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Ashour to Debut in UK Squash Competition
Pakistan
Times Sports Desk
LONDON (UK): Egyptian teen
squash sensation Ramy Ashour will be making his first appearance in the UK
since bursting into the world’s top five this year when he makes his debut
in the Super Series Finals starting from Thursday at the National Squash
Centre in Manchester.
The annual showcase event, which brings together the top eight qualifiers
from the previous year’s Professional Squash Association Super Series
tournaments around the globe, will be staged in the UK’s third largest city
for the first time, from August 9 to 12.
Egypt’s two-times World Open champion Amr Shabana heads the star-studded
cast. The 28-year-old left-hander from Cairo has dominated the sport since
beginning his 17-month reign as world number one in April last year.
Shabana, who is making his fourth appearance in the event, will be joined by
Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the third seed and four-times European champion
who is making his debut in the event; and Englishmen James Willstrop and
British Open champion Nick Matthew, the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively,
from Yorkshire.
Ramy Ashour joins fellow Egyptian Karim Darwish in the Manchester Group -
both players making their debuts in the event. 19-year-old Ashour followed a
distinguished junior career - which saw him become the first man to win the
World Junior title twice - by racing up the senior rankings to reach world
number two in June.
To qualify for this year’s Finals, Ashour claimed two semi-final berths in
2006 Super Series events as well as reaching the final of the Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong Open in his maiden appearance in the event. This year, the
remarkable youngster has already claimed three Super Series crowns.
But the two Egyptians will face stiff opposition in the Manchester Group
from experienced Super Series Finals campaigners David Palmer, the reigning
World Open champion from Australia, and Frenchman Thierry Lincou, a
two-times winner of the title who is making his sixth successive appearance
in the championship.●
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