Oct. 16, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. - The world's best squash players are slated to begin the NetSuite Open Squash Championships at Stanford, October 17-19, before continuing play in a portable glass outdoor court at San Francisco's Justin Herman Plaza October 20-23. The early rounds, hosted at Stanford and at the Bay Club in San Francisco, include two rounds of qualifying and the main draw's round-of-16.

The event also coincides with World Squash Day 2020 on October 20. Free squash clinics, demonstration matches and kids activities will be provided.

The $70,000, 16-draw single-elimination tournament will feature some of the world's top international players, including World No. 1 James Willstrop (England), World No. 2 Nick Matthew (England) and World No. 3 Gregory Gailtier (France). USA No. 1 Julian Illingworth is a wildcard entry in the main draw.

Stanford's Serena Fagan is scheduled to compete against Cal's Michelle Ha and Stanford's Mark Weiland takes on Cal's Akshay Dugar. Both matches will take place Saturday, October 20 at 4 p.m.

The 18,000 pound, 32-by-20 foot court has 12-millimeter thick walls made of tempered glass that allows the players to see colored walls from inside and allowing spectators a clear view of the action. The court is making it's Northern California debut after making appearances in New York City's Grand Central Terminal, the Field Museum in Chicago, Symphony Hall in Boston and at events in Egypt and Hong Kong.

The tournament's official charities are SquashDrive (Bay Area) and Xtreme Squash (Palo Alto/Stanford), a pair of urban enrichment organizations providing academic support, life skills and squash instruction to underserved children.

More information is available on the event website.