Siblings Curtis and Torrie Malik have been named as two of the wildcards in Birmingham this year.
It’s the first time either player has appeared at the British Open but both have enjoyed superb seasons to date, with Curtis breaking into the world’s top 60 last month, while Torrie has captured four titles on the PSA Challenger Tour already during this campaign.
We caught up with the pair to discuss the prospect of competing at the world’s oldest squash event.
Q: Curtis, Torrie, how pleased are you to be given a wildcard spot for the biggest event on British soil?
Curtis: “I’m really pleased to get the wildcard spot for the British Open this year, it’s always been a dream of mine to be able to play in the biggest event in the sport in this country, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Torrie: “I couldn’t be happier to get the wildcard for the event. It’s a dream come true for me. Especially playing on home soil, it’s such a good opportunity for me and I can’t wait to play my first match.
Q: You’ve both been going from strength to strength this season with five Challenger Tour titles between you – do you feel you’re ready to feature in World Tour events more regularly?
Curtis: “I want to be in World Tour events as often as possible. I’ve got to try and get through to the latter stages in bigger Challenger Tour tournaments and break into the top 50. Hopefully, I can stay in the World Tour events and then hopefully pick up some of those titles later down the line.”
Torrie: “This year has been really good for me, I’m just really excited to play the top players on the World Tour and see how close I can get to them. I feel like I have the game to do it, but it’s just a case of putting in the performance on the day.”
Q: Have you ever attended the British Open as a spectator?
Curtis: “I remember going to the O2 Arena in London when the British Open was held there and was lucky enough to walk onto court with Nick Matthew, who won the event. To be doing that back then and now to be competing in the event is a dream come true.”
Torrie: “I’ve watched the British Open lots of times on SQUASHTV but I’ve never been. Being in the event is just insane, it’s really exciting and I think the atmosphere will be amazing. Also, having the chance to be around players that I’ve been watching for years to see how they operate will be such a good opportunity.”
Q: How special is it to be given the wildcard spots alongside each other?
Curtis: “To be able to be in the event with my sister is very special. It’s both of our first times in the event. We both train really hard together, so it’s nice to see the work that we’ve been putting in pay off.”
Torrie: “My older brother Curtis getting the wildcard is amazing. It’s a great opportunity for us both to show everyone what we can do. I’m really happy for him and wish him good luck in his first-round match.”
Squash fans will be able to watch all the RD1 and RD2 action from the traditional courts on the British Open website, before action from the Rep for the third round onwards will be streamed live on SQUASHTV.
Get your tickets to watch all the drama here.
