The world's best players will head to New Delhi next week to compete in the ninth and final
PSA World Series squash event of the year, the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters which is marking its third successive year in India.
Top seed in the $165,000 championship at the Siri Fort Complex - organised by KWAN Entertainment and Marketing Solutions Private Limited - will be Nick Matthew, the 31-year-old whose title triumph in the event a year ago took the Englishman to the top of January's PSA world rankings, a position he has held throughout the year.
Matthew is making a comeback after being forced to withdraw midway through last month's PSA World Series Kuwait PSA Cup with an adductor injury. The Yorkshireman opens his 2011 Masters campaign against Australian Ryan Cuskelly.
The event is also the last chance for players to fight for places in next year's ATCO PSA World Series Finals - the event in London in January which will star the top eight players in the 2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings.
Among those for whom outright victory could give them a place in the Queen's line-up are Mueller, England's Tom Richards and Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy.
Punj Lloyd PSA Masters 1st round draw:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
Hisham Mohamed Ashour (EGY) v Tom Richards (ENG)
Adrian Grant (ENG) v Borja Golan (ESP)
[7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Stephen Coppinger (RSA)
[5] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) v Chris Ryder (ENG)
Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) v Ong Beng Hee (MAS)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Siddharth Suchde (IND)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
Alister Walker (BOT) v Alan Clyne (SCO)
Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Simon Rosner (GER)
[8] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Mohammed Abbas (EGY)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) v Olli Tuominen (FIN)
Julian Illingworth (USA) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Jonathan Kemp (ENG)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS)
