Mohammad Ali Anwar Reda and James Willstrop are back for another shot at the Tournament of Champions trophy in Grand Central Terminal (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Hall
42nd St. at Vanderbilt Ave.
January 19-26, $5-$25 1st round, $90-$400 finals
718-569-0594
www.tocsquash.com
www.grandcentralterminal.com
Billed as the “World’s Largest Squash Spectator Event,” the Tournament of Champions begins in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall on January 19, kicking off eight days of squash matches held in a specially installed ten-ton, four-walled glass court where you can either buy tickets for one of the coveted five hundred seats or just watch in a standing-room area for free. Things get under way on Thursday night at 7:30 with the fifteenth annual Legends Showdown, featuring squash stars Peter Nicol, Jonathon Power, John White, and Chris Walker. The early-round matches will be held January 20-23, followed by the quarterfinals on January 24, the semis on January 25, and the finals on January 26. In addition, there will be New York City urban squash programs and the ToC Junior Invitational as well. This year’s top men’s seeds are Nick Matthew (1) and James Willstrop (2) from England, France’s Gregory Gaultier (3), and Egypt’s Karim Darwish (4), while the women’s top seeds are Australian Rachael Grinham (1), her Dutch sister Natalie Grinham (2), Mexico’s Samantha Teran (3), and Aussie Donna Urquhart (4). It’s always quite a thrill to be walking through Vanderbilt Hall and suddenly hear the unusual sounds of a squash match amid all the regular maelstrom that makes Grand Central Grand Central.