ElShorbagy & ElSherbini to lead 2022 Draws

ElShorbagy and El Sherbini to lead Manchester Open Draws

For the second time in 2022, Mohamed ElShorbagy and Nour El Sherbini will be the top seeds of a PSA World Tour event, as they headline the draws at the Silver level Manchester Open, which will take place from 13th to 18th April at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

The venue, which houses a glass court and six traditional courts, will have another glass court erected in the indoor athletics arena, providing a new amphitheatre for the competition, while the existing glass court will play host to matches on the opening two days of the tournament.

48 players will be in action across the six-day event, with World No.1 El Sherbini being the star attraction in the women’s draw. She has never featured in this event before, but did make the final of the AJ Bell PSA World Championships in December 2017, which was also held at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

The ‘Warrior Princess’ will receive a bye through to the second round of the competition, where she will face one of two compatriots, in either Sana Ibrahim or Nada Abbas. No.6 seed Nele Gilis would be her quarter final opponent, while a meeting with either England’s Georgina Kennedy or fellow Egyptian Rowan Elaraby could come in the last four.

Home favourite Sarah-Jane Perry will be the No.2 seed for the women’s draw, and she could face a host of compatriots in the early rounds. Either Egypt’s Yathreb Adel or fellow Englishwoman Lucy Turmel lie in wait for the World No.5, before a possible meeting with Jasmine Hutton or Julianne Courtice in the quarter finals. Perry would then face either New Zealand’s Joelle King or Welshwoman Tesni Evans in the last four.

In the men’s draw, there could well be a ‘Shorbagy Showdown’, as brothers Mohamed and Marwan are seeded to meet in the final. Older sibling Mohamed will be the top seed for the event, and will face either France’s Auguste Dussourd or Victor Crouin in the last 16. Possible battles with Malaysian No.1 Eain Yow Ng and fellow World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad could come before the final.

If he is to meet his elder brother in the final, then No.2 seed Marwan ElShorbagy will have to get the better of either England’s Patrick Rooney or Scotland’s Greg Lobban in the second round, before possible meetings with Germany’s Raphael Kandra and Welshman Joel Makin en route.

There will be plenty of home hopes in the draw at the PSA World Tour Silver level tournament, with the likes of James Willstrop, Adrian Waller and George Parker and wildcard Simon Herbert joining Rooney in the draw, while Kennedy and Perry lead the way for the English in the women’s event.

Action from the National Squash Centre in Manchester will be shown live on SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will also be shown on broadcasters around the world.