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Aamir Faces El Shorbagy In New York Opener Back To Main

KARACHI: Top Pakistan squash player Aamir Atlas Khan will face World No 6 Mohammad El Shorbagy in the first round of JP Morgan Tournament of Champions, the first PSA World Series event of the new year at Grand Central Terminal in New York next week.

Aamir, ranked 26th in the world circuit, is the only player among the top 24 making his debut in the tournament. His uncle Jansher Khan won the tournament the first year it was contested in Grand Central Terminal.

Though ranked much below the Egyptian, Aamir is looking forward for a good show in the match against Shorbagy. “Ranking doesn’t matter to me much because in the past I have made upsets against top players. I have defeated Gregory Gaultier, Nick Matthew and Ramy Ashour, who were all world No 1. So I am looking forward to stun El Shorbagy and perform well throughout the tournament,” Aamir Atlas told PPI. Aamir will leave for New York on January 17.

Meanwhile, Englishmen Nick Matthew, the world No1 throughout 2011, and James Willstrop, who succeeded him at the top of the PSA world rankings this month, head a world-class field in the event.

The 32-player draw features 24 of the world’s top 30 players, with the remaining eight spots to be determined by a 32-player qualifying draw. The tournament lives up to its name as all but one of its winners have been ranked No1 in the world. The 2012 draw features six players who have topped the world rankings and three returning titleholders: England’s 2010 champion James Willstrop; Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the 2009 winner; and Egypt’s Amr Shabana, the champion in 2006 and 2007. Ramy Ashour, the defending champion and 2008 winner from Egypt, announced his withdrawal due to hamstring problems