RESULTS: Sky Squash Open, Cairo, Egypt
Qualifying finals:
Jonathan Kemp (ENG) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 (42m)
Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt Gilly Lane (USA) 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6 (93m)
Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) bt Stephen Coppinger (RSA) 11-6, 3-11, 15-13, 11-9 (62m)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Ali Farag (EGY) 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 3-11, 13-11 (66m)
Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) bt Robbie Temple (ENG) 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 (51m)
Tom Richards (ENG) bt Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) 11-4, 11-9, 2-11, 11-8 (60m)
Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt Stephane Galifi (ITA) 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 (43m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Julien Balbo (FRA) 11-3, 11-0, 6-11, 11-9 (43m)
Egyptians Mohd Ali Anwar Reda and Omar Abdel Aziz boosted home interest in the Sky Open after surviving the qualifying finals of the $147,500 PSA World Tour squash event - the first Super Series Platinum championship of the year - at Sky Petrosport Club in Cairo.
Reda, the 20-year-old world No43 from Cairo, beat South African Stephen Coppinger 11-6, 3-11, 15-13, 11-9 in 62 minutes - and later was drawn to meet Australia's 13th seed Stewart Boswell in the main draw.
His Cairo compatriot Aziz, ranked one place lower, despatched England's Robbie Temple 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 and will now face fellow countryman Wael El Hindi, the defending champion who is seeded nine.
But the toughest qualifying battle was staged by Mark Krajcsak and US number two Gilly Lane. In a marathon 93-minute encounter, Hungarian number one Krajcsak fought back from 2/1 down to beat Lane 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6.
The 25-year-old from Budapest will now meet Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the 14th seed from Malaysia, in the first round.
Updated 1st round draw:
[1] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[13] Stewart Boswell (AUS) v [Q] Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY)
[5] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Karim AGA Samy (EGY)
[16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Ong Beng Hee (MAS)
[4] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [Q] Renan Lavigne (FRA)
[11] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v [Q] Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[8] Adrian Grant (ENG) v [Q] Campbell Grayson (NZL)
[12] Alister Walker (ENG) v [Q] Tom Richards (ENG)
[10] James Willstrop (ENG) v Farhan Mehboob (PAK)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) v Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY)
[14] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) v [Q] Mark Krajcsak (HUN)
[3] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [Q] Jonathan Kemp (ENG)
[9] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v [Q] Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY)
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
[15] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Olli Tuominen (FIN)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Tarek Momen (EGY)