RESULTS: PSA World Series Kuwait PSA Cup, Kuwait

Final:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [3] James Willstrop (ENG) 6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3

The 25-year-old Egyptian’s triumph, in the third PSA World Series event of the year at the Qadsia Sporting Club in Kuwait, is his seventh Tour title in a row, the 30th of his career – and extends his winning streak to 36 matches since May last year.

The reigning world champion began strongly against Englishman Willstrop, the world No4 from Leeds who topped the world rankings for all but one month of last year.

But after a sluggish opening few minutes, Willstrop turned the tables and rattled off five points in a row from six-all – including a now almost ‘trade-mark’ dummy shot at the front of the court that completely fooled Ashour – to take the opening game.

Ashour was clearly trying to calm himself down as he returned to the court for the second game and after the Englishman led 4-1 and 7-5, the top seed turned on his ace game to draw level.

By now the packed and exuberant Kuwait crowd was playing a significant part in the match – chanting for their Egyptian hero.

Errors crept into Willstrop’s game in the third as Ashour won six points in a row before the Englishman was able to stop the rot. But two typical crosscourt volley nicks gave Ashour the game – and a 2/1 lead.

Clearly now in the ascendancy, Ashour bounced back on court for the fourth – and after a now tired-looking Willstrop survived an excellent rally to recover to 3-6, the Egyptian took the next five points in a row to claim his magnificent 6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 victory.

The jubilant champion kissed the court floor in celebration as the crowd cheered their appreciation.

“He’s a great person, on and off court,” said Ashour later of his opponent. “He’s a gentleman and I’ve learnt a lot from him. He’s a great player.”

Official event website: www.kuwaitpsacup.com

PSA World Series Kuwait PSA Cup, Kuwait

Semi-finals:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 11-8, 11-5, 11-2 (36m)
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [6] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) 11-5, 12-10, 11-8 (54m)

Top-seeded Egyptian Ashour extended his unbeaten PSA World Tour run to 35 matches when he despatched Gregory Gaultier, the No4 seed from France, 11-8, 11-5, 11-2 in 36 minutes.

World No3 Gaultier was in inspired form for the first few points of the match before Ashour upped his game and the Frenchman became increasingly frustrated. By the latter stages of the third game, Gaultier seemed unable to make much effort and slammed his final serve out of the court to give Ashour the match.

The win lined up some further impressive stats for the 25-year-old from Cairo – who is now in his 45th Tour final and one win away from his 30th title.

Asked about the quarter-final match 24 hours earlier against compatriot Amr Shabana, Ashour admitted: “Yesterday was definitely one of my toughest ever matches – both mentally and physically. He’s such a smart player and I’m very proud to have beaten him.”

On his semi-final victory, Ashour conceded: “Maybe Greg wasn’t 100% – but a win is a win!”

England’s world number four Willstrop, the defending champion, boasted a 7-2 head-to-head record over his opponentMohamed El Shorbagy going into the match – but had lost to the Egyptian in their previous meeting in December’s PSA World Championship in Qatar.

The 29-year-old from Leeds was in commanding form in the opening game – but 22-year-old Shorbagy came back in the second and led up to 10-all. But Willstrop increased his lead to 2/0 after winning two standout rallies.

Willstrop maintained the upper hand throughout the third before clinching his 11-5, 12-10, 11-8 in 54 minutes.

“Mohamed has been showing world top four/five form for some time now – his performance in the World Championship was very special,” said the Englishman later.

“I had to bring out my A-game to beat him.

“It’s quite wonderful to be in another Kuwait final.

“Ramy’s as unique as it gets,” added Willstrop, now in his 35th Tour final. “But he’s won enough tournaments now – it’s time he was stopped.”

Official event website: www.kuwaitpsacup.com

RESULTS: PSA World Series Kuwait PSA Cup, Kuwait

Quarter-finals:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [7] Amr Shabana (EGY) 9-11, 2-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 (73m)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [8] Peter Barker (ENG) 11-3, 11-2 ret. (19m)
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [5] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-9, 11-4, 4-11, 11-3 (49m)
[6] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [13] Daryl Selby (ENG) 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 (35m)

The victory extends Ashour’s remarkable record to 34 unbeaten matches in a row – an undefeated run unparalleled since the days of Pakistan legends Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan.

It was a lacklustre performance in the first two games as 25-year-old Ashour, the reigning world champion, seemed out-of-sorts – while Shabana, the 33-year-old four-time world champion, looked to be heading to the first victory over his younger compatriot for more than two years.

Shabana led 5-3 in the third, but Ashour – who had stayed on court after the second to continue practising – slowly began to rediscover the form which had seen him reach the finals in his last nine Tour events and win six titles in a row!

As Shabana became more distracted by refereeing decisions which went against him, so Ashour took command – and after 73 minutes celebrated an unlikely 9-11, 2-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 victory and a place in the last four.

“He is an amazing player – I don’t think I’ll be able to play like that when I am 33,” said Ashour of his opponent afterwards. “I’m glad I kept up with him.

“This should have been the final – a double final in fact.

“It’s the toughest and best match I’ve ever played,” added the world No1. “And I’m glad I didn’t have any injuries.

“I need a very good recovery for my match tomorrow.”

For a place in his tenth final in a row, Ashour will face French rival Gregory Gaultier, the No4 seed who spent almost a quarter of the length of Ashour’s match to earn his place in the last four.

It was clear that all was not well with opponent Peter Barker, the No8 seed from England. Struggling with his movement, Barker lasted two games before offering his hand to Gaultier after 19 minutes, with the score standing at 11-3, 11-2.

“I could see from my first boast that he was struggling,” Gaultier told the event website www.kuwaitpsacup.com later. “I asked him if he was OK to carry on, which he did for two games but he was right to stop – any more time on court and he could have done some lasting damage.”

