Blockbuster fixtures in store in Eindhoven
The draws for the 2019 DPD Open Squash have been announced today, with some blockbuster fixtures in store at the DPD Hub Eindhoven from 9th to 14th April.
48 of the best male and female players will descend on the Dutch city next month to battle it out for the PSA World Tour Gold titles.
World No.1 and World Champion Ali Farag is seeded to meet compatriot and World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy in the final. The two players have become familiar foes on the PSA World Tour this season, battling it out in three finals already in 2018/19.
Farag will first have to negotiate through a tough field, which sees him drawn on the same side as the likes of Colombia’s 2018 British Open champion Miguel Rodriguez, compatriot Mohamed Abouelghar and Germany’s World No.5 Simon Rösner, who he could face in the last four.
ElShorbagy meanwhile, could face a showdown with compatriot and former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad for a place in the final. Also seeded in the bottom half of the draw is New Zealand’s Paul Coll, who recently won the Canary Wharf Squash Classic title and ElShorbagy’s younger brother, Marwan.
Meanwhile in the women’s draw, World No.1 Raneem El Welily and World Champion Nour El Sherbini could lock horns in the final of the DPD Open, in their fourth meeting in a final this season.
2019 Black Ball Open winner, El Welily could face compatriot and World No.3 Nour El Tayeb in the semi-finals of the tournament. The last time the two players came up against each other was in the last four of the PSA World Championships in Chicago when El Tayeb put an end to El Welily’s title defence.
Also situated in the top half of the draw is New Zealand’s World No.5 Joelle King and England’s World No.6 Sarah-Jane Perry.
El Sherbini, meanwhile, could face a rematch with France’s World No.4 Camille Serme in the semi-finals in Eindhoven. The two players have faced each other in their last two tournaments with both matches going to five-games and seeing the Egyptian triumph.
Also in the bottom half of the draw is England’s former World No.1 Laura Massaro and Egypt’s World No.8 Nouran Gohar.
Home interest in the women’s draw comes in the form of Netherlands’ Milou van der Heijden and wildcard Tessa ter Sluis who will face England’s Millie Tomlinson and Egypt’s Yathreb Adel, respectively, in round one.
The men’s wildcard will be decided on 31st March in a play-off match between Roshan Bharos and Thijs Roukens. The winner of that match takes on Joel Makin from Wales in the opening round.