Doha, Qatar : Some of the world's best women's squash players will take to the court today to compete for the right to enter the inaugural 2004 Qatar Airways Squash Challenge that officially starts tomorrow.

Players from around the world will compete in a preliminary round today, with eight players winning the right to enter the Qatar Airways Squash Challenge and compete against the world's best 24 women's squash players.

The Qatar Airways Squash Challenge officially opens tomorrow at the Khalifa International Tennis-Squash Complex and finishes on February 28. It is the richest Grand Prix event on the Women's International Squash Players Association (WISPA) world circuit.

The US's Natalie Grainger goes into the event as the number one seed, while newly crowned number one player Cassie Jackman, from England, enters the event as the second seed.

Stiff competition is expected to come from Australia's Rachel Grinham, who sits on top of this year's Grand Prix points ladder, as well as her sister Natalie and the Nederland's Vanessa Atkinson.

Grainger, Jackman, Rachel Grinham and Atkinson will all meet qualifiers from today's preliminary round in their opening round tomorrow.

The opening matches of the 2004 Qatar Airways Squash Challenge will start tomorrow at 2 pm. Admission to the event is free.

The players seeking qualification today are:

1. Engy Kheirallah (Egy)
2. Laura Lengthorn (Eng)
3. Annelize Naude (Ned)
4. Dominique Lloyd-walter (Eng)
5. Amelia Pittock (Aus)
6. Pamela Nimmo (Sco)
7. Tegwen Malik (Wal)
8. Vicky Lankester (Eng)
9. Rebecca Botwright (Eng)
10. Kate Roe (Eng)
11. Melissa Martin (Aus)
12. Line Hansen (Den)
13. Katline Cauwels (Bel)
14. Ellen Petersen (Den)
15. Runa Reta (Can )
16. Amnah El Trabolsy (Egy)