There will also be Egyptian interest in the other semi-final where Mohamed El Shorbagy, the sixth seed from Alexandria, will face third seed James Willstrop, the defending champion from England.

Shorbagy comfortably took the first two games against surprise opponent Daryl Selby, the 13th seed who stunned second seed and fellow Englishman Nick Matthew in the previous round.

But Selby stretched the Egyptian to eight-all in the third before Shorbagy pulled away to close out the match 11-4, 11-4, 11-9.

“It’s just like last year here, when I saved a match-ball in the first round and did really well,” said El Shorbagy, the UK-based world No5. “This time I saved four in my first match and now I’m in the semi-finals again, I can’t believe it!

“Of course I’m very happy with the way I played, it’s my best performance of the event,” he added. “I’m happy I won the third because I could feel I was starting to fall into his rhythm.”

Willstrop renewed his rivalry with fifth seed Karim Darwish, the Egyptian whom he first met on the Tour in February 2003 and has since played a total of 22 times, winning on 17 occasions.

In a repeat of the 2011 Kuwait PSA Cup final, Willstrop won a close first game then stretched the lead to two before fellow former world number one Darwish struck back to take the third to reduce the deficit.

But the 29-year-old from Leeds was in commanding form in the fourth, taking the match 11-9, 11-4, 4-11, 11-3 after 49 minutes.

“The intensity was up there tonight, one of the top matches, with truly severe intensity,” said Willstrop later. “I think I did well to take the first, but Karim played at his best today.

“Whatever his problem was, it’s now sorted because he was moving very well, hitting the ball very well, and you could see he was really up for it.”

Semi-final line-up:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
[6] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v [3] James Willstrop (ENG)

Official event website: www.kuwaitpsacup.com

RESULTS: PSA World Series Kuwait PSA Cup, Kuwait

2nd round (lower half of draw):
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 11-9, 11-5, 11-3 (37m)
[11] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 (43m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt [12] Tom Richards (ENG) 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-3 (68m)
[5] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt Zac Alexander (AUS) 11-4, 11-6, 8-11, 11-3 (39m)
[6] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11 (84m)
Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt [14] Alister Walker (BOT) 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (55m)
[13] Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 (43m)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 (58m)

Avenging his defeat to the world No12 in the Kuwait Open three years ago, Castagnet fought back from a game down to overcome Richards 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-3 in 68 minutes.

“We started at a rather fast pace, and I thought that I would have trouble keeping this up if it lasted too long,” Castagnet told the event website www.kuwaitpsacup.com later. “So I slowed the pace right down, just trying to keep it glued and tight, nothing fancy really, but accurate.

“I had the experience of my match against him in Hong Kong, where I ended up losing 12-10 in the fifth despite having several match balls. So this time I knew I had to push all the way through,” added the delighted 26-year-old from Aix-en-Provence.

But later Ong Beng Hee became the second unseeded player to make it through to the event’s last 16 when the 33-year-old Malaysian removed 14th seed Alister Walker 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4.

World No14 Walker was playing his first PSA World Tour event of the year after making history last month by becoming the All Africa champion – winning the first international squash title for his country Botswana.

But Malaysian Beng Hee, in his 19th year on the PSA Tour, dug deep to reach the third round of a World Series event for the first time for more than three years.

“Hey, I won! I haven’t won a match for nine months!” said the delighted former world No7 from Penang. “I think that I was lucky to get to play Alister as he is just coming back from injury, and he made a lot of errors tonight. I know exactly what he is going through.”

Meanwhile a further trio of Englishmen and Egyptians made it through to the last 16 round. Englishman James Willstrop, the defending champion, despatched France’s Gregoire Marche 11-9, 11-5, 11-3.

“I’ve never played Greg before,” said the world No4 from Leeds. “But I saw him play obviously – he’s been improving a lot. He is an exciting prospect for France and played well.”

Rival Nick Matthew, the No2 seed from Sheffield, was made to work hard by fellow Englishman and fellow 32-year-oldAdrian Grant - but closed out the match against his Commonwealth Games gold-medal-winning-doubles partner 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 after 58 minutes.

“It’s hard to play Adrian because we go way too far back,” said Matthew. “It was not the prettiest of performance, but then again, the court is much bouncier than we’ve been playing on recently. I feel that 3/0 is a harsh score for Adrian. He played the right game, was very aggressive, very positive, and when he plays like that, he can be a danger to anybody.”

In the final match of the day, Daryl Selby completed the English trio by beating Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 to set up a third round meeting with England team-mate Matthew.

Egypt’s Mohamed El Shorbagy survived the closest match of the day when he beat fellow countryman Mohd Ali Anwar Reda 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11 in 84 minutes – after surviving four match-balls!

Sixth seed Shorbagy, 22, took the lead in the decider, but 23-year-old Reda fought back with a run of six points to reach match ball at 10-6. But a relieved Shorbagy held his nerve to claim victory, and retain his unbeaten record over his older compatriot.

“In the fifth I had a good lead, but suddenly I went from being 6-3 up to being 10-6 down,” said Shorbagy. “I was getting more and more nervous, so I decided to hit the ball harder and harder, and to make the time between the serves as quickly as possible, to prevent me from thinking. And I think that surprised him a bit, and he started making errors.

“The good news is, I had a very hard match against him in the Worlds in Qatar, and I then had an amazing tournament. So I guess this is a good omen for the rest of the event,” added the UK-based world No5.

Also victorious were compatriots Tarek Momen and Karim Darwish, both from Cairo. 11th seed Momen ousted Australian number one Cameron Pilley 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 whilst fifth seed Darwish also defeated an Australian, Zac Alexander, 11-4, 11-6, 8-11, 11-3.

“I decided in the third that, no, I didn’t want to play a fourth,” said Momen. “I’ve just been playing tournaments, not training properly, so I’m very pleased with the outcome. Beating Cameron is a good result for me, he is a very tough competitor, so a 3/0 win is really a great result.”

