and Women’s World Championships, the PSA World Tour comprises eight Platinum tournaments, seven Gold events, five silver events, seven bronze events and the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals, which will take place in Cairo, Egypt in June.
The reigning PSA World Champions and all Platinum event winners automatically qualify for the PSA World Tour Finals, which features a men’s and women’s event, both containing eight-player draws. The remaining places are allocated to the highest ranked players on the Road to Egypt Standings, and points will be on offer at all PSA World Tour events during the season.
The announcement of the 2019-20 PSA World Tour calendar comes off the back of the release of the season’s broadcast schedule, which will see 18 PSA World Tour events broadcast live on SQUASHTV, Eurosport Player, the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour, DAZN and a selection of mainstream broadcast channels across the globe.
“Since putting the new tour structure into place at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, we have seen an increase in prize money and playing opportunities across the tour and we fully expect that trend to continue throughout the upcoming season.” said PSA Tour Director Hannah Ridgard-Mason.
“The 2019-20 campaign promises to be one of the most highly-competitive and exciting seasons in recent memory, and we look forward to watching all of the action unfold over the next nine months.”
Prize money on the PSA Tour increased by 10 per cent last season to $7,600,000 and this is projected to grow once again during the 2019-20 campaign.
About PSA:
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) is the global governing body responsible for the administration of both men’s and women’s professional squash around the world. With over 950 registered players and more than 200 events taking place around the globe every year, the PSA World Tour and the PSA Challenger Tour – both managed and run by the PSA – showcases the game of squash at its highest level in some of the world’s most unique and stunning locations.
2019-20 PSA World Tour Calendar.
J.P. Morgan China Squash Open, PSA Platinum – Shanghai, China: September 4-8, 2019
Open de France – Nantes 2019 presented by Tailor Capital, PSA Silver – Nantes. France: September 9-14, 2019
Oracle NetSuite Open, PSA Gold – San Francisco, United States: September 24-30, 2019
FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships, PSA Platinum – Philadelphia, United States: October 5-12, 2019
CIB PSA Women’s World Championship – Cairo, Egypt: October 24 – November 1, 2019
CIB Egyptian Squash Open, PSA Men’s Platinum – Cairo, Egypt: October 25 – November 1, 2019
PSA Men’s World Championship – Doha, Qatar: November 8-15, 2019
Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill, PSA Men’s Gold – London, England: November 19-24, 2019
Everbright Sun Hung Kai Hong Kong Squash Open, PSA Platinum – Hong Kong: December 2-8, 2019
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, PSA Platinum – New York, United States: January 9-17, 2020
Pittsburgh Open, PSA Men’s Bronze – Pittsburgh, United States: January 22-26, 2020
Carol Weymuller Open, PSA Women’s Bronze – Brooklyn, United States: January 22-27, 2020
CCI International, PSA Men’s Gold – Mumbai, India: Dates TBC
Cleveland Classic, PSA Women’s Bronze – Cleveland, United States: January 30 – 3 February, 2020
Bahl and Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup, PSA Women’s Bronze – Cincinnati, United States: February 20-24, 2020
Canada Cup, PSA Men’s Silver – Toronto, Canada: February 21-25, 2020
The Walter Family Windy City Open, PSA Platinum – Chicago, United States: February 27 – 4 March, 2020
Canary Wharf Classic, PSA Men’s Gold – London, England: March 8-13, 2020
Black Ball Squash Open, PSA Women’s Platinum – Cairo, Egypt: March 8-14, 2020
Grasshopper Cup, PSA Men’s Gold & Women’s Bronze – Zurich, Switzerland: March 17-22, 2020
Macau Open, PSA Bronze – Macau, China: Dates TBC
El Gouna International Squash Open, PSA Platinum – El Gouna, Egypt: April 8-17, 2020
Manchester Open, PSA Silver – Manchester, England: April 21-26, 2020**
Sports Internacional Guatemala, PSA Men’s Silver – Guatemala: Dates TBC
Motor City Open, PSA Men’s Silver – Detroit, United States: Dates TBC
Wimbledon Open, PSA Men’s Bronze – London, England: Dates TBC
British Open, PSA Platinum – TBC, England: May 25-31, 2020
Mauritius Open, PSA Men’s Gold – Grand Bay, Mauritius: June 3-7, 2020
PSA World Tour Finals – Cairo, Egypt: June 29-26, 2020
**Dates subject to changeÂ
Website: www.psaworldtour.comÂ
Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.
Pictures courtesy of PSAÂ Â