With two weeks to go before a world class squash field descends on the Island, Bermuda champion Nick Kyme is already feeling the pressure.

Kyme, now ranked 92nd in the world following his Fast Forward Freight National Championship win, knows expectations are high for his match-up with former world champion Peter Nicol in the first round of the Bermuda Squash Open.

The 23-year-old will carry the nation's hopes into the $56,000 tournament's main draw after being given a wild card on appeal to the Professional Squash Association (PSA).

But despite breezing to domestic honours over fellow professional James Stout last week, Kyme admits he could face potential embarrassment at the hands of Nicol, who has reigned supreme over the sport globally for five years, and who defeated him with the loss of just a point at the last Commonwealth Games.

"This is going to be a tough, tough match for me," said Kyme, whose wild card award came after former golf pro and Senator Kim Swan and former world champion Dave Palmer among others backed his corner.

"This guy is a world-class player and has the potential to make me look silly. People who have seen me play in Bermuda before will see this guy and think he is playing the sport at another level.

"But I know the pressure is on me. A lot of people came up to bat for me when it came to arguing for me to get a wild card place and if I get swept off the court, the PSA are going to say 'I told you so'.

"That will probably mean no more wild cards for Bermudians in the future ? so there is a huge amount of pressure on me to perform."

The chances of Kyme beating Nicol are seen by many in the sport as virtually nil, with the Bermudian instead understood to have set himself a target of eight points in each of the first to 15 games.

And Kyme is not the only one who will be feeling the pressure.

Stout, Gary Plumstead, Tommy Sherratt and Nick Wiffen are all taking part in the qualifying draw but will still have to face opponents from within the world's top 60 and few close to the sport believe they will get through the two games needed to earn a place in the tournament proper ? just winning a game in any of the qualifiers will be a significant achievement.

"Those boys are going to find it tough," continued Kyme.

"They will be facing some strong opponents and will do well to pick anything up ? but it will certainly be a good experience for all of them."

Easing to victory domestically may not have been the best preparation for Kyme ahead of the main event, which begins on March 15, and he is heading off the Island this weekend for a tournament in Ottawa.

The faster-pace of that event, the main difference between amateurs and pros, will further prepare him for an event that is set to propel him into the world's top 75 win or lose against Nicol.