The Tampa Bay Lightning are coming off one of the most dominant regular seasons in NHL history -- no, seriously, these numbers are eye-popping. Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets just squeaked into the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs after being one of the more active teams at the trade deadline. Who wins this series? Let's break it down:

How they got here: The Lightning arrived via steamroller, flattening their foes en route to 62 wins, tying the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for most all time in a single season. The Lightning finished with a goal differential of plus-103, the second-highest mark in the past 20 years. Their 3.96 goals per game is the highest in the NHL since 1995-96. Winger Nikita Kucherov had an NHL-best 128 points, putting him in the driver's seat for the Hart Trophy. Kucherov (41 goals), Steven Stamkos (45) and Brayden Point (41) all had 40 goals, the first team to have three such players since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Blue Jackets arrived in a pool of their own sweat and fingernails chewed to the bone. It took 81 games for the Jackets to clinch a playoff spot, despite GM Jarmo Kekalainen making the biggest trade-deadline splash by dealing for Ottawa Senators forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, while hanging on to his own pending free agents in forward Artemi Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Columbus was 35-23-3 on the day of the trade deadline. The Jackets went 12-8-1 after that, but it was good enough to earn the last wild card and a date with a juggernaut.

First line: The Blue Jackets' line of Artemi Panarin (87 points), Pierre-Luc Dubois (61 points) and Cam Atkinson (69 points) account for the top three scorers on the team. They had a goals-for percentage of 56.82 at 5-on-5. The Lightning can serve some line salad game to game, but there's been one constant: Kucherov and Point (92 points) working together, mostly with Tyler Johnson (47 points) but also with Yanni Gourde (48 points). With Johnson, they had a goals-for percentage of 59.32. Advantage: Lightning

Depth: The Lightning were meticulously constructed for the past few seasons in an effort to amass the most talent they could under the current salary cap. The result? A team with incredible top-end talent, with secondary scoring from players such as Ondrej Palat and J.T. Miller, and with dynamic two-way players such as Alex Killorn and rookie Anthony Cirelli, who had 19 goals. The Blue Jackets aren't without depth, with players such as Duchene, Josh Anderson (27 goals) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (23 goals) contributing offensively, and a slew of others helping to make the Jackets a tough team to play against. Advantage: Lightning

Defense: Tampa Bay is anchored by Victor Hedman, the reigning Norris Trophy winner who skates 22:46 per game and plays with Mikhail Sergachev or Dan Girardi. Ryan McDonagh plays 22:05 per game, skating mostly with Erik Cernak. Braydon Coburn and Anton Stralman round out the group. The Jackets pair their two best defensemen in Seth Jones (46 points) and Zach Werenski (44 points). David Savard, Markus Nutivaara, Dean Kukan, Scott Harrington and Adam McQuaid round out the group They miss Ryan Murray, out with an upper-body injury. Advantage: Lightning

Goaltending: Andrei Vasilevskiy (39-10-4) is the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy with a .925 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average. In 29 playoff games, he has a .919 save percentage and a 2.68 goals-against. If that seems Jekyll and Hyde, then you haven't seen Sergei Bobrovsky's numbers. He had a decent regular season, with a .913 save percentage and a 2.58 goals-against average, but he played well down the stretch. But his career playoff numbers remain putrid: an .891 save percentage in 24 games, with a 3.49 goals-against average. Woof. Advantage: Lightning

Coaching: How much credit does Jon Cooper deserve for leading the best roster in the NHL to historic heights? Plenty, to be honest, from his system to his personnel management to keeping a team a country mile ahead of the field motivated. His teams have made the conference finals in two of three seasons. John Tortorella hasn't won a playoff series since 2013, but he has gotten the Jackets into the postseason in three straight seasons -- the longest streak in franchise history. Advantage: Lightning

Health: The Jackets are still without Murray, who has missed 24 games with an upper-body injury. Tampa had a few players banged up late in the season, including Ryan Callahan and Hedman, but should be at full strength. Advantage: Lightning

Special teams: The Lightning had a power-play percentage of 28.1, which was the highest in NHL history for an 82-game season. They were tied with the Blue Jackets atop the league on the penalty kill, at 85.0 percent. The Jackets' power play was 28th, at 15.4 percent. Advantage: Lightning

Prediction: Lightning in five. As previously stated, the Lightning have made it a habit of rolling through teams in the first two rounds, usually with one hiccup. The play of Bobrovsky in previous postseasons does nothing to dissuade that thinking.

