Any one of a strong field for the Endurance World Open squash tournament in Bermuda could emerge by the end of next week as world champion and it would be hard to pick a favourite.

Current world number one ranked player, Amr Shabana of Egypt, would strongly disagree after claiming his third successive title at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open earlier this month, defeating world number three Greg Gaultier of France in a final much closer than the 3-1 scoreline suggests.

Gaultier overcame fellow Frenchman, world number seven Thierry Lincou to reach the final, while Shabana had recorded a tough semi-final win against the current World Open champion and world-ranked number four, David Palmer of Australia.

Shabana has held the world number one ranking ever since his brilliant performance in the final of last year's Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters 2006 against squash legend Peter Nicol and he will no doubt feel confident about his chances in Bermuda.

He has held the World Open crown on two previous occasions but victory in Bermuda is by no means assured, with the likes of Gaultier, Palmer, and Lincou all capable of upsetting the world number one. Gaultier, for example, has a 6-5 winning record against Shabana, while Palmer who's second home is Bermuda, has a history of peaking for the major championships.

Palmer, like Shabana, is a two-time World Open champion and is the current holder of the title. Palmer is known to be one of the toughest competitors in the sport and will not relinquish his title with a fight in front of his "home"crowd.

Lincou is another former World Open champion who loves playing in Bermuda and has defeated Shabana in the past. And hovering just a single point behind Shabana in the world rankings is the new superstar of squash, Ramy Ashour, a fellow Egyptian, who has had a meteoric rise to number two in the world. Ashour has recorded victories against most of the top players, including Shabana, in the past 12 months.

He picked up an injury several months ago, and it was announced then that he would be taking a break from tournaments in order to prepare for the World Open in Bermuda. It now remains to be seen whether he has fully recovered from his injury and whether he can continue where he left off — a serious threat to everyone on court. Preparations for the World Open are on schedule according to tournament director Ross Triffitt and the specially built 1400-seat 'see-through' stadium, on Turtle Hill at the Fairmont Southampton overlooking picturesque Horseshoe Bay, is visually stunning.

Roger Sherratt, spokesman for the tournament organisers, said: "The Endurance World Open is going to be a spectacular sporting event, even for those who have never seen squash before. We have the world's finest players competing head to head.

"Everyone in Bermuda has a unique opportunity to see these great athletes in action at a superb venue. The stage will truly be set on the Opening Night next Sunday at 6 p.m. with the very first match featuring the world number one Amr Shabana, and our local qualifier James Stout also on court against the world number 15."

All sessions at the stadium start at 6 p.m. with doors opening at 4.30 p.m. through to final night on December 1. Tickets are available from Gateway on Queen Street, from the BSRA in Devonshire at 292-6881 (after 10 a.m.) and on line from www.boxoffice.bm. For more information check log onto www.squashworldopen.com.