Stanford women’s squash players Riya Navani ’28 and Riva Bhagwati ’30 will play in the 2026 Silicon Valley Open, a Gold-Level World Tour professional squash tournament sanctioned by the Professional Squash Association, on Oct. 20-24 in Redwood City.
With $260,000 available in equally distributed player compensation, the event provides some of the world’s best players the opportunity to hone their skills and win big on the long road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
LA 2028 will be the first time in squash’s 200-year history that it will be featured in the Olympics. Many of the frontrunners for qualifying will compete in the Bay this week, including five of the world’s top-10 ranked men and five of the top-10 ranked women.
Notable players will include USA’s Olivia Weaver, currently the country’s No. 1 and two-time reigning Women’s Silicon Valley Open champion, and reigning men’s champion and World No. 4 Karim Gawad of Egypt. The 48 competitors represent 14 countries and territories, including England, France, Peru, Malaysia, Japan, India, Pakistan, Colombia, Spain, Ukraine, Slovenia and Hong Kong.
From 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the tournament will host a free Fan Fest at Squash Zone, during which fans have the opportunity to take pictures with and get autographs from the world’s top players as well as participate in interactive events. Throughout the week, Squash Zone will also host clinics, pro-ams and additional community events, including a financial literacy program presented by Crowd Street.
Stanford freshman Bhagwati is the current No. 3 in US Squash’s U19 rankings and is slated to play on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Navani will play earlier in the evening at 5:30 p.m. The two players enter the tournament amid the off-season, as Stanford squash does not ring in their season until next month.
Navani and Bhagwati should be well-prepared for the tournament’s stiff competition, considering the program here at the Farm is led by Mark Talbott, who is considered one of the greatest American squash players ever.
“This is one of the strongest fields we’ve welcomed to the Silicon Valley Open, and it reflects the extraordinary momentum surrounding squash right now,” said John Nimick, President of Squash Engine and Event Producer of the Silicon Valley Open. “We’re excited to bring this caliber of international competition back to Redwood City.”
The tournament’s semifinals will be held on Friday, Oct. 23, and the finals the following day.