Australia's former world number one and 2008 champion David Palmer will get his 2010 Australian Open campaign underway with a tricky clash against India's Saurav Ghosal when the PSA Super Series squash event begins in Canberra on August 10.
Palmer, the two-time world champion and winner of four British Opens, will be favoured to beat the 23-year-old Ghosal, and would then probably move on to face fierce rival James Willstrop of England in the next round.
The draw for the $142,500 Australian Open, the fourth PSA Super Series 2010 event and the biggest squash tournament to be held in Australia since the 1991 World Open in Adelaide, was released today (Wednesday) by organisers in Canberra.
With 18 of the world's top 20 heading to the Royal Theatre in Canberra for the 2010 Open, there was never a chance of an easy passage to the later stages for any player in the main draw.
Palmer, the Florida-based former world number one from New South Wales, is now ranked 10th in the world but must still be considered one of the favourites to take out the first Super Series event of the season.
However, he first has to get past Ghosal, the 23-year-old from Kolkata who has risen to number 26 on the world rankings.
"I have been working hard over the break," Palmer said. "I feel that I have a good chance even though I am outside the top eight."
Tenth seed Palmer is joined in the main draw by fellow Australians Cameron Pilley, Stewart Boswell and wildcard Ryan Cuskelly.
Pilley faces a qualifier in the opening round, followed by a probable second round clash with Egypt's world number two Ramy Ashour.
Ashour is up against fellow countryman Omar Abdel Aziz in what is sure to be a thrilling first round match.
"I think the tournament is quite open to be honest," Pilley said. "The fact the event is the first major tournament of the season, there may be a few players who are match rusty which may open opportunities for upsets.
"I think all the Australian players will be very tough to beat down there in Canberra too."
Boswell, the defending champion, opens against seventh-seeded Frenchman Thierry Lincou while Cuskelly will be cursing his luck after drawing Egypt's third seed Amr Shabana.
World number one and top seed Nick Matthew begins his quest to become the first Englishman to win the Australian title since Gawain Briars in 1979 with an all-English clash against Joey Barrington.
Such is the strength of the 2010 Australian Open that, apart from Cuskelly, the last direct entry into the main draw was German Simon Rosner, the world number 33.
The 32-strong qualifying draw is headed by US number one Julian Illingworth.
Fifteen Australians will be lining up for the qualifying tournament, from which eight players will win their way into the main draw.
The women's draw will be made closer to the tournament, which begins on August 10 and runs until August 15.
Men's 1st round draw:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Joey Barrington (ENG)
[11] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v Simon Rosner (GER)
[8] Peter Barker (ENG) v Qualifier
[13] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Qualifier
[3] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
[15] Alister Walker (ENG) v Ong Beng Hee (MAS)
[6] James Willstrop (ENG) v Qualifier
[10] David Palmer (AUS) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[9] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Tom Richards (ENG)
[5] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Qualifier
[14] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Qualifier
[4] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Qualifier
[12] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Qualifier
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v Stewart Boswell (AUS)
[16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Qualifier
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY)