WITH less that six months to go to the 2007 Endurance World Squash Open to be staged in Bermuda, Egyptian Amr Shabana made history this month when he celebrated his 15th month at the top of the Dunlop PSA Men’s World Squash Rankings. Only England’s Peter Nicol and former greats, Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan have held the top spot for longer periods.Bermuda fans, and indeed Shabana himself, will no doubt have fond memories of his last visit to Bermuda because it was here that he defeated Peter Nicol 3-2 in the exciting final of the Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters in April of 2006, just as he gained his world number one ranking — a position he has not relinquished since then.

And now another Egyptian is coming to the fore.

Bermuda Squash Racquets Association spokesman Roger Sherratt said: “The squash world has been turned upside down with the appearance of another brilliant young Egyptian, 19-year-old Ramy Ashour who is a former World Junior Champion.

“He has literally burst onto the squash scene since last year. Ashour was not eligible for the Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters 2006 because he was not even ranked in the top 32, so he has yet to play in Bermuda.

“But in April this year he shocked the squash world when he claimed the two biggest titles of the year — the $200,000 Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open, and then the $120,000 Qatar Classic — defeating both David Palmer and Shabana in the process. He has already won four PSA titles this year, and his meteoric rise has resulted in him claiming the World number two spot in this month’s rankings — just 42 points behind his fellow Egyptian — and pushing Palmer down to number three.”

Bermuda resident Palmer of Australia is the defending World Open Champion after winning the Al Ahram World Open in Egypt last September. And although he has continued to play superbly, claiming the number two spot for most of the past year, he has been overtaken by the Egyoptian teenager.

Sherratt said that Bermuda squash fans will be delighted to see that the two Frenchmen, Gregory Gaultier (4) and Thierry Lincou (5), are both still highly ranked, as are Englishmen, James Willstrop (7) and Nick Matthew (8), along with popular Scotsman John White (9). Canadians fans will be disappointed not to have superstar Jonathan Power, the greatest North American player in the history of the game, returning to the island.

Power has retired from the game but it seems likely that Graham Ryding (31) and Shahier Razik (26) will likely make the cut for November if they can retain their positions above No. 32.

Sherratt said: “Although it is still early days to gauge who will be leading the pack when the World’s top squash players descend on Bermuda in November, we guarantee that we will see 32 outstanding athletes competing at the very highest level for the right to be crowned the Endurance World Open Bermuda Champion 2007 at the Fairmont Southampton.”

A 16,000 square-foot transparent tent will be erected at Turtle Hill in Southampton to house the all-glass court on which this November’s World Championships are to be played.

Earlier this year tournament director Ross Triffitt unveiled his team’s ambitious plans for hosting the most prestigious competition in world squash — the centrepiece of which will be the 42-foot high structure made entirely of see-through plastic panels to protect both the players and the 1,300 spectators from any bad weather.

The tent is being imported from Canada and will be built by local construction firm BCM McAlpine, with the whole process set to take roughly ten days and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

“Our primary objective from the beginning was to find the most spectacular outdoor location we possibly could, in order to showcase the Island’s natural beauty to as broad a global audience as possible,” Triffitt said.

“And I believe that in Turtle Hill, with the views overlooking the beach and South Shore, we have found one of, if not the, most fantastic location in which a glass court has ever been built.”

For more information about the Endurance World Open Bermuda 2007 Squash Championships check their website at www.squashworldopen.com