The Professional Squash Association (PSA) is the governing body for the men's and women's professional squash circuit. The body operates in a similar fashion to the ATP and the WTA for tennis. The PSA World Tour involves over 200 tournaments annually all over the globe. Over 800 players from all the 5 continents (over 60 different countries represented ) are registered with the PSA and rankings are updated monthly based on players' performances.
In November 2014, the WSA and the PSA announced a historic merger between the two associations. A decision was reached that will see the PSA operate as the governing body for both the women's and men's ranks from January 1, 2015.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
PSA World Tour
There are hundreds of PSA tournaments throughout the course of a season of the PSA World Tour, and they are classified into the following categories, based on prize money:
- Closed Satellite (Closed Satellite tournaments can either be National Closed Championships or a tournament/series of tournaments whose entry is restricted to members of an association that promotes the tournament).
- Challenger (Challenger tournaments are entry point for young and or up and coming professionals progressing through to a more international level of competition). Tournaments start with a total of $5,000 :
- PSA Challenger 15 $15,000 - $24,999
- PSA Challenger 10 $10,000 - $14,999
- PSA Challenger 5 $5,000 - $9,999
- International (These events range from larger club events and entry point glass court events all the way through to higher profile glass court events) :
- PSA International 100 $100,000 - $149,999
- PSA International 70 $70,000 - $99,999
- PSA International 50 $50,000 - $69,999
- PSA International 35 $35,000 - $49,999
- PSA International 25 $25,000 - $34,999
- World Series (The PSA World Series is a select group of high-profile squash tournaments easily recognised. They offer the largest prize money and attract the majority of the world's best players) :
PSA World Series - $150,000
- World Championship (This is the ultimate tournament on the World Tour and to become World Champion is regarded the highest pinnacle of competitive achievement amongst PSA players. With a 64-man draw, this tournament is the most physically and mentally challenging of the season).
On January 17, 2006, the PSA reached an agreement with Dunlop that extends Dunlop's tenure as the provider of official balls and official racquets for the PSA. The extension is five years.
Before January 1, 2015, the women's squash game was governed by the Women's Squash Association (WSA).
Squash Pro Video
World Series Squash Finals
Every year, the top eight performers from the various World Series events gather for the PSA World Series Finals. The eight players are separated into two groups of four, and play a round robin. The top two from each group advance to the semifinals (A1 vs. B2 and B1 vs. A2). The winner of the event is crowned World Series champion.
US Pro Squash Series
On January 2013, the PSA announced along with U.S. Squash, to create a new tournament series called the US Pro Squash Series. This tournament series is used to support marketing activities for tournaments in the United States.
World Rankings
PSA publishes monthly rankings of professional players: PSA World Rankings (commonly known as the 'World rankings').
Current Champions
Video game
A PSA-licensed video game titled PSA World Tour Squash 2015 has been developed and published by Alternative Software, and is released only in various European countries on May 22, 2015 exclusively for Nintendo's Wii console. The game features the likeness of several professional squash players such as Nick Matthew, Amr Shabana, Grégory Gaultier, Ramy Ashour, and many others, and takes place in many iconic, global squash courts. Players can compete in main World Tour, or set up their own tournaments with using custom player avatars and stats. The game also supports Wii MotionPlus, allowing users an enhanced, real-time squash motion control gameplay experience. (Official website)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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