Dutch Open Brings WISPA Gold To The Netherlands

The biggest women's professional squash event to be held in the Netherlands for 18 years will be staged in Amsterdam later this year when the Forexx Dutch Open welcomes the world's top players to the Frans Otten Stadion from 28 August to 2 September.

The $43,500 Women's International Squash Players' Association (WISPA) World Tour Gold event will be complemented by a men's Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour championship, boasting a $20,000 prize-fund.

"It will be the biggest professional event here since the Women's World Open in Warmond in 1989," said promoter Tommy Berden, on behalf of NEXT Events, a joint venture between Topsquash Nederland, SquashLife and Stolwijk & Eichhorn.

Vanessa Atkinson, the 10-times Dutch National champion and former world number one and world champion, was delighted to hear the news: "It is fantastic that the Dutch Open is back on the calendar, especially at such a high level. I will do everything in my power to win the Dutch Open on the court where I have already won many national titles."

Laurens Jan Anjema, who led Netherlands to the final of the European Team Championships for the first time earlier this month, added: "I am very happy that we have a Dutch Open again. It's good for the promotion of squash in the Netherlands, great for the Dutch players - and it gives me the chance to win in front of an enthusiastic home crowd instead of on the other side of the world!"

The new event will be sponsored by Forexx, the renowned technology recruiter which specialises in mobilising and recruiting higher-educated technical personnel.

"Forexx is proud to be associated with the Dutch Open, because we identify ourselves with the growth and innovation that the squash sport is going through at the moment in the Netherlands," said company director Toon van der Wulp.

"On top of that, squash is played by an audience that Forexx is trying to reach: people aged between 20 and 45 with a MBO+ education. These elements combined, together with the enthusiasm of the organisation, have made the choice very easy to link our name to this great squash event."