Sadio Mane has demonstrated over the past two years that he's an elite big-game player, yet the Senegal striker's consistent performances for Liverpool in the highest-profile fixtures somehow continue to go under the radar despite the accolades and praise that come his way.

The Reds' UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first-leg tie against FC Porto at Anfield on Tuesday represents another opportunity for the forward, who turns 27 on Wednesday, to thrive in another high-profile fixture.

Mane started to demonstrate only last season that he could hold his own in the biggest matches.

While Mohamed Salah was being lauded for his remarkable goal scoring, Mane's form underpinned Liverpool's run to the Champions League final, and he ended the European campaign with 10 in 11 games.

His goal in the final against Real Madrid meant he became one of only four African players - after Rabah Madjer, Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba -- to score in the biggest club fixture in the football calendar; while that goal against Real provided only a brief glimmer of hope before calamities at the other end of the pitch, Mane has consistently provided defining moments for Liverpool.

Sadio Mane: A Man For The Big Occasion

Sixty-nine percent of his Champions League goals to date -- nine of his 13 strikes -- have come in the knockout stages of the competition, the most recent in the Merseysiders' 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the Round of 16. On that occasion, Mane scored twice, with his first -- an impudent dink over Manuel Neuer to give Liverpool the advantage -- prompting high praise from ex-Liverpool frontman Michael Owen.

"It's a goal of the highest quality, and even [the turn], the awareness of what's around and then a little coolness after all that to dink it over the line, it's a finish of the highest quality," Owen said on BT Sport.

Mane was in his element at the Allianz Arena, unfazed by the spectacle or the high stakes, and his goals, the second six minutes from fulltime to confirm safe passage, took him level with Steven Gerrard and Roberto Firmino on six away strikes in the history of the European Cup; no player for five-time champions Liverpool has scored more.

For broader context about his strike rate, only former Bayern forward Ivica Olic of all the players to have scored at least 10 goals in the tournament netted a greater percentage in the latter rounds when the stress and pressure is highest.

As testament to Olic's propensity to decide the high-profile fixtures, the former Croatia international, who scored seven of his 10 UCL goals in knockout matches, was handed the somewhat inelegant moniker 'The king of the biggest games' by his former national-team coach, Slaven Bilic.

Few credit Mane on such terms, despite his Champions League record.

They should.

The relative ease with which he has adapted to the rarefied environment -- the high-pressure bouts and the tougher opposition -- of the Champions League has also gone under the radar. To date, Mane's 13 goals in 19 games is a return bettered by only five players in their first 20 appearances in the UCL's history.

Should he score a goal against Porto, Mane will draw level with Alessandro Del Piero, Andriy Shevchenko and Jari Litmanen (14 in 20), and stand behind only Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roberto Soldado, both of whom scored 16 in their first 20.

That's elite company, with three of the five boasting winner's medals, yet Mane is rarely referenced as a player who flourishes under the brightest lights and who boasts the nerve and composure to settle the most high-profile clashes.

He should be.

"I think Sadio Mane can be Liverpool's most important player," ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop says. "I thought he showed that last year in the Champions League final once Mo Salah came off.

"I think Mane, both in terms of his attitude and performances, can be the player that, if Liverpool are to win either of these trophies, his role is absolutely vital."

Consistency and Confidence

As Liverpool's challenge for the English Premier League title also reaches the sharp end of the campaign, Mane appears to be thriving amid the added pressure and scrutiny. He's found a new gear since mid-January, scoring nine in 11 in the league.

Former Liverpool and Senegal midfielder Salif Diao believes that Salah's form last season has prompted Mane to take things to another level and refine various elements of his game.

