PSA Preview:
Matthew Seeded To
Retain
World Title In Rotterdam
Defending champion Nick
Matthew, the world number
one from England, is expected to
retain his title in next month's
PSA World Open, according to the
draw for the sport's most
prestigious event made in
Rotterdam.
 The 2011 championship, featuring
a stunning line-up including
five former world champions and
seven world number ones, will be
held for the first time in
Rotterdam, from 28 October to 6
November.
After qualifying and
early rounds at the renowned
Victoria Squash club, the event
will move onto an ASB all-glass
court which will be erected on
the podium of the New Luxor
Theatre in the Dutch City of
Sports.
 Matthew, who became England's
first ever world champion in
Saudi Arabia last year, begins
the defence of his title against
a qualifier - and is expected to
meet his first seeded opponent
in the last 16 round when he
faces Egypt's Mohamed El
Shorbagy, the 20-year-old
world No8 from Egypt in only his
fourth appearance in the
championship.
The 31-year-old from Sheffield's
predicted quarter-final opponent
is England team-mate Peter
Barker, the world No7 from
London. And Egyptian rival
Karim Darwish, the No3 seed
from Cairo, is his expected
semi-final opponent before the
expected clash with Egypt's
world No2 Ramy Ashour in
the final.
Ashour, winner of the 2008 event
in England and already champion
of three PSA World Series events
in 2011, also begins his
Rotterdam campaign against a
qualifier. The 24-year-old from
Cairo would expect to meet
top-ranked Frenchman Gregory
Gaultier in the
quarter-finals, before a
semi-final clash with England's
James Willstrop, the
fourth seed.
The field features three players
competing in their 12th
successive championships after
making their debuts in Qatar in
1998 - though France's
Thierry Lincou also first
attempted to qualify 14 years
ago in 1997.
Like Egypt's Amr
Shabana and Australian
David Palmer, Lincou is both
a former world number one and a
former world champion, and
begins his 2011 campaign against
a qualifier.
Shabana is bidding to emulate
Pakistani legends Jahangir Khan
and Jansher Khan by becoming
only the third player in history
to win the title a fifth time.
The 32-year-old from Cairo won
the crown in 2003, 2005, 2007
and 2009. Boosted by his title
triumph in this month's US Open
in Philadelphia, the fifth seed
begins his 2011 campaign against
a qualifier.
Palmer, the 35-year-old who
famously won his first of two
world titles in his then home
country of Belgium in 2002 after
saving match-balls in the final,
is seeded eight - his first
opponent being Scotland's
Alan Clyne.
Dutch interest will be led by
Laurens Jan Anjema, the
six-time national champion from
The Hague who is the 12th seed.
Anjema, winner of this week's
new PSA International 35
NetSuite Open in the USA, will
be making his eighth appearance
in the event - and looking to
reach the quarter-finals for the
first time.
Malaysian interest in the 2011
World Open will be very much
focussed in the lower half of
the draw where it two leading
players Azlan Iskandar,
the No13 seed, and Ong Beng
Hee, the former world No7,
have been drawn against each
other in the first round! |
WISPA Preview:
David Eyes up Super
Sixth
World Title in Rotterdam
The Women’s World Open 2011 draw
was made in Rotterdam yesterday
in front of the distinguished
guests and the Dutch media, and
World no.1 and defending
champion Nicol David was
duly installed as top seed and
favourite to lift her sixth
title.
 Overseen by WISPA Tour Director
Tim Garner, the names
were drawn by City Mayor
Ahmed Aboutaleb assisted by
former World Champion Vanessa
Atkinson. Featuring players
from 25 different countries the
event will take place for the
first time in Rotterdam, aptly
known as the City of Sports,
from 29th October at Victoria
Squash Club culminating in the
grand final at the New Luxor
Theatre on 6th November.
 Despite having lost in the US
Open last week, Malaysian Nicol
David remains hot favourite in
to retain the trophy she lifted
in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, last
year. However if she beats
compatriot Delia Arnold
and then her seeded opponent
Donna Urquhart, she finds
last week’s conqueror Kasey
Brown potentially blocking
her path in the quarter-finals!
Brown’s path to the quarters is
far from simple facing what is
sure to be a vociferous crowd
backing local wildcard Orla
Noom in the first round and
then one of the form players
Egyptian Raneem El Weleily
in the Last 16. El Weleily
showed her class two weeks ago
winning the Carol Weymuller Open
and beating 4 top 10 players in
doing so!
Local favourite Natalie
Grinham finds herself in a
tough section of the draw, but
the former World no.2 will be
keen to delight home fans.
Assuming she negotiates her way
past a qualifier she is seeded
to come up against 4th seed
Madeline Perry. The Irish
woman has enjoyed a renaissance
in recent months winning the
CIMB Singapore Masters and
reaching the semi-finals of the
US Open. Also in that section
are former World no.3 Alison
Waters, who is on her way
back after injury, talented
French woman Camille Serme
and World Junior Champion
Nour El Tayeb!
Third seed Rachel Grinham
tops the bottom half of the
draw, but faces a tricky path to
the semi-finals. If she is able
to get past a qualifier and then
Mexican Samantha Teran,
she faces a potential
quarter-final berth against
mercurial Omneya Abdel Kawy
or WISPA President Jaclyn
Hawkes. Grinham will no
doubt hope that Hawkes can
repeat her victory over Kawy in
Singapore given Grinham has
always found Kawy a nemesis
despite her superior ranking.
The final quarter of the draw
also has the potential for
fire-works with a rematch
possible between second seed
Jenny Duncalf and fifth seed
Laura Massaro. The
British no.1 and 2 played in the
recent US Open where Massaro
caused an upset beating her more
illustrious opponent. Having
also beaten her in the British
Nationals earlier in the year,
Duncalf whilst wary of the
dangers will be keen for
revenge. Both players also face
tricky, if different, challenges
earlier on with Massaro set to
take on the silky racket skills
of Annie Au, while
Duncalf is seeded to play
athletic Kiwi Joelle King.
The quality of the field befits
an event of the stature of the
World Open and squash fans from
across the globe are sure to
tune in to see if Malaysian
starlet Nicol David can continue
her dominance of the
championship or if some is ready
to step and wrestle the title
from her. What can be sure is
that the person who lifts the
trophy on November 6th will
deserve to be the champion of
the World.
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