VETERAN national squash players Robert Garcia, David Pelino, Jemyca Aribado and Alyssa Dalida left over the weekend for Hangzhou, China to compete in the mixed double competition serving as the test event for the sport in the 19th Asian Games in September.
“This will be a good tune-up competition for all four players. We also get to size up our rivals in the Asian Games,” said Philippine Squash Association president Robert Bachmann, who will be the squad in the four-day competition that opens in the Chinese port city tomorrow.
The other countries invited to compete in the tournament are Hongkong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia and Thailand.
After pool play, the top teams in the five groups plus three best runners-up will advance to the quarterfinals, a knockout phase until the championship match on June 30.
Kayod Pilipinas, the national squash team’s moniker, is scheduled to make its debut in the continental sportsfest to be held from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8.
After clinching a breakthrough gold medal in the mixed team event of the 2019 Philippine Southeast Asian Games, the squash bets have been steadily achieving victories in regional play since they began competing overseas after the pandemic.
The latest was from Aribado, who clinched the women’s singles plum in the Marigold 2023 SG Squash Satellite tournament last month in Singapore.
