RESULTS: El Gouna International Open, El Gouna, Egypt
2nd round (lower half of draw):
[13] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [6] Peter Barker (ENG) 6-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-2 (62m)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [12] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-1 (41m)
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [Q] Chris Ryder (ENG) 12-10, 11-5, 11-3 (50m)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [15] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (35m)
Australia's Cameron Pilley pulled off the only upset on the second day of second round action in the El Gouna International Open when he defeated England's sixth seed Peter Barker to reach the quarter-finals of the inaugural $142,500 PSA Super Series squash event at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of El Gouna.
Fresh from winning two Commonwealth Games medals in Delhi, Pilley recovered from a game down to beat Barker, the world No8 from London, 6-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-2 in 62 minutes on the all-glass court at El Gouna.
The win in the seventh 2010 PSA Super Series event takes the 27-year-old 13th seed from New South Wales into his first Super Series quarter-final of the year.
"The first was a bit frustrating," the Netherlands-based world No16 told www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards. "I gave him too many opportunities to put the ball away, so I had to change my tactics. I started hitting it straighter and volleying more, and I was finding the corners, front and back. I kept that going for three games and I won!"
Pilley will now meet one of four Egyptians who will line up in the quarter-finals. Karim Darwish, the third seed from Cairo, also had to come from behind in his second round match - recovering from a game down to beat Malaysia's 12th seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-1.
"Azlan's one of the fittest guys on the circuit," said the former world number one afterwards. "He played better than me in the first game, but I knew that if I could keep working him to the corners it would work to my advantage. I'm more used to these conditions."
Long-standing Tour rivalry between two former world number ones will add a further chapter when Egypt's reigning world champion Amr Shabana takes on France's former world champion Thierry Lincou for a place in the El Gouna semis.
Seventh seed Lincou ended qualifier Chris Ryder's hopes, beating the 30-year-old Englishman 12-10, 11-5, 11-3 in just under an hour.
"It was my first match on this court - it always takes a little while to get used to new conditions," explained 34-year-old Lincou, the world No7 who is celebrating his sixth successive Super Series quarter-final appearance.
Second seed Shabana caused the second Malaysian downfall of the day when he beat 15th seed Ong Beng Hee 11-6, 11-6, 11-8.
"I knew I had to be positive against Bengy," said the 31-year-old from Cairo. "And today was a day when being positive was good for me.
"He gets more into it as the game goes on, unlike some who start strongly and then fade, so I had to be very focused at the end of the match, I didn't want to be on there for five games."
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [5] James Willstrop (ENG)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v [13] Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [7] Thierry Lincou (FRA)