Ramy Seeded For Record-Equalling Fourth ToC Title
by Howard Harding

11 December 2013 - Egypt's Ramy Ashour, who topped the PSA World Rankings throughout 2013, is seeded to win a record-equalling fourth J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions title at the first PSA World Series squash event of 2014 in New York in January.

Ashour, 26, from Cairo, became the youngest Tournament of Champions winner in 2008 at the age of 21 - and will now be bidding to emulate the four-title record held by Canada's Jonathon Power.

"The action on the glass court in Grand Central Terminal at the 2014 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions will be electrifying," said John Nimick, president of Squash Engine, Inc., the tournament promoter, as he announced the draws for the world's largest spectator squash event.

"Virtually all of the world's top-ranking men and women players are entered, representing 23 nations and six continents. In the men's draw, we have five returning titleholders in the hunt for the title - all of whom have been ranked #1 in the world."

Ashour will be succeeded at the top of the world rankings in January by 2012 ToC champion Nick Matthew. The 33-year-old Englishman will go into the ToC in a rich vein of form having won the PSA World Championship for the third time in November and his first Hong Kong Open title in December.

Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the 2009 ToC champion who went toe-to-toe with Ashour in the five- game 2013 ToC final, has been ranked No.2 since June 2013 - and defeated Matthew to win the 2013 US Open title in October.

Mohamed Elshorbagy served notice in 2013 that he will be a title contender. The 22-year-old Egyptian notched victories over higher-ranked players Matthew, James Willstrop and Karim Darwish en-route to two PSA titles and his highest world ranking of 4 in December. Rounding out the top six seeds are two former World No.1 players - England's James Willstrop, the 2011 ToC champion, and Egypt's Karim Darwish, who has been a top 10 player since October 2007.

University graduate Todd Harrity, the first American in 21 years to win the US Intercollegiate Singles Championship when he took that title in 2011, will receive the tournament's wild card entry.

The 2014 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions will celebrate the event's 17th staging at the iconic Grand Central Terminal in New York since 1995.

1st round draw:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Adrian Grant (ENG)
Stephen Coppinger (RSA) v Ong Beng Hee (MAS)
Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Qualifier
[8] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Qualifier
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) v Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v Qualifier
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Qualifier
[3] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Qualifier
[4] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) v [WC] Todd Harrity (USA)
Tarek Momen (EGY) v Qualifier
Daryl Selby (ENG) v Qualifier
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) v Qualifier
[6] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) v Simon Rosner (GER)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) v Alister Walker (BOT)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Tom Richards (ENG)