"If you look at last season when the Ballon d'Or list came out, Salah was right up there, but Sadio wasn't, and that was purely because of the goals," Diao told Goal.

"Salah was more clinical in front of goal, and that was why he got all the awards and the praise at the end of the year.

"I think Sadio recognised that, and you can see how he has used that this season," the 42-year-old added. "He's more focused in front of goal, he's more clinical, and that is making the difference."

It hasn't always been this way, and Mane's come a long way since missing the decisive penalty for Senegal as they were eliminated from the quarter-finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

He had been one of the stars of the group stage, netting twice as Tunisia and Zimbabwe were dispatched with ease. However, come the knockout clash with Cameroon, Mane and Senegal ran out of ideas.

Mane could not find a way past Cameroon goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa and his stifling defence, and he missed Senegal's best chance three minutes from fulltime.

Things got worse in the resulting penalty shoot-out.

All eight takers had scored before Mane took Senegal's fifth penalty. His effort was saved, and Vincent Aboubakar's subsequent conversion sent eventual champions Cameroon through.

Mane wept inconsolably on the turf, as one of the most significant nights of his career had passed him by, but a genuine big-game player has blossomed out of that failure. Mane no longer remains a bystander in crucial fixtures, but is a player who increasingly ought to be seen as having the character to decide them.

Perhaps self-belief has been key.

"He needed more confidence when he came in," Jurgen Klopp said in November.

"The start was really good, but I think he was a bit surprised by himself.

"He needed to get used to the fact that he is a world-class player."

Sadio Mane: Africa's Next Big-Name Great?

Mane, undoubtedly, has come a long way since his misstep against Cameroon, but he's yet to produce a title-winning performance to compare with some of Africa's other big-game players.

Eto'o, for example, scored goals in two Champions League finals -- only the second player to do so -- and was outstanding as he won a third title with Internazionale in 2010.

The Cameroon great also scored in three finals as Inter won the Club World Cup, the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup in the same year. He was also influential in 2000 as he won the first of two Afcon titles with Cameroon, scoring in every round.

Drogba, too, made his mark in major trophy triumphs in a way that Mane hasn't yet managed.

As well as his star performance in the 2012 UCL final, when he scored an 88th-minute equaliser and then slotted the decisive penalty in the shootout to win Chelsea their first European crown, he also scored in four FA Cup finals -- the only player in history to do so -- winning every one.

Mane, soon to turn 27, needs to be adding titles to his resume in order to stand alongside Africa's true big-game greats. But he should have plenty of high-profile ties in the coming months -- from FC Porto at Anfield to the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt -- to claim a little more recognition and a place among his continent's genuinely decisive players.

When you're losing 0-6 0-5 and facing match point, the chances are there is no way back.

But the old saying goes that winners never quit - and Tara Moore refused to give up when she found herself in that exact position on Tuesday.

In a show of extraordinary grit, the British number nine saved herself from being double bageled at 30-40 down, and went on to beat French third seed Jessika Ponchet 0-6 7-6 6-3 at the ITF World Tour event in Sunderland.

The greatest comeback in tennis history? Well, the 26-year-old said on social media that it had been "never in doubt".

Moore has won nine ITF singles titles and reached the second round of Wimbledon in 2016.

She will face either Germany's Yana Morderger or Romania's Elena-Teodora Cadar in the second round in Sunderland.

‘So exciting to see this in my home town of Eindhoven’
By ELLIE MAWSON

Netherlands’ World No.31 Milou van der Heijden will be one of the home favourites in action when the DPD Open Squash takes place in Eindhoven from April 9-14.

The PSA World Tour Gold tournament will host 48 of the best male and female players when they descend on the Dutch city next week to battle it out for the titles.

The tournament will be held at the new DPD headquarters in Eindhoven to mark the grand opening of the postal company’s new distribution centre and will feature a total prize fund of $212,000 split equally between the men’s and women’s draws. Home hope van der Heijden can’t wait to see squash come back to the Netherlands.

“I’m very pleased,” said Dutch No.1 van der Heijden. “Obviously for me to play in the event, but also for the Dutch squash fans it is very exciting to have such strong draws in both events. I think it’s going to be a great week.

