Large turnout for Abu Dhabi Open squash tournament

Abu Dhabi: The 2008 edition of the Sheraton-Al Ghazal Abu Dhabi Open Squash Championship is expected to feature over 150 players battling it out in various categories.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Squash Racquet Association (ADRSA) Mabrouk Al Nahdy said the event will be held from May 7 and will conclude on May 29.

"All matches will be played at the Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort courts and once again Sheraton are the main sponsors with Al Ghazal Transport being the support sponsor," Al Nahdy said.

Opportunity

Roxanne Campbell, Resort manager at Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel said, "We are proud to be host such a long-standing and popular tournament.

"It gives our members a great opportunity to get involved and for us to further our commitment to the local squash community." The tournament is open to all players resident in the UAE and will be played on a knock-out basis, according to Al Nahdy.

"This year we have increased the prize money and also the top eight from among the 16 Super Division will get cash awards. We hope the top players in the UAE will be here as this is the biggest open event in the UAE," the ADSRA Chairman said.

This year's Open event will also see the comeback of the junior event.

Last year the Open event was close to the school exams and we had to scrap it. But this year will be seeing some young talent display their skills," Al Nahdy said.

Al Ghazal Transport' Sales and Marketing Manager Nael Al Fakih said, "This is our second year of support for squash and we are very delighted. We do sponsor other events and golf is one such event where we have a popular tournament.

"We have doubled our sponsorship for this event this year."