PSA World Tour Celebrates Return To Paraguay

The Professional Squash Association World Tour returns to Paraguay for the first time for 18 years with the staging of the "Tour de las Americas" Paraguay Open this week in the South American country's capital Asuncion.

The $6,000 Super Satellite championship will take place at the Club Internacional de Tenis from 17-20 June, following qualifying from 15 June.

The Paraguay Open was a popular event on the South American professional circuit from 1987 to 1991, boasting champions from Sweden, Canada and England.

US number two Gilly Lane is named as top seed in the 2009 championship. The 23-year-old from Philadelphia is expected to meet number one Brazilian Rafael F Alarcon in the final.

Local interest in the event will be led by Esteban Casarino, the Paraguayan number one since 1992 and a bronze medallist in the recent South American Championship. Casarino first became the Paraguay National champion in 1992, aged 16, and first joined the PSA in 1999 - but has never before played in a PSA Tour event on home soil!

Alex Gough, CEO of the PSA, commented: "We are proud to be announcing that Paraguay is back on the PSA World Tour. I know how hard Esteban has been working over the past 12 months to make this a reality. Esteban has been in constant contact with Gus Cook, PSA's North American Representative, and was a volunteer in this year's North American Open in Richmond.

"He has therefore had first hand experience of how an event can grow from a $5,000 event to a $90,000 major. The result of him being able to compete in front of home support will be a great reward for all of his efforts so far."

The event has attracted many of the leading players from the region, including Argentineans Romiglio Leandro, Matias Valenzuela and former top 20 player Federico Usandizaga, a two-time South American Champion and three-time Pan American champion; top Mexican junior Miled Zarazua; and Uruguayan champion Jean Paul Bragard.