Darwish, back in action after being forced to withdraw from last week’s North American Open with a calf injury, admitted that he was not focused throughout the match.

“Sometimes at two-nil up you feel almost too comfortable and let your concentration slip a bit,” explained the former world No1 afterwards. “The first two were quite comfortable but in the third he hit some good, if risky, shots and my level slipped. I managed to get it back in the fourth and played like I did in the first two.”

3rd round line-up:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [16] Simon Rosner (GER)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [9] Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[8] Peter Barker (ENG) v [15] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [10] Borja Golan (ESP)
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) v [11] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[5] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[6] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Ong Beng Hee (MAS)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [13] Daryl Selby (ENG)

Official event website: www.kuwaitpsacup.com

The seventh seed faced fellow 33-year-old Olli Tuominen - the Finnish number one who he first came up against in the British Junior U14 Open semi-finals in January 1993!

After winning 11-8, 11-8, 11-5, Shabana recalled those early days with the event website www.kuwaitpsacup.com: ”It’s always difficult to play Olli – we started playing like 20, 21 years ago. I thought I was in control more or less, but he started to come back, and when he gets a sniff at it, he becomes very dangerous. Now, I’m in the next round, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Shabana will now meet fellow countryman Omar Mosaad - the No9 seed from Cairo who grabbed one of the day’s quickest wins, seeing off England’s Jonathan Kemp 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 in just 28 minutes.

And top seed Ramy Ashour started where he left off in Virginia, USA, less than a week ago by recording his 32nd straight win on the PSA World Tour. With sights on his seventh successive Tour title, the world number one beat Swiss number oneNicolas Mueller 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 11-2.

The 25-year-old from Cairo will next face 16th seed Simon Rosner, the top-ranked German who defeated Hong Kong’sLeo Au 11-5, 11-5, 11-3.

“It’s fun to play both Nicki and Simon,” said Ashour later. “Finally I get to play players from my generation, instead of playing people 10 years older than me, and I’m enjoying it!

“You’re always aware that you can lose, and the first round is as dangerous/difficult as the quarters or the final. There is no easy match. Never.”

After thrilling the local crowds by upsetting higher-ranked South African Stephen Coppinger to earn a surprise place in the second round, Kuwaiti number one Abdullah Al Muzayen went down 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 to Gregory Gaultier, the fourth seed from France.

“Tonight it was far away from easy,” said Gaultier, the new world No3. “Abdullah gave it his best, but he had a massive win yesterday, and it took a lot out of him. I could see him struggling to move in the second, but he still came back strong in the third.”

Gaultier will now meet tenth seed Borja Golan - but the top-ranked Spaniard had the narrowest escape in his earlier second round clash. India’s Saurav Ghosal took a two-game lead and looked to be in a strong position to record his first win in his fourth meeting with Golan.

But the Spaniard battled back, and took seven points in a row from 8-4 down in the fifth to record his 6-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-8 victory after 105 minutes.

“I so wanted to win that,” admitted Golan, the world No10. “It was more a mental thing in the end, at 8-4 down I just pushed and he seemed to drop a little and I took advantage.”

RESULTS: PSA World Series Kuwait PSA Cup, Kuwait

2nd round (top half of draw):
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 11-2 (47m)
[16] Simon Rosner (GER) bt Leo Au (HKG) 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (27m)
[9] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (28m)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Olli Tuominen (FIN) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (35m)
[8] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 11-8, 11-3, 11-8 (46m)
[15] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 11-6, 11-5, 11-1 (36m)
[10] Borja Golan (ESP) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 6-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-8 (105m)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 (36m)

Official event website: www.kuwaitpsacup.com

Jordan is a vibrant squash nation, hosting the Asian Junior Individual Championship this year. Vibrant can be used to describe Amman too, and offers an opportunity for excursions to the Dead Sea and stunning Petra either before or after the conference

The theme this year is ‘The Next Step: Becoming an Elite Referee’ and the varied programme and quality presenters will ensure that attendees come away having developed their skills and learnt a great deal.

The details are attached herewith and if you have any questions or would like to make a booking please contact Lorraine at lorraine@worldsquash.org.

Your help in circulating the details to referees in your country who may be interested in attending would be appreciated.

Package Registration Form

Ashour, who 24 hours earlier dethroned England’s defending champion Nick Matthew to ensure his status as world number one next month, had to be at his best to see off his 21-year-old opponent, the youngest player in the PSA world top 25.

The final  brought to a magnificent climax the premier PSA World Tour championship which boasts a $325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport’s history, and was being hosted by Qatar for the third time since 1998.

RESULTS: Qatar PSA World Championship, Doha, Qatar

Final:
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [8] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) 2-11, 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 (90m)

Eighth seed El Shorbagy, who upset England’s world number James Willstrop in a 112-minute semi-final, got off to an excellent start – romping from 4-2 up to win the opening game in a single hand in just 10 minutes. It was the first game the youngster had taken off Ashour after two 3/0 defeats since 2009.

Ashour, who was clearly not yet in the match, stayed on court throughout the break before the second game – trying to refocus himself for the next stage.

The tactic clearly worked as the fifth seed and 2008 champion recovered from the loss of the first two points in the game to build up an 8-4 lead. Underdog Shorbagy, the world number six from Alexandria, clawed back two more points – but Ashour drew level to forcefully mark his return to the match.

Shorbagy’s response was to demand a new ball and promptly returned to the court before his opponent to warm it up for the third game.

It was he who took the early advantage, but Ashour again resumed control, reeling off seven points in a row en-route to taking the game and moving 2/1 ahead.

The effect of Shorbagy’s near-two-hour-long semi looked to be taking its toll – but the world final debutant refused to surrender to his experienced fellow countryman.

Shorbagy led 4-1 and 7-4 in the fourth – but from 5-8 down, Ashour pulled the game back to nine-all, just two points away from the title.

