WORLD SQUASH NEWS

PREVIEW: WISPA World Grand Prix Final, Hurgurda Egypt

EGYPT'S WORLD GRAND PRIX FINALS FEATURE WORLD'S TOP WOMEN

The world's leading women squash players will compete in the second WISPA World Grand Prix Finals in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in Egypt beginning on Thursday (15 April) and reaching its climax on Monday 19^th April. England's world No. 3 Sue Wright has been forced to withdraw from the $41,000 event as a result of a virus infection. She will be replaced in the field by Germany's world No. 8 Sabine Schoene, a semi-finalist in last week's first Grand Prix event of the new year, the Citroen Classic in her hometown of Parsdorf.

Australia's world No1 Michelle Martin, defending champion and top seed in Hurghada, will record her 50th WISPA World Tour title if she retains her World Grand Prix crown.

The Grand Prix Finals is contested by the eight players who have accumulated the most points in the ten leading WISPA World Tour events of 1998. Alongside Martin (winner of seven 1998 Grand Prix events) and Schoene in the 1999 field are world champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald and fellow Australian Carol Owens; England's Cassie Jackman and Suzanne Horner; New Zealand's Leilani Joyce; and Natalie Grainger from South Africa.

The 1998 Grand Prix events were the British Open, Al-Ahram International (Egypt), Heliopolis Open (Egypt), Phil Smart Mercedes Open (Seattle), Singapore Open, Citroen Classic (Germany), World Open (Germany), Carol Weymuller Open (New York), Philadelphia Open and US Open.

The players will play in two pools. Pool A features (seedings in brackets): [1] Michelle Martin, [4] Suzanne Horner, [5] Leilani Joyce, [8] Carol Owens. Pool B: [2] Sarah Fitz-Gerald, [3] Cassie Jackman, [6] Natalie Grainger, [7] Sabine Schoene.

Issued on behalf of WISPA by Howard Harding

For further information: Howard Harding Email: HowHard@aol.com

14 April 1999