Prince Star Willstrop To Lead Prince Group In Super Series Finals Draw

In recognition of Prince's status as Official Racquet Partner of next month's ATCO Super Series Finals - London 2008, the brand's leading player James Willstrop will lead the Prince Group in the flagship squash championships which bring together the top eight qualifiers from the 2007 PSA Super Series World Tour.

The ATCO Super Series Finals - London 2008, which will be staged at the Broadgate Arena in the heart of London's Square Mile from 19-23 May, will feature two pools of four players, leading to finals which will produce a 1-8 finish.

World No1 Amr Shabana of Egypt will lead a star-studded eight-man line-up which will feature compatriots Ramy Ashour and Wael El Hindi; Australia's David Palmer; Thierry Lincou and Gregory Gaultier of France; and James Willstrop and Nick Matthew of England.

"Since acquiring the rights to this major event, we have been working very hard at finalising a solid and sustainable commercial platform from which the championships can prosper over the short, medium and long-term," said Ziad Al-Turki, Vice-Chairman of the ATCO Group which is promoting the event jointly with internationalSPORTgroup.

"This year's championships in London will be one of the most exciting and eagerly-contested in Super Series Finals history and we are pleased to welcome Prince as our official racquet partner. The Super Series Finals is without question one of the most important events on the Men's World Tour and we are very grateful for the support of Prince in help staging this year's championships, which will offer one of the richest prize funds in the sport, supported by a comprehensive programme of TV coverage which will ensure that the event is distributed to the largest possible global audience."

Bob Johnson, Sales and Marketing Director of Solo Sports UK Ltd, the brand's distributors in the UK, added: "We are delighted to be the official racquet sponsor for the ATCO Super Series Finals - London 2008, which provides further momentum to the successful introduction of our revolutionary O3 squash racquet range. Our support of this year's championship demonstrates our continued commitment to squash which in turn will further strengthen our position in the sport."

Joining Willstrop, the sixth seed, in the Prince Group will be No1 seed Amr Shabana, third seed Gregory Gaultier, and No7 seed Thierry Lincou. Competing in the ATCO Group will be No2 seed Ramy Ashour, the defending champion, together with fourth seed David Palmer, fifth seed Nick Matthew and No8 seed Wael El Hindi.

Willstrop faces long-time French rival Gregory Gaultier in the opening pool match on Monday (19 May), while Shabana takes on Lincou in the other first encounter in the Prince Group. The initial ATCO Group clashes feature Matthew and El Hindi, followed by Ashour v Palmer.