Johannesburg – South Africa’s elite players face another week of high-intensity action when the Assore Tour #4 International PSA tournament gets underway at Parkview Squash Centre in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Barely has the dust settled on the Assore Tour #3 event before the fourth tournament in the current series takes centre stage, running from Tuesday, 26 May 2026 to Sunday, 31 May 2026.
Another fascinating week of world-class squash is on the cards as South Africa’s leading players take on an international challenge featuring competitors from Austria, Egypt, and Spain, all chasing the opportunity to stand on top of the podium.
Among the entrants are South Africa’s Northerns player Damian Groenewald and Egyptian star Lojayn Gohary, who were crowned champions in the Assore Tour #3 PSA finals on Sunday.
For some of the overseas visitors, it also presents an immediate chance at redemption following several surprise results in last week’s tournament.
Among those eager to bounce back will be Austrian men’s top seed Aqeel Rehman, the highest world-ranked player in the draw, who suffered a shock second-round defeat in Tour #3.
Rehman went down in a gripping 50-minute battle to South African and Joburg Squash player Diodivine Mkhize, and the experienced Austrian will be determined to underline his quality in the second event.
Two intriguing additions to this week’s men’s field are Joburg Squash star John Anderson and rising Eastern Province talent Dean Venter.
Anderson claimed the men’s Order of Merit title across the four Assore Satellite tournaments played earlier this year, while Venter announced himself by winning the opening Satellite event.
That breakthrough victory provided further motivation for Venter to elevate his game, and his recent form in Eastern Province tournaments has marked him out as one of the province’s standout players.
Now he has another opportunity to test himself at the next level – exactly the type of pathway these PSA events are designed to provide for South Africa’s home-based players.
Anderson, meanwhile, has developed into one of the country’s most promising talents in recent seasons and will relish the challenge after being seeded fourth for the tournament.
Ahead of him are Rehman, second seed Groenewald, and Zimbabwe’s Ryan Gwidzima, who is seeded third.
Groenewald sent out a warning to his rivals by sweeping through the Assore Tour #3 tournament on Sunday, defeating Northerns colleague Ruan Olivier in the final.
He was, though, given a real battle in the semifinals by Egypt’s Yousseff Kabbash, eventually taking it 3-1 in 57 minutes, and Groenewald knows he cannot afford to take his foot off the pedal at any stage this week.
Northerns player Ruan Olivier said he was disappointed with his display in the final but was encouraged by the form he showed throughout the rest of the tournament.
“It was not the performance I was looking for in a final, but I’m happy with the way I played on the road to the final, and I can take a lot of positives from that,” he said.
“It’s a big time for me personally because I’ve been on the PSA Tour for about 10 years, and this is the first time I’m getting enough tournaments to build a proper rankings average.
“You need about 11 tournaments to get a good average of ranking points.”
Olivier added that the increased prize money and regular competition opportunities were making a significant difference for local professionals.
“It’s great that there’s increased prize money and incentive,” Olivier said.
“In the past, I had to do around 20 hours of coaching a week, but now with these tournaments, if I perform well enough, I can reduce that and focus more on competing.
“That has always been one of the biggest challenges for South African squash players.”
The women’s field will once again be spearheaded by Assore Tour #3 finalists Gohary of Egypt and Northerns star Helena Hudson, with Gohary having won Sunday’s final 3-1.
The pair stamped their authority on last week’s event by reaching the final without dropping a game, but both will know there is little room for error in a field packed with dangerous challengers ready to capitalise on any lapse in concentration.
Hudson believes the exposure to international opposition on home soil is already helping to elevate the standard of South African squash.
“I can see how my game is growing and developing by being exposed to international players at home,” she said.
“Because of the Assore tournaments, we are getting opportunities to play against top-quality players, which is great for all of us.”
Hudson also hopes the tournaments will inspire the next generation of South African players to enter the professional ranks.
“It’s also important for the juniors to see the level they need to aim for,” Hudson said.
“I hope it inspires them to enter the PSA and play these tournaments because it’s such a good time for our juniors to get involved in the PSA Tour.
“There is more opportunity than ever before to gain exposure and experience.
“I would encourage all the juniors to sign up and play in these tournaments. We are extremely grateful to Assore for giving us this opportunity.”
For many players, this week represents another chance to collect valuable PSA ranking points as they seek to make an impact on the world stage, which remains one of the key objectives of the Assore-sponsored series.
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