Defending Allam
British Open women’s champion Laura Massaro is hungry for more success
on home soil when the tournament takes place May 15-20 at Hull’s Airco Arena.
Massaro defeated
compatriot Sarah-Jane Perry in last year’s final to become the first
Englishwoman since Janet Morgan in 1951 to lift the iconic title twice
and the 34-year-old is eager to show that she can still
compete with the world’s best at next week’s tournament.
“It would mean the world to win the title again,” said the two-time tournament winner, who faces a qualifier in round one.
“It means you are
still there competing with the best in the world. There are only a
handful of players on tour who have won a British Open and it’s a
special thing to have achieved. I would love to lift the trophy
at home again!”
Former World No.1
Massaro has a strong affiliation with the British Open having won it in
2012 for the first time in her career when she defeated Malaysian icon
Nicol David and the Lancastrian said that the tournament
holds special memories for her.
“It’s up there
for me with the World Champs. Especially for the British players, it’s
so prestigious and it was an honour to win it.
“I remember being
so proud in 2012. Especially beating Nicol in the final. To win a huge
event like that at home with family and friends there makes it even more
special.
“It made it more
special because she very rarely lost back then. No one thought I would
win but I knew I believed in myself. It was a huge win and even bigger
to do it in a final as well.”
Last year was a
triumphant one for England squash as a whole with two English female
players battling it out for the title - the first time that had happened
since 1991 - and Massaro was pleased to see her compatriots
performing well on home turf.
“It was actually
really hard to play SJ in the final. Normally I’ve been used to having
the whole crowd behind me but with two English players in the final it
had a different feel to it.
“Obviously, I wanted to win for me, but it was a huge achievement for England squash to have two of us in the final.”
Massaro will face
a qualifier in round one at Hull’s Airco Arena in a tantalizing line-up
of English talent on Tuesday May 15 with Nick Matthew and James
Willstrop also in action during the evening session.
Qualifying for
the tournament takes place from May 13-14 at the University of Hull
Sports and Fitness Centre, while the main draw will take place at the
Airco Arena between May 15-20, with the exception of 23 of
the 32 first round matches on May 15, which will be staged at the university.
Matches held on
the glass court at the Airco Arena will be shown on SQUASHTV (Rest of
World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only) while the semi-finals and
finals will be shown live on mainstream broadcast channels
around the world, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia
and Astro.
Follow the 2018 British Open at
www.allambritishopen.com and on Twitter: @BritOpenSquash
Tickets for the tournament can be purchased via:
https://www.ticketmaster.co.
Draw – Allam British Open Women’s Round One
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v Emily Whitlock (ENG)
[Qualifier] v [16] Salma Hany (EGY)
[9] Alison Waters (ENG) v Joey Chan (HKG)
Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v [5] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[7] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [Qualifier]
[Qualifier] v [13] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[12] Olivia Blatchford (USA) v Amanda Sobhy (USA)
Rachael Grinham (AUS) v [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) v [Qualifier]
[Qualifier] v [11] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[15] Donna Urquhart (AUS) v Mariam Metwally (EGY)
[Qualifier] v [6] Camille Serme (FRA)
[8] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
[Qualifier] v [10] Annie Au (HKG)
[14] Victoria Lust (ENG) v [WC] Fiona Moverley (ENG)
[Qualifier] v [2] Raneem El Welily (EGY)
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