Commonwealth Games Reps Aiming For Auckland Title

Squash in New Zealand appears to be on a high at present with top results by professional players and a large 152-strong field will compete in the 2018 Auckland Squash Open this weekend at the Remuera Rackets Club.

The tournament is headlined by strong Men’s and Women’s Open divisions with 25 A-grade men and 15-A-grade women entered. 

Ranking points on offer for those PSA registered players will add more emphasis to the tournament with some intriguing matchups right from the first round.  

The Men's Open features Commonwealth Games team members Evan Williams(Wellington) and Zac Millar(Waikato). Williams and Millar are part of a seven-player team which is aiming for several medals at next month’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The remaiing seeds also include 2017 New Zealand representative and defending champion Ben Grindrod (Tauranga), with experienced tour professional Kashif Shuja (Palmerston North) rounding out the top four seeds. The possible

The Women's Open has a competitive draw featuring Kaitlyn Watts (Palmerston North) as the player to beat, however Rebecca Barnett(Wellington), Jo Shanks(Bay of Plenty), and Auckland's highest seeded player Ellie Epke will look to shake up the seedings and claim the silverware.  

First round matches in the Open divisions begin Friday evening, with the quarter-finals Saturday morning, and semifinals from 5pm.  The Women's Open final is from 3.15pm Sunday followed on by the Men's Open final at 4.00pm.