RESULTS: El Gouna International Open, Alexandria, Egypt
1st round:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [Q] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 11-9, 11-13, 11-3, 11-6 (45m)
[Q] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [11] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 7-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 (101m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [8] Daryl Selby (ENG) 6-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-2 (80m)
Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [10] Wael El Hindi (EGY) 9-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-5 (55m)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-5, 11-6, 11-2 (45m)
[9] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 (29m)
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [Q] Wael Farag (EGY) 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (32m)
Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) bt [16] Tarek Momen (EGY) 7-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 (55m)
[13] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [Q] Tom Richards (ENG) 11-2, 10-12, 11-7, 13-11 (78m)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (45m)
[12] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [Q] Simon Rosner (GER) 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 (41m)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [Q] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) 11-2, 11-7, 12-10 (55m)
[Q] Chris Ryder (ENG) bt [14] Alister Walker (ENG) 11-1, 12-10, 11-8 (52m)
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [Q] Jan Koukal (CZE) 11-4, 11-3, 11-9 (23m)
[15] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt Amr Mansi (EGY) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (26m)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Joey Barrington (ENG) 9-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-4, 11-6 (58m)
All but two of the second round matches in the inaugural El Gouna International Open will feature Egyptian interest after local players led a flurry of upsets in the first round of the $142,500 PSA Super Series squash event at the Alexandria Sporting Club in Alexandria.
The 2010 El Gouna International Open - the seventh 2010 PSA Super Series event and the second this year to be staged in Egypt - will now move to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of El Gouna from the second round, leading to the grand final on Sunday 24 October.
In a marathon 101-minute battle, qualifier Karim Abdel Gawad fought back from two games down to overcome experienced Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema, the No11 seed, 7-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9.
The Alexandria-born 19-year-old from Cairo will now face compatriot Ramy Ashour, the top seed. But the world number one was also tested by a fellow countryman in the opening round before fending off Mohammed Abbas, a qualifier once ranked 13 in the world, 11-9, 11-13, 11-3, 11-6.
England's Daryl Selby was the highest seed to fall. The eighth seed, ranked ten in the world, went down 6-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-2 in 80 minutes to unseeded Omar Mosaad, ranked 12 places lower.
The 22-year-old from Cairo will now face another non-seed for a place in the quarter-finals. Pakistan's Farhan Mehboob contrived to reduce the Egyptian interest in the event by upsetting Cairo-born tenth seed Wael El Hindi 9-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-5.
An all-Egyptian first round clash produced a surprise outcome when unseeded Mohd Ali Anwar Reda beat 16th seed Tarek Momen 7-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6.
Reda, the 21-year-old world No29 from Cairo, now lines up against England's fifth seed James Willstrop, an 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 winner over Egyptian qualifier Wael Farag.
An English qualifier also claimed an unexpected place in the last 16 round in the Red Sea resort of El Gouna when Chris Ryder defeated fellow countryman Alister Walker, the 14th seed, 11-1, 12-10, 11-8.
Ryder, at 30, the oldest player to qualify, will now take on Thierry Lincou, the No7 seed from France who ousted Czech number one Jan Koukal, a qualifier, 11-4, 11-3, 11-9.
2nd round line-up:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [Q] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) v Farhan Mehboob (PAK)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [9] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) v Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) v [13] Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v [12] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS)
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v [Q] Chris Ryder (ENG)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [15] Ong Beng Hee (MAS)