The 2018 Lagos International Squash Classics will serve off tomorrow, Monday, March 19 with the qualifying round at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.
14 countries including host – Nigeria, are expected to compete in the $20,000 prize money tournament listed by the Professional Squash Association (PSA).
Already, eight players have been seeded in the men’s event while four women including Nigeria’s Yemisi Olatunji made the seeding list.
The qualifying round will herald the commencement of the championship with players jostling for the four slots available in the main draw of the men and women events.
Babatunde Ajagbe is the only Nigerian starting his campaign from the main draw in the men’s event while Olatunji will lead eight other Nigeria players to start their campaign from the main draw of the women’s event.
Egyptian players dominated the eight-man men’s seeding list with Karim Ali Fathi topping the list while Czech Republic’s Eva Fertekova tops the four-man women’s seeding list.
Four qualifiers are expected to break into the main draw from the qualifying round in the men’s category while four will also make it to the women’s division.
Most of the top players are already in Lagos in readiness for the main draw scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 21.
The world ranking event would afford the players to amass points for their global rating.
The men’s category will share $15,000 while the women will be aiming for the $5000 purse.
With foreigners most times dominating the men’s event, local players are eager to turn the tide this year and they have started their preparation in readiness to claim the titles.
Aside top playing nations like France and Egypt, other nations listed for the six-day tournament include England, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Ireland, Iraq, South Africa, Belgium, United States, Pakistan, India and Czech Republic.
The men will share $15,000 while the women will be aiming for the $5000 purse for the tournament.
The PSA-sanctioned tournament is funded by the Lagos State Government and it is being organized by the Lagos State Squash Association (LSSA) and supported by the Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF).
