El Weleily Seeded To Retain World Junior Title

Egyptian Raneem El Weleily is seeded to retain her individual title in the Hoe Hin White Flower Ointment Women's World Junior Championships next month in Hong Kong - and is set to become only the second woman after Malaysian Nicol David, the reigning world number one, to hold the prestigious world title twice.

El Weleily is expected to meet Camille Serme, the European Junior Champion from France, in the final - according to the seedings for the individual championship, announced today by the World Squash Federation (WSF).

The Hoe Hin White Flower Ointment Women's World Junior Championships take place from 01-11 August, the individual event being followed by the team championship.

Raneem El Weleily claimed the 2005 title in Belgium, upsetting Indian favourite Joshna Chinappa in the final in Herentals, aged just 16. The 18-year-old from Alexandria is already making her mark on the WISPA World Tour, having reached four Tour finals to date and boasting a world ranking of 23.

Camille Serme, 18, from Creteil, is also reaching the end of a glittering junior career in which she has won countless titles, including the European Junior Championship crown both in 2006 and 2007.

Local interest in the event will be led by Hong Kong's Annie Au, a 3/4 seed with New Zealand's Joelle King. Au, 18, is already a 'veteran' of two senior world championships' appearances for her country - and led Hong Kong to success over Egypt in the 2006 World Junior Team Championships in Belgium.

The full list of seeds for the 2007 championships is:

1: Raneem El Weleily (EGY)

2: Camille Serme (FRA)

3/4: Annie Au (HKG), Joelle King (NZL)

5/8: Wee Wern Low (MAS), Heba El Torky (EGY), Victoria Lust (ENG), Sina Wall (GER)

9/16: Dipika Pallikal (IND), Shin Nga Leung (HKG), Kerry Wickett (NZL), Laura Gemmell (CAN), Nour Bahgat (EGY), Alia Balbaa (EGY), Melody Francis (AUS), Logan Greer (USA)

17/32: Sarah Parsons (CAN), Sun-Mi Song (KOR), Milou van der Heijden (NED), Wee Nee Low (MAS), Victoria Bell (ENG), Misaki Kobayashi (JPN), Melissa Meulenbelt (NED), Gabrielle de Lavison (FRA), Kimberley Bessell (AUS), Jasmin Ballman (SUI), Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG), Nouran Alaa El Torky (EGY), Milnay Louw (RSA), Tsz Ling Liu (HKG), Emily Park (USA), Astrid Kern (GER)