India's Dipika Pallikal and Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy have been named as top seeds for next month's World Junior Squash Championships, the World Squash Federation event which has attracted players from 28 nations to the ICL Squash Academy in Chennai, India, from 29 July to 2 August.

Born and raised in Chennai, Dipika Pallikal is seeded to become India's first ever world squash champion.  Already ranked inside the women's world's top 50, 17-year-old Pallikal has established a significant junior career, winning the British Junior U17 Open title in 2008 and reaching the final in both the British Junior U19 Open and Asian Junior Championship earlier this year.

Pallikal is expected to meet Egypt's No2 seed Heba El Torky in the women's final.  Winner of British Junior Open titles at U13, U15 and U17, the 18-year-old from Alexandria has also already notched up two WISPA World Tour titles, at last year's China Open and Pakistan Open.

Heba's younger sister Nouran El Torky is also amongst the event's top seeds:  The 16-year-old, seeded five, is one of six Egyptians named in the top 16 seeds – including the youngest, 13-year-old Nour El Sherbini, also from Alexandria.

Whilst the women's individual event will precede the Women's World Junior Team Championships – the biennial event which is held in alternate years to the men's junior team championships – this year sees the staging of the first annual men's individual world championship.  Responding to feedback from Member National Federations, the WSF plans to run men's and women's individual world junior championships annually from this year, staged alongside the biennial team championship.

Title-holder Mohamed El Shorbagy has the chance to become only the second player in history to win the men's crown twice.  The 18-year-old favourite from Alexandria has already enjoyed a meteoric run in the sport - and boasts a senior world top 20 ranking following notable success on the PSA World Tour which has included final berths in the recent Spanish Open and Irish Open and a quarter-final finish in last year's World Open in his maiden appearance in the sport's premier championship.

El Shorbagy's predicted final opponent is Malaysian Ivan Yuen.  Winner of the recent Asian Junior Championship title, also in Chennai, the second seed from Selangor made his debut in the world's top 100 in May.

Women's 1st round draw:
[1] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bye
Marina Lopez (ESP) v Natasha Kingshott (USA)
Lume Landman (RSA) v Kimberley Szeto Ka Hei (HKG)
[17/32] Lana Harrison (NZL) bye
[17/32] Milou van der Heijden (NED) v Shria Khatri (IND)
Millie Soendergaard (DEN) v Yong Sue Ann (MAS)
Yathreb Adel (EGY) v Carrie Ramsey (ENG)
[9/16] Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG) bye
[9/16] Nessrine Ariffin (MAS) bye
Jennifer Pelletier (CAN) v Julia Lecoq (FRA)
Ho Ka Po (HKG) v Julie Cerullo (USA)
[17/32] Christine Nunn (AUS) bye
[17/32] Julianne Courtice (ENG) bye
Vanessa Raj (MAS) v Matilda Ravn-Holm (SWE)
Anaka Alankamony (IND) v Franziska Hennes (GER)
[5] Nouran El Torky (EGY) bye
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bye
Cyrielle Peltier (FRA) v Eliza Sim (NZL)
Yarden Odinak (USA) v Saumya Karki (IND)
[17/32] Sarah Cardwell (AUS) bye
[17/32] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v Ankita Sharma (IND)
Ilona Lagerweij (NED) v Celine Yeap (MAS)
Cheyna Tucker (RSA) v Vanna Frederiksen (DEN)
[9/16] Samantha Cornett (CAN) bye
[9/16] Salma Hany (EGY) bye
Caroline Sayegh (GER) v Richa Beenessreesingh (MRI)
Robyn Baptiste (RSA) v Sara Esperon (ESP)
[17/32] Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) bye
[17/32] Rachael Goh (MAS) bye
Michelle Gemmell (CAN) v Harita Omprakash (IND)
Jennie Lindstrom (SWE) v Sharya Guruge (SRI)
[7] Olivia Blatchford (USA) bye
[8] Maria Toor Pakay (PAK) bye
Rheanne Niebling (AUS) v Elani Landman (RSA)
Surbhi Misra (IND) v Ana Arosa Rodriguez (ESP)
[17/32] Lisa-Marie Sedlmeier (GER) bye
[17/32] Tan Yan Xin (MAS) v Sachika Balvani (IND)
Chan Wing Hei (HKG) v Elizabeth Eyre (USA)
Nikki van der Heijden (NED) v Nada Elkalaawy (EGY)
[9/16] Kimberley Hay (ENG) bye
[9/16] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) bye
Aparajitha Balamurukan (IND) v Tessa ter Sluis (NED)
Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) v Anna Sophie Jensen (DEN)
[17/32] Melissa Alves (FRA) bye
[17/32] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bye
Harriet Ingham (ENG) v Mao Shi Yuan (SIN)
Cheri-Ann Parris (BAR) v Shivangi Paranjpe (IND)
[3] Laura Gemmell (CAN) bye
[6] Low Wee Nee (MAS) bye
Eira Mooney (SWE) v Damindhi Mudiyanselagie (SRI)
Emilie Lamilango (FRA) v Carmen Lee (HKG)
[17/32] Tamika Saxby (AUS) bye
[17/32] Rachael Chadwick (ENG) v Alexandra Fuller (RSA)
Emma Millar (NZL) v Bine Lind (DEN)
Haley Mendez (USA) v Mao Shihui (SIN)
[9/16] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bye
[9/16] Anwesha Reddy (IND) bye
Maria Dafonte Garcia (ESP) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
Katherine Quarterman (ENG) v Zoya Khalid (PAK)
[17/32] Karman Siu (HKG) bye
[17/32] Catalina Pelaez (COL) bye
Stefanie Rosner (GER) v Megan Craig (NZL)
Anne Jongerden (NED) v Alexis Saunders (USA)
[2] Heba El Torky (EGY) bye

