Ashour To Extend Super Series Ranking Lead In El Gouna

Egypt's Ramy Ashour is seeded to win his third successive PSA Super Series squash title of the year at next month's inaugural $142,500 El Gouna International Open, the seventh Super Series event of 2010, at the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of El Gouna from 18-24 October.

The 22-year-old world number one from Cairo was in sensational form earlier this month in Manchester where he beat England's world No6 James Willstrop in the final of the ROWE British Grand Prix to win his second Super Series crown of the year.

Success in El Gouna would extend Ashour's lead at the top of the latest PSA Super Series Rankings over second-placed English rival Nick Matthew, the world number two.

Ashour faces a qualifier in the opening round and would be expected to meet France's fourth seed Gregory Gaultier in the semi-finals.

World champion Amr Shabana is seeded to meet compatriot Ashour in the final. The 31-year-old from Cairo, who held the world number one ranking for 33 months until December 2008, is still looking for his first Super Series title of the year. Shabana opens his El Gouna International title bid against England's Joey Barrington.

Qualifying for the first PSA Tour event to be staged in El Gouna will be held at the Alexandria Sporting Club in Alexandria from 16-17 October - followed by the first round of the main draw, which will also take place at the Alexandria club.

"El Gouna International Squash Open 2010 will host the world's top ranking squash players who will compete in the exquisite setting of Egypt's exclusive Red Sea resort, El Gouna," said Amr Mansi, tournament organiser and managing director of I Property.

"Together with Orascom Development, the tournament's title sponsor, we promise an event that will, with no doubt, leave its mark in the squash arena," Mansi added.

1st round draw:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Qualifier
[11] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Qualifier
[8] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[10] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v Farhan Mehboob (PAK)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[9] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK)
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) v Qualifier
[16] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY)
[13] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Qualifier
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) v Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY)
[12] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) v Qualifier
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Qualifier
[14] Alister Walker (ENG) v Qualifier
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v Qualifier
[15] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) v Amr Mansi (EGY)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Joey Barrington (ENG)