Seventh sell-out in a row expected
By Alan Thatcher, Squash Mad Editor
A mad scramble is under way after tickets went on sale this morning for the 2017 Canary Wharf Squash Classic.
A week of world-class sporting drama, with 70,000 dollars of prize money on offer, returns to the superb East Wintergarden venue from March 6-10 and fans need to act quickly to book their seats online via Ticketmaster.
London’s favourite squash tournament has been a complete sell-out for six years in a row, with tickets for this year’s event being snapped up inside little more than a month.
The 2016 PSA World Tour event produced a new champion, with French ace Mathieu Castagnet beating Egypt’s top seed Omar Mosaad in a thrilling final.
The tournament was televised on BT Sport and every match was broadcast live by the PSA’s own channel, SquashTV.
The first round match in which four-times champion James Willstrop beat New Zealander Paul Coll broke plenty of broadcasting records for squash.
One amazing rally, in which Coll dived across court three times to keep the ball in play, ended with a stunned Willstrop hitting his shot into the tin and throwing his racket to the floor in disbelief.
The video clip has been broadcast on numerous channels in different parts of the world, clocking up millions of hits in the process.
Tournament Director Tim Garner said: “That rally showed the incredible athleticism of the leading squash professionals. It was one of the highlights of a phenomenal week of squash and we look forward to another entertaining tournament in 2017.”
Pictures by STEVE LINE (www.squashpics.com) and PATRICK LAUSON