ISSUE03-2017InternationalSquashMagazine

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IF HISTORY IS AN INDICATION, YOU’RE LOOKING AT THE FUTURE
AJ BELL PSA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS MANCHESTER 2017 The biggest event on the international squash calendar, the 2017 AJ Bell PSA World Championships will light up Manchester between the 8th to 17th December when the greatest players in the world descend on the UK’s leading sporting city to battle it out for the right to be crowned World Champion. Qualification and early rounds of the prestigious event will be held at the renowned National Squash Centre, while the quarter-final stage onwards will see the championships move to Manchester Central in the heart of the city. Of the 150+ players competing, only two will taste the ultimate glory and International Squash Magazine takes a look at at the main contenders. WOMEN’S FAVOURITES: Laura Massaro (ENG) One of England’s greatest ever squash players, Laura Massaro’s determination and will to win have seen her become a perennial title challenger who, aged 33, shows no signs of slowing down. What she lacks in natural shot-making flair, Massaro makes up for in a combination of mental fortitude, resilience, physical strength and supreme fitness - forming a package that makes her almost impossible to beat on her day. The reigning British Open Champion will have the advantage of having a passionate home crowd behind her in Manchester and, having captured the 2013 World Championship title, she has all the big match experience to deal with the pressure. The former World No.1 will be hoping for a favourable draw in the early rounds to enable her to reach the latter stages in full fitness - where the dangers of an intensely competitive field will lie in wait. Nour El Sherbini (EGY) Despite being just 21-years-old Nour El Sherbini has dominated the PSA World Tour for the past 18 months, maintaining the World No.1 spot unbroken throughout that period and winning the past two editions of the World Championship. Her victory in 2015, coming from 0-2 down to defeat Massaro, saw her crowned the youngest-ever Women’s World Champion and she will be a firm favourite to complete a hat-trick of wins this December. A sublime finisher and shot-maker, El Sherbini is one of the most exciting players on the PSA World Tour but one who also harbours a fierce inner determination and fire that forms the backbone to her success. The burden of expectation will not phase a player who has been at the very top of the game since her teenage years. Raneem El Welily (EGY) One of the world’s most naturally gifted and skilful players, Raneem El Welily is an enigmatic character who is at times sublime and at times perplexing. A consistent figure inside the top five since 2012, a period that saw her become the first player in nine years to dethrone Nicol David and become the first-ever female Egyptian World No.1, El Welily has at times failed to deliver on the promise that accompanies her talent. When she puts her game together she is arguably the best player on World Tour but mental lapses and concentration issues seem to accompany her into every event. She has appeared in two World Championship finals previously, where she fell to defeat against Nicol David in 2014 after holding multiple match balls, and then to El Sherbini in 2016. If she can conquer her mental doubts, she will be a force to reckon with in 2017. Camille Serme (FRA) The only female player to claim two World Series titles during the 2016/17 season, lifting both the U.S. Open and Tournament of Champions titles, Camille Serme is a complete all-round player who is both physically strong as well as gifted with the racket in hand. Since turning professional in 2005, questions had surrounded the Frenchwoman’s mental strength, but a newfound approach adopted at the end of 2016 seemed to put those questions to bed - but she is yet to taste success on the biggest stage of all. A disappointing semi-final exit during the last World Championship instalment, an event she entered in the form of her life, will have fuelled her inner desire. INTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE September 2017 | 23 www.isportgroup.com/InternationalSquashMagazine
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