The PSA Manchester Open has been confirmed to take place in April ©PSA

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has confirmed the Manchester Open will take place in the English city from April 19 to 25.

In total, 32 men and 32 women will participate at the PSA World Tour Silver event at Manchester’s National Squash Centre. 

Delivered in partnership with Manchester City Council, the competition will feature a prize purse of $170,000 (£121,000/€140,000) to be split equally across the men’s and women’s draws.

It will be the first PSA World Tour event held Europe since the last Manchester Open in September. 

The second half the current season, which has been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, is to begin with the PSA Black Ball Squash Open in Cairo from March 19 to 25.

"We are delighted to confirm that Manchester will host our second PSA World Tour event of 2021," said PSA chief executive Alex Gough.

"I’d like to thank Manchester City Council for their support in enabling us to put on this tournament, which initially marked the return of the PSA World Tour back in September when we held the 2020 edition following a six-month hiatus due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

"This news follows our announcement earlier this month that March’s PSA Black Ball Squash Open will kickstart our schedule for 2021, and I look forward to sharing our full calendar for the rest of the 2020-21 season shortly."

Egypt's Mohamed ElShorbagy was the winner of last year's Manchester Open ©Getty Images
Egypt's Mohamed ElShorbagy was the winner of last year's Manchester Open ©Getty Images

The Manchester Open will be held in accordance with strict COVID-19 protocols. 

All players and staff will operate in a bubble environment and are required to provide a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test prior to travelling to the tournament.

They will also need to produce a negative test upon arrival.

"As a world-leading sporting city, Manchester is looking forward to hosting the Manchester Open, in line with all essential COVID-safety protocols and Government guidelines," said Manchester City Council's executive member for skills, culture and leisure, Councillor Luthfur Rahman.

"Supporting the world's best squash players within the safest possible environment is our priority and we look forward to working with the PSA to ensure the success of this prestigious event."

Egypt's Mohamed ElShorbagy and Nour El Tayeb won the respective men and women's titles at the Manchester Open last year. 

El Tayeb has since retired after announcing she was pregnant in December.