RESULTS: Hurghada International, Hurghada, Egypt
1st round:
[1] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Fiona Moverley (ENG) 11-4, 11-9, 11-3 (23m)
[8] Line Hansen (DEN) bt [Q] Salma Hatem Youssef (EGY) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (21m)
[4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [Q] Yathreb Adel (EGY) 11-9, 11-1, 11-2 (20m)
[5] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) 11-8, 12-10, 11-7 (37m)
[Q] Heba El Torky (EGY) bt [6] Sarah Kippax (ENG) 11-8, 4-11, 11-3, 11-2 (40m)
[3] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt [Q] Farah Abdel Meguid (EGY) 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 (28m)
Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [7] Aisling Blake (IRL) 15-13, 11-9, 11-3 (44m)
[2] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (31m)
French internationals Camille Serme and Isabelle Stoehr put the rigours and disappointment of Saturday's European Team Championship final defeat by Netherlands behind them and survived tricky encounters to reach the quarter finals of the Hurghada International, the $26,200 WISPA World Tour squash event in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in Egypt.
But for Ireland's Aisling Blake and England's Sarah Kippax, the race from Aix-en-Provence to Cairo for the first round action at the Shooting Club was in vain as the seeded pair fell to lower-ranked players.
Second seed Camille Serme, celebrating her elevation to ten in the world, had to reverse her WISPA Creteil final defeat against Nour El Tayeb by beating the 17-year-old from Cairo 11-7, 11-5, 11-7.
Meanwhile Stoehr fended off the challenge of another young Pharaoh, Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy - overcoming the 15-year-old 11-8, 12-10, 11-7.
But Sarah Kippax, who made her England debut at the European Championships, was unable to get to grips with the physicality of Heba El Torky who has a tendency to bounce off her opponent if unchecked. The 19-year-old from Alexandria came through to beat sixth seed Kippax 11-8, 4-11, 11-3, 11-2.
"I am very, very happy to have won," said qualifier El Torky, ranked more than 50 places below her opponent. "Sarah is a very good player and I really had to focus very well to make a good match.
"I have now missed five exams, and maybe more by the time I get home," added the pharmacy student.
Aisling Blake was always likely to find the extravagantly talented World Junior Champion Nour El Sherbini a handful; and with the 14-year-old on home turf exploiting the travel-weary Irish girl, El Sherbini made it five of the last eight having "EGY" after their names with an 15-13, 11-9, 11-3 victory over Blake.
"I knew she was a talented player but I am still disappointed," said the Dublin-born seventh seed.
The top Egyptian trio of Omneya Abdel Kawy, Engy Kheirallah and Raneem El Weleily were comfortable winners.
Title-holder Abdel Kawy, the top seed and three times champion, is looking to reach her seventh successive final since making her debut in the inaugural event in 2002.
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) v [8] Line Hansen (DEN)
[4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) v [5] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA)
[3] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) v [Q] Heba El Torky (EGY)
[2] Camille Serme (FRA) v Nour El Sherbini (EGY)