Shorbagy responded in fantastic style, surviving what PSA SquashTV commentators Joey Barrington and Paul Johnson called “an outrageous rally”, to get to match-ball – which he duly converted to take the climax into a fifth game decider.

“The final has truly come alive,” added Barrington.

It was nip and tuck through the fifth – Ashour leading 4-1 and 7-5 before Shorbagy clawed back to eight-all. An unforced error by Shorbagy, followed by a stroke against the underdog, took Ashour to his first match-ball.

Within seconds Ashour had converted his advantage – and the beaming 25-year-old from Cairo bent down to one of the camera positions in the court’s front wall to kiss the TV camera lens!

“I am very, very, very glad I have won this title,” said new world champion Ashour after his 2-11, 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 victory in 90 minutes. “But what makes me most happy is that I have done this after coming back from injury.

“Mohamed – he was amazing today.

“I’m really proud of the fact that this was an Egypt final,” added Ashour.

TV co-commentator Paul ‘PJ’ Johnson said: “Ramy put in his best performance of the tournament. I just don’t know how Mohamed was still standing after what he’s been through over the past few days – he has amazing heart and talent.”

Barrington added: “Nobody would have thought that Mohamed would take Ramy all the way to the wire.

Boasting a $325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport’s history, the Qatar PSA World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time and being held at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

El Shorbagy, aged 21 and the youngest player in the world top 25, faced top seed James Willstrop in the opening semi-final. The 29-year-old world number one from Leeds boasted a 7/1 career head-to-head record over the young Alexandrian – but had been stretched to five games in a 90-minute US Open clash only two months ago.

It was one-all after 46 minutes – and it took a further 34 minutes to resolve the third game, El Shorbagy taking it 14-12 after his third game-ball.

But the experienced Willstrop, eager to win the title for the first time, battled back from 2-4 down in the fourth to draw level.

The favourite led up to 8-7 in the decider, but it was El Shorbagy who then held his nerve to win the next four points in a row to clinch the match 11-9, 9-11, 14-12, 4-11, 11-8 after 112 minutes – and earn his maiden appearance in a world final.

“Before anything I want to hug my mother,” the eighth seed told event MC Robert Edwards (in Arabic) before charging off the court and into the arms of his weeping mother. The crowd shared the emotional moment as he also went to his brother and his father.

Willstrop went into the match knowing that even winning the title would not be enough to enable him to retain the world number one ranking he has held for all but one month this year.

“I didn’t quite get it right,” admitted the Yorkshireman about the match. “He was hitting with purpose and ferocity.

“I am as strong as anyone in the world but I felt like there was a slight drop in intensity. I haven’t had a session like that for a while.”

Dramatic though the opening match clearly was, the second semi-final offered not only the chance for the winner to reach the final, but also to inherit the first world number one ranking of 2013.

Ashour, the fifth seed and champion in 2008, lined up against title-holder Nick Matthew, the world number two from England who was bidding to become the first player since Pakistan legend Jansher Khan to win the world title three times in a row.

The Cairo-based Egyptian (pictured below with Matthew) last topped the world rankings for nine months in 2010, before Matthew succeeded him to reign supreme throughout 2011.

The match lived up to expectations: Ashour, 13/7 ahead on career meetings and winner of their two most recent clashes, took the first two games – but the reigning champion fought back to reduce the deficit.

Ashour reclaimed the advantage in the fourth to win 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 after 72 minutes – and ensure his return to the top of the world rankings after a two-year absence.

“I’m on top of the world!” Ashour told www.squashsite.com afterwards.

“He was the world champion, probably the fittest guy on the tour,” added the 25-year-old. “It was not easy to beat Nick tonight.”

RESULTS: Qatar PSA World Championship, Doha, Qatar

Semi-finals:
[8] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [1] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-9, 9-11, 14-12, 4-11, 11-8 (112m)
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [2] Nick Matthew (ENG) 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 (72m)

Boasting a $325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport’s history, the Qatar PSA World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time – following previous stagings in 1998 and 2004 – and being held at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

“The head-to-head between these two Egyptians was 7-1 in Darwish’s favour coming into this match,” observed tournament MC Robert Edwards. “But Mohamed came of age this afternoon as he wore down and finally beat his good friend.”

After his sensational 11-9, 12-10, 11-9 upset over the former world number one, El Shorbagy “fell to the floor and lay there prone as the cheers washed over him,” added Edwards.

Interviewed by Edwards after the match, the world No6 from Alexandria said how much respect he had for 31-year-old Darwish, who had encouraged him as a youngster coming into the game by spending time on court with him.

Later, El Shorbagy told his Twitter followers: “I’m out of words right now, I’m in the semis of the Worlds!!!”

The eighth-seeded underdog now faces top seed James Willstrop for a place in the final. The world number one from England, bidding to win the crown for the first time, ended Spaniard Borja Golan‘s run – beating the surprise quarter-finalist from Santiago de Compostela 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 in 65 minutes.

“We clashed out there,” admitted the 29-year-old from Leeds later. “It wasn’t pretty and not the best match to be involved in. People have had recent issues with movement but I’m not meaning to block. Sometimes squash brings out these issues.

“But you need to win these ropey matches. People think I am a rhythmical player – but I showed I can win scrappy too!”

Golan, who had become the first Spaniard for 20 years to reach the world quarter-finals, added: “I was playing the world number one. I tried one hundred per cent on each point, but today he was better than me.

“But this is the best I have done in my career, and I am pleased about that,” concluded the world No13.

The other semi-final will also be an Anglo/Egyptian clash – between England’s defending champion Nick Matthew and 2008 champion Ramy Ashour.

Fifth seed Ashour overcame French rival Gregory Gaultier, the No3 seed, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3 in an exhilarating 92-minute encounter in which the Egyptian saved five game-balls in the first game and Gaultier saved five in the second!

