Rotterdam To Host New PSA Tour Event
by Howard Harding

17 July 2013 - Almost two years after the combined World Championship for men and women took place in Rotterdam, the Dutch capital of sports will play host again to another professional squash championship on the PSA World Tour calendar.

Italy's fast-growing stringing manufacturer Double AR has been confirmed as the primary sponsor for the Double AR Rotterdam Open Squash 2013, which will take place from 27 August - 1 September at the renowned squash club Victoria in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, which hosted the early rounds of the highly successful world championship at the end of 2011.

The Double AR Rotterdam Open Squash 2013 offers a total prize fund of US $15,000 and is registered as a PSA Challenger 15 championship. As a result, the new event has attracted a stellar line-up led by former world top 10 players Laurens Jan Anjema, the Dutch No1, and England's Adrian Grant.

Hans Zoethoutmaar, deputy director of Rotterdam Topsport, welcomed the return of professional squash to Rotterdam: "The 2011 World Open was one of the sporting highlights in our city over the past ten years and we are delighted to be able to stage another world class squash event in Rotterdam. We truly hope that we can turn the Double AR Rotterdam Open into an annual event and look forward to seeing many familiar faces in action again on the show court of Victoria."

Executive director Brenno Zuccarello from Double AR added: "The sponsorship of the Double AR Rotterdam Open offers us the opportunity to increase our brand awareness in squash, but also provides our younger Double AR players with an opportunity to gain valuable world ranking points on the PSA World Tour. We were looking to sponsor a PSA event for quite some time and found the perfect partner in Rotterdam, given its central location in Europe and its tremendous track-record of hosting world class squash events."

More information about the Double AR Rotterdam Open Squash 2013 - which also features a tournament for recreational and junior players on Saturday and a doubles event on Sunday - can be found on the official website www.rotterdamopensquash.com

1st round draw:
[1] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Qualifier
Raphael Kandra (GER) v Qualifier
Lucas Serme (FRA) v [WC] Sebastiaan Weenink (NED)
[4] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN)
[3] Olli Tuominen (FIN) v Qualifier
Jens Schoor (GER) v Aqeel Rehman (AUT)
Steven Finitsis (AUS) v Qualifier
[2] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Jan Koukal (CZE)