PSA World Tour Expands Into Romania by Howard Harding 4 October 2013
- The Professional Squash Association is marking a notable double this
month with Romania not only hosting its first ever Tour event, but also
providing its first members of the players' association.
The COURTWALL Romanian
Open, a PSA Challenger 5 event, takes place this week at the new AERO
Squash Club in the Romanian capital Bucharest.
Meanwhile, Bucharest
players George Alexandru Constantinescu and Horia Naumescu have both
joined the PSA and made their Tour debuts in the Romanian Open.
Interest in Squash in
Romania has grown rapidly since the first squash courts were built in
2001. The European country which borders the Black Sea now boasts 20
squash clubs with over 40 courts. The latest is the five-court AERO
Squash Club, near the international Airport in Bucharest, which is the
largest squash centre in the country.
"The AERO Squash club
owners are operating a helicopter rental service from the heliport in
Bucharest - the squash club is built in a helicopter hangar," explained
tournament sponsor Wolfgang Denk, CEO of court manufacturer Courtwall.
"The winner of the PSA Courtwall Romanian Open will be taken on a
helicopter flight around Bucharest after the price ceremony."
PSA CEO Alex Gough is
delighted that Romania has become the latest country to be added to the
Tour calendar which boasts more than 100 events in more than 40 nations
spread across all five continents.
"It is always a
pleasure to welcome a nation to our circuit - and the fact that the new
event in Bucharest has attracted players from 12 countries is testament
to the appeal of a country like Romania," said the former world No5.
"We also welcome George and Horia to our membership and hope that their success will inspire more Romanians to join the Tour."
Top seeds Chris Ryder,
of England, and Jan Koukal from the Czech Republic, are on course to
meet in Sunday's Romanian Open final after first round wins. World No72
Ryder defeated France's Johan Bouquet 11-1, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 while
second seed Koukal was taken the full distance before overcoming
Spaniard Alejandro Garbi Caro 5-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-8.
Qualifiers will be in
action in the quarter-finals after two impressive upsets. Dutch
qualifier Sebastiaan Weenink, the world No173 and lowest-ranked player
in the main draw, despatched England's Alex Ingham 11-4, 11-7, 11-5,
while England's blushes were spared when Portsmouth-based 21-year-old
Robert Downer beat experienced Pakistani Karamatullah Khan 11-8, 11-8,
11-7.
Quarter-final line-up: [1] Chris Ryder (ENG) v Joan Lezaud (FRA) [3] Jens Schoor (GER) v [Q] Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) [4] Yann Perrin (FRA) v [Q] Robert Downer (ENG) [2] Jan Koukal (CZE) v Reuben Phillips (ENG)