“Everyone has been talking about it for a while, so it’s exciting that it is almost here now.”

The last time a major squash tournament was held in the Netherlands was the 2011 PSA World Championships in Rotterdam and 28-year-old van der Heijden – who resides in Eindhoven – is looking forward to performing in front of her home crowd once again.

“The last time I played a PSA tournament in the Netherlands was qualification of the World Championships in Rotterdam back in 2011, so that is a long time ago. I think this will be completely different, as I now get to play on the glass court in such a great venue.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a great experience and I hope the crowd will get behind me, like other home crowds do at other tournaments.”

Van der Heijden recently captured her biggest PSA title to date after she defeated France’s Coline Aumard in the final of the Annecy Rose Open and she says she is hoping to carry that winning momentum into next week’s tournament.

“Winning at the Annecy Rose was great, I played well during that tournament. That is definitely the momentum I’m trying to keep going. Every tournament is different though, but winning a tournament never hurts your confidence I think.”

The Dutch player will begin her tournament against England’s World No.22 Millie Tomlinson in round one, with van der Heijden getting the better of her English opponent earlier this season at the Oracle NetSuite Open in San Francisco.

“Me and Millie have been playing each other since juniors. We’ve had some battles, so, this time will be no different.

“Millie is strong all around and has been playing well. I will need to be on top of my game and see where it can take me.”

Van der Heijden will be joined in the draw by women’s wildcard Tessa ter Sluis and Roshan Bharos, who takes the wildcard spot in the men’s event.

Opening round matches of the DPD Open will be played on Tuesday April 9 at a purposely built squash arena at the DPD premises and at Squashtime, a 15-court facility in Eindhoven, which is the home of Dutch National Champion van der Heijden. From April 10-14 all matches will be played on the glass court.

Tickets for the DPD Open are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.

For more information, follow the tournament on Facebook and Instagram or visit the event’s website. 

Pictures courtesy of PSA and Nick Thompson  

Stars return to Hull for a seventh year 
By ELLIE MAWSON

A record prize purse of $348,000 will be on offer at the 2019 Allam British Open when the world’s leading squash players line up at the University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre between May 20-26, 2019.

Split equally between the men’s and women’s draws, the prize purse is the largest since the tournament began in 1922, and the event will take place in Hull for a seventh successive year.

Known as ‘The Wimbledon of Squash’, the British Open is the sport’s longest-running tournament and this year will be headed up by World No.1s Ali Farag and Raneem El Welily as they aim to add their names to the famous trophy.

Defending champion Miguel Rodriguez – who last year became the first South American ever to win the tournament – will return alongside runner-up and two-time winner Mohamed ElShorbagy.

Rodriguez and ElShorbagy are the only players in the men’s draw to have ever won the tournament, and will face stiff competition from World Championship runner-up Tarek Momen, Germany’s Simon Rösner, New Zealand’s Paul Coll, former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad and World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar.

Raneem El Welily fell in last year’s final to World No.2 Nour El Sherbini and the two are seeded to meet in the final once again. World Championship runner-up Nour El Tayeb, 2015 champion Camille Serme, New Zealand’s Joelle King, England No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry, Egypt’s Nouran Gohar and 2017 winner Laura Massaro make up the rest of the top eight seeds.

Meanwhile, Malaysian icon and five-time winner Nicol David also features as she makes her final appearance at the tournament. The 35-year-old will retire at the end of the season, bringing an end to her association with the event, which stretches back to 2001.

The British Open also represents the penultimate chance for players to win points for the PSA World Tour Finals. Ali Farag, Mohamed ElShorbagy, Karim Abdel Gawad, Raneem El Welily, Nour El Sherbini and Joelle King have already qualified for the season-ending jamboree, while the other competitors will qualify if they claim a top eight spot on the PSA World Tour Finals leaderboard.

The University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre hosts the British Open in its brand new state-of-the-art facility between May 20-26. Tickets are available for purchase via Ticketmaster.

