London Squash Classic 2026: Anahat Singh, Ramit Tandon and World’s Best Ready for Alexandra Palace Battle

The London Squash Classic 2026 is set to return to one of London’s most iconic sporting venues, with Alexandra Palace preparing to welcome some of the biggest names in the sport. 

The Gold-level PSA event will run from September 1 to 6, bringing together 48 players across the men’s and women’s draws and offering six days of high-quality squash in the English capital.

For Indian squash fans, the tournament will have particular interest, with Anahat Singh, Veer Chotrani and Ramit Tandon carrying the country’s challenge. Both will begin their campaigns in the opening round, with Anahat facing Egypt’s Mariam Metwally in the women’s draw, while Ramit takes on Qatar’s Abdulla Al-Tamimi in the men’s event.

The tournament will begin at Coolhurst LT & SC, before moving to the iconic Alexandra Palace from the second round onwards.

Alexandra Palace, popularly known as ‘Ally Pally’, has hosted an extraordinary range of sporting events over the years, and squash will once again take centre stage this week. The opening round will be played at Coolhurst LT & SC on September 1, with the second round scheduled for September 2 and 3 at Alexandra Palace. The quarterfinals will follow on September 4, the semifinals on September 5 and the finals on September 6.

All matches will be available live on SQUASHTV, giving fans around the world the opportunity to follow the action.

The women's draw is particularly strong, with four of the world's top six players occupying the top four seedings.

El Hammamy and Orfi headline women’s draw

World No.1 Hania El Hammamy enters the tournament as the top seed, while reigning World Champion Amina Orfi is seeded second. The Egyptian stars have developed one of the most compelling rivalries in women's squash, with their matches regularly producing lengthy and fiercely contested encounters.

Their rivalry reached another level last year when they played a remarkable match at the British Open that lasted 110 minutes, making it the longest women's best-of-five 3-1 match ever recorded at the event. Orfi will arrive in London with an additional objective. The young Egyptian is aiming to challenge El Hammamy's position at the top of the world rankings and become the youngest-ever women's World No.1.

Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam, the 2024 London Classic champion, is seeded third, while Japan's No.1 Satomi Watanabe is fourth. Sivasangari finds herself in the same half as Orfi, while Watanabe is projected to meet El Hammamy in the semifinals.

Anahat Singh leads Indian interest.

India's biggest women's singles interest will come from Anahat Singh, who faces a challenging opening-round match against Egypt's Mariam Metwally. The 18-year-old Indian continues to establish herself on the international PSA circuit, and a strong performance in London would provide another opportunity to test herself against experienced opposition.

The draw also includes a strong home presence through England's Georgina Kennedy. The British No. 1 and World No. 8 enter the tournament after winning the 2026 British Nationals. Kennedy grew up in Bexley, less than 20 miles from Alexandra Palace, making this effectively a home event for one of England's leading players.

Her British Nationals final opponent, Jasmine Hutton, is also in the draw and starts the season at a career-best world ranking of No. 12.

The men's tournament will be led by defending champion Paul Coll, who is seeded first. The New Zealander has a particularly strong record in the United Kingdom. One-third of his 33 PSA Tour titles have come on UK soil, with his latest victory coming at the British Open in Birmingham.

Coll will be attempting to successfully defend his London title against a field featuring nine of the world's top 20 players. French No.1 Victor Crouin is the second seed and enters the tournament after winning his fourth European Individual Championships title in Budapest.

Crouin has never previously competed at the London Squash Classic and will be looking to make an immediate impression on his return to competitive action in London.

Ramit Tandon gets tough opening test.

For India, Ramit Tandon will begin against Abdulla Al-Tamimi of Qatar.

Tandon's opening-round match presents a significant test as he looks to make an impact against a highly competitive men's field. India will also have Veer Chotrani in the draw. The Indian youngster faces Switzerland's Yannick Wilhelmi in the opening round, with a difficult route awaiting whoever advances.

The men's draw also features England No.1 Marwan ElShorbagy, Egyptian stars Youssef Soliman and Mohamed Abouelghar, Mexico's Leonel Cardenas and former England international Mohamed ElShorbagy. Egypt's Aly Abou Eleinen has moved into the No.4 seeding position following Jonah Bryant's withdrawal because of a shoulder injury. Abou Eleinen will be chasing his first Gold-level title after finishing runner-up at the Gold-level Karachi Open in January.

Six days of elite squash ahead

The London Squash Classic arrives at an important point in the early season, with several of the world's leading players looking to establish momentum. For the likes of El Hammamy, Orfi and Coll, the objective will be to add another major title to their collections. For emerging players, the tournament represents an opportunity to make a statement against established opposition.

For India, attention will centre on Anahat Singh and Ramit Tandon, with Veer Chotrani also looking to make his presence felt. The setting could hardly be more appropriate.

From Coolhurst LT & SC for the opening round to the historic Alexandra Palace for the business end of the tournament, the London Squash Classic 2026 promises six days of elite squash.

And with the world's best players arriving in London, the road to the titles begins on September 1.