KUALA LUMPUR: National No. 1 Ng Eain Yow will face a tricky challenge in the inaugural Ace Malaysia Squash Cup, which begins tomorrow at the Dato Mohd Said Sports Complex in Seremban Two.
However, the world No. 20 Eain Yow will only open his campaign in the second round against Egyptian ninth seed Ibrahim Elkabbani after receiving a first-round bye.
If he wins, the fourth seed is expected to face the sixth-seeded Sebastien Bonmalais from France in the quarter-finals.
The top two seeded players in the men's event are Egyptian world No. 5 Mostafa Asal and world No. 6 Karim Abdel Gawad.
Eain Yow is drawn to play Karim in the semi-finals.
Asian champion Eain Yow admitted it would be a tricky campaign in the bronze-level PSA Tour tournament, which offers a prize money of US$51,500 (RM243,620).
"Every match in the Malaysia Cup is going to be tough, but my real challenge begins in the quarter-finals.
"If I can overcome Sebastien, I will likely face Karim, who has defeated the world's top five players this year," said Eain Yow.
Karim was runner-up at the World Championships in Chicago, the United States, in May and won the Grasshopper Open in Switzerland Open last month.
For the record, Eain Yow defeated Karim in a tournament two years ago.
Regarding the new courts at the venue, Eain Yow admitted he hasn't had the chance to test them yet.
However, he remains optimistic about the chances.
"With the advantage of playing on home turf and the support of the fans, I hope to give my best performance in the Malaysia Squash Cup," said Eain Yow, who is based in Bristol.
The other national players in action in the five-day tournament are Addeen Idrakie, Syafiq Kamal, Ivan Yuen and C. Ameeshenraj.
In the women's competition, Egyptian world No. 6 Nour El Tayeb and world No. 19 Farida Mohamed are the top two seeds in the tournament. World junior champion Amina Orfi of Egypt will also feature in the tournament.
Asian champion and world No. 32 S. Sivasangari, seeded seventh, anticipates a challenging tournament.
"The draw features several top players, and there are no easy matches. I will take it one step at a time and give my best effort," said Sivasangari, who will likely take on compatriot and third seed Aifa Azman in the quarter-finals.
If she beats Aifa, Sivasangari will likely face Nour, who won the Manchester Open in May and South Western Open in the US last month, in the semi-finals.
Other Malaysian women players in the competition include Ainaa Amani, Rachel Arnold, Aira Azman, J. Yasshmita and veteran Low Wee Wern.
Fans will have the opportunity to watch the action for free on Squash TV on Monday and Tuesday.