World's top squash players to take Dubai opera stage

The iconic Dubai Opera in the heart of Downtown Dubai will host its first sporting event in June when the world’s best squash players arrive in town to contest the lucrative season-ending PSA Dubai World Series Finals, and Egypt’s Marwan ElShorbagy got a jump on his opposition last week when he toured Dubai and had a sneak peek at the amazing venue as part of a pre-event promotional campaign.

After the resounding success of the event held in Burj Park last year, the eyes of the sporting world will once again be on Dubai from 6-10 June, as only the top eight men and women in the Road to Dubai standings qualify to contest one of the most prestigious titles on the squash world tour.

The opportunity for the squash players to perform on one of the grandest stages in the region in the first televised sporting event in the venue is generating much excitement for the players and sporting fans, with ElShorbagy saying “The PSA Dubai World Series Finals is the climax to the international squash season - the biggest moment of the year for squash players and we were thrilled when the event came to Dubai last year.

“While I didn’t qualify last year my brother Mohammed told me how amazing it was, and since then I’ve worked hard to make sure I finished in the top eight in the rankings and qualified for the event.

“After looking at some of the amazing venues around Dubai over the last two days, I feel honored that we will be the first sportsmen and women to compete in such an iconic place as the Dubai Opera, and we are very excited about what this will do for the sport of squash.

“Dubai has an incredible reputation for hosting world-class events, and we are pleased to be part of this. We know there is a rich history of squash in Dubai and we are excited about playing a part in its future.”

The countdown to the event is on in earnest with the women’s field finalized following the Allam British Open last month, and the men’s line-up set to be finalized following the El Gouna Squash International in Egypt on 7-14 April. ElShorbagy is currently sitting in fifth on the Road to Dubai standings with fellow Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad in the lead. ElShorbagy’s brother Mohammed, the current world number three, is in third behind world champion Gregory Gaultier.

With an equal prize purse of $160,000 on offer in both the Men's and Women's tournaments the five day event will bring together the cream of squash talent - with players playing a round-robin best-of-three series for place in the knockout semi-finals.

Tickets for the season-ending 2017 PSA Dubai World Series Finals are available to purchase via www.dubaiopera.com or from the Dubai Opera Box Office.

The World Series Finals comes to Dubai following an agreement between the Professional Squash Association (PSA), the global governing body responsible for the administration of professional squash around the world, and the Dubai Sports Council, facilitated by Falcon and Associates. As part of a two-year agreement, the 2018 tournament will also be held at Dubai Opera from June 5-9.

For further information on both the PSA World Series and the PSA World Tour, please visitwww.psaworldtour.com 

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