International stars mark the return of the Australian Open

With less than a week to go until the 2022 City Tattersalls Club Australian Open, excitement is building to see international players return to an event on track to be one of the biggest on record.

Hosted from 26 - 30 October 2022 at the Sydney University Sport and Fitness Centre, the event has moved up in status this year to become a PSA Challenger 30 event, taking place alongside Graded Men's and Women's events and junior events.

Ranked at 14 in the PSA World Squash Ranking, Colombian Miguel Rodriguez is seeded at number one in the men’s tournament. The 36-year-old Colombian, who rose all the way up to number 4 in the world a few years ago, is the highest-ranked South American player of all time and was the first for his continent to become a British Open champion in 2018. He’s also famous for his spectacular and entertaining style of play which promises to make him a fan-favourite amongst the Australian squash community.

As top Australian players will no doubt be looking to use home court advantage in their favour, Rodriguez’s other biggest challenge should come from the number 2 seed, 32-year-old Adrian Waller, who claimed silver for England in the doubles alongside compatriot Daryl Selby earlier this year at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Two world top-20 athletes hold the highest seed in the women’s tournament, with Belgian Nele Gillis and young talent Sabrina Sobhy of USA (pictured above) vying for the role of favourites. They will try to claim the Australian Open title to have their names follow those of 2019 winner Sivasangari Subramaniam and 2020 champion Rachael Grinham in the prestigious roll of honour.

“The PSA tour has been a whirlwind of emotions and experiences so far,” confessed Sobhy, whose early career has been focused around touring more low-key and under-the-radar events and locations. The younger of the Sobhy sisters - her older sibling, Amanda, is also a world top-30 player - Sabrina is now happy to compete against the top professionals of the sport.

“The challenge really excites and motivates me. The opportunity enhances a thrill that not many other careers can replicate, so I look forward to more time on the PSA tour!” she said.

Sobhy will be travelling to Australia for the first time and is excited to explore a new location of the squash world, especially as she’s coming to compete at the pinnacle event on the Australian squash calendar, with a rich history dating back to 1928.

“My goal for the Australian Open is to feel confident and comfortable on court. Of course, I have goals in terms of results and outcomes, however, I find that thinking about those never proves to help me out on court. Instead, I find value in more holistic goals, such as performing with creativity, physicality, and pure enjoyment,” she said.

The 2022 City Tattersalls Club Australian Open starts on Wednesday, 26 October until Sunday, 30 October. For more information go to the Australian Open event page.