Ahead of the start of the PSA Dubai World Series Final, Ahmed Rizvi provides everything you need to know about the elite squash event.
What: The PSA Dubai World Series Final
The World Series Final is the end of season championship of the Professional Squash Association’s World Tour. The top eight players in the men’s and women’s World Series qualify for the event.
Where: The Burj Park, Downtown Dubai
The world’s elite squash players will be competing in Dubai for the first time, playing at the Burj Park with the iconic Burj Khalifa providing the backdrop.
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When: May 25 — May 28
The eight players, in both the men’s and women’s sections, have been divided into two groups of four. They will compete in a round-robin format on the first three days to decide the semi-final spots. There will be eight matches on each of those three days, four in both the men’s and women’s sections. The first match is scheduled for a 2pm start and the last for 9.45pm. The semi-finals will be played on Friday, starting 7pm, while the finals are scheduled for 7pm on Saturday.
Who will be playing?
The men’s Group A is headed by world No 1 Mohamed Elshorbagy of Egypt, who will face Englishman and world No 3 Nick Matthew, world No 5 Miguel Angel Rodriguez of Colombia, and France’s world No 6 Mathieu Castagnet for two semi-final spots. Group B will see world No 2 Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, Egypt’s world No 4 Omar Mosaad, world No 11 Simon Rosner of Germany, and Australian Cameron Pilley, the world No 13, battle for the two qualifying spots.
In the women’s section, Malaysian superstar and former world No 1, Nicol David, now ranked world No 5, has been drawn alongside world No 2 and 2013 world champion Laura Massaro of England, world No 8 Amanda Sobhy and Egypt’s Nouran Gohar, the world No 6 in Group A. In Group B, Egyptian world No 1 Nour El Sherbini, the reigning world champion, will take on compatriots Raneem El Weleily, the world No 3, Omneya Abdel Kawy, the world No 7, and world No 4 Frenchwoman Camille Serme.
Tickets
Tickets are available online www.ticketmasteruae.ae, with general entrance for the first three days priced at Dh25 and Dh75 for the VIP section. The VIP section is sold out for Friday and Saturday, but tickets are available in the general section, priced at Dh50.
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
Company%20Profile
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
