Channel Vas Championships 2019


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Channel VAS Championships2019
Men's Draw
19-24 Nov
St. George’s Hill, Weybridge, Surrey
$106k

ROUND TWO
20-21 NOV
QUARTERS
22 NOV
SEMIS
23 NOV
FINAL
24 NOV

[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7 (54m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY)

Mohamed ElShorbagy
5-11, 11-9, 11-9,
10-12, 12-10 (85m)
Saurav Ghosal
Mohamed ElShorbagy
2-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (49m)
Mohamed Abouelghar
Mohamed ElShorbagy
8-11, 11-3, 11-1,
10-12, 11-6 (90m)
Karim Abdel Gawad
Tom Richards (ENG)
11-3, 11-5, 11-5 (37m)
[7] Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[5] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
11-7, 11-6, 11-9 (44m)
Declan James (ENG)
Mohamed Abouelghar
11-8, 11-7, 3-11, 9-11, 11-7 (78m)
Mazen Hesham
 Mazen Hesham (EGY)
11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6 (52m) 
[4] Diego Elias (PER)
[3] Paul Coll (NZL)
11-4, 11-8, 11-8 (43m)
Daryl Selby (ENG)
Paul Coll
3-11, 11-9, 12-10,
9-11, 11-2 (87m)
 Joel Makin
Paul Coll
11-8, 11-4, 11-3 (45m)
Karim Abdel Gawad
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6 (61m)
[8] Joel Makin (WAL)
[6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6 (49m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
Marwan ElShorbagy
11-7, 11-6, 11-4 (32m)
Karim Abdel Gawad
George Parker (ENG)
13-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-7 (51m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
ROUND ONE
Main Draw - 2019 Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill
1] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt [9/16] Borja Golan (ESP) 11-6, 2-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6 (81m)
[9/16] Tom Richards (ENG) bt Richie Fallows (ENG) 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 (32m)
[7] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bye
[5] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bye
[9/16] Declan James (ENG) bt [WC] Joe Lee (ENG) 13-11, 11-4, 11-7 (53m)
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Chris Simpson (ENG) 11-6, 10-12, 4-11, 11-6, 11-3 (59m)
[4] Diego Elias (PER) bye
[3] Paul Coll (NZL) bye
[9/16] Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 11-2, 11-3, 11-5 (29m)
[9/16] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 11-2, 4-11, 12-10, 11-5 (62m)
[8] Joel Makin (WAL) bye
[6] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
[9/16] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) 13-11, 6-11, 12-10, 3-11, 11-4 (56m)
George Parker (ENG) bt [9/16] Lucas Serme (FRA) 6-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6 (77m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bye

REPORTS

Gawad Beats ElShorbagy in Marathon Final to Claim Channel VAS Crown

Egypt’s World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad prevailed in a 90-minute five-game battle against World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy to lift the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill, PSA World Tour Gold title in Weybridge, England.

The two players have faced each other 14 times on the PSA Tour previously, however, the last and only time the two Egyptians went to five-games was all the way back in 2016 when Gawad claimed the victory in the semi-finals of the Men’s World Championship, which he went on to win.

2017 champion ElShorbagy came out of the blocks firing to take the opening game at the St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club, before Gawad switched the momentum to his favour in the second and third, taking a 2-1 lead for the loss of just four points across both games.

An injury break for ElShorbagy at the end of the third seemed to give him a push in a marathon 37-minute fourth game as he stayed with his opponent in a tightly contested battle. World No.4 Gawad looked at one point as though he was going to hold championship ball at 9-7, before it was taken away from him by his ball being called down to allow ElShorbagy to stage an epic fightback and push the match to a deciding fifth.

ElShorbagy, who had spent 188 minutes on court this week before the final, was not able to push on any further in the final game though as he looked increasingly fatigued against an in form Gawad who punished him with his accurate hitting to take an 8-11, 11-3, 11-1, 10-12, 11-6 final in 90 minutes - the longest match of the tournament – and claim his 23rd PSA title.

