Squash is neither a fruit nor a vegetable, at least when we're talking about the sport.
World class professional squash is back in the Bay Area, and it's here through the weekend as part of the ninth annual Oracle NetSuite Open Squash Championship on the San Francisco Bay waterfront.
"It's like racquetball in that the two players are in a box, together," tournament director John Nimick told KCBS Radio on Thursday.
"It's a little bit like a combat racket sport," he added.
Five-hundred seats surround a clear, glass cube on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, just across from the Ferry Building. In it, pro squash players pound the ball.
And, sometimes, each other.
"It's physically hard," Gregoire Marche, the 12th-ranked men’s player on the Professional Squash Association World Tour, told KCBS Radio. "Mentally, you have to be strong."
Up for grabs this weekend is a $242,000 prize, equally split among the winners of the men's and women's fields. Mohamed Elshorbagy, the world No. 2, is the reigning champion on the men's side, while top-ranked American Amanda Sobhy aims for the women's crown.
All matches are a best-of-three games, except for the best-of-five finals. Reserved seats range from $20 for a four-match session during Friday afternoon’s opening round to $55 for Monday night’s finals.
The squash cube has been at the pyramids and Grand Central Terminal in New York. This week, it’s right here in San Francisco after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is a treat to go up to the back of our bleachers here, sit in row 'G' and look out over the bay (to see) Treasure Island, the Ferry Building on a beautiful day or night," Nimick said.
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