World Champion Shabana Seeded To Win First Dunlop British Open Title

Amr Shabana, who has become Egypt's most successful squash player of all-time after topping the world rankings and twice becoming World Champion, is seeded to win the one major title that has hitherto eluded him when he appears in the 2006 Dunlop British Open at the University of Nottingham from 15-18 September.

In the men's draw announced today by event promoters internationalSPORTgroup, Shabana will face Scotland's John White in the opening round. Victory by the 27-year-old from Cairo - who was runner-up when the event was last staged in Nottingham two years ago - would make Shabana the first Egyptian British Open champion for 40 years!

Shabana will face tough opposition in his opening match. White, a former world number one, was based in Nottingham - where he trained at the University - until last year. The hard-hitting Scot, the runner-up in 2002 who now lives in the USA, will be making his ninth successive appearance in the event.

Favourite Shabana is expected to meet three-times champion David Palmer in the 2006 final on the all-glass court erected for the first time at the University of Nottingham. The world No2 from Australia - champion in 2001, 2003 and 2004 - is drawn to face wild card player Chris Simpson, the British Junior Champion from Guernsey who will be making his debut in the world's most prestigious event which was introduced in the early 1920s.

But Palmer is expected to face a tough all-Australian battle in the quarter-finals where is due to take on defending champion Anthony Ricketts. The world No5 from Sydney made his breakthrough on the international circuit last year in Manchester where he fought through the high-quality 2005 Dunlop British Open field to become only the second Australian to lift the men's trophy since the legendary seven-times champion Geoff Hunt in the early 1980s. Fifth seed Ricketts meets a qualifier in the first round.

Home interest in the 2006 men's championship will be led by Yorkshire's James Willstrop, the 23-year-old former World Junior Champion from Pontefract who led England to success in the World Team Championships in Pakistan last year. The fourth seed, who battled through to his maiden British Open final last year, begins his 2006 campaign against Malaysia's rising star Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the world No12 from Sarawak.

The 2006 Dunlop British Open, featuring world-class men's, women's and masters events, will take place at the University of Nottingham for the first time - with qualifying getting underway on Tuesday 12 September, followed by the main draw from Friday 15 September, when action will also be featured on the all-glass court.

"The fact that we've got all of the top players in the world competing in the 2006 Dunlop British Open at the University of Nottingham says it all," commented Tournament Promoter Paul Walters of internationalSPORTgroup.