“It felt great to play in that match, I think me and Mohamed haven’t played for a very long time in a final, since 2017 maybe,” said Gawad afterwards.

“I’m really glad to be back and playing in finals with him. He is an amazing athlete and is such an idol for everyone, a great player and very professional on and off court.

“From the beginning of the match, actually from 7-0 down, I tried to be aggressive from the back corners, and also I tried mixing my volleys. In the fourth at 9-7, I maybe got a bit passive, but also, Mohamed changed his game plan, and I didn’t adapt well enough. Although I lost, I remember thinking that my game plan was good, and that I had to go back to it.

“In the fifth I just made sure I switched back to it, but we were both very tired. The difference I think is that I managed to move him around more than he did.

“I’m really happy to win such a prestigious title. I’ve been playing here for so long and I have very good memories here. I would like to thank Mohamed for a great match today, Danny [Lee] for organising this and Bassim Haider for sponsoring the event. You’re doing a great job here and I love playing here in front of a good crowd. Squash means a lot to us so I would like to thank everyone for doing this and my coaches and sponsors for helping me and supporting me on good and bad days.”
 
 
ElShorbagy and Gawad to Contest
Channel VAS Final


Egypt’s former World No.1s Mohamed ElShorbagy and Karim Abdel Gawad will go head-to-head in the final of the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill after they claimed respective wins over Mohamed Abouelghar and Paul Coll.

World No.2 ElShorbagy showcased his mental fortitude to come from a game down against 26-year-old Abouelghar to reach his fourth final of the season, after winning both the China Squash Open and Oracle NetSuite Open titles, before losing out in the final of the U.S. Open last month.

Abouelghar, who was playing in his first semi-final of the season after struggling with a shoulder injury, began the match strongly to race into a 7-0 lead before ElShorbagy was able to get his first point on the board, before taking an 11-2 first game.

2017 champion ElShorbagy fought back with dogged determination in the second, when with the scores tied at 9-9, he pushed on to draw back level. The former World No.1 then continued to step further up the court and looked back to his old self as he roared himself to victory to close out a 2-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 win in 49 minutes.

“There was a very crucial time in the second game when we were both 9-9 and I think after that game when I won it, I got into him mentally and physically a little bit,” said ElShorbagy afterwards.

“That’s the time when I pushed really hard at the beginning of the third, just to show him that it was going to take a marathon if you want to get through it and I think I got into him a bit mentally in that third.

“I’m playing my fourth final in five tournaments this season and it’s what I always require from myself coming back every year. I’ve been trying to stay as consistent as I can and being in finals is what I live for. Every season when I do well I have never had a team around me that has told me I have done well, it’s always a team around me that have looked at what I have done wrong this season and that’s what I think has always got me to the top of my game.”

ElShorbagy will face compatriot Gawad for the 15th time in their careers, and for the first time this season, for the PSA World Tour Gold title after the latter scored a comfortable 3-0 victory over New Zealand’s World No.5 Coll.

PSA World Championship runner-up Coll, who lifted the title back in 2016, was unable to find a reply to a free flowing Gawad who dominated the court with ease with his artillery of incredible shots to take an 11-8, 11-4, 11-3 victory and reach his 35th PSA final.

“I have been playing very good squash recently,” said Gawad afterwards. “At the US Open, even if I didn’t win it, I was happy with my game, and in Cairo, I really played some good squash. In the Worlds, I was pretty tired from the Egyptian Open, and somehow, I felt a lot of pressure there.

“I am playing with no expectation other than playing my best squash, not thinking about losing or wining, really, no pressure and that makes all the difference.”

The final of the Channel VAS Championships will take place tomorrow (Sunday November 24) at 15:30 local time (GMT) with the action shown live on SquashTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian Subcontinent only).
 
Top Seed ElShorbagy Survives Ghosal Scare to Reach Channel VAS Semi-Finals

Egypt’s former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy survived a scare against India’s World No.11 Saurav Ghosal to reach the semi-finals of the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill in a breathtaking five-game battle in Weybridge, England.