All matches from the glass court will be shown live on SQUASHTV and Eurosport Player. Semi-finals and finals will be broadcast on mainstream channels around the world such as BT Sport, Fox Sports Australia and Astro.

For all of the latest news on the 2019 British Open, please visit www.allambritishopen.com or follow the tournament on Twitter: @BritOpenSquash 

2019 Allam British Open, Hull, England, May 20-26.

Men’s Entry List:
1) Ali Farag (EGY)
2) Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
3) Tarek Momen (EGY)
4) Simon Rösner (GER)
5) Paul Coll (NZL)
6) Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
7) Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
8) Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
9) Diego Elias (PER)
10) Saurav Ghosal (IND)
11) Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
12) Omar Mosaad (EGY)
13) Raphael Kandra (GER)
14) Joel Makin (WAL)
15) Zahed Salem (EGY)
16) Declan James (ENG)
17) Gregoire Marche (FRA)
18) James Willstrop (ENG)
19) Tsz Fung Yip (HKG)
20) Max Lee (HKG)
21) Tom Richards (ENG)
22) Leo Au (HKG)
23) Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
24) Daryl Selby (ENG)
25) Cesar Salazar (MEX)
26) Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
27) Greg Lobban (SCO)
28) Youssef Soliman (EGY)
29) Borja Golan (ESP)
30) Adrian Waller (ENG)
31) Lucas Serme (FRA)
32) Mazen Hesham (EGY)
33) Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT)
34) Chris Simpson (ENG)
35) Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
36) Cameron Pilley (AUS)
37) George Parker (ENG)
38) Mostafa Asal (EGY)
39) Fares Dessouky (EGY)
40) Ivan Yuen (MAS)
41) Todd Harrity (USA)
42) Karim Ali Fathi (EGY)
43) Alan Clyne (SCO)
44) Campbell Grayson (NZL)
45) Ben Coleman (ENG)
46) Ramit Tandon (IND)
47) Joshua Masters (ENG)
48) Patrick Rooney (ENG)

Women’s Entry List:
1) Raneem El Welily (EGY)
2) Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
3) Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
4) Camille Serme (FRA)
5) Joelle King (NZL)
6) Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
7) Nouran Gohar (EGY)
8) Laura Massaro (ENG)
9) Tesni Evans (WAL)
10) Alison Waters (ENG)
11) Annie Au (HKG)
12) Amanda Sobhy (USA)
13) Victoria Lust (ENG)
14) Salma Hany (EGY)
15) Joshna Chinappa (IND)
16) Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
17) Joey Chan (HKG)
18) Yathreb Adel (EGY)
19) Nicol David (MAS)
20) Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA)
21) Emily Whitlock (ENG)
22) Millie Tomlinson (ENG)
23) Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
24) Fiona Moverley (ENG)
25) Rachael Grinham (AUS)
26) Zeina Mickawy (EGY)
27) Mariam Metwally (EGY)
28) Mayar Hany (EGY)
29) Nele Gilis (BEL)
30) Milou van der Heijden (NED)
31) Samantha Cornett (CAN)
32) Hollie Naughton (CAN)
33) Coline Aumard (FRA)
34) Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG)
35) Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
36) Low Wee Wern (MAS)
37) Jenny Duncalf (ENG)
38) Lisa Aitken (SCO)
39) Julianne Courtice (ENG)
40) Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL)
41) Tinne Gilis (BEL)
42) Olivia Fiechter (USA)
43) Haley Mendez (USA)
44) Alexandra Fuller (RSA)
45) Melissa Alves (FRA)
46) Rachel Arnold (MAS)
47) Pre-Qualifier – TBC
48) Lucy Turmel (ENG) 

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Squash legend joins Camille Serme and Borja Golan on WSF trip
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent

Shortly after bringing her illustrious professional squash career to a close, the sport’s ultimate ambassador Nicol David will join fellow players Camille Serme and Borja Golan for the 2019 WSF Ambassador Programme visit to Kenya, where the latest World Squash Federation initiative will be hosted by Kenyan Squash community in the country’s capital Nairobi.

