Elevated Wolverhampton Open Attracts High Class Entries

Elevation of the status of the men's and women's events in the forthcoming Wolverhampton Open has attracted high class international squash fields in both categories.

Stewart Boswell, the world No12 from Australia, heads the draw in the men's $30,000 3-star PSA Tour event, while record eight times Irish champion Madeline Perry, ranked eight in the world, is top seed in the women's WISPA World Tour Silver event.

The 2007 Wolverhampton Open will take place at the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis & Squash Club in the West Midlands of England from 11-16 September.

Introduced 12 months ago, the Wolverhampton Open now provides a perfect bridge between this week's Prince English Grand Prix - Birmingham 2007, and the Dunlop British Open - Manchester 2007, which will be held in Manchester from 18-24 September.

Squash legend Jonah Barrington, the six times British Open champion, is heartened by the idea of these three events becoming part of a revival mini-tour. "A British circuit? It works very well. It sets in motion sensible thinking people into talking about squash in a positive way for the first time for years and years. It's now going to happen for more than just a two-week period!"

Boswell, who will play all three events, is a well-known figure in the West Midlands: The 29-year-old from Canberra represented Birmingham club Edgbaston Priory with distinction in the Premier League - establishing a league-record 25-match unbeaten run over four seasons. With 17 PSA Tour titles to his name to date, Boswell opens his Wolverhampton campaign against Frenchman Jean-Michel Arcucci.

Home interest will be led by Yorkshireman Lee Beachill, the three times British National champion from Pontefract who is the No2 seed. The former world number one is expected to face England team-mate Adrian Grant in the semi-finals en-route to a showdown with Boswell in Sunday's final.

Grant, the London-born No3 seed from Halifax, opens his bid for success in Wolverhampton against Chris Ryder, the World University champion who is based at the club.

Spaniard Borja Golan is the defending champion and is en-route to Wolverhampton from Colombia where he won the Bogotá Tennis Club Circuito Mundial De Squash last week. Seeded four, the 24-year-old faces Pakistan's Shahid Zaman in the first round.

Madeline Perry will arrive in Wolverhampton full of confidence - after stretching Malaysia's world No1 Nicol David to four games in last week's Dutch Open in Amsterdam. The 30-year-old from Belfast begins her bid to win a seventh WISPA Tour title with a first round match against England's Jenna Gates, from Brighton in Sussex.

In the women's final, Perry is expected to meet second seed Laura Lengthorn-Massaro, the England international from Lancashire playing for the first time with a new hyphenated surname acquired after marrying Danny Massaro in the summer.

Men's 1st round draw:
[1] Stewart Boswell (AUS) v Jean-Michel Arcucci (FRA)
[8] Stacey Ross (ENG) v Qualifier
[4] Borja Golan (ESP) v Shahid Zaman (PAK)
[7] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) v Qualifier
[5] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY)
[3] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Chris Ryder (ENG)
[6] Bradley Ball (ENG) v Qualifier
[2] Lee Beachill (ENG) v Qualifier

Women's 1st round draw:
[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) v Jenna Gates (ENG)
[8] Tenille Swartz (RSA) v Qualifier
[3] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) v Qualifier
[5] Sarah Kippax (ENG) v Laura Hill (ENG)
[7] Joshna Chinappa (IND) v Carla Khan (PAK)
[4] Tricia Chuah (MAS) v Orla Noom (NED)
[6] Line Hansen (DEN) v Qualifier
[2] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) v Qualifier