Heading into today’s match, ElShorbagy had claimed the last seven victories in a row with the last three all being 3-0 wins. However, Ghosal gave the ‘Beast from Alexandria’ a run for his money throughout the entire match with ElShorbagy saving match ball from the clutches of defeat to book a last four place.

“Saurav is a quality player and I think this is the best match we have ever played against each other,” said ElShorbagy afterwards. “We have played so many times on tour and we both go way back. We train together, we’re really good friends and today was the best we have played against each other in the last 12 years. I’m really happy that I was a part of something special.”

ElShorbagy will face World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar for a place in the final after he overcame compatriot and World No.19 Mazen Hesham in another five-game encounter at the St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club.

Abouelghar played solid squash to open up a 2-0 lead, however, Hesham’s natural flair and unpredictability served him well to get back on level terms. 26-year-old Abouelghar got back to basics in the fifth though to straighten up his play and attack well to claim an 11-8, 11-7, 3-11, 9-11, 11-7 victory in 78 minutes.

“It doesn’t matter how many times we play,” said Abouelghar. “Every time is different, and you never know what he is up to. You still can’t read him even if you play him 100 times.

“I had a good start going 2-0 up and then I think I lost my length a little bit and he took advantage of it with his unbelievable skills and he made it really hard for me to get that momentum back.”

The other semi-final at the PSA World Tour Gold event will see New Zealand’s World No.5 Paul Coll come up against Egypt’s World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad.

Coll, the only non-Egyptian left in the tournament, had to be at his best to overcome a resilient Joel Makin of Wales in the longest match of the tournament so far.

The last time the two players met was at the start of the season in the final of the Open de France – Nantes, where Coll came away with a 3-0 victory to take his first title of the season. However, Makin showed just how much he had improved throughout the course of the first half of the season as he was in clinical form to take an 11-3 first game.

2016 champion Coll battled back well in the second and third though to take a 2-1 lead before being pushed to a fifth by the Welshman which he managed to close out by a 3-11, 11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-2 margin in 87 minutes.

“I was really struggling mentally today, I was just in and out of concentration and focus which is disappointing from my end,” said Coll afterwards.

“He stepped up today, but I felt like I wasn’t as clinical as I was against him in the final in Nantes. Especially on that court, he picks up a lot and played really well today. I’m just happy that I put in a good fifth set to close it out.

“I really wanted to test myself this week. My goal is to be World No.1 and you have to be consistent all year round, there are no excuses. This week is me testing myself mentally and backing up from a tough week last week.”

Meanwhile, former World No.1 Gawad was in formidable form to comfortably despatch compatriot and World No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy in straight-games in the last match of the evening.

Gawad was pushed to five by England’s George Parker yesterday, but he showed his focus was switched on today as he dominated from the outset to comfortably put ElShorbagy to the sword by an 11-7, 11-6, 11-4 margin in 32 minutes.

“Marwan is a very tough opponent and he has the ability to come back any time, so even though I was leading four or five points in each game I knew he had the ability to come back.

“I had to focus and be on my toes for every single shot to try and not give him a chance of a comeback.”

The semi finals of the Channel VAS Championships take place tomorrow (Saturday November 23) at 14:30 local time (GMT) with the action shown live on SquashTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian Subcontinent only).
 
Gawad Leads Top Seeds Through
to Quarters


Egypt’s former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad led the top seeds into the next round of the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill as the quarter final places were confirmed at the PSA World Tour Gold tournament taking place in Weybridge, England.

Gawad survived a comeback charge from England’s World No.42 George Parker in an entertaining four game battle at the St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club as he claimed a hard fought 13-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-7 victory in 51 minutes.

The World No.4 took an important first game on the tie-break before doubling his lead comfortably in the second. However, Parker made life difficult for Gawad with an impressive performance to take the third, but unfortunately for the feisty Englishman it was not enough with Gawad utilising his experience in the fourth to see out the victory.

