With nine World Championship crowns and over 100 PSA World Tour titles between them, Nicol David and Laura Massaro have been battling each other – and the rest of the Women's field – for almost 20 years. The duo, who first met in the Under-14 British Junior Open, have met 36 times across all competitions – from Commonwealth Games finals to British Open battles, with David boasting 27 wins – and look set to meet in a title decider as the top two seeds at this week's Oracle NetSuite Open. Massaro has won four of their past five match-ups during a period that has seen David fall from World No.1 to as low as No.7 and with both players edging towards their mid-30s in an era that is seemingly dominated by young, attacking Egyptian talent, we asked a panel of experts for their take on what to expect from two of squash's most decorated players during the 2017/18 season.

Laura Massaro - Still a threat to the rising Egyptian tide

Vanessa Atkinson – Former World No.1 & World Champion

The women’s game is in great shape at the moment and the group of players vying for titles is bigger than ever before but if we’ve learnt anything from the Men’s Tour it’s to never write players off based on age alone – just look at Gregory Gaultier. In Massaro’s case I see no reason why she can’t enjoy success this season – there are very few players that can match the determination and single-mindedness of the English woman and I fully expect her to be right there in the mix contending for big titles once again. David is in a somewhat different position. Although she’s been very consistent in terms of making quarter-finals and semi-finals at the big events, she hasn’t had a win at World Series level since the 2015 Hong Kong Open. Physically she’s still probably one of the best athletes out there, however having been virtually unbeatable for so long you get the sense that mentally the last couple of seasons have taken their toll. The game has changed more in the past few years than ever before and the style of squash that won David so many titles in the past is no longer applicable. The low tin has certainly played a big part but in the end it’s all about the player’s ability to absorb these changes and turn them to their advantage and no player has done that better than Nour El Sherbini. In the same way that David came along and raised the bar in terms of physicality over a decade ago, we now have Sherbini doing the same thing with her squash. But you don’t achieve what David has achieved without a huge amount of resilience and if she can continue to adapt her game to the low tin and expand her short game, she could keep herself in the running for a while yet. Richard Eaton – Journalist for AFP and SquashPlayer Magazine

I would be surprised if both didn’t win more titles before they are through. Both appear to be fit enough to compete well for a while yet, if they wish to. The peaks can be just as high in the 30’s as before, but perhaps happen less often. Laura may still beat anyone if she combines hitting her targets precisely with the varieties of pace and tactical switches she mixed together so cleverly at the 2016 British Open. These not only improve her attack, they become disruptive for her opponents. Nicol has shown evidence of a capacity to adapt to the needs of the lower tin, but the ability to win more titles may depend upon mental adaptability. She may still be developing belief in clearly improved technical abilities, and in making good choices when cutting the ball off and making the first play short.

Nicol David could be facing a tough season on Tour