Shabana Tested By Darwish In Saudi

Egypt's world number Amr Shabana was taken the full distance by fellow countryman Karim Darwish in the second round of the Saudi International before surviving to claim his anticipated place in the quarter-finals of the PSA Super Series Platinum squash event in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

Shabana, looking for his first Tour title win since March, dropped the first two games - but staged a mighty fight-back to beat his Egyptian rival 10-11 (0-2), 4-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 in 67 minutes.

"I had to give 100% - and the rest - to win that one," Shabana told the official website www.atcosquash.com. "I was out of breath in the first two. I wasn't sure what shape I was in coming into this tournament after an injury in the British and losing early in New York. He just outplayed me in the first two though - he was too good.

"It's a fine line between winning and losing and I could easily have lost tonight," added the 28-year-old from Cairo.

Shabana will face France's Thierry Lincou in Friday's quarter-finals after the fifth-seeded Frenchman defeated Australian Stewart Boswell, the tenth seed, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6, 11-8.

"It's not like it used to be - all the players are very close to each other and there are battles right from the first round," Lincou explained. "Normally Stewart and I go to four or five games, so I'm really pleased with that.

"I've changed my preparation, especially the mental side of it to try not to give games away, and I'm trying to enjoy myself more."

The other quarter-final resolved on the first day of second round action will see Australia's World Open champion David Palmer face England's US Open champion Nick Matthew for the fourth time this year.

Third seed Palmer defeated Adrian Grant, the 13th seed, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7, while seventh seed Matthew needed exactly one hour to end the run of unseeded Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema, winning 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-6, 11-3.

"Adrian plays a very slow game, it's hard to build up a rhythm," said Palmer after his win. "My game was to try to step forward and take the volley, a counter-punching game. It was more a concentration thing in keeping it up, and it was only at 10/6 in the second that I relaxed at all."

Matthew acknowledged that Anjema should have won the first game: "Things evened out - he deserved to win the first, and once I snuck that I relaxed a little, but I still should have closed out the second.

"I'd never played him before in PSA so it was very different to yesterday - new court, new opponent, you're not on autopilot, you have find out their game and adapt to the conditions at the same time."

2nd round:
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [9] Karim Darwish (EGY) 10-11 (0-2), 4-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 (67m)
[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [10] Stewart Boswell (AUS) 11-10 (2-0), 11-6, 11-8 (52m)
[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt [13] Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (47m)
[7] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-6, 11-3 (60m)