Seattle plays host to an amazing multi-national draw for $300,000 top purse in men’s squash
By NATHAN CLARKE
The 2015 Men’s PSA World Championship, the most prestigious title in the world of squash, will be one of the most global tournaments in the sport’s history after all of the PSA’s top 40 male players today confirmed their participation in the annual showpiece tournament – which will be staged in the United States for the first time ever this November, when Bellevue, Seattle plays host.
Taking place from Friday November 13 to Sunday November 22 on a stunning all-glass show court at Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Center, the 2015 World Championship will see a record purse of over $300,000 on offer as 112 of the world’s best players, representing 32 countries and spanning six continents, battle it out during what promises to be an enthralling and intense week of action.
Defending champion and three-time winner Ramy Ashour will be aiming to retain the title he won in dramatic fashion in 2014 and will line-up as the fourth seed in the 64-man main draw, which consists of 48 automatic entries with 16 places to be filled by the winners of the qualification event.
The man Ashour vanquished to claim his last two titles, current World No.1 and Egyptian compatriot Mohamed Elshorbagy, tops the seedings as he aims to win his first world crown, while three-time winner Nick Matthew of England and four-time runner-up Gregory Gaultier of France are the tournament’s other top seeds.
The 2015 Men’s PSA World Championship draw will be made on October 20.
“We’re very excited to host the 2015 Men’s World Championship in Bellevue this year and are delighted with the strength and depth of squash talent that have committed to playing in the sport’s most prestigious event,” said tournament promoter Shabana Khan.
“Bellevue has a blossoming squash scene and a deep-rooted connection with the history of the sport and to be the first city in the United States to host the World Championship is a great honour for everyone involved in the sport in the area and we’re really looking forward to welcoming the world’s best players to the city in November.”
2015 Men’s World Championship, Seattle, USA.
Main Draw Entry List (Seed, Name, Nationality, Ranking)
1) Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) [1]
2) Nick Matthew (ENG) [2]
3) Gregory Gaultier (FRA) [3]
4) Ramy Ashour (EGY) [4]
5) Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) [5]
6) Simon Rösner (GER) [6]
7) Omar Mosaad (EGY) [7]
8) Tarek Momen (EGY) [8]
9) Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) [9]
10) Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) [10]
11) Peter Barker (ENG) [11]
12) Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) [12]
13) Max Lee (HKG) [13]
14) Borja Golan (ESP) [14]
15) Stephen Coppinger (RSA) [15]
16) Saurav Ghosal (IND) [16]
17) Cameron Pilley (AUS) [17]
18) Daryl Selby (ENG) [18]
19) Fares Dessouki (EGY) [19]
20) Mazen Hesham (EGY) [20]
21) Tom Richards (ENG) [21]
22) Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) [22]
23) Chris Simpson (ENG) [23]
24) James WIllstrop (ENG) [24]
25) Adrian Waller (ENG) [25]
26) Leo Au (HKG) [26]
27) Nicolas Mueller (SUI) [27]
28) Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) [28]
29) Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) [29]
30) Cesar Salazar (MEX) [30]
31) Alan Clyne (SCO) [31]
32) Gregoire Marches (FRA) [32]
33) Alister Walker (BOT) [33]
34) Zahed Mohamed (EGY) [34]
35) Ali Farag (EGY) [35]
36) Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) [36]
37) Diego Elias (PER) [37]
38) Greg Lobban (SCO) [38]
39) Alfredo Avila (MEX) [39]
40) Paul Coll (NZL) [40]
41) Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) [42]
42) Lucas Serme (FRA) [43]
43) Nasir Iqbal (PAK) [44]
44) Shaun Le Roux (RSA) [45]
45) Declan James (ENG) [46]
46) Adrian Grant (ENG) [47]
47) Campbell Grayson (NZL) [48]
WC) Julian Illingworth (USA) [210]
Tickets for the 2015 Men’s World Championship are available to purchase now by visiting: http://www.worldsquashchamps2015.com/tickets/