International stars set for squash's SA Open

Cape Town - Lucas Serme has confirmed his participation in squash's SA Open, with the world No 35 looking to seal a spot in the PSA World Championship with a victory in Cape Town.

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) sanctioned tournament will see South Africa’s top squash players taking on a powerful international field led by the Frenchman Serme along with Egyptian women's star Salma Youssef.

Set to be held in an all-glass squash court at the V&A Waterfront from August 5-10, the SA Open will be the biggest PSA event of the 2019 South African squash season. The V&A Waterfront is set in the oldest working harbour in the southern hemisphere marking it out as a truly spectacular venue.

The SA Open will feature both a men’s and women’s division consisting of 22 and 13 of the top international athletes, respectively. They will all be competing for the respective $12 000 and $6 000 prize purse in the PSA Challenger 10 and PSA Challenger 5 events.

As an added bonus, the winners will also automatically earn a place into the PSA World Championships which will be hosted in Egypt and Qatar for the women and men, respectively, the most prestigious event on the calendar.

Of the 35 players set to descend upon Cape Town, only 14 are South African, with the remaining 21 athletes coming from Africa (Egypt, Zambia, Zimbabwe), Asia (Pakistan), Europe (Czech Republic, France, Spain, Switzerland) while Mexico and Brazil represent the Americas.

SA Open - women’s entry list

1. Salma Youssef - (EGY)

2. Anna Serme - (CZE)

3. Menna Hamed - (EGY)

4. Cindy Merlo - (SUI)

5. Milnay Louw - (RSA)

6. Marie Stephan - (FRA)

7. Farah Momen - (EGY)

8. Alexa Pienaar - (RSA)

9. Siyoli Waters Bongi - (RSA)

10. Jordyn Campbell - (RSA)

11. Thaisa Serafini - (BRA)