Dubai: Tickets are now on sale for the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Dubai World Series Finals, which will be held at Emirates Golf Club from June 5 to 9.
The top eight male and female players following eight stages of the annual PSA World Tour will qualify for the finals, and with just one more qualifying event to go, the battle for finals slots is heating up.
Prior to the ongoing British Open, which ends on May 20, Egypt’s Mohammad and Marwan Al Shorbagy, Ali Farag and Tarek Momen, along with Germany’s Simon Rosner, had all confirmed qualification in the men’s line-up, while Egypt’s Nour Al Sherbini, Nour Al Tayeb and Raneem Al Welily were confirmed in the women’s line-up along with New Zealand’s Joelle King.
Dubai defending champion Laura Massaro of England still has a third consecutive title in her sights after a semi-final finish in Al Gouna saw her move up to fifth in the standings. A first round win at the British Open has ensured that she has also qualified for Dubai, while France’s Camille Serme, Egypt’s Nouran Gohar and England’s Sarah Jane Perry currently are in line for the last three spots.
In the men’s line-up, three-time winner and 2016 Dubai champion, Gregory Gaultier, was sixth ahead of 2016 World Champion Karim Abdul Jawad going into the final qualifying event. Gaultier’s second round win in the British Open will see him return to Dubai, while Jawad is still in the hunt despite losing his second round in Hull. Taking the final spot among the men’s top eight is England’s Nick Matthew, who will aim to defend a slender five-point lead over Egypt’s Omar Mosaad as he constests his final British Open.
The 37-year-old will retire at the end of the season, but whether his last PSA World Tour appearance will be in Hull or Dubai depends on whether he can better Mosaad’s placing at the British Open.
Players will go head-to-head in Dubai in the best-of-three-game group matches as they battle for a place in the semis and beyond. A prize fund of $320,000 (Dh1.175 million) will be split equally among both men’s and women’s categories. Tickets may be purchased at https://dubai.platinumlist.net/event-tickets/70345/atco-psa-dubai-world-series-finals, starting from Dh55. Visit www.worldseriesfinals.com for more information.
This will be the third time running that the finals have been held in Dubai, with previous editions having been held in Burj Park and Dubai Opera.