Men's 1st round draw:
[1] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bye
[17/32] Nathan Lake (ENG) v Bryan Bonilla (GUA)
[17/32] Choy Kit Lun (HKG) v Binura Jayasuriya (SRI)
[9/16] Aditya Jagtap (IND) v Miled Zarazua (MEX)
[9/16] Raphael Kandra (GER) v Nasser Al-Hussaini (KUW)
[17/32] Geoffrey Demont (FRA) v Paramit Singh (IND)
[17/32] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) v Zeke Scherl (USA)
[7] Henrik Mustonen (FIN) v Muhammad Zul A Azhar (MAS)
[8] Farhan Zaman (PAK) v Laurens Mostmans (BEL)
[17/32] Ben Coleman (ENG) v Ashray Ohri (IND)
[17/32] Ramit Tandon (IND) v Johan Detter (SWE)
[9/16] Todd Harrity (USA) v Fahad Al-Ramezi (KUW)
[9/16] Lucas Vauzelle (FRA) v Guilherme Melo (BRA)
[17/32] Fung Ngo Long (HKG) v Abhishek Pradhan (IND)
[17/32] Arjun Gupta (CAN) v Sami Johnson (IND)
[4] Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) bye
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bye
[17/32] Nosherwan Khan (PAK) v Aqeel Ashkanani (KUW)
[17/32] James Earles (ENG) v Gihan Suwaris (SRI)
[9/16] Lucas Serme (FRA) v Pedro Mometo (BRA)
[9/16] Ravi Dixit (IND) v Brandon McLaughlin (USA)
[17/32] Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) v Sheen Ramdenee (MRI)
[17/32] Nelson Chan (HKG) v Truls Olterman (SWE)
[5] Alfredo Avila (MEX) v Akshay Deepak (IND)
[6] Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) v Mauricio Sedano (GUA)
[17/32] Karan Malik (IND) v Tom de Mulder (BEL)
[17/32] Antoine-Camille Petrucci (FRA) v Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND)
[9/16] Rudi Rohrmuller (GER) v Alexander Ma (USA)
[9/16] Chris Fuller (ENG) v Daniel Tepos (MEX)
[17/32] Caspar Grauballe Nielsen (DEN) v Abhinav Sinha (IND)
[17/32] Nasser Al-Rashid (KUW) v Pranay Marchant (IND)
[2] Ivan Yuen (MAS) bye