RESULTS: El Gouna International Open, El Gouna, Egypt
Qualifying finals:
Tom Richards (ENG) bt Julien Balbo (FRA) 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 (43m)
Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) bt Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) 11-9, 5-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-3 (89m)
Wael Farag (EGY) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-7, 11-6, 1-11, 11-2 (45m)
Chris Ryder (ENG) bt Ali Farag (EGY) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (50m)
Mohammed Abbas (EGY) bt Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-5 (65m)
Simon Rosner (GER) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 11-9, 11-7, 11-5 (45m)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Dylan Bennett (NED) 13-11, 11-7, 11-3 (37m)
Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Karim AGA Samy (EGY) 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 (29m)
Alexandria-born teenager Karim Abdel Gawad became the youngest of four Egyptians to claim places in the main draw of the inaugural El Gouna International Open after surviving the qualifying finals of the $142,500 PSA Super Series squash event at the Alexandria Sporting Club in Alexandria.
After qualifying and first round action 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 move to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of El Gouna from the second round, leading to the grand final on Sunday 24 October.
Gawad, the 19-year-old world No56, despatched Dutch number two Dylan Bennett 13-11, 11-7, 11-3 - and will now face 11th seed Laurens Jan Anjema, the Dutch No1, in the first round.
Experienced Egyptian Mohammed Abbas also made the main draw. The 29-year-old former world No13, who is making a comeback after a year-long foot injury layoff, needed five games to outwit rising local star Marwan El Shorbagy, a 17-year-old from Alexandria making his PSA Tour debut, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-5 in 65 minutes.
Abbas, currently ranked 47 in the world, will now face his third compatriot in the event - the reigning world number one Ramy Ashour who is seeded to win his third successive PSA Super Series event on home soil.
Omar Abdel Meguid was the lowest-ranked player to qualify. The 22-year-old from Giza, ranked 119 in the world, reached almost 80 places higher to dismiss Australian Aaron Frankcomb, the world No40, 11-9, 5-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-3 in an 89-minute marathon.
Meguid's reward is a clash with third-seeded compatriot Karim Darwish, the world No5 from Cairo.
Updated 1st round draw:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [Q] Mohammed Abbas (EGY)
[11] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v [Q] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
[8] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[10] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v Farhan Mehboob (PAK)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[9] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK)
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) v [Q] Wael Farag (EGY)
[16] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY)
[13] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [Q] Tom Richards (ENG)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) v Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY)
[12] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) v [Q] Simon Rosner (GER)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v [Q] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY)
[14] Alister Walker (ENG) v [Q] Chris Ryder (ENG)
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v [Q] Jan Koukal (CZE)
[15] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) v Amr Mansi (EGY)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Joey Barrington (ENG)