Launched in 2011, the WSF international promotional initiative takes leading squash players, together with an international coach and referee, into younger squash nations to help raise the sport’s profile – through clinics, exhibition matches, refereeing and coaching seminars, and media presentations.

Joining Malaysia’s former world No.1 David, France’s world No.4 Serme and Spaniard Golan, a former world No.5, will be Belgian national coach Ronny Vlassaks and international referee Marko Podgorsek, from Slovenia. The 2019 campaign will take place from 27-30 June.

David is a tireless squash campaigner and ambassador. The 35-year-old record eight-time world champion played significant roles in all of the sport’s Olympic bids since 2005; was the leading light in several Women’s Tour Promotional visits to raise the profile of the sport in all corners of the globe in the 11 years preceding the WSF Programme; and participated in four of the ‘Ambassadors’ initiatives from 2011 to 2015.

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“We are all excited as this is truly the biggest event yet for our sport,” said national representative Gakuo Ndirangu.

“The timing is perfect: Squash is now really on the up and with all the squash clubs taking up a greater initiative in the promotion of the game at all levels and having great players, coach and referee here in June will stimulate this even more. Events will be hosted by Parklands Sports Club and the Nairobi Club, with all others joining in too.”

WSF CEO Andrew Shelley added: “As always, we are immensely grateful to Camille and Borja for taking time away from the busy international tour schedule to lead this vital promotional visit – and are thrilled that Nicol will be able be with us again too and delight Kenyans with both her charm and her skills.

“We look forward meeting and interacting with the Kenyan squash community and help the national federation boost the sport’s profile.”

The WSF Ambassador Programme first visited the Baltic country of Latvia in 2011, followed by a trip to the African countries of Malawi and Namibia, then Panama and Venezuela in 2013, Papua New Guinea in 2014, before focussing on the Balkan region in 2015 with appearances in Serbia, Romania and Croatia. In 2016, the team visited Dalian and Macau in China.

After the 2017 edition was postponed, the WSF team headed to Armenia (where Camille Serme was pictured above, with youngsters at Grand Sport in the country’s capital Yerevan) and Ukraine in 2018.

Pictures courtesy of WSF and PSA 

Inaugural event is $76,000 PSA Silver status
By SEAN REUTHE

Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb, one of the most amazing athletes in squash, heads up a world-class draw, featuring seven of the world’s top 10 female players, in the forthcoming Manchester Open. This PSA World Tour Silver event takes place between May 9-13.

The Manchester Open, a women’s-only tournament, will see players compete for the inaugural trophy and a $76,000 prize fund at Manchester’s National Squash Centre.

The Cairo-based World No.3 El Tayeb, runner-up in this season’s PSA World Championship, headlines the draw ahead of New Zealand’s World No.5 and 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Joelle King, England’s No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry and fellow Egyptian Nouran Gohar.

England’s former World No.1 Laura Massaro, British National champion Tesni Evans and England’s former World No.3 Alison Waters all feature, while United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy and eight-time World Champion Nicol David will also be involved.

The Manchester Open is supported by Manchester City Council and follows the successful staging of the award-winning AJ Bell PSA World Championships in the city in December 2017, where equal prize money was on offer across both the men’s and women’s events for the first time in the tournament’s history.

The top eight seeds receive a bye into round two, where current English No.1 Perry and Malaysian icon David are seeded to meet. Meanwhile, top seed El Tayeb could face former World Champion Massaro for a place in the semi-finals.

There could also be a British showdown between England No.1 Perry and Welsh World No.9 Evans in the quarter-finals should both players play to their seedings, with the Englishwoman aiming to avenge her round three defeat to Evans at the PSA World Championships.

Hong Kong Open winner and No.2 seed King will take on either Belgium’s Nele Gilis or Scotland’s Lisa Aitken for a place in the quarter-finals, depending on who comes out on top in their fiercely contested first-round meeting on May 9.

Elsewhere, home favourites Julianne Courtice and wildcard Rachael Chadwick will get their tournaments under way against recently crowned US National champion Olivia Blatchford Clyne and Netherlands’ Milou van der Heijden, respectively.

