Former world champions and world No1s Laura Massaro and Nick Matthew will be two of the star names on show in Burj Park, Dubai.

Massaro won two World Series titles this season and finished the World Series at the top of the PSA Road to Dubai Rankings, on equal points with new World champion Nour El Sherbini. El Sherbini is the new world No1 but Massaro has
retained the top seed for the tournament and goes into the event as one of the leading title contenders.

After arriving in Dubai, Massaro said: “It was disappointing to lose the final (of the World Championships to El Sherbini) but overall it was a really good week, and my form since January is really nice. It was nice to be back in a major final playing for a big title.

“Overall I was happy and since then I have been to the Europeans with England and won the European Teams which was a fantastic week. I’ve had a couple of good weeks of training with the mindset of a big push for this event, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Matthew, a three time world champion and winner of 33 career titles, made the finals of two of the World Series events this year despite an injury-plagued season.

“I’m feeling fit, I want to put the injuries behind me now and focus on the last tournament  of the season and finish on a high,” said the No3 seed. “It’s the first time I’ve been to Dubai for a major event, it’s great to come to new venues and I’m very excited.”