San Francisco Ready To Host $70,000 PSA Netsuite Open
from DJ Media
October 15, 2012
--Squash Under Glass! World's Best Players Serve Up Excitement on S.F. Waterfront
--Portable Glass Court Debuts on Embarcadero for NetSuite Open Oct. 20-23
--Cal-Stanford Teams to Compete in Big Game Day Squash Match for Charity
The 2012 NetSuite Open Squash Championships will bring the world's best squash players to San Francisco Oct. 20-23 for the first time in a unique setting -- a portable glass court outdoors on the South Lawn at Justin Herman Plaza where passersby will be able to watch the lightning-fast action for free.
The four-day event coincides with World Squash Day 2020 on October 20 and Big Game Week in the Bay Area. Also included: free squash clinics, demonstration matches, activities for kids.
WHAT
A $70,000, 16-draw Professional Squash Association world ranking single elimination tournament. One of the top fifteen (15) professional tournaments on the global PSA World Tour as determined by prize money. The winner will earn $11,300.
WHO
A field of top international players including World No. 1 James Willstrop (ENG), World No. 2 Nick Matthew (ENG) and World No. 3 Gregory Gaultier (FRA). USA No. 1 and PSA No. 28 Julian Illingworth is the Wildcard entry into the main draw.
WHERE
An all-glass portable squash court on the South Lawn of Justin Herman Plaza on the San Francisco waterfront.
THE COURT
The iconic Glass Cube makes its Northern California debut in San Francisco, having previously captivated squash fans at New York’s Grand Central Terminal, the Field Museum in Chicago, Symphony Hall in Boston and in Egypt and Hong Kong.
The 18,000-pound, 32-by-20-foot court manufactured by McWIL has walls of 12-millimeter tempered glass with a special ceramic frit dot fired into the interior surface that allows the players to see a colored, nearly opaque wall while spectators outside the court view through clear glass. It has an electronic scoreboard, a 42-inch TV, two 50-inch LCD screens and a six-speaker sound system.
WHEN
October 17-19, 6 p.m. - Early rounds are at Stanford University and the Bay Club San Francisco on permanent international standard squash courts. Early rounds comprise two rounds of qualifying and the first round (round of 16) of the main draw.
October 20-23 - Play moves to San Francisco on the glass court. The final four rounds are October 20-23.
Sat., October 20
4 p.m. - College 2020 Challenge: Stanford's Serena Fagan of Boston vs. Cal's Michelle Ha of Seoul, Korea; Stanford's Mark Weiland of Baltimore vs. Cal's Satyen Motiani of Lisle, Illinois
6 p.m. - Opening ceremonies at Justin Herman Plaza with NetSuite founder and chairman Evan Goldberg, a San Jose Earthquakes player and others; two quarterfinal matches begin
Sun., October 21
1 p.m. - SquashDrive clinic for youth
4 p.m. - Two quarterfinal matches begin
Mon., October 22
2 p.m. - Free clinic by Bay Club San Francisco
3 p.m. - NetSuite Pro Am
6 p.m. - Two semi-final matches begin
Tue., Oct. 23
2 p.m. - Free clinic
7 p.m. - Final match for championship on the glass court
HOW
The public may watch the glass court matches from the Mendocino and Humboldt Redwood Free Squash Viewing Pavilion on the Embarcadero/Justin Herman Plaza esplanade, looking through the front wall of the court. Reserved seat tickets are available through www.nestsuiteopensquash.com and range from $30-$250.
BIG GAME COLLEGE CHALLENGE
In conjunction with Big Game Week in the Bay Area and World Squash Day 2020 on Saturday, Oct. 20 (more than 10,000 players will compete worldwide that day in support of efforts to make squash an Olympic sport in 2020), teams from Cal, Stanford and USC will compete in mini-matches on the glass court before the pro matches.
CHARITIES
The tournament’s official charities are SquashDrive (Bay Area) and Xtreme Squash (Palo Alto/Stanford), two urban youth enrichment organizations that offer academic support, life skills and squash instruction to underserved children. Their youth members will be invited to special clinics and to serve as ball kids for the professional matches.
ACTIVITIES
Free clinics by Bay Club San Francisco for kids; inflatable interactive soccer bouncer; squash merchandise booths
SPONSORS
NetSuite is the title sponsor. The San Jose Earthquakes and Mendocino/Humboldt Redwood are silver sponsors. Bronze sponsors include Corsair, Sutter Hill Ventures, Hotel Vitale, Dunlop Sport, the San Francisco Bay Club and the University Club of San Francisco
Main Draw
Qualifying Draw
Back To Main