In the final match of the day Matthew, the world number two from England bidding to become the first player since Pakistan legend Jansher Khan to win the world title three times in a row, faced illustrious Egyptian Amr Shabana, a four-time winner of the trophy.

It was the pair’s 21st PSA Tour match over the past 11 years, with the head-to-head poised at 11-9 in the Englishman’s favour before they went on court.

It took more than an hour for Matthew to extend the record, winning 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4 in 64 minutes to reach his fourth semi-final since 2007.

RESULTS: Qatar PSA World Championship, Doha, Qatar

Quarter-finals:
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [15] Borja Golan (ESP) 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (65m)
[8] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [4] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-9, 12-10, 11-9 (50m)
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3 (92m)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [7] Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4 (64m)

Boasting a $325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport’s history, the Qatar PSA World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time – following previous stagings in 1998 and 2004 – and is being held at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

Londoner Barker, who retired injured during last week’s Hong Kong Open, was clearly still suffering the effects of his pulled hamstring. But Golan meant business from the outset and, despite dropping the second game, was largely in control of the clash which he went on to win 11-7, 4-11, 11-3, 11-3 in 45 minutes – denying Barker a quarter-final berth in a PSA World Series event for the first time since December 2010.

“I’ve played Peter since we were juniors and I know how tough he is,” said a jubilant Golan (pictured below with Barker) afterwards. “I don’t think he was 100 per cent because he had a problem with his leg, but I tried to be focussed on my game.

“In the second game I was not patient,” added the 29-year-old world No13 from Santiago de Compostela. “I tried to play from the front, and when you give players like him a chance they don’t let you back into it.

“I learnt from that and I was more patient, and that helped me take my chance.”

Austin Adarraga was the last Spaniard to reach the world quarter-finals – a feat the former world No11 achieved in 1992, before going on to reach the last four where he went down to the legendary Pakistani Jansher Khan.

“I remember Austin very well,” said Golan. “He was an inspiration to me. I shall have to win again to equal what he did.”

Golan will now face top seed James Willstrop. The world number one from England beat his Pontefract club training partner Saurav Ghosal, the Indian number one, 11-6, 11-7, 11-2.

There will be Egyptian interest in each of the other three quarter-finals. Ramy Ashour, the 2008 champion who arrived in Doha fresh from winning last week’s Hong Kong Open, was taken to tie-breaks in the first two games against fellow EgyptianOmar Mosaad before overwhelming the tenth seed in the third game to open up a 2/1 lead.

At 10-8 and match ball in the fourth game, fifth seed Ashour took a bad fall in the back hand back corner of the court. The 25-year-old from Cairo immediately emerged unscathed, but quickly faced two game-balls against him before finally surviving 11-13, 12-10, 11-2, 14-12 after 76 minutes – a win which stretched Ashour’s unbeaten career record against Mosaad to ten matches.

“He played superbly,” responded Ashour when asked to comment on the battle with his Heliopolis club-mate. “I had so much pressure. All credit to him.

“I felt pressure from the tournament and from myself. I still have a lot to learn.

“Tomorrow? I don’t want to think about it!”

Ashour will now play Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in their fourth world championship meeting since 2005. The world No3 from Aix-en-Provence, three times a runner-up in the event, ended Chris Simpson‘s impressive run, beating the unseeded Englishman 11-7, 11-6, 11-4.

Guernsey-born Simpson told his Twitter followers later: “Gave it my all but he was too good, lots of positives to take, it’s been a good tournament to finish the year.”

Earlier in the day, 21-year-old Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy beat Australian Cameron Pilley to not only celebrate his third quarter-final appearance since 2008, but also clinch his place in next month’s ATCO PSA World Series Finals.

“Very happy with my win – played the best so far in this tournament,” tweeted El Shorbagy after his 11-13, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 victory. “And just can’t wait to be on court tomorrow!”

Eighth seed El Shorbagy will meet compatriot Karim Darwish, the No4 seed who defeated England’s Daryl Selby 11-9, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9 in 80 minutes.

Underdog Selby, the 11th seed from Essex, summed up his disappointment via Twitter: “Gutted. Gave it everything I had today, came down to a few bits of ‘luck’ at crucial points. Just wasn’t to be. Watch out 2013 – I’m coming for ya!”

Two contrasting third round matches concluded the day’s play: Defending champion Nick Matthew, the world number two from England bidding to become the first player since Jansher Khan to win the world title three times in a row, defeated Egypt’s Tarek Momen 11-8, 11-9, 13-11 in a hard-fought tussle – whereas Egypt’s four-time champion Amr Shabanatook just 17 minutes to earn his quarter-final slot when opponent Alister Walker retired injured with the score at 11-4, 9-3.

“Matthew played some exceptionally clinical squash that never allowed Momen to play his big game,” recalled tournament MCRobert Edwards. “I was sat next to Amir Wagih, the National coach for Egypt, who whispered to me that he had only counted three unforced errors from Matthew in 65 minutes!”

Matthew himself described the match on FaceBook: “When we get down to the last 16, it’s bound to be hard matches, and Tarek beat me here last year, so a 3/0 win – even if it was close to the hour – is better psychologically than a shorter 3/1. Don’t ask me, that’s the way it is!

“It’s a good job we played in 11, because I gave him a 5 points start every game! 5/0, 6/0. Good news is that I got it right after that, but it’s something I have to work on for tomorrow! And it didn’t feel like long rallies either, seemed very short.”

