The world's top 16 female squash players will compete on an all-glass court erected by the Bund this November.
The Shanghai WorldStars Women's Squash Championship is the first international squash event to be held on the Chinese mainland.
Hosted by Shanghai Sports Commission in conjunction with the Chinese Squash Association, the US$43,500 event is expected to arouse more interest in squash and promote the sport in the country with the world's largest population.
"Squash is still in its infancy in the city," said Dai Huixin, one of Shanghai's best squash players, who also coaches at Shanghai Jinqiao Megafit Sports Club, where the early rounds of the championship will be staged.
"Most of the city's squash lovers can only enjoy their sport at single-court facilities scattered across Shanghai and rely on overseas coaches to set them on the right path."
Located in Jinqiao, Pudong New Area, the sports club is the largest of its kind in the city. It is also the biggest squash facility in China.
Covering an area of more than 11,000 square meters, it features five glass-backed squash courts of international standard, four tennis courts, eight badminton courts, two basketball courts, an indoor swimming pool and a multi-functional gymnasium.
Early last month, the Women's International Squash Players' Association, or WISPA, paid a promotional visit to the city, led by Australia's world No.2 Rachael Grinham, as well as Malaysia's No.1 and world No.8 player Nicol David.
The visit lasted three days and the women visited the club to play squash with local players and members.
"It has given local players a unique chance to play against some of the world's top players, and to see them in action," said Dai. "We learned what top quality squash is all about."
"Now we are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming WorldStars Championship," he said. "Through this WISPA gold tournament, we hope to help more people find the value of the sport and further popularize it around the city."
According to Dai, compared with other sports, squash has several advantages.
First of all, unlike tennis, the indoor sport can be played at any time, which means the weather is not an issue.
The game also has a great variety of shots, requiring much more      effort on the part of the players. It's a game of movement, quickness, intensity and hand-eye coordination. It's faster than tennis and plays in a three-dimensional space.
"Almost every part of the body is exercised through the game," Dai said. "It will greatly improve one's speed, strength and power, reaction capacity, as well as balance and movement skills."
He added that the sport is more popular with women in the city.
Having played squash for nearly two years, Sharon Zhang, a 37-year-old office worker in the city, said the sport has greatly improved her health.
"I played squash incidentally yet I soon fell in love with it," Zhang said. "Before I had problems with my neck and shoulders because of the long hours in front of the computer."
"Both feel better. I think it should be attributed to the fact that I have persevered in playing squash once a week."
"It is an ideal sport for white-collar workers," she said. "I have encouraged many of my colleagues and friends to try."
However, she pointed out that limited facilities in the city is one of the main reasons the game isn't more popular.
Most squash players in Shanghai are expatriates, from neighboring regions and countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore, or from further afield like the United Kingdom or the United States.
Keith Moey, a businessman from Malaysia who has been working in the city for more than two years, said that local squash players are getting better and better.
Yet he also had something to say about the squash facilities in Shanghai.
"Most of the facilities here are of high standard, but there are much fewer public facilities compared with other countries such as Malaysia and Singapore," Moey said. "People have to pay a lot to play the sport, or they have to attend a sports club and become a member first."