Egypt's world number one Ramy Ashour leads a group of six former Qatar Classic champions who are eager to win the PSA Super Series squash title for a second time in Doha from 7-12 November.
The $147,500 Qatar Classic - the ninth of ten 2010 PSA Super Series events - celebrates its tenth successive year at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in the Qatar capital. Surprisingly, not since England's Peter Nicol in 2002 has any player won the prestigious title more than a single time.
Top seed Ashour will be hoping to repeat his success in April 2007, when the Qatar title was his third Super Series crown in three months! The 23-year-old from Cairo faces a qualifier in the first round before a predicted quarter-final clash with sixth seed James Willstrop.
Englishman Willstrop lifted the title in 2005, and also opens his 2010 campaign against a qualifier.
Third seed Amr Shabana claimed the trophy in November 2007 - and is expected to line up against fellow Egyptian Ramy Ashour in the semi-finals.
England's defending champion Nick Matthew is expected to meet Ashour in the final. The 30-year-old second seed from Sheffield - a double Commonwealth Games gold medallist in India earlier this month - faces Qatari wildcard opponent Ahmad Mohd Al-Tamimi in the first round.
Matthew's anticipated semi-final opponent is fourth seed Karim Darwish, the 2008 champion. But the world No5 from Cairo is likely to have first faced Frenchman Thierry Lincou in the previous round. It was in 2004 that eighth seed Lincou last reaped success in Doha, winning the World Open title.
Australia's David Palmer is making his tenth successive Qatar Classic appearance next month in Doha. The 34-year-old former world number one and two-time world champion boasts four appearances in the Doha final - in 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2007 - but has yet to clinch the title. Seeded 12, Palmer opens his 2010 campaign against England's Jonathan Kemp.
Qatar Classic 1st round draw:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Qualifier
[14] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Stewart Boswell (AUS)
[6] James Willstrop (ENG) v Qualifier
[13] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY)
[3] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Qualifier
[11] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) v Qualifier
[10] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Tarek Momen (EGY)
[12] David Palmer (AUS) v Jonathan Kemp (ENG)
[8] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY)
[9] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Qualifier
[4] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Qualifier
[15] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Qualifier
[5] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Olli Tuominen (FIN)
[16] Alister Walker (ENG) v Qualifier
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Ahmad Mohd Al-Tamimi (QAT)