International squash returned to Egypt for the first time for more than 18 months when many of the world's leading players convened for battle in the Banque Misr Sky Open, a PSA World Tour International 50 event at the Sky Resort in New Cairo. Top seed Karim Darwish, the world No 5 from Egypt who won the title in 2009, moved safely into the second round after dispatching English qualifier Youssef Abdalla 11-3, 11-3, 11-5 in the Egyptian born 20-year-old from Essex's first match against a world top 10 player. Former world number one Darwish, 32, will now face compatriot Mohamed Abul-Ghar in one of four all-Egyptian last 16 round clashes. Abul-Ghar, the 20-year-old world No 59 from Giza, defeated Argentina's Gonzalo Miranda 11-7, 11-8, 11-2. Second seed Mohamed Elshorbagy, fresh from his maiden PSA World Series title triumph success last week at the Qatar Classic, dispatched qualifier Ahmed Hussein 11-5, 11-3, 11-3 – and will now face England's Joel Hinds en-route to a predicted all-Egyptian final clash with Darwish. But Mohamed's younger brother Marwan Elshorbagy was severely tested in his first round encounter with Jordan's Ahmad Al-Saraj before taking his place in the second round. The 18-year-old from the Jordan capital Amman was handed a ‘lucky loser' place in the main draw after the late withdrawal of the top-ranked Czech Republic player Jan Koukal. The Jordanian teenager, ranked almost 100 places lower than his opponent, twice led Elshorbagy junior before the fifth seed finally prevailed 9-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9 after 83 minutes. But two other Egyptian seeