Ricketts & Willstrop Fall As Ashour & Ryding Advance In Boston

Egyptian teenager Ramy Ashour and 'veteran' Canadian Graham Ryding pulled off notable upsets in the second round of the US Open with defeats over fourth seed Anthony Ricketts and fifth seed James Willstrop, respectively, at the Back Bay Events Center in Boston.

Ashour, the 19-year-old rising star from Cairo who leapt from outside the world's top 20 to inside the top ten in two months, rallied from a game down to beat Ricketts, the world No6 from Sydney, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 in 53 minutes.

After taking the first game quickly, the Australian no doubt felt he had his young opponent mastered. But Ashour, the record double world junior champion, raced to an 8-2 lead in the second, before going on to draw level. Ricketts began playing more true to form in the third, but Ashour refused to go down easily.

Ricketts led 7-4, but 11th seed - but Ashour persevered. Five unanswered points had the Egyptian up 9-7 before Ricketts brought the score to 9-10, when a new racquet could have been a focus breaker However, Ashour went on to win and take a 2/1 lead in the match.

Up 9-6 in the fourth, Ashour slowed his game down, as Ricketts was run ragged and ultimately gave it up for the teenager.

Canada's Graham Ryding - the 16th seed whom Ashour will now meet - raised North American hopes when he edged out James Willstrop, the world No4, in the first game after a tie-break. But an injury to the Yorkshireman's hamstring cost him game two and ultimately the match when he withdrew from the event after 28 minutes with the score standing at 11-10 (2-0), 11-3, 3-0.

England's defending champion Lee Beachill, the No8 seed, recovered from a game behind to defeat compatriot Adrian Grant, the 13th seed, 6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-10 (2-0) in 68 minutes. In a repeat of last year's final, Beachill will now face Australia's David Palmer, the second seed who beat Scotland's Australian-born John White 11-3, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7.

One of the standout quarter-final confrontations will be the all-French clash between third seed Thierry Lincou and sixth seed Gregory Gaultier - the pair's fourth on the PSA Tour this year. Gaultier, still looking for his first Tour victory over his compatriot, despatched Egypt's 12th seed Wael El Hindi 11-5, 11-5, 11-4, while Lincou, a former world No1 and world champion, battled for 57 minutes to quash Australia's Stewart Boswell, the 10th seed, 5-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-6.

2nd round:
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [14] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-6, 7-11, 11-4, 11-9 (42m)
[7] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [15] Olli Tuominen (FIN) 11-2, 11-4, 11-5 (28m)
[11] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [4] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (53m)
[16] Graham Ryding (CAN) bt [5] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-10 (2-0), 11-3, 3-0 (28m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [12] Wael El Hindi (EGY) 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 (41m)
[3] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [10] Stewart Boswell (AUS) 5-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-6 (57m)
[8] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt [13] Adrian Grant (ENG) 6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-10 (2-0) (68m)
[2] David Palmer (AUS) bt [9] John White (SCO) 11-3, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7 (48m)