Massaro Hoping to Get Season Up and Running at Oracle NetSuite Open

England’s World No.4 Laura Massaro is aiming to bounce back from a disappointing start to the season when she returns to San Francisco between September 26-30 to defend her Oracle NetSuite Open, PSA W50 title. Massaro, whose final victory over United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy 12 months ago saw her lift the second of four Tour titles throughout the 2016/17 season, began her campaign with a surprise first round defeat to New Zealand’s Joelle King during last month’s J.P. Morgan China Squash Open. But the 33-year-old from Preston is anticipating an improved showing in San Francisco as aims to become the first woman to win the Oracle NetSuite Open on more than one occasion. "I’ve got really good memories of my first time in San Francisco," said Massaro, the 2013 World Champion. "It always helps when you win but I loved the area and the court. The Bay Bridge is a spectacular backdrop and I loved the feel of things last year. "For a player, being close to the hotel [Hyatt Regency] is a big deal and the court is literally outside the back of the hotel, so it’s a bonus. "I have been looking to adjust things in my training after losing in China, so hopefully I can perform well in San Francisco and settle in again. "I really enjoyed it [last year]. The squash community is very passionate and I look forward to feeling that again." Massaro gets her tournament under way against wildcard Aisling Blake in round one and is seeded to meet England No.2 Sarah-Jane Perry in a blockbuster semi-final clash. A win there could see Massaro take on legendary Malaysian Nicol David in the title decider, with David seeded second for the tournament. Meanwhile, World No.1 Gregory Gaultier heads up the men’s PSA M100 tournament and he is joined by former World No.1s Karim Abdel Gawad, Mohamed ElShorbagy, Nick Matthew and James Willstrop in the strongest ever men's Oracle NetSuite Open draw. The qualifying stages and first round of the Oracle NetSuite Open will be held at local clubs between September 24-26, with matches from the quarter-finals onwards taking place on the Oracle NetSuite Challenge court on Justin Herman Plaza between September 27-30. Action from the Oracle NetSuite Challenge court will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe Only), while tickets start from $20 and can be purchased at www.netsuiteopensquash.tix.com 2017 Oracle NetSuite Open - Men's First Round Draw [1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [Qualifier] [Qualifier] v [8] Daryl Selby (ENG) [5] James Willstrop (ENG) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) [Qualifier] v [3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) [4] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Borja Golan (ESP) Diego Elias (PER) v [7] Fares Dessouky (EGY) [6] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [Qualifier] [WC] Faraz Khan (EGY) v [2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 2017 Oracle NetSuite Open - Women's First Round Draw [1] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [WC] Aisling Blake (IRL) [Qualifier] v [8] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY) [7] Donna Urquhart (AUS) v [Qualifier] [Qualifier] v [3] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [4] Emily Whitlock (ENG) v Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v [6] Olivia Blatchford (USA) [5] Victoria Lust (ENG) v [Qualifier] Heba El Torky (EGY) v [2] Nicol David (MAS)