“Over these past years, I’ve managed to work on my fitness and on my squash, but the thing I still need to improve vastly is my concentration and my mental consistency,” said Gawad afterwards.

“I used to lose the first game, now I win it most of the time and I’m trying to be in strong from the word go. I feel that I’m still in and out during matches and that’s what I really need to improve in the coming weeks and months.”

Gawad will take on compatriot and World No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy in the quarter finals tomorrow after he battled past Malaysia’s World No.32 Eain Yow Ng.

The 21-year-old Malaysian gave a good account of himself to cause some problems for the younger ElShorbagy brother, but ultimately, he took control to close out in four games.
“I knew how tough this match was going to be,” said 26-year-old ElShorbagy. “I have played with him once or twice in practice and I know how much he has improved and how well he has done this season.

“He did well in the Malaysian Open in September and moved to Bristol a few weeks back – we’re really happy to have him there and think he will add a lot to the city. He’s a former World Junior Champion and I’m pretty sure he will have a great career in the PSA.”

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s World No.5 Paul Coll and Wales’ World No.12 Joel Makin will go head-to-head in the other quarter final in the bottom half of the draw.

Coll, who lifted the title back in 2016, showed no signs of a hangover from the PSA Men’s World Championship last week in Qatar where he reached the final for the first time in his career as he swept aside England’s former World No.9 Daryl Selby in straight-games in a confident performance.

“It was a perfect match for me really, I had a little bit of a niggle in Qatar, but I didn’t feel it at all today,” said Coll afterwards. “I took a couple of days off after Qatar and went to Birmingham to see my coach, Rob Owen. We just had a light week and did some really good hitting just to get me sharp, but nothing too physical. I’ve had a lot of physio and rehab so I’m feeling really good.

“I love this court and I’ve got some good memories here. When you’ve got good memories somewhere it’s always good to come back and play, so I’m looking forward to this week.”

Makin and Coll will face each other for the sixth time in their careers after the 25-year-old Welshman prevailed against a resilient Mathieu Castagnet of France in four games.

World No.12 Makin continued his fine run of form that has served him well during the first half of the season as he was clinical to open up a 2-0 lead. Castagnet, who looked down and out at the end of the second game, rallied back to take the third but Makin was able to get back to basics in the fourth to cut out the errors and break away to take an 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6 win in 61 minutes.

“I’ve tried to add a bit more variation to my game and be a bit more severe on the short balls,” said 25-year-old Makin. “Like Mathieu started to do to me today, he slowed the pace down and really got control of the game to get me stuck behind, so I had to get back in front and inject a bit more pace and be a bit more severe going short.

“I played and lost against Paul a couple of times, in the British Open in the first round – that was a long hard match. We have played a fair amount recently and if I want to reach the top eight, that’s the kind of matches I will need to start winning.”
 

Egypt’s Hesham Upsets Elias

Egypt’s World No.19 Mazen Hesham upset the seedings on day two of the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill after he took out Peru’s World No.7 Diego Elias at the PSA World Tour Gold event to reach the quarter finals.

The 25-year-old had not secured a win over a player ranked inside the top ten since 2015, but Hesham proved he was getting back to his best form as he produced a formidable performance against an out-of-sorts Elias at the tournament in Weybridge, England.

Hesham displayed his natural flair with the racket to take an entertaining first game, before Elias battled back to level the scores in the second. It was the Egyptian was kicked on another gear though as he took full advantage of a fatigued Elias by varying his shots and setting a fast pace to unsettle the Peruvian player and claim an 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6 win.

“I feel great, I don’t want to jinx it, but I am injury free, and very happy on court,” said Hesham afterwards. Because I play more and more matches, I am able to control my emotions better and when I’m about to close a match.

“I used to play so many errors because I was getting so excited, but now I’m able to control and finish my matches, playing the important points better.”

Hesham will face compatriot and World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar in the next round after the Egyptian swept aside England’s World No.22 Declan James in straight-games.

