Youngsters Debut, But Veterans Prevail at Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions

Whilst a new generation of players came of age on the first day of action in the Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions, with eight players making their inaugural appearance in the established PSA Tour event at Grand Central Terminal in New York, it was mostly the veterans who ruled the day.

The capacity crowd was particularly delighted to get their first glimpse of teen sensation Ramy Ashour of Egypt. "This is my first time in New York and in this great venue and I was a little tense," confessed the 19-year-old who has rocketed his way from 38 to 5 in the world rankings in just the last 12 months. But the nerves quickly faded and Ashour took no pity on compatriot Yasser El Halaby, his regular training partner who was also making his first appearance in the ToC main draw.

Ashour showed great offensive strength as he deftly played the corners of the court and his shot-making was too good for El Halaby. "He is a great player," said El Halaby, a 2006 Princeton graduate and the only four-time winner of the men's national intercollegiate squash championship, of his opponent and friend. "He's got the dedication and will to win," added El Halaby after his 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 defeat in 29 minutes.

Ramy's older brother Hisham Mohd Ashour also reserved a place in the second round of the event celebrating its tenth anniversary at Grand Central Terminal. The 24-year-old 16th seed from Cairo beat compatriot Omar Abdel Aziz, a qualifier, 11-8, 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-5 in 45 minutes.

Both Ashour brothers will face fellow countrymen in the next round: Ramy will take on ninth seed Wael El Hindi, the 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 winner over first-timer Eric Galvez, of Mexico, while Hisham meets favourite Amr Shabana.

The defending champion and world number one needed only 21 minutes to defeat Frenchman Jean-Michel Arcucci 11-7, 11-5, 11-5.

Fresh from his first-time triumph in last week's British National Championships, fifth seed James Willstrop of England got off to a slow start against fellow countryman Bradley Ball. "I didn't play very fluently today," said the 23-year-old after his 6-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 victory in 53 minutes.

"So to come away with a win after playing the way I did is quite a decent result," added Willstrop, who reached the quarter-finals in his first ToC appearance in 2004. His second round opponent, 29-year-old Canadian Shahier Razik, was delighted to make it past the first round for the very first time by defeating his countryman Matthew Giuffre.

True to form, Razik needed 60 minutes to overcome Giuffre - 48 hours after recording the longest match PSA Tour match of the year when he beat Spaniard Borja Golan in 121 minutes in the final of the Bluenose Classic in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The evening session of play ended with two veterans exerting their authority in definitive play. John White, the 33-year-old Scot who made his first Tournament of Champions appearance in 1999, defeated English qualifier Stacey Ross, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9, and will meet 36-year-old Alex Gough in the next round. The Welshman, whose first ToC appearance was in 1995, dismissed Brazilian number one Rafael F Alarcon 11-5, 11-6, 11-9.

1st round:
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Jean-Michel Arcucci (FRA) 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 (21m)
[16] Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) bt [Q] Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) 11-8, 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-5 (45m)
[6] John White (SCO) bt [Q] Stacey Ross (ENG) 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 (24m)
[12] Alex Gough (WAL) bt Rafael F Alarcon (BRA) 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 (37m)
[4] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [Q] Yasser El Halaby (EGY) 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 (29m)
[9] Wael El Hindi (EGY) bt Eric Galvez (MEX) 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 (43m)
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Bradley Ball (ENG) 6-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 (53m)
[15] Shahier Razik (CAN) bt Matthew Giuffre (CAN) 4-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-2 (60m)