London Squash Classic Opens at Alexandra Palace Ahead of World Championship’s Return to Capital

 

The London Squash Classic gets underway today, bringing 48 of the world’s leading players to London for six days of competition at one of the capital’s most iconic venues — and providing an important dress rehearsal for next year’s return of the PSA World Championships to the city for the first time in 50 years.

The PSA Gold event runs from 1–6 September, beginning with the first round at Coolhurst Tennis & Squash Club before moving to Alexandra Palace for the second round onwards. The quarter-finals take place on Friday, the semi-finals on Saturday and the men’s and women’s finals at Alexandra Palace on Sunday 6 September.

The tournament has attracted an exceptionally strong women’s field. Four of the world’s top six players occupy the top four seedings, led by current World No.1 Hania El Hammamy and defending champion and World No.2 Amina Orfi. Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam, the 2024 London Classic champion, is seeded third, while Japan’s No.1 Satomi Watanabe is fourth.

The rivalry between El Hammamy and Orfi is one of the major storylines of the new PSA season. The Egyptian pair produced one of the most extraordinary matches of the previous campaign at the British Open, playing the longest women’s 3-1 match in the tournament’s history, lasting 110 minutes. Orfi arrives in London as both the defending London Classic champion and current World Champion, while El Hammamy begins the season as the player everyone is trying to catch.

There is also strong home interest. British No.1 and World No.8 Georgina Kennedy is seeded fifth and will be looking to make the most of what is effectively a home tournament. Kennedy grew up in Bexley, less than 20 miles from Alexandra Palace, and comes into the event after winning the 2026 British Nationals.

The men’s draw is equally competitive, headed by two-time London Classic champion Paul Coll, who returns to defend the title. World No.6 Victor Crouin is the second seed after winning his fourth European Individual Championship, while the men’s field contains nine of the world’s top 20 players.

For Tim Garner, Events Director at Eventis Sports Marketing, however, the significance of this week’s tournament extends beyond the titles being contested.

The London Classic is effectively a full-scale rehearsal for the PSA World Championships, which will return to London from 27 March to 4 April 2027, with set to be announced in the coming weeks. The championship will be staged in the capital for the first time since the inaugural World Championships in 1976, marking the sport’s return to London after half a century.

The experience gained this week at Alexandra Palace will therefore be valuable for the organisers as they prepare for an event on a considerably larger scale. Spectator movement, hospitality, sponsorship, event presentation and the atmosphere around the glass court all provide lessons that can be carried into next year’s World Championships.

PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough has highlighted London’s position as one of the world’s great sporting cities and specifically pointed to the success of the London Classic at Alexandra Palace and the Optasia Championships in Wimbledon as evidence of the capital’s passion for squash.

“London is one of the greatest sporting cities in the world, and we are delighted to bring the PSA World Championships back to where it all began over 50 years ago,” Gough said.

The significance of Alexandra Palace is not simply its size. It gives squash a distinctive setting in which the sport can be presented as a major live entertainment experience, with the all-glass court placed inside the venue’s historic Theatre. The semi-finals on Saturday and finals on Sunday will showcase that format at its biggest this week.

That ambition will be put to the test from today.

The bigger opportunity is already waiting in the wings: bringing the World Championships back to London for the first time in 50 years.