El Shorbagy Cruises Into Qatar Classic Draw

Egyptian schoolboy Mohamed El Shorbagy continued the form which took him into the quarter-finals of the Hi-Tec World Open in England earlier this month when he earned a place in the main draw of the Qatar Classic in the Qatar capital Doha.

The world's top players are competing in one the biggest events of the squash year - combining the men's $145,000 Super Series Platinum PSA Tour event and the women's $74,000 Gold WISPA World Tour event at the Khalifa International Squash Complex.

Shorbagy, 17, defeated compatriot Amr Swelim 11-8, 12-10, 11-9 in the men's qualifying finals and will now face Ong Beng Hee, the ninth seed from Malaysia, in the first round.

England's world number three James Willstrop has been forced to withdraw from the event after a recurrence of the ankle injury which he sustained in September. "It was giving me trouble in a Premier League match last week and I have been advised to rest it. I am really disappointed to be missing the Qatar Classic," said Willstrop, the 2005 champion.

Egypt's Amr Shabana is seeded to retain the men's title he won twelve months ago. The world number one faces Pakistan qualifier Mansoor Zaman in the first round.

Malaysian Nicol David is expected to lift the women's trophy for the third successive year. Unbeaten since October last year, world number one David reclaimed the World Open crown this month - and begins her Qatar campaign against England's Dominique Lloyd-Walter.

Men's qualifying finals:
Alister Walker (ENG) bt Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 (44m)
Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt Campbell Grayson (NZL) 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-5 (59m)
Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt Martin Knight (NZL) 11-2, 11-6, 11-5 (28m)
Chris Ryder (ENG) bt Shahid Zaman (PAK) 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 (34m)
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Amr Swelim (EGY) 11-8, 12-10, 11-9 (32m)
Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) 11-8, 9-11, 11-2, 11-4 (37m)
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) 11-8, 14-12, 13-11 (66m)
Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-7, 11-5, 11-2 (21m)

Women's qualifying finals:
Aisling Blake (IRL) bt Nouran El Torky (EGY) 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 (27m)
Lauren Siddall (ENG) bt Joey Chan (HKG) 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6 (41m)
Emma Beddoes (ENG) bt Heba El Torky (EGY) 11-9, 11-9, 5-11, 6-11, 11-0 (64m)
Alana Miller (CAN) bt Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (42m)
Laura Mylotte (IRL) bt Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 5-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9 (42m)
Orla Noom (NED) bt Adel Weir (RSA) 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 (27m)