2025 NSW Squash Bega Open Preview

The first World Event of the 2025/26 PSA Squash Tour season starts today with the NSW Squash Bega Open 2025 Copper-level event running from between 13-17 August at the Bega Country Club.

Seven Australian players feature in the draw, including National Champion Alex Haydon, Sarah Cardwell, Rachael Grinham, Sophie Fadaely, Remashree Muniandy, Madison Lyon and tournament Wildcard Sarbani Maitra.

With six of Australia’s top eight ranked women plus Maitra, the current National Junior Champion, the Aussies will be looking to go toe-to-toe with top squash players from around the world. 

India’s next squash sensation, Anahat Singh, tops the seedings and will hope to build on her successful 2024/25 campaign. In her early career to date, the 17-year-old has won 12 PSA titles from 18 events, with nine of these successes coming in the last 12 months. After receiving a first-round bye, Singh will face one of Sarah Cardwell or Colette Sultana, while also sitting in the same quarter of the draw as No.7 seed Hayley Ward.

Elsewhere in the top half of the draw lie a trio of talented Egyptian players in the form of No.3 seed Amina El Rihany and unseeded duo Nour Khafagy and Nadien Elhammamy. Ever-improving 22-year-old El Rihany is currently sitting four spots off her career-high rank of World No.59 and will hope that a strong run in Bega can see her edge towards the world’s top 50. She kickstarts her campaign against either compatriot Khafagy or 48-year-old Australian legend Rachael Grinham.

Although ranked at World No.92, Elhammamy will pose a serious threat to the seeded players after an impressive last few months on tour. Most recently, the Egyptian 18-year-old finished runner-up at the World Junior Championships – a run which included a superb three-game win over top seed Singh.

Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the draw, seeded players include Egypt’s Habiba Hani, Aussies Madison Lyon and Alex Haydon and India’s Akanksha Salunkhe. No.2 seed Hani opens up her title quest against either Ella Lash or Sarbani Maitra, before a potential quarter-final against No.8 seed Lyon, if the event were to go to seeding.

Play gets underway at 6pm AEST on Wednesday 13 August. Action will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV.

Full Draw:

[1] Anahat Singh (IND) [bye]

Colette Sultana (MLT) v Sarah Cardwell (AUS)

Ella Jane Lash (NZL) v [WC] Sarbani Maitra (AUS)

[7] Hayley Ward (RSA) [bye]

[6] Nga Ching Cheng (HKG) [bye]

Erisa Sano Herring (JPN) v Nadien Elhammamy (EGY)

Nour Khafagy (EGY) v Rachael Grinham (AUS)

[3] Amina El Rihany (EGY) [bye]

[4] Alexandra Haydon (AUS) [bye]

Tamara Holzbauerov (CZE) v Lojayn Gohary (EGY)

Sophie Fadaely (AUS) v Remashree Muniandy (AUS)

[5] Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) [bye]

[8] Madison Lyon (AUS) [bye]

Karolina Sramkova (CZE) v Noa Romero (ESP)

Tanvi Khanna (IND) v Breanne Flynn (IRL)

[2] Habiba Hani (EGY) [bye]