The Professional Squash
Association
has confirmed the nine events that will comprise the top tier PSA World
Series calendar for 2011.
In addition to this
will be the
PSA's premier annual championship, the World Open - the 33rd edition of
which will take place in Dutch city of Rotterdam from 30 October to 6
November.
The PSA World Series,
launched this
year, features events which have prize-funds upwards of $115,000. These
championships represent the pinnacle of the men's game and are the main
focus of the PSA's global TV coverage provided by the online squash
channel www.psasquashtv.com
The events form a
series throughout the year that will produce eight players who will
compete in the PSA World Series Finals.
Following the first two
PSA World
Series events of 2011 in the USA - the JP Morgan Tournament of
Champions in New York in January and the North American Open in
Virginia in February - the Australian Open will celebrate its second
year as a World Series event in Canberra, from 8-14 August.
The ROWE British Grand
Prix, for the
second year the biggest event to be held in England, will take place at
the National Squash Centre in Manchester from 19-25 September.
The US Open, one of the
oldest
events in the world squash calendar, becomes a World Series event for
the first time from 30 September to 6 October in Philadelphia. The
championship returns to the largest city in Pennsylvania for the first
time since 1993.
The Qatar capital Doha
becomes the
focus of World Series activity from 16-21 October with the tenth
staging of the Qatar Classic - which is followed by the 25th edition of
the Hong Kong Open from 15-20 November.
The Kuwait Open, from
24-29
November, leads to the final World Series event of the year, the Punj
Lloyd PSA Masters in India, from 12-18 December.
"We are delighted to
have secured
another great World Series line up for 2011," said PSA CEO Alex Gough
of the year's elite programme of PSA events which boast a total
prize-fund of $1,225,000. "The prize money is ever increasing and the
standard of the events is improving all the time.
"Our event organisers
have to be
congratulated as we are looking at more and more commitment from them
as we push the game forward in many areas. This year's TV output and
distribution will be the best yet and we are all looking forward to the
players battling it out for this year's PSA World Series title."
Full 2011 PSA World
Series calendar:
21-27 January JP Morgan
Tournament of Champions, New York, USA 20-26 February North
American Open, Richmond, Virginia, USA 08-14 August Australian
Open, Canberra, Australia 19-25 September ROWE
British Grand Prix, Manchester, England 30 Sept - 06 October US
Open, Philadelphia, USA 16-21 October Qatar
Classic, Doha, Qatar 15-20 November Hong
Kong Open, Hong Kong 24-29 November Kuwait
Open, Kuwait 12-18 December Punj
Lloyd PSA Masters, India