Squash: Draws Released for 2017 U.S. Open

Draws Released for 2017 U.S. Open A number of the world’s top players will go head-to-head right from day one at the 2017 U.S. Open Presented by Macquarie Investment Management after the draws for the PSA World Series tournament were released today (August 21). Taking place between October 7-14 in Philadelphia’s Drexel University, the U.S. Open is the first World Series tournament of the 2017/18 season and will see World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad take on World No.12 Paul Coll in the pick of the opening round matches in the men’s draw. Number two seed Gawad has been drawn on the same side of the draw as defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy and is seeded to meet the former World No.1 - who begins his tournament against a qualifier - in a mouthwatering last four encounter. Elsewhere, World No.1 Gregory Gaultier gets his tournament under way against Australia’s Cameron Pilley, with the top seed set to face last year’s runner-up Nick Matthew for a place in the final if both players can play to their seedings. Maverick Egyptian Ramy Ashour will also be in action and he will take on tournament wildcard Christopher Gordon, who will have home hopes on his shoulders as he aims to claim a first ever win over the three-time World Champion after defeats in 2006 and 2008. Women’s defending champion Camille Serme will begin her tournament against World No.53 wildcard Haley Mendez and she is seeded to meet World Championship runner-up Raneem El Welily in the semi-finals. The top half of the draw will see World No.1 Nour El Sherbini - who lost to Serme in last year’s final - take on fellow Egyptian Mariam Metwally on day one, while World No.4 Laura Massaro, a winner in 2011 and 2015, is seeded on the same side of the draw as El Sherbini and will line up against compatriot Millie Tomlinson. The U.S. Open will also see players compete for points on the World Series Standings for the first time in the 2017/18 season, with only the top eight men and women on the standings qualifying for a coveted berth at the season-ending PSA World Series Finals. Qualification for the 2017 U.S. Open Presented by Macquarie Investment Management takes place between October 5-6, while the main draw will be held between October 7-14 inside the Daskalakis Athletic Centre at Drexel University. Action from the tournament will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe Only), while the semi-finals and finals will be shown live on mainstream broadcast channels around the world, including BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia and Astro. Tickets start from $25 and can be purchased here: www.usopensquash.com/tickets  2017 U.S. Open Presented by Macquarie Investment Management - Men’s First Round Draw: [1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Cameron Pilley (AUS) Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) Simon Rösner (GER) v [Qualifier] Cesar Salazar (MEX) v [6] James Willstrop (ENG) [5] Ali Farag (EGY) v [Qualifier] Daryl Selby (ENG) v [Qualifier] Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) Zahed Mohamed (EGY) v [4] Nick Matthew (ENG) [3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v [Qualifier] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) v [Qualifier] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [Qualifier] [WC] Christopher Gordon (USA) v [8] Ramy Ashour (EGY) [7] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v [Qualifier] Max Lee (HKG) v Diego Elias (PER) Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [Qualifier] Paul Coll (NZL) v [2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 2017 U.S. Open Presented by Macquarie Investment Management - Women’s First Round Draw: [1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v Mariam Metwally (EGY) [Qualifier] v [14] Victoria Lust (ENG) [10] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [Qualifier] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY) v [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [6] Nicol David (MAS) v Donna Urquhart (AUS) Joey Chan (HKG) v [9] Annie Au (HKG) [12] Emily Whitlock (ENG) v [Qualifier] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v [4] Laura Massaro (ENG) [3] Camille Serme (FRA) v [WC] Haley Mendez (USA) [Qualifier] v [11] Joelle King (NZL) [16] Olivia Blatchford (USA) v [Qualifier] [Qualifier] v [8] Alison Waters (ENG) [5] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [Qualifier] Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) v [13] Joshna Chinappa (IND) [15] Tesni Evans (WAL) v Heba El Torky (EGY) [Qualifier] v [2] Raneem El Welily (EGY)