World No1s ElShorbagy and El Sherbini prepare for Al Ahram Squash Open

The tournament marks its return to the PSA World Tour calendar after a 15-year hiatus on September 19 when the Great Pyramid provides the backdrop for this iconic event. You can watch how the action unfolds on Eurosport Player.

A 34-strong Egyptian contingent across both the Men’s and Women’s events will battle it out for a share of the equal $100,00 prize purse.

ElShorbagy was the dominant force in the Men’s game last season, winning six World Series titles in a row and cementing his status at the summit of the game.

The hard-hitting Egyptian’s incredible run came to an end during last month’s Hong Kong Open, where he fell to a surprise defeat against Australian No.2 Cameron Pilley, but he returned to form with victory at the China Squash Open a fortnight ago.

Pilley once again stands between ElShorbagy and a place in the latter stages, but victory for the 25-year-old could set him on course for a semi-final fixture against three-time World Champion Ramy Ashour – against whom ElShorbagy has contested one of the fiercest rivalries of recent times.

The charismatic Ashour, winner in Hong Kong last month, opens up against a qualifier in round one and fans of the two Egyptian powerhouses will be eagerly anticipating their prospective matchup.

With the likes of World Championship runner-up Omar Mosaad, French World No.9 Mathieu Castagnet and Hong Kong Open runner-up Karim Abdel Gawad also in the mix, the Great Pyramid of Giza looks set to play host to a scintillating Men’s draw.

The Women’s draw, headed by El Sherbini, also has a high-calibre field, with seven of the world’s top eight female players descending on Cairo.

El Sherbini is the favourite and is seeded to meet the dangerous World Junior Champion Nouran Gohar, who last month secured her maiden World Series title in Hong Kong, in the last four, while former World No.1 Raneem El Welily and Malaysian eight-time World Champion Nicol David could meet in a mouthwatering semi-final clash on the opposite side of the draw.

Hong Kong Open runner-up Amanda Sobhy and 2015 British Open champion Camille Serme are also in action in the bottom half of the draw – meaning that the path to a coveted final berth is fraught with danger.

2016 Al Ahram Squash Open NEWGIZA – Men’s First Round Draw
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[WC] Youssef Soliman (EGY) v [7] Simon Rösner (GER)
[8] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [Qualifier]
Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [3] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [Qualifier]
[Qualifier] v [6] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[5] Ali Farag (EGY) v Borja Golan (ESP)
[Qualifier] v [2] Omar Mosaad (EGY)

2016 Al Ahram Squash Open NEWGIZA – Women’s First Round Draw
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [Qualifier]
[Qualifier] v [6] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
[8] Alison Waters (ENG) v Victoria Lust (ENG)
[WC] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [4] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[Qualifier] v [7] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) v Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[Qualifier] v [2] Nicol David (MAS)