RESULTS: Qatar PSA World Championship, Doha, Qatar

3rd round:
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-6, 11-7, 11-2 (49m)
[15] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [6] Peter Barker (ENG) 11-7, 4-11, 11-3, 11-3 (45m)
[8] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-13, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 (56m)
[4] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [11] Daryl Selby (ENG) 11-9, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9 (80m)
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Chris Simpson (ENG) 11-7, 11-6, 11-4 (34m)
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [10] Omar Mosaad (EGY) 11-13, 12-10, 11-2, 14-12 (76m)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [12] Alister Walker (BOT) 11-4, 9-3 ret. (17m)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [13] Tarek Momen (EGY) 11-8, 11-9, 13-11 (65m)

Boasting a $325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport’s history, the Qatar PSA World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time – following previous stagings in 1998 and 2004 – and is being held at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

The Guernsey-born 25-year-old made a brilliant start to open a first game lead over Anjema, the 30-year-old world No11 to whom he lost in straight games only two months ago. The Dutchman fought back to draw level, and again levelled after dropping the third game.

In the decider, world No34 Simpson opened up a 5-0 lead – but again Anjema caught up, before taking a slender 7-6 lead.

“Simpson levelled at seven-all and then there was a brilliant rally where Anjema was in total control and seemed to win the point – when Simpson retrieved a brilliant drop shot from the back hand back corner to die in the front, and Anjema had no answer to it,” explained tournament director Alaaeldeen Allouba.

Simpson moved ahead to 9-7 before earning match-ball at 10-9. The match concluded with a brilliant final rally in which the underdog Englishman gave it everything he had before his opponent came up with an unforced error in the front right hand corner where his drop shot hit the tin.

“I was so nervous in the fourth,” admitted Channel Islander Simpson after his sensational 11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9 win. “Sometimes you wonder whether you will ever get there. But I really wanted this one so much.

“The first game was the best I’ve ever played.

“The last two tournaments I have come close to beating top 16 players, so I know I can do it!”

Simpson – one of only two unseeded players in the last 16 round – now progresses to meet French star Gregory Gaultier, the No3 seed who last year finished as runner-up for the third time. It took 50 minutes for world No3 Gaultier to extinguish South American interest in the event, beating Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez 11-9, 11-7, 11-9.

A quartet of Egyptians came through the remaining second round clashes today, to join a further two who survived Sunday’s action. 2008 champion Ramy Ashour was in dazzling style as he dismissed England’s Adrian Grant 11-6, 11-2, 11-9 in 30 minutes.

“Ramy started the first game with an awesome display of movement, shot selection and execution,” commented event MC Robert Edwards. “A bewildered Grant found himself chasing shadows as Ramy displayed a set of skills that were from another stratosphere.

“The Egyptian raced to a two-game lead like a man with a train to catch. A frustrated Englishman finally stopped his charge as he got himself into the match and led 7-5 in the third. Again Ramy unleashed some silky nicks and devastating lobs and drives as he mixed up the pace.

“In just 30 minutes it was all over. As quickly as he had entered the arena, he had gone!” concluded Edwards.

Fifth seed Ashour will now meet fellow countryman Omar Mosaad, the No10 seed who defeated Hong Kong’s Max Lee11-9, 11-5, 11-4.

There was double disappointment for Lees when English qualifier Joe Lee went down 11-5, 11-2, 11-4 to Egyptian maestroAmr Shabana, a four times winner of the trophy.

“Chris Robertson (England national coach) said to me beforehand it would be like playing two opponents on there today: the court and Shabana,” explained the London-born 23-year-old who upset Pakistan’s Aamir Atlas Khan in the opening round.

“It was a double learning experience playing the best technical player in the world, the way he moves and strikes the ball,” added Lee after his maiden meeting with the former world number one. “There is no better way to learn than witnessing what I did.”

The match earned significant praise from spectator Daryl Selby, the No11 seed from England who was enjoying a rest day after winning his second round match 24 hours earlier. “@amrchabana was absolutely awesome just then,” tweeted the world No10 later. “I thought Joe played well, I would have been happy with 11 points in the whole match!”

Towards the end of the day, England’s defending champion Nick Matthew recovered from a game down to beat Australian Zac Alexander 8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5.

Bidding to become the first player since Pakistan legend Jansher Khan to win the world title three times in a row, world number two Yorkshireman Matthew now meets Egypt’s Tarek Momen. The 13th seed from Cairo despatched AustralianRyan Cuskelly 11-6, 11-8, 11-6.

RESULTS: Qatar PSA World Championship, Doha, Qatar

2nd round (lower half of draw):
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 11-9, 11-7, 11-9 (50m)
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt [9] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9 (71m)
[10] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Max Lee (HKG) 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 (30m)
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-6, 11-2, 11-9 (30m)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [Q] Joe Lee (ENG) 11-5, 11-2, 11-4 (31m)
[12] Alister Walker (BOT) bt [Q] Shaun le Roux (RSA) 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 (38m)
[13] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (37m)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Zac Alexander (AUS) 8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (48m)

3rd round line-up:
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) v [15] Borja Golan (ESP)
[8] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v [16] Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[4] Karim Darwish (EGY) v [11] Daryl Selby (ENG)
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [10] Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [12] Alister Walker (BOT)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [13] Tarek Momen (EGY)

Boasting a $325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport’s history, the Qatar PSA World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time – following previous stagings in 1998 and 2004 – and is being held at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

World No21 Ghosal was facing Gawad – who revealed a heavily-strapped left calf when he came onto the court – for the first time.

“Saurav raced to a 2/0 lead,” reported event MC Robert Edwards. “Gawad showed great skill at the front of the court and occasionally halted Ghosal’s steady progress with some typical Egyptian magic with his short game.

“Ghosal is too experienced, however, to permit a player with difficult court movement any success and at 5-1 in the third game Gawad fell heavily and it was clear that whatever the problem is – his match was over! As he was helped to his feet by his opponent, Karim offered his hand and promptly retired.”

The 21-year-old from Cairo explained later that he had felt some pain during his previous match against English seed Tom Richards, but thought it was cramp. Following his 3/2 upset, Gawad went to the local clinic – and was told that there was some fibre damage.

