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2008 Event Preview
Shabana seeded to win new Petrosport International
on home soil
Egypt's world number one Amr Shabana is seeded to win his 14th
PSA Super Series squash title in the Petrosport International
Championship, the draw for which was revealed by the organisers
today in Cairo.
The new $140,000 Super Series Platinum event gets underway at
the Sky Club in Cairo on Wednesday following the
completion of the qualifying finals today.
The Petrosport International - the fifth PSA Super Series event
of the year - has attracted a world-class field, featuring seven
Egyptians already in the main draw, plus a further six making a
bid though the final qualifiers.
Top seed Shabana, the 28-year-old from Giza hoping to win the
22nd PSA Tour title of his career, faces a qualifier in the
first round - but is expected to come up against fellow
countryman Ramy Ashour in the semi-finals.
Ashour, the 20-year-old from Cairo who rocketed to No2 in the
world rankings last year, is seeded three - and beat Shabana the
last time they met in their home country, in the final of the
Hurghada International in April.
Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the current world number two, is
expected to meet Shabana in Monday's final. The 25-year-old from
Aix-en-Provence also takes on a qualifier in the first round. |
Ramy Inspires New Super Series Platinum Event In Egypt
The meteoric success of young Egyptian squash player Ramy Ashour
has inspired the launch of a new Super Series Platinum event on
the PSA Tour in his homeland.
The SKY Petrosport Open, boasting a $140,000 prize-fund, will
take place at the luxurious new SKY Club in Cairo. The 2008 championship will be the first of a planned
series of three annual events.
The event has been initiated by Ashour's coach Ahmed Matany,
in conjunction with Petrosport, the first Petroleum company
in the sports marketing business in Egypt and the Middle East.
"This is wonderful news for the ever-growing men's squash tour and
highlights not only the status of squash in Egypt, but also the
major impact Egyptian squash is having on the world stage," said PSA
Interim Chief Executive Ted Wallbutton.
The SKY Petrosport Open becomes the eighth PSA Super Series event of
the year, and the fifth to offer prize money in excess of $100,000.
Only 20 years old, Ramy Ashour made history in July 2006 when he
became the first person to win the biennial Men's World Junior
Championship for a second time. Within three months, he had reached
his first Super Series event final at the Hong Kong Open - since
when he has leapt to number two in the PSA world rankings with eight
major title wins from 13 final appearances.
Egypt currently boasts four players in the men's world top ten - led
by world champion Amr Shabana at No1 - and 12 in the top 50.
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