As a sporting destination, Cayman has grown tremendously over the last couple of years and the Cayman Open, set to take place from 11 to 17 April will be ample proof of this.

Squash has certainly been one of those driving forces, with the Cayman Islands Squash Club having played host to regional squash tournaments over the years.

Last year, Cayman played host to the Cayman Open, six of the world’s top squash clubs. This year will be bigger and better, as eight of the world’s top ten women are set to take part.

The biggest change for this year will be the construction of a temporary glass court at The Crescent at Camana Bay. This will bring the event on par with other top international events, allowing greater spectator access as well as showcasing Cayman’s natural beauty to a greater extent than was possible at the former venue. The initial rounds of play, from 11 to 13 April, will still take place at the South Sound Squash Club, with the latter part of the tournament, from 14 to 17 April, being contested on the glass court.

The number one female squash player in the world, Nicole David of Malaysia, will be one of the stars competing. She is a four time world champion and should be hard to beat, not having relinquished the number one ranking in the world since August 2006. However, with world number three Jenny Duncalf of England, number four Rachael Grinham of Australia, world number 5 Alison Waters of England, world number seven Madeline Perry of Ireland, world number eight Natalie Grainger of the USA, world number nine Laura Massaro of England and world number ten

Kasey Brown of Australia, this will be the toughest field ever gathered in Cayman. Outside of the top ten, the field will also include world number 11, Camille Serme, world number 13 Samantha Teran and world number 17 Jaclyn Hawkes.

Cayman will be represented by former Caribbean champion Marlene West.

With international television and other media set to be in attendance, the event has huge implications for Cayman’s image abroad and promises to be a very strong marketing tool as well.

Apart from the top international female players, the top regional men’s players will also compete.

The men’s field will include the like of former Caribbean men’s champion Gavin Cumberbatch of Barbados, Colin Ramasra, the number two ranked player in the Caribbean, Shawn Simpson of Barbados and Steve Smith of Jamaica.

They will be taken on by local players Cameron Stafford, the number one ranked Caribbean junior male, Dean Watson, the six time Cayman national champion, as well as Jake Kelly and Myron Blair.

With all of this talent on Island, the event will also include opportunities for junior players to see some exhibition games as well as coaching opportunities. According to Tournament Director Dan Kneip, it would be a lost opportunity if the tournament was not used to develop the next generation of Cayman squash players and bring new players into the sport.

The visiting players will also have the opportunity to experience Cayman’s tourist attractions like Stingray City.

The event is sponsored by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Cedrus Investments, Guy Harvey, the Cayman Islands Government, BDO, Camana Bay, Maples, The Security Centre, Sunshine Suites and Cayman Financial Review.