“Despite this, he wanted to give himself every chance – because this is the World Championship,” added Edwards.

Ghosal was delighted with his historic success: “I’m very proud to be the first Indian to reach the world championship last sixteen,” said the 26-year-old from Kolkata. “Of course, I really hope I can go further in the event!

“It is good to see Indian squash doing well – all of us are working extremely hard! The girls did fantastically well in Nimes (at the women’s world team championships in November) and all the success can only be good for the sport back home.

“All of us want to take it to the next level – and hopefully we will soon!”

Ghosal, who is based in Leeds in the UK, will now play his Pontefract club-mate James Willstrop for a place in the quarter-finals. “I want to be in the top ten, so I shall look forward to playing James whom I know very well.”

Willstrop, the event’s top seed, took just 26 minutes to despatch Canadian Shawn Delierre 11-2, 11-0, 11-7 on the Khalifa complex’s famous permanently-sited all-glass court.

“I started much better than in the first round,” explained Willstrop, the world number one. “I suppose I was always trying to work on that. This time everything worked. It’s what you want to do. It sets the tone (for the tournament).

“This can be such a tough court to play on – and he was reeling after playing in the other courts (with plaster walls). It’s important to keep your body in shape, and yet you need decent matches. It’s about finding balance, but to get two wins like this and to have two rest days – well I will take that.”

Two of Willstrop’s England team-mates also survived today’s second round. Daryl Selby, the 11th seed from Essex, despatched Egyptian qualifier Omar Abdel Meguid 11-8, 11-9, 11-3 – while London-born Peter Barker, the No6 seed, had to fight back from a game down to overcome rising French star Mathieu Castagnet 2-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-4 in a match which lasted exactly one hour.

“Mathieu is an improving quality player, so I’m pleased to have won,” Barker said later. “I had an injury last week (hamstring) and I’ve not been on court much. I’ve just tried to keep my body fit and tried to rest.

“Perhaps my hitting reflected that,” added the world number five. “But I am happy with the way I responded after the first game. It was a hard battle.”

Barker will face Spaniard Borja Golan in Tuesday’s third round, while Selby will take on Egypt’s Karim Darwish. Fourth seed Darwish extended his career-long unbeaten run over Simon Rosner with an 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 win over the German, while 15th seed Golan saw off top-ranked Scot Alan Clyne 11-7, 11-7, 11-7.

Australia’s world championship campaign is being led by Cameron Pilley. The 16th seed from New South Wales beat Malaysian Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan 11-3, 11-8, 11-5 and will now line up against Egypt’s No8 seed Mohamed El Shorbagy, an 11-3, 11-9, 12-10 winner over Frenchman Gregoire Marche.

RESULTS: Qatar PSA World Championship, Doha, Qatar

2nd round (top half of draw):
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Shawn Delierre (CAN) 11-2, 11-0, 11-7 (26m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 11-4, 11-8, 6-1 ret. (28m)
[15] Borja Golan (ESP) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (46m)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 2-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-4 (60m)
[8] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 11-3, 11-9, 12-10 (43m)
[16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) 11-3, 11-8, 11-5 (33m)
[11] Daryl Selby (ENG) bt [Q] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) 11-8, 11-9, 11-3 (42m)
[4] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt Simon Rosner (GER) 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 (37m)

Boasting a $325,000 prize-fund – the second biggest in the sport’s history – the Qatar PSA World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time, following previous stagings in 1998 and 2004, and is being held at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

Bidding to become the first player since the legendary Pakistani Jansher Khan to win the world title three times in a row, Matthew despatched Mueller 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 in 36 minutes to notch up his 13th consecutive win in the event since losing in the 2009 quarter-finals in Kuwait.

It took almost three times as long for the Yorkshireman’s next opponent to earn his place in the second round. In one of the most dramatic matches seen on the Doha courts, Australian Zac Alexander finally emerged victorious 11-9, 8-11, 5-11, 13-11, 14-12 in 97 minutes over Welsh qualifier Peter Creed.

In his fourth successive attempt to win a first round match in the championship, English qualifier Joe Lee progressed to the second round for the first time after upsetting Pakistan’s higher-ranked Aamir Atlas Khan 11-6, 24-22, 11-6 in 66 minutes – the second game being one of the highest-scoring games since the PAR-to-11 scoring system was introduced on the PSA World Tour in September 2004.

“The second game was a real crowd pleaser with the advantage swinging back and fore,” said tournament MC Robert Edwards.

Lee agreed that winning the middle game was essential: “I knew that the second would be crucial, as it was nearly as long as playing three games instead of two,” explained the London-born 23-year-old to www.squashsite.com ”And one-all would have make a massive difference.”

The world No48 from Surrey now faces No7 seed Amr Shabana, the illustrious Egyptian who boasts four world championship titles. “Now, Shabana,” added Lee. “I’m so happy – that was one more incentive to get to the next round, just to have a chance to try and have a shot at him!”

Shabana, the 32-year-old from Cairo who is marking his 13th successive appearance in the event since making his debut in 1998 – also in Qatar – brushed aside Malaysian qualifier Ivan Yuen 11-6, 11-4, 11-9.

Dutch master Laurens Jan Anjema was the first seed through today after overcoming experienced fellow left-handerJonathan Kemp of England.

“It was a pairing that seemed to promise a tough match – and it started as expected, with the score reaching seven-all,” explained Edwards. “From that moment on, a very relaxed Anjema steamrolled his opponent to run out an 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 winner in just 22 minutes. Certainly Kemp seemed to be out of sorts and never got his big game into play.”

Anjema himself told his Twitter followers later: “My 22-minute match was twice as short as my warm-up today! A lot more intense, however. Happy to get through to the second round.”

Third seed Gregory Gaultier claimed another lightning-fast passage through to the second round, dismissing Egypt’s Mohammed Abbas 11-5, 11-5, 11-1 in just 26 minutes. Runner-up for the third time last year, the world number three from France is enjoying a fine run of form currently – and moves on to meet Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez for a place in the last 16.

