Namibian squash reaches new heights 

The BDO Namibian Squash Open was launched on Monday with a record number of entries and prize money up for grabs.

The tournament has a record entry list of 135 players, including players from abroad, representing more than ten nations, and prize money of N$350 000. 

At the launch Steven Berry, chairman of Wanderers Squash Club said it was a proud moment to launch the event tournament again. 

“We started with the BDO Namibian Open three years ago as a satellite event. It was a US$5 000 event and we had quite a few South Africans and Zambians. It was a great tournament, but it was the first time that Namibia had ever hosted a PSA event,” he said. 

“Last year we upped it to US$9K and it blew our minds, and now this year we upped it to a US$15K event and a total of 350 000 Namibian Dollars in prize money alone, and that’s all thanks to these amazing sponsors.”

“Earlier this year we had our biggest ever squash tournament in terms of numbers, which broke the previous record of the Amstel Lite Open in 2018. This year we hosted the Huster Open in June and we had 96 entries—the most we ever had in a squash tournament. But the month after that we broke that record again with 106 entries with the Fabupharm Open. But now we have officially broken that with 135 entries, so a big thank you to everyone that is participating in this tournament.”

About 40 of the entrants come from abroad representing Africa, Europe and even Australia. They include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Egypt, Wales, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Austria.

“To have players from all of those countries is an absolutely amazing feat for us as Namibian squash, and we as the organisers are more proud than anyone can imagine,” Berry said. 

Charl Celliers of BDO Namibia said it has become a great event and they are proud of their support. 

“It’s a special moment every year – it has grown to a US$15K prize money event and I think there’s about N$450 000 plus, in terms of sponsored money which is fantastic, and thanks to all the sponsors alongside BDO,” he said.

“Squash is more than just a game; it’s about discipline, strategy, and resilience. But it’s also about those small moments – it’s the quick reflexes, the clever shots that surprise your opponent, and yes, even laughter after a rally that didn’t quite go your way. For us here in Namibia, it’s about showing the world that we have both the passion and the talent to play at the highest level,” he added. 

“At BDO we are incredibly proud to support this event. It’s about more than just attaching our name to the tournament; it’s about being part of the community, helping to create opportunities where talent can shine, and supporting events that inspire young players to dream bigger,” he said. 

Strong competition 

The tournament meanwhile got underway on Tuesday with the high level of competition immediately evident as Namibia’s top ranked player Arno Diekmann was beaten 3-1 by John Anderson of South Africa. 

Diekmann seemed to be cruising to victory when he won the first set 11-4, but Anderson made a strong comeback winning some long rallies to go 6-1 ahead in the second. Diekmann couldnt recover the deficit and Anderson won the set 11-5, to level the score. 

The third set was a thriller, with long rallies and some amazing shots, as the lead changed throughout, but Anderson finished stronger, winning 11-9 to go 2-1 ahead. 

In the fourth set, Diekmann matched Anderson till 5-5 but the South African pulled away to win 11-7. 

Anderson’s efforts earned him a second round match against the second seeded Dewald van Niekerk of South Africa, which was scheduled for last night. 

The other top players were also due to make their appearance last night, including top seed Toufik Mekhalfi of France, Yannik Omlor of Germany (no 3), Rhys Williams of Wales (no 4),  Mohamed Gouhar of Egypt (no 5), Damian Groenewald of South Africa (no 6), Aqeel Rehman of Austria (no 7) and Abdullah Amr of Egypt (no 8). 

The results of other first round matches on Tuesday are as follows:

Aly Tolba beat Sebastiaan Hofman 3-1 (11-3, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7)

Finn Koch beat Jan Wipperfurth 3-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-8)

Joeri Hapers beat Mighael Lombard 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 11-1) 

Sam Gerrits beat Ahmed Elbeshouty 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-4)

David Turner beat Malek Abozahra 3-2 (11-9, 9-11, 4-11, 11-3, 11-8)

Blessing Muhwati beat Janre Olivier 3-0 (11-4, 11-2, 11-1)

Hazem Hossam beat Francois Hanekom 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-5)

John Anderson beat Arno Diekmann 3-1 (4-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-7)

Wednesday’s results were as follows:

Aly Tolba beat (1) Toufik Mekhalfi 3-1 (11-2, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10)

(2) Dewald van Niekerk beat John Anderson 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-8)

(8) Abdullah Amr beat Hazem Hossam 3-2 (6-11,11-8, 9-11, 11-2, 12-10)

(7) Aqeel Rehman beat Finn Koch 3-2 (11-13, 10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 14-12)

(5) Mohamed Gohar beat Blessing Muhwati 3-0 (13-11, 11-2,11-7)

(3) Yannik Omlor beat DavidTurner 3-0 (12-10,11-9,11-4)

(6) Damian Groenewald beat Joeri Hapers 3-2 (11-1, 11-8, 2-11, 6-11, 1-6)

(4) RhysEvans beat Samuel Gerrits 3-0 (11-8, 12-10,11-3.

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