Leading players from all over the world will give a lavish treat to sports fans when the prestigious 2024 Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open gets underway in December, with the iconic skyline of the Victoria Harbour as the playing background.
For the first time in the history of the tournament, which began in the mid1980s, the Edinburgh Place in Central will use as a venue when the event reaches the quarter-finals.
At stake will be total prize money US$415,000 (HK$3.24 million) of the PSA World Tour Platinum tournament that kicks off at the Hong Kong Squash Centre on December 2, before the event moves to a spectacular glass court set up in the Edinburgh Place in front of the City Hall when the quarter-finals begin on December 5.
All the top 10 players in both the men’s and women’s world rankings have entered the event, making it one of the most attractive tournaments of the year. The men’s field will be led by world number one Ali Farag of Egypt and his fellow countrywoman, Nour El Sherbini, also known as ‘Warrior Princess’ and a seven-time world champion, will spearhead the women’s challenge.
Farag will be eager to make amends after losing in the final last year when he was beaten by Paul Coll of New Zealand after a five-game battle lasting for more than an hour. Coll, the first Kiwi to win the men’s title in Hong Kong, will also be defending his crown this time as the number three seed.
Both the men’s and women’s competitions will feature a 32-player draw, including the two reigning world champions, Diego Elias of Peru in the men’s and Nouran Gohar of Egypt in the women’s as the Hong Kong Open is no stranger to the top players.
Elias defeated Mostafa Asal of Egypt, who will be the number two seed in Hong Kong, in the 2024 World Championships final early this year while Gohar beat compatriot El Sherbini for the women’s title after losing to the same opponent in their three previous world event finals from 2021. It will be interesting to see these top players meet again in Hong Kong where they will find the champions in the fourth Platinum tournament of the season.
Other notable entries include women’s defending champion Hania El Hammamy, the Egyptian who beat Amanda Sobhy of the United States in last year’s final after the American suffered a leg injury in the match, forcing Sobhy to retire at 5-all in the first game. El Hammamy, currently the world number three, was also the 2022 champion in Hong Kong when she upset El Sherbini in the final.
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic cycle kicking off after the completion of the Pairs Games this summer, players will be keen to prepare themselves for the next Olympics where squash will be competed for the first time as a medal programme.
Hong Kong returned with a sensational two-gold medal record from the Paris Olympics and our squash players will certainly treasure the Olympic appearance and look forward to some good results in Los Angeles to prove themselves in the biggest sporting stage.
The Hong Kong Open will provide a good opportunity for the home players to rub shoulders against the world’s best as they kick off their road to Los Angeles.
Heading the local challenge will be Tomato Ho Tze-lok, who reached a career high of world number 21 early this year, along with two fellow Hong Kong team members, Tong Tsz-wing and Lee Ka-yi. The trio were members of the Hong Kong team when they clinched a silver medal at the Asian Championships in June. While Ho enters the Hong Kong Open by virtue of her world rankings as she is currently No.23 in the world, Lee, currently 39th in the rankings and Tong, who is on 46th, will each receive a wild card.
In the men’s event, world No. 48 Henry Leung Chi-hin and Alex Lau Tsz-kwan, who is two places behind Leung in the rankings, will start in front of the home crowds as wild card entries.
Hong Kong has produced many generations of quality squash players, but they have never had the opportunity of competing in the Olympic Games. The 2028 Los Angeles Games will be a lifetime experience that no athlete wants to miss and the Hong Kong Open will be a good opportunity for them to sharpen their skills on their way to the 2028 Games.
Tickets for the World Tour Platinum tournament is available from October 28 (Monday to Friday at 10:00am -5:30pm) at Squash Association of Hong Kong, China office in Cotton Tree Drive, Central.
It will be a rare opportunity of watching all the world’s best players in a single tournament in Hong Kong. Act now so that you won’t miss the week-long greatest squash action!