The last time the two players met, James recorded a surprise victory against the Egyptian at the DPD Open earlier this year. However, he came up against a much more consistent Abouelghar today who was in strong form to power past the tall Englishman.

Abouelghar only recently made his return to the tour following a shoulder injury but has endured a disjointed run of form, however, the 26-year-old ensured he was back to his best as he produced a consistent display to take an 11-7, 11-6, 11-9 victory.

“I’ve always had tough matches against Dec, he’s such a great player,” said the Egyptian afterwards. “I knew how crucial the third game was and I’m very happy to close this one out.”

Meanwhile, Egypt’s World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy ensured his campaign got up and running with a win after he defeated compatriot Youssef Soliman in four games in Weybridge, England.

ElShorbagy, who got his hands on the title back in 2017, was comfortable on the St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club court, which he practices on regularly, as he stepped up and constantly kept Soliman pinned behind him to take a 2-0 lead.

Soliman had been struggling with a shin injury throughout the week and it looked to have caught up with him once again as he took a short injury break after the second. Following that the 22-year-old seemed to enjoy a resurgence to catch ElShorbagy off guard with the elder Egyptian producing uncharacteristic errors to aid Soliman in taking the third game.

The 28-year-old came back strongly in the fourth, however, as he managed to get back to the game plan that was serving him well in the first two games to close out a hard fought 11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7 win.

“I’m the kind of person who wants to improve and always likes to explore different areas of my game and see different thoughts of the game,” said ElShorbagy afterwards. “I think everyone brings something different to the game and I have only one career, so I want to learn as much as I can.

“Sometimes things can work, sometimes they can’t and sometimes it’s quickly or it takes a bit longer but at the end of the day I have to keep a positive mindset.”

ElShorbagy will face India’s World No.11 Saurav Ghosal in the quarter finals on Friday November 22 after he produced an immaculate performance to down local favourite Tom Richards.

Ghosal produced a masterclass in speed and accuracy as he moved around the court freely to punish any loose shots from the racket of Richards and take an 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 victory in 37 minutes.

“He can fire shots from anywhere in the court, he’s got a good racket on him, so I was trying to keep it away from the middle and use the four corners, as deep as I could,” said Ghosal.


“I think I did pretty well with my game plan, but against a player like him playing in his adopted club, you have got to be wary about him going to come out and play out of his skin, so I tried to stay as focused as I could. But I’m happy with a good length and depth, and happy to take it 3-0.”
 
Richards Heads Up Quartet of English Wins on Day One of Channel VAS

World No.26 Tom Richards led a trio of fellow Englishmen into the second round of the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill after he beat compatriot Richie Fallows on day one of the PSA World Tour Gold tournament taking place in Weybridge, England.

Richards, a local favourite who trains at the St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club where the tournament is taking place, was too clinical for his opponent today as he utilised his knowledge of the court to his advantage to down Fallows by an 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 margin.

“I’m lucky that I hit with guys that I know and like and I get to hit on this court a lot, which is a big advantage I think, because it’s very different to a lot of glass courts,” said Richards afterwards.

“The court is a lot different to how it plays normally. A couple of the other players told me that it was a bit dead, I believed them but having played on this court for years and years where it’s lively and bouncy, it’s a bit of a shock.”

Richards will clash with India’s World No.11 Saurav Ghosal in round two tomorrow.

Joining him in the second round is Nottingham-born Declan James who conquered wildcard Joe Lee in a tough battle to advance.

Lee was making his first appearance at a PSA event in over two years after suffering with a serious back injury that saw him require two operations. The wildcard displayed a stellar performance on his comeback on his home court, however, to put pressure on James, but it was the World No.22 who was able to prevail in three games.

James will take on World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar for a place in the quarter finals tomorrow in their first meeting since the Englishman claimed a shock win over the Egyptian at the DPD Open earlier this year.

“It doesn’t matter that Joe has had time out, I have huge respect for him,” said James. “Today, I knew that anything less than my best or 100% mental concentration then he would lap it up because it’s his home court and there is no pressure on him.

