The world's best squash players try to earn World Series berth in Kuwait tournament

The best squash players in the world have convened in Kuwait for the HH Sheikh Saad Abdullah Al-Sabah Trophy, The Patriarch Amir, Kuwait Open, the eighth of 10 PSA Super Series events, set to begin Thursday 28 October. The event marks one of the last opportunities for players to qualify for the exclusive PSA World Series Finals at the Queen’s Club in London from 11-15 January 2011. Only the top eight players in the PSA 2010 Super Series rankings earn a spot at the prestigious event.

All but one of the top-12 players in the rankings are participating in this week’s $172,500 event, with number-eight ranked David Palmer of Australia, who sustained an injury at the recent Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, not in the field.

The final match is scheduled for Tuesday 2 November at Green Island.

Ramy Ashour sits comfortably atop the rankings, 125 points ahead of second place. The 23-year-old Egyptian is in the driver’s seat thanks to victories at the Hong Kong Open and the British Grand Prix this year. Displaying remarkable consistency, Ashour, who won the PSA World Series Finals in 2007, has been in the final match in six of the seven Super Series events played so far. He lost to fellow countryman Karim Darwish in the final of last week’s El-Gouna International, conceding the match after sustaining an injury in the second game. He appears to have recovered as he is in the field this week.

England’s Nick Matthew, opting not to play at El-Gouna last week after winning two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, currently occupies the number-two spot, thanks to three Super Series victories at the North American Open, the Australian Open, and the Sky Open in Egypt.

Rounding out the top-five are Englishman James Willstrop, winner of the Tournament of Champions in New York City, Egyptian player Karim Darwish, who won last week, and Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the two-time defending champion of the PSA World Series Finals.

While the top five in the rankings can feel reasonably safe with their inclusion at Queen’s Club next January, nothing is certain for the rest of the top-12. Egypt’s Amr Shabana, the reigning World Open champion, and Frenchman Thierry Lincou, looking to qualify for the World Series for a ninth consecutive year, are tied for sixth-place with 180 points each.

The eighth-ranked Palmer has 125 points, only five points ahead of ninth-ranked Peter Barker of England. Palmer won the World Series in 2002 while Barker will be trying to qualify for the event for the first time in his career.

After this week’s event, there will only be two Super Series events left to be played on the calendar. The Qatar Classic 2010 will be played in Doha, Qatar from 7-12 November while the 2010 Punj Lloyd PSA Masters will take place in New Delhi, India from 14-19 December. Both are Super Series Platinum events, the most prestigious of the Super Series, and will have 32-man fields. Total prize money for Qatar will be $147,500 while Punj Lloyd is a $192,500 event.