Rodriguez, the world No25 from Bogota, defeated Kuwaiti qualifier Abdullah Al Muzayen 11-3, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6.

“I’m so happy, it’s the first time a South American player has reached the second round of the worlds – so I’m feeling I have to play well for my continent!” said Rodriguez.

RESULTS: Qatar PSA World Championship, Doha, Qatar

1st round (lower half of draw):
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 11-5, 11-5, 11-1 (26m)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [Q] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) 11-3, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6 (42m)
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt [Q] Matthew Karwalski (AUS) 11-8, 11-5, 11-8 (37m)
[9] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 (22m)
[10] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [Q] Robbie Temple (ENG) 12-14, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 (57m)
Max Lee (HKG) bt Henrik Mustonen (FIN) 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-7 (52m)
Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [Q] Rex Hedrick (AUS) 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 (65m)
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) 11-7, 12-10, 11-8 (36m)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [Q] Ivan Yuen (MAS) 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 (31m)
[Q] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) 11-6, 24-22, 11-6 (66m)
[Q] Shaun le Roux (RSA) bt Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-6, 11-1 ret. (26m)
[12] Alister Walker (BOT) bt Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) 11-7, 11-3 ret. (30m)
[13] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Stephen Coppinger (RSA) 11-7, 7-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-8 (76m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt [Q] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) 13-11, 11-6, 11-3 (41m)
Zac Alexander (AUS) bt [Q] Peter Creed (WAL) 11-9, 8-11, 5-11, 13-11, 14-12 (97m)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (36m)

2nd round line-up:
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) v Shawn Delierre (CAN)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[15] Borja Golan (ESP) v Alan Clyne (SCO)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[8] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)
[16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS)
[11] Daryl Selby (ENG) v [Q] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY)
[4] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Simon Rosner (GER)
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
[9] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
[10] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v Max Lee (HKG)
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Adrian Grant (ENG)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [Q] Joe Lee (ENG)
[12] Alister Walker (BOT) v [Q] Shaun le Roux (RSA)
[13] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Zac Alexander (AUS)

World No12 Richards, a top 16 seed for the first time in the prestigious championship, twice led in the match against the lower-ranked Egyptian. But the 21-year-old from Cairo kept fighting back – and, after drawing level, maintained the upper hand in the decider to close out the match 9-11, 11-6, 4-11, 11-5, 11-7 in 68 minutes to claim one of the biggest scalps of his career.

“Tough loss earlier, I train hard to win those matches,” Richards told his Twitter followers later. “Time to escape squash for a while!”

Gawad, who celebrated a career-high world No26 ranking last month, will now face Indian number one Saurav Ghosal, who needed just 30 minutes to see off 17-year-old Qatari wildcard Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi 11-5, 11-4, 11-9.

Omar Abdel Meguid became the first qualifier to claim a place in the second round when he outplayed world No29 Julian Illingworth to extinguish US interest in the event. Ranked almost 40 places lower, the 24-year-old from Egypt overcame a first game deficit to beat record eight-time US champion Illingworth 8-11, 15-13, 11-7, 11-4 in 75 minutes.

In a fine opening day for Egyptians, Gawad and Meguid were joined in the second round by compatriots Mohamed El Shorbagy and Karim Darwish. Fourth seed Darwish raced to the quickest first round win of the day, defeating Hungarian qualifier Mark Krajcsak 11-5, 11-3, 11-3 in just 26 minutes.

El Shorbagy, the No8 seed, survived an all-Egyptian encounter, beating Cairo-based Mohd Ali Anwar Reda 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5 in 56 minutes.

James Willstrop made a slow start in his bid to claim the title he is seeded to win. The world number one from England lost the first game to fellow countryman Chris Ryder - and only midway through the second game did he assume control before going on to brush aside his lower-ranked opponent 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-2 after 52 minutes.

Willstrop’s two England team-mates in action on the opening day of first round action also secured their anticipated places in the last 32 round. Londoner Barker, the sixth seed, beat New Zealander Martin Knight 11-5, 11-2, 11-3 in 27 minutes.

Later in the day, 11th seed Daryl Selby chalked up his third successive World Championship win over Olli Tuominen when he beat the Finn 12-10, 11-4, 11-9 in 55 minutes.

There was a notable upset in the all-Malaysian clash between former world No7 Ong Beng Hee and young pretender Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan. Beng Hee, the current world No22 who first began his world championship campaign in the 1997 qualifiers, took the opening game.

But Adnan, who had never before beaten his higher-ranked national rival on the PSA Tour, struck back to record a breakthrough 6-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 victory in 58 minutes.

RESULTS: Qatar PSA World Championship, Doha, Qatar

1st round (top half of draw):
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Chris Ryder (ENG) 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-2 (52m)
Shawn Delierre (CAN) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 12-10, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10 (102m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 (30m)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [14] Tom Richards (ENG) 9-11, 11-6, 4-11, 11-5, 11-7 (68m)
[15] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [Q] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 (44m)
Alan Clyne (SCO) bt [Q] Charles Sharpes (ENG) 9-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-6 (49m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt [Q] Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 11-7, 7-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-8 (105m)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Martin Knight (NZL) 11-5, 11-2, 11-3 (27m)
[8] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5 (56m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt [Q] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 11-2, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6 (49m)
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 6-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 (58m)
[16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [Q] Olivier Pett (ENG) 8-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4 (50m)
[11] Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Olli Tuominen (FIN) 12-10, 11-4, 11-9 (55m)
[Q] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) bt Julian Illingworth (USA) 8-11, 15-13, 11-7, 11-4 (75m)
Simon Rosner (GER) bt Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-3, 11-4, 11-5 (38m)
[4] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [Q] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) 11-5, 11-3, 11-3 (26m)