“I put pressure on myself and I expect a lot from myself so I’m very happy to win a match like this and be intense for the whole time. It was very hard, even though it was 3-0.”

World No.42 George Parker(right) and former World No.9 Daryl Selby were the other Englishmen to claim wins on day one after they defeated France’s Lucas Serme and Mexico’s Arturo Salazar, respectively.

The longest match of the day saw Egypt’s Youssef Soliman and Spain’s Borja Golan go head-to-head in a gruelling 81-minute fixture with the Egyptian pushing through an injury struggle to book a second round slot against top seed and World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy.

The match saw both players push each other to their limits with some gruelling rallies on show. However, it was Soliman, who is 14 years younger than the experienced Golan, who was able to take the advantage and hold his nerve to convert the victory.

“He’s one of the most experienced players on tour,” said Bristol-based Soliman afterwards. “I knew it was always going to be a tough match. It doesn’t matter how old he is, physically he is so good and he always finds a way. I’m really happy to close out the fifth game.

“In the second game, I had a problem with my shin, it was like my leg was tight and planted in the floor, I just couldn't move. I saw myself having to retire. But the physio, worked on it and just released the tightness and I was able to go back on court.”

Also advancing to the second round was Soliman’s compatriot Mazen Hesham after he also saw his match go the distance to five-games against England’s Chris Simpson.

The talented Egyptian was forced to battle from 2-1 down against the English World No.45 to reach the last 16 in a topsy turvy match between the two players with the momentum constantly shifting.

Hesham started confidently to take the first game, before Simpson displayed his own shot-making abilities to absorb the pressure and take a 2-1 lead. It was not enough though as Hesham regained his composure to take the match in five and will now face Peru’s Diego Elias in the last 16.

“I’m really happy to be stood here,” said Hesham following his win. “I really love playing and I cherish every moment now to be honest. I’ve started to really enjoy my game and I think I’ve started to find my range a bit more, I’m playing faster and getting better each tournament.”

Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng and France’s Mathieu Castagnet were the other victors of the day as they overcame Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi and Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu respectively, to advance at the English tournament.

The second round of the Channel VAS Championships begins tomorrow (Wednesday November 20) at 17:30 local time (GMT) when the top half of the draw – including World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy and Peru’s World No.7 Diego Elias – begin their tournaments.
ElShorbagy and Gawad Seeded to Meet in Blockbuster Channel VAS Championships Final

World No.2 and 2017 winner Mohamed ElShorbagy is set to face World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad in a mouthwatering title decider during the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill, which takes place in Weybridge between November 19-24.

This will be the fifth edition of the PSA World Tour Gold tournament, which will be staged at the St. George’s Hill Lawn and Tennis Club, where a total prize fund of $106,000 will be on offer.

ElShorbagy is the No.1 seed for the tournament once again, with fellow Egyptians Gawad, Mohamed Abouelghar and Marwan ElShorbagy also featured in the draw.

The World No.2 has been drawn to meet Peru’s Diego Elias in the semi finals, while Gawad is seeded to meet 2016 winner Paul Coll in the bottom half of the draw.

The Kiwi caused a shock when he rose through qualifying to take the title, and he will return to Weybridge in November, where he will face either Arturo Salazar or Daryl Selby in the second round after receiving a first round bye.

Selby is one of seven Englishman to feature in the event alongside World No.20 Declan James, World No.23 Tom Richards, World No.40 George Parker, World No.42 Chris Simpson, World No.50 Richie Fallows and the tournament’s wildcard, Joe Lee, a former World No.29 who is set to make his first PSA appearance since May 2017.

India’s Saurav Ghosal and Welshman Joel Makin are the No.7 and No.8 seeds, respectively, and they are expected to face ElShorbagy and Coll in the quarter finals.

All matches will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan).

Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster, with prices starting at £16.85.
Squash fans can follow the tournament on Twitter and Facebook and also at the official tournament website.