The London 2012 silver medallist has his eyes firmly fixed on the World Championships in Beijing in September but knows that maintaining a high level of performance throughout the year will increase his chances of securing a world title.

"I feel confident that I can do well this season," said Bayley, winner of his seventh title at the British National Championships in Grantham last weekend.

"I'll be doing my best that's for sure.

"I don't want to be peaking in Italy I want to be peaking for the World Championships but hopefully I can play well throughout the season and then play really well in China.

"I feel I've improved from last year.

"I feel match sharp and I'm really looking forward to playing in Italy."

Bayley will be defending his class seven title in Lignano which was also the venue for last year's European Championships, where the 26-year-old missed out on defending his crown, losing out to Ukrainian Mykhaylo Popov in the final.

At those Championships Bayley and Paul Karabardak also took team bronze with Karabardak following that up with two golds at the US Open to end the year on a high.

"I hadn't beaten a top ten player for about a year and a half," said the man from Swansea.

"To go to the US and beat two top ten players gave me confidence that I can still do it against the best players in my class and hopefully I can use that to kick on this year.

"The first competition of the year is always tough after the winter break but I've done the hard work and hopefully I can get some good results in Italy."

It was a similar story for fellow Paralympian David Wetherill, who claimed a title at the Belgium Open late last year following a disappointing European Championships.

Great Britain's Aaron McKibbin will be looking to impress in Lignano this week ©Getty Images



London 2012 bronze medallist Aaron McKibbin is also part of the British squad heading for Lignano this week and is joined by Ashley Facey-Thompson, Tom Matthews and Sue Gilroy while GB Pathway Squad members Billy Shilton, Felicity Pickard and Megan Shackleton are also set to compete.

The Lignano Open is due to run from tomorrow March 19 to Sunday (March 23) and is among a number of international tournaments set to take place as the world's top players gear up for the World Championships, due to take place from September 6 to 15.

Open's in Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Spain and Thailand will be contested over the coming months along with the South American Para Games in Santiago beginning on March 27, the Al Watani Championships in Jordan and the International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) World Junior Games, taking place in Stoke Mandeville in August.

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