PSA NetSuite Open Announces 2014 Main Draw Lineup
by Blake Rhodes

SAN FRANCISCO, August 14, 2014 — The NetSuite Open Squash Championships (NSO) draw has been set, with world No. 1 Gregory Gaultier and No. 4 Ramy Ashour headlining the first round matches that will be played on Friday, September 26 at San Francisco’s South Lawn of Justin Herman Plaza, Event Engine, Inc. announced today.  Four-time world champion Amr Shabana, who is currently ranked 5th in the world, will be the featured player at the Stanford University venue during the first round. The tournament announced the matchups, locations and times for the first round matches that will be played on the Glass Court at Justin Herman Plaza as well as at the Bay Club San Francisco and Stanford University.

“We’ve got some great matches that will excite the fans in San Francisco,” said John Nimick, a U.S. Squash Hall of Famer and President of Event Engine, Inc., the tournament producer. “Having three of the world’s top five players in Gregory, Ramy and Amr is something that we’re really excited about.”
 
The first round matches on September 26 will be held at the following locations:

·         No. 1 Gregory Gaultier (France) vs. No. 22 Adrian Grant (England) – Glass Court, 7:00 p.m.

·         No. 4 Ramy Ashour (Egypt) vs. Qualifier – Glass Court, 7:45 p.m.

·         No. 5 Amr Shabana (Egypt) vs. Qualifier – Stanford, 8:00 p.m.

·         No. 8 Peter Barker (England) vs. No. 58 Julian Illingworth (USA) – Bay Club, 5:00 p.m.

·         No. 14 Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Colombia) vs. Qualifier – To Be Determined

·         No. 15 Laurens Jan Anjema (Netherlands) vs. Qualifier – Stanford, 6:00 p.m.

·         No. 19 Mathieu Castagnet (France) vs. No. 24 Alister Walker (Botswana) – Bay club, 4:00 p.m.

·         No. 20 Cameron Pilley (Australia) vs. No. 23 Chris Simpson (England) – Stanford, 7:00 p.m.

The 12 players in the main draw will be joined by four qualifiers who will advance from a field of 16 that will compete in the qualifying rounds Sept. 24-25 at the Bay Club, Olympic Club and University Club. Below is a rundown of the first round matches on Friday, Sept. 26:

No.1 and reigning NSO champion Gaultier will face off against No. 22 and recent Commonwealth Games Silver Medalist Adrian Grant of England on the Glass Court at Justin Herman Plaza at 7:00 p.m.

Second seed Ramy Ashour, currently ranked 4th in the world, will also play at Justin Herman Plaza against one of the qualifiers at 7:45 p.m.

Four-time world champion Amr Shabana will take the court at Stanford University in the first round at 8:00 p.m., facing one of the four qualifiers.

The ever-consistent Peter Barker of England, currently ranked No. 8, will face Julian Illingworth, the seven-time USA national Champion and highest ranked American player in the world for the past eight years at the Bay Club at 6:00 p.m.

No. 14 Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who won the XVII Abierto Colombiano de Squash Club El Nogal this weekend, will get into action against one of the other qualifiers at site and time to be determined.

The Netherlands’ Laurens Jan Anjema, who’s currently ranked 15th in the world, will face the final qualifier at Stanford at 6:00 p.m.

Australia’s top player and No. 20 in the world Cameron Pilley will take on England’s Chris Simpson, ranked 23rd, at Stanford at 7:00 p.m.

The final matchup features No. 19  Mathieu Castagnet,the 2014 French Nationals runner-up, will square off with No. 24 Botswana’s Alister Walker, who makes his home in New York, at the Bay Club at 7:00 p.m.

The early rounds, comprising two rounds of Qualifying and six matches in the First Round (final 16) of the Main Draw will be played at Stanford University, the Bay Club San Francisco, Olympic Club and University Club. Two first round matches, Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals and Championship will be played at Justin Herman Plaza.

Some 400 reserved seats are available for the NetSuite Open, ranging in price from $30 to $250. For tickets, draws, schedule and more information, please visit www.netsuiteopensquash.com. Follow the NetSuite Open on Facebook and Twitter.






 

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