James Willstrop (r.) takes on Mohammad Ali Anwar Reda in squash match in GCT (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Hall
42nd St. at Vanderbilt Ave.
Through Thursday, January 28, $70-$400, 6:00 or 6:30
718-569-0594
www.tocsquash.com
www.grandcentralterminal.com
First held at Grand Central Terminal in 1995, the squash Tournament of Champions is heading into the quarterfinals today and tomorrow, to be followed by the semifinals on Wednesday and the finals on Thursday night. Starting out with thirty-two players from around the world, including eight from squash hotbed Egypt, the tournament is now down to its final eight: number one seed Ramy Ashour, Amr Shabana (3), Karim Darwish (5), and Wael El Hindi (11) of Egypt, Australian David Palmer (8), Frenchman Gregory Gaultier (4), and Brits Nick Matthew (2) and James Willstrop (7). Tickets are virtually gone from the reserved stands – and believe it or not, they cost as much as $400 for the finals – but you can watch the matches while standing in the hall, as the walls of the temporary court are transparent. There is also a special bar set up on the other side of Vanderbilt Hall, where you can grab a drink, have some cookies, and see the game on an HD monitor.