Kent Open Preview
by Alan Thatcher
May 7, 2013 - The world's rising squash stars fly in this week for a major world-ranking tournament in Maidstone, the county town of Kent.
The SE Leisure Kent Open takes place at The Mote Squash Club all this week with high hopes of a home winner.
The top three seeds are all English (Adrian Waller, Jon Kemp and Joe Lee) with No.4 seed Henrik Mustonen from Finland keen to get his name on the trophy.
Leading Kent players Ben Ford, James Evans and Jonny Powell will be in action this evening in the first round of the qualifying tournament.
English junior international Evans, a 17-year-old Maidstone student, faces the big-hitting Robbie Downer, from Portsmouth.
Last year Downer came close to breaking the world speed record in squash when he was measured striking the ball at a ferocious 171 miles per hour, just one mile an hour behind the record set by Australian John White.
Play starts this evening at 5pm with eight matches on the two show courts at the Mote.
The club has been fitted out with new tins at the front of the courts.
Club players are used to playing with a 19-inch tin, but the pros have switched to a 17-inch tin to encourage more attacking play - and more big hitting from players like Robbie Downer!
Admission is free all week with the main draw first round on Thursday, the quarter-finals on Friday, the semi-finals on Saturday and the final on Sunday.
DRAW
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