LONDON Pakistan's Aamir Atlas Khan has been nominated as top seed in the 2008 World Junior Men's Squash Championship.

The championship, due to be held in Zurich, Switzerland, from July 28 to August1, has a record number (283) of contestants according to an announcement made by the World Squash Federation on Wednesday.

Semi-finalist in the individual championship in 2004 and 2006, Aamir will be hoping that it will be third time lucky for him in Zurich.

The 17-year-old from Peshawar faces New Zealander Lui Syder in the 128-man third round draw.

If successful, Khan would become only the third Pakistani to win the title, but the first since his legendary uncle Jansher Khan lifted the trophy in Australia in 1986, before going on to win the senior World Open crown for a record eight times.

The biennial World Squash Federation event will be followed in the Swiss city by the World Junior Men's Team Championship, from August 2 to 7.

With teams for the first time from the Cayman Islands, China, Ecuador and Guatemala, the team championship boasts a record entry of 32 nations.

China, hosts of the 2008 Olympic Games, are making notable progress in the world of Squash.

The nation made its international debut in the World Junior Women's Championships in Hong Kong in 2007 after hosting its maiden Tour event in Shanghai in 2004.

Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy, also 17, is the number two seed, while Switzerland's Nicolas Mueller and Frenchman Gregoire Marche, who contested the 2008 European Junior Championship final are third and fourth seeds, respectively.

Nicolas Mueller will lead home interest in the event. The 18-year-old from Hirzel, near Zurich, became the first Swiss player to win the European Junior title in 2007.