World #3 Mohamed ElShorbagy will top the Channel VAS Championships at St George’s Hill draw in October as six of the world’s top 10 players compete for the £100k title in Weybridge.
Held from 16th to 22nd October at the St George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club, the third edition of the Channel VAS Championship will see ElShorbagy joined by compatriots Ali Farag, Marwan ElShorbagy, Tarek Momen, Fares Dessouky and Mohamed Abouelghar in fighting for the title.
The top seed and former World #1 will be keen to put his first round defeat in last year’s event to rest.
New Zealand’s Paul Coll will return to the scene of his biggest ever title triumph as he looks to consolidate his place in the world’s top 10. The 25-year-old Kiwi shot up the World Rankings last season after a brilliant run that ended with hin downing Momen in the final, and this year’s 6th seed will aim for another taste of success in October.
Home interest in the main draw comes in the form of England’s World #12 Daryl Selby – the 2015 runner-up who sensationally beat top seed Elshorbagy in the first round – and tournament wildcard Joe Lee, while Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly, Spain’s Borja Golan and Peru’s Diego Elias make up the rest of the entries.
The qualification draw features a number of experienced home players vying to make it into the main draw, with the likes of 2015 winner Chris Simpson, World #36 Declan James, World #38 Adrian Waller and World #39 Tom Richards, who has played at the St George’s Hill club for almost 30 years, all in action.
There are also a number of local Englishmen aiming to come through qualifying. Charles Sharpes will aim to reach the main draw at the second attempt after falling in the final qualifying round last year, while 19-year-old Charlie Leeand 20-year-old Matthew Broadberry also feature.
But they will face stern competition if they are to qualify for the main draw, with World #18 Cameron Pilley, former World #4 Miguel Angel Rodriguez and Indian #1 Saurav Ghosal just some of the big names in the qualifying draw.
