RESULTS: Punj Lloyd PSA Masters Squash Championship, Mumbai, India
1st round (top half of draw):
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (37m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [15] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-8, 11-2, 10-12, 11-8 (77m)
[6] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 11-5, 6-11, 11-3, 11-5 (44m)
[12] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 14-12 ret.
[3] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) 11-13, 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 (35m)
[14] Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 (44m)
[5] David Palmer (AUS) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (41m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [11] Wael El Hindi (EGY) 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10 (69m)
Unseeded Saurav Ghosal celebrated a stunning success on home soil in the first round of the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters when he beat 15th seed Cameron Pilley to reach the last 16 of the $152,500 PSA World Tour Super Series squash event at the Bombay Gymkhana in Mumbai.
It was the opening day of the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, the only Professional Squash Association event open exclusively to the top 32 players in the world, and the first PSA Super Series event to be staged in India for 12 years.
Ghosal, the world No32 from Chennai, battled for 77 minutes to overcome his Australian opponent - ranked 17 places higher - 11-8, 11-2, 10-12, 11-8.
"This is my biggest win in PSA, and it arrives in India," an exuberant Ghosal told www.squashsite.co.uk afterward. "I was so close all year, I lost so many 3/2. But today, it’s just incredible.
"Now I can concentrate on my squash - I don’t have anything to worry about, it’s just squash, no exams nothing, and that makes a whole difference," added the 23-year-old who gained a 1st class Economics degree at Leeds University in England last year.
"I’m so happy I’m almost speechless!"
Ghosal will now face second seed Amr Shabana, the defending champion from Egypt who defeated event late-comer Mathieu Castagnet - the Frenchman who replaced the injured world number one Karim Darwish on the eve of the event - 11-5, 11-9, 11-5.
Unseeded Omar Mosaad added unexpected Egyptian interest in the second round when he upset 11th seed Wael El Hindi 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10.
"I’m very happy, especially as it comes after a few disappointing results," said the 21-year-old from Cairo after the first Tour win over his higher-ranked compatriot.
"I needed to get my confidence back, so I trained very hard and that helped me today to win this match. I was a bit nervous at the start of the match, but I found my game after that, and it was very close, even if Wael did take it 12/10."
In a first day which produced four Egyptian successes, 18-year-old Mohamed El Shorbagy produced the quickest when Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar was forced to retire injured after the first game.
The former world No11 from Kuala Lumpur was attempting to convert his fifth match ball in the first game when he slipped, aggravating a hamstring injury.
El Shorbagy, the 12th seed who was celebrating his first Tour win over the experienced Malaysian, now goes on to face James Willstrop, the sixth seed from England who overcame fellow countryman Jonathan Kemp 11-5, 6-11, 11-3, 11-5.
Remaining 1st round matches:
[16] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) v Joey Barrington (ENG)
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v Olli Tuominen (FIN)
[9] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Chris Ryder (ENG)
[4] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Renan Lavigne (FRA)
[10] Alister Walker (ENG) v Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND)
[8] Peter Barker (ENG) v Julian Illingworth (USA)
[13] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Davide Bianchetti (ITA)
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Daryl Selby (ENG)