Injuries sustained by top men's players has taken some sheen off the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, the final PSA World Series squash event of the year, beginning today at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here.

Former world champion and Egypt's Amr Shabana, sidelined due to a hamstring injury that also forced him to miss the Kuwait Cup Open, and the Englishman Nick Matthew, the defending champion, have withdrawn from the $1,65,000 week-long event.

Commonwealth Games double gold medallist Matthew sustained an injury in last month's penultimate PSA World Series event of the year in Kuwait.

Another former world number one France's Thierry Lincou has opted to take rest after a punishing autumn and the Australian Stewart Boswell has announced his retirement from the game.

Title success in the Punj Llyod PSA Masters a year ago led Matthew to the top of the world rankings in January - a position the Englishman has managed to retain throughout the year.

'I'm obviously massively disappointed and have done everything in my power to get fit in time,' said the 31-year-old from Sheffield, who is nursing an adductor injury.

The withdrawal could lead to Matthew losing his world number one ranking to fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop, who is enjoying the best form of his life, and this month moved to second place in the rankings after back-to-back victories in the Hong Kong Open and the Kuwait PSA Cup.

Should the 28-year-old from Leeds win the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, he will overtake Matthew as world number one for the first time in January.