Nour El Sherbini heads into the Black Ball Squash Open as favourite ©Getty Images

Egyptian world number one and two Nour El Sherbini and Nouran Gohar will be seeking a title win on home soil as the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Black Ball Squash Open comes to their nation's capital, Cairo.

A four-time world champion, El Sherbini is the favourite heading into the competition as she tops the world rankings ahead of Gohar.

The women's competition is set to start tomorrow, running until Saturday (December 12) and will then be followed by the men's competition from December 13 to 18.

France's world number four Camille Serme is the third seed for the competition and will start as one of the favourites, while Egypt's Nour El Tayeb will miss the tournament, citing personal reasons when announcing her withdrawal.

Nouran Gohar is currently ranked second in the world ©Getty Images
Nouran Gohar is currently ranked second in the world ©Getty Images

Reigning champion Hania El Hammamy, who was the world number 10 in March when she claimed the title, now sits fifth in the world and fourth seed thanks to a solid 2020.

She could face El Sherbini in the semi-finals, providing no upsets come in the earlier rounds of the competition.

England’s Sarah-Jane Perry, the United States' Amanda Sobhy, New Zealand's Joelle King and Wales' Tesni Evans will all be looking to break into that final four, with all four national number ones seeded from fifth to eighth.

Egypt's Salma Hany and India's Joshna Chinappa are seeded ninth and 10th respectively.