Live coverage of the entire tournament will be shown on SQUASHTV (rest of world), the PSA World Tour Facebook page (excluding Europe and Japan) and Eurosport Player (Europe only), while the semi-finals and final will also be shown live on mainstream broadcasters around the world such as BT Sport, Fox Sports Australia, Astro and more.

Tickets for the tournament are available to purchase via Ticketmaster or via the event website www.manchesteropensquash.com 

PSA Women’s $76,000 Manchester Open, National Squash Centre, Manchester, England.

Main Draw:
[1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) [Bye]
Coline Aumard (FRA) v [9/16] Mayar Hany (EGY)
[9/16] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
[5] Laura Massaro (ENG) [Bye]
[6] Tesni Evans (WAL) [Bye]
[WC] Rachael Chadwick (ENG) v [9/16] Milou van der Heijden (NED)
[9/16] Nicol David (MAS) v Samantha Cornett (CAN)
[3] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [Bye]
[4] Nouran Gohar (EGY) [Bye]
Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) v [9/16] Emily Whitlock (ENG)
[9/16] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) v Julianne Courtice (ENG)
[8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) [Bye]
[7] Alison Waters (ENG) [Bye]
Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [9/16] Salma Hany (EGY)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) v Lisa Aitken (SCO)
[2] Joelle King (NZL) [Bye]

Pictures courtesy of  PSA

Diego Elias to make Macau debut as top seed alongside local favourite Annie Au
By ALEX WAN – Squash Mad Asian Bureau Editor

The annual Macau Squash Open returns onto the PSA calendar once again and will continue to feature equal prize money of US$ 50,000 each for both the men’s and women’s events. The PSA Bronze event will be held over five days from 10 – 14 April 2019.

The first three rounds will take place in the usual Macau Bowling Centre before play is moved onto the all-glass court at the Tap Seac Square in the St. Lazarus Quarter.

The men’s event has attracted a strong field and will feature two world top ten players. The draw will be headed by the “Peruvian Puma” Diego Elias and India’s Saurav Ghosal, who are ranked 9 and 10 in the April rankings. This is the Peruvian’s maiden appearance in Macau while Saurav was a runner-up at his last appearance here in 2017.

Ghosal, who broke into the coveted top ten for the first time this month, is seeded to face hard-hitting third seed Omar Mosaad in the last four. The Egyptian was a finalist last year and was two games up before losing out in five to Hong Kong’s Yip Tsz Fung in the final.

Hong Kong will have the biggest contingent in the men’s event with five entries. Yip is seeded fourth and he will have lovely memories of Macau after winning his biggest ever title here last year. He is drawn to meet compatriot Leo Au in the last eight, while 2016 finalist Max Lee is drawn to meet Elias in the same stage.

Manuel Gassmann will make his second appearance as a local wild card at the event. The 17-year old has been drawn to play Malaysian Ivan Yuen in the opening round. Hong Kong’s Lau Tsz Kwan will fill the second wild card spot and will play Spain’s Edmon Lopez.

An opening round encounter to watch would be the battle between 2017 World Junior runner-up Victor Crouin of France and Ng Eain Yow, the 2016 World Junior champion from Malaysian. The pair, currently ranked 74 and 37 respectively, will battle it out for a slot in the last sixteen against “The Komodo” Nafiizwan Adnan.

The women’s event, while not having any top ten players, is not short of quality entries. Local favourite Annie Au of Hong Kong is the top player in the field. The world number 11 has always been drawing local support and was a finalist in 2016 and semi-finalist in the last two editions.

Second seed Salma Hany of Egypt will be looking to relish her great performance here last year. The 22-year old was a surprise finalist after taking out top seed Camille Serme in the last eight and Hong Kong’s Joey Chan in the semis. Since that breakthrough run, she has had her best results on tour, including a quarter-final showing at a World Series event. In June 2018, she broke into the top 15 and then reached her career-high of 12 in March this year.

However, former world number 5 Low Wee Wern has been drawn to play Hany and could potentially be a party spoiler for the Egyptian. Low will be making her debut in the event and will be looking to further improve her ranking after breaking back into the top 40 in February.

Asian pair Joshna Chinappa of India and Hong Kong’s Joey Chan are third and fourth seeds. Both potentially have tricky Egyptians in their quarter if matches go to seeding in the form of Mayar Hany and Zeina Mickawy.

Local challenge will be spearheaded by Liu Kwai Chi, who will be playing Japanese number one Satomi Watanabe. Hong Kong youngster Chan Sin Yuk has been given the second local wildcard and will face Kiwi Amanda Landers-Murphy.

The 2019 Macau Squash Open is organised by the Macau Squash Association and is jointly supported by Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited, Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau S.A.R.L., MC Sportswear & Uniform Ltd., Kings Media, Macau Coca-Cola Beverage. Co. Ltd. and Macau Business & Business News Agency.

Entry to the first round up to the quarter-finals at the Macau Bowling Centre is free of charge. Semi-finals and finals tickets at all-glass court on Tap Seac Square will be ticketed. They are free of charge but are limited. Squash fans interested to reserve their tickets may contact the ticketing hotline at +853 2853 0497 or email [email protected]

There will also be a carnival at the venue on 14 April 2019 that is open to the public, where visitors will have a chance to experience playing squash.
 

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Saracens back row Hayden Thompson-Stringer will join French second-tier side CA Brive on a two-year contract this summer.

The 24-year-old came through the Saracens academy and has made 31 appearances for the Premiership club.

"It's been a hard decision to make but I feel it's time for a new challenge in France," Thompson-Stringer said.

"Saracens is a great club and I'd like to thank everyone who has helped me develop from the academy to now."

Rhys Webb is resigned to not playing for Wales again until his contract at Toulon ends in 2021.

The 30-year-old scrum-half is ruled out of international selection because he plays outside Wales and has fewer than 60 caps.

Reports have suggested he might be recalled for the 2019 World Cup, but the player himself ruled that out.

"It's pretty simple. I'm contracted with Toulon for another two years so there's nothing more to say," he said.

"The 60 cap rule came in after I signed for Toulon and that's where I stand at the moment.

Webb told the Scrum V podcast: "I'm a Toulon player for the next two years.

"To be honest it would be easy for me to pack my bags now and walk away just because Toulon haven't had a very good season, but I'm a hungry person.

"I've got a lot of drive in me and I want to get Toulon back to where they belong and hopefully in the next two years I can help do that."

Webb is the highest-profile casualty of the 60-cap rule.

Toulon claimed they had an agreement with Wales that Webb could continue playing international rugby when they announced his signing on 10 October 2017.

The Welsh Rugby Union announced their new selection policy six days later.

Players already on contracts outside Wales before the new rule was introduced have moved back to Wales when those deals have come to an end - notably Ross Moriarty at Dragons (from Gloucester) and Josh Adams' move from Worcester to Cardiff Blues.

However, a couple of loopholes have been exposed with prop Tomos Francis still eligible to play for Wales despite staying at Exeter, because he activated a clause for an extension in an existing contract.

While Cardiff Blues prop Rhys Carre's move to Saracens will not affect his selection chances because he has not yet been involved in a senior squad.

"It does confuse me, but I'm not going to say too much," added Webb.

"Personally I don't know how people can still play for Wales if they play outside of Wales."

However, the former Ospreys scrum-half still harbours a long-term ambition to play for Wales.

"I haven't shut the door on playing for Wales but there's a 60 cap rule in place at the moment," he added.

"Who knows after my Toulon contract, I can come back to Wales and play and maybe I can play for Wales then, but it's simple at the moment."

Ex-Wales and Lions flanker Martyn Williams: "There's too many grey areas at the minute.

"It should be black and white - if you don't play in Wales you don't play for Wales and if you stay in Wales you play for Wales. Then it's a lot easier to understand, it's a lot easier for players like Webby to take on board.

"When there's these loopholes left right and centre it doesn't do anybody any good. I've got a feeling they will iron it all out and it will become more black and white and that's how it should be."

For the latest Welsh rugby news follow @BBCScrumV on Twitter.