Squash team to get foreign exposure for SEA Games

MANILA, Philippines - A series of tournaments, including a $10,000 meet in May, will help boost the Philippine squash team’s gold medal quest in this year’s Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Robert Bachmann, president of Philippine Squash Academy, said the rejuvenated association and Nissan Philippines recently inked a partnership for the country’s hosting of three of four international tournaments leading to the SEAG in July.

The opening leg of the first Nissan Open Squash Championship will be held March 3-5 at the Makati Sports Club with a prize money of $1,000. It features entries from Colombia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Pakistan.

But the big one, according to Bachmann, will be held May 16-21 at the Manila Polo Club when the second and third legs of the Nissan Open are held, with $5,000 prize up for grabs in each of the events for both the men and women’s sides.

Egypt, Korea, India, Singapore, Japan, Columbia and Malaysia are expected to participate with the PSA hopeful to lure more countries.

The fourth leg is set Sept. 22-24. All four tournaments are sanctioned by the PSA and offer corresponding ranking points.

A couple of tournaments and training in New Zealand should boost the Filipino bets’ gold medal bid in the SEA Games, according to Bachmann in yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel in Pasay.

“Our chances for the SEA Games would be a couple of not more than two golds,” said Bachmann.

especially in the jumbo doubles (played on longer and wider courts),” said Bachmann in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Golden Phoenix Hotel, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

“We’re looking at taking a couple of silver and some medals as well,” added the older brother of former PBA player and now Alaska team manager Dickie Bachmann.

There will be nine squash events in the Kuala Lumpur meet, according to Bachmann, who stressed at least 14 medal potentials will be joining the team, some of them also appeared in the weekly forum including Jemyca Aribado, Yvonne Alyssa Dalida, Reymark Begornia, Robert Andrew Garcis, David William Pelino, and Lydio Espinola Jr.

The host country again looms as the favorite to dominate the event, along with Singapore.

“If we could get lucky, we can win two golds in the SEA Games,” said Bachmann, who was with coach Claudio Paganpan Jr., and second coach and PSA Board member Edgar Balleber Jr.

The team just came back from Malaysia last Sunday where it competed in the 3rd Southeast Asian Cup Squash Championship. It won three bronze medals in the team, women’s, and mixed events.

More international exposures await the team other than the Nissan Open.

Three members of the national squad will be competing in a $5,000 meet in Hong Kong, while the others see action in the Asian Individual Squash Championship in India by April.