Ashour & El Hindi Clinch Quarter-Final Places In Giza World Open

Three Egyptians, a pair of Australians and Frenchmen, and a sole Englishman will contest the quarter-finals of the 2006 Al-Ahram World Open on an all-glass court in the sport's most spectacular setting alongside Egypt's famous pyramids at Giza, near Cairo.

Unseeded Egyptians Ramy Ashour and Wael El Hindi delighted the enthusiastic local crowds by pulling off two notable upsets against higher-ranked English opponents in today's second round of the $152,500 PSA Tour event which is being staged in Egypt for the first time since 1999.

Ashour, the 18-year-old record two-times world junior champion, was making his first appearance in the tournament after gaining a bye in the first round following the late withdrawal of fourth seed James Willstrop due to illness.

In the longest match of the day, the rapidly-improving teenager from Cairo fought back from 2/1 down to beat experienced Yorkshireman Lee Beachill, the 10th seed who was runner-up in 2004, 11-4, 10-11 (0-2), 6-11, 11-8, 11-5 in 83 minutes.

Ashour will now meet eighth seed Gregory Gaultier, the Frenchman to whom he lost in the first round last year in his only other appearance in the PSA Tour's flagship event. The in-form 23-year-old from Aix-en-Provence, who reached last month's English Open final and in June won the European Individual Championship title for the third successive year, despatched Scotland's John White, the No11 seed and also a former runner-up, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8.

The second upset took place later in the day on the all-glass court by the pyramids when Wael El Hindi survived a tough five-game battle against seventh seed Nick Matthew to claim a shock 11-8, 4-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-10 (2-0) victory over the British National champion. The success marks the first time the 26-year-old from Cairo has reached the last eight in five appearances in the event.

In an all-Egyptian encounter which will be the first of two quarter-finals taking place on Sunday, El Hindi will face defending champion Amr Shabana, the world number one and top seed from Giza. Bidding to become the first Egyptian to win a World Open title on home soil, Shabana needed four games to overcome unseeded compatriot Mohammed Abbas 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-10 (3-1).

One of the sport's greatest rivalries will be re-enacted in Sunday's other quarter-final when England's Peter Nicol, the 1999 champion, takes on France's 2004 champion Thierry Lincou. Sixth seed Nicol, the 33-year-old competing in his farewell event before retiring from the international circuit, put in another stunning performance to quash Australia's Stewart Boswell 7-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-7, 11-2 in 52 minutes.

Third seed Lincou, like Nicol a former world number one, toiled for 77 minutes to get the better of Finland's Olli Tuominen 11-10 (2-0), 9-11, 11-3, 11-8.

The Anglo/French PSA Tour rivalry between Nicol and Lincou dates back to 1999, since when the pair have met 13 times, with honours in the Englishman's favour by an 11-2 margin.

After Ashour and Gaultier play their quarter-final on Monday, the scene will be set for the fourth and final last eight clash - an all-Australian encounter between No2 seed David Palmer, a three-times British Open champion, and fifth seed Anthony Ricketts, the reigning British Open champion.

Ricketts was taken to four games by 16th seed Adrian Grant before beating the English left-hander 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, and Palmer avenged his defeat by Ong Beng Hee in the British Open almost a year ago by defeating the 13th seed from Malaysia 11-10 (4-2), 11-8, 11-8.

2nd round:
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-10 (3-1)
Wael El Hindi (EGY) bt [7] Nick Matthew (ENG) 11-8, 4-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-10 (2-0)
Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [10] Lee Beachill (ENG) 11-4, 10-11 (0-2), 6-11, 11-8, 11-5 (83m)
[8] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [11] John White (SCO) 11-3, 11-6, 11-8
[6] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt [15] Stewart Boswell (AUS) 7-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-7, 11-2 (52m)
[3] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [14] Olli Tuominen (FIN) 11-10 (2-0), 9-11, 11-3, 11-8 (77m)
[5] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt [16] Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8
[2] David Palmer (AUS) bt [13] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-10 (4-2), 11-8, 11-8