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21-Mar-10
Cayman Islands Go Gold For WISPA
An increase in the prize fund has led to the 2010 Women's
Cayman Islands Squash Open going Gold, according to
an announcement today by WISPA
 The
$55,300 WISPA World Tour event - the third Gold event of the
year, from 11-17 April - will be staged for the first time on an
all-glass court erected at Camana Bay, a 500-acre
shopping, entertainment, office and residential complex
stretching from the Caribbean sea to the North Sound in Grand
Cayman.
Launched in 2009, the Cayman Islands Open has again attracted
the world's top players, led by Malaysia's world number one
Nicol David, with Natalie Grainger, in-form Jenny
Duncalf, and contenders Rachael Grinham and Alison
Waters all in the mix. Grainger will be making her return to
the WISPA Tour in Grand Cayman after a seven-month layoff with a
foot injury.
 Indeed,
the draw predicts a quarter-final meeting between David and
Grainger – a repeat of last year's final, won by the Malaysian!
Meanwhile, Cayman number one Marlene West, the main draw
wild card, faces the daunting prospect of meeting 2007 world
champion Rachael Grinham in the opening round.
Tournament Director Dan Kneipp is delighted to be
welcoming back the sport's top women: "The Cayman Islands
National Squash Association is extremely excited to host the
world's best players to our Caribbean Island.
 "We
are very pleased to be able to increase our WISPA World Tour
championship to the Gold level. Cayman has never seen a pro
tournament played on a glass show court, so we know that there
will be a lot of enthusiasm and public interest as this is set
up on the waterfront at Camana Bay.
"Having eight of the world's top 10 squash players is creating
an enormous buzz in Cayman as we prepare to watch the world's
best competing for our international title.
 "The
WISPA pros were a huge asset to our junior squash last year,
helping hundreds of kids experience the sport for the first
time," Kneipp added. "We again have 14 schools that will be
doing workshops and watching the pro matches and we expect this
to be an invaluable tool in helping us get more Caymanian
juniors into squash.
"The Cayman Islands National Squash Association also sees this
as an incredible experience for our Commonwealth Games team as
we prepare for Delhi 2010. For a young, amateur team to be
playing alongside the world's best professional will only add to
our team's experience and ability to compete at an international
level.
"We welcome the world's best players and the international
squash media to the Cayman Islands in April."
 WISPA
CEO Andrew Shelley added: "It is always very satisfying
to see an event build, and that is certainly the case with the
Cayman Islands Open. The debut last year was memorable for being
awash with local school children trying squash at the South
Sound Squash Club every day.
"This year juniors will doubtless be a major feature again, but
bringing in a glass show court too in the superb outside setting
of Camana Bay will be yet another great step forward in raising
the profile of squash on the Island and pushing the delights of
the Cayman Islands to squash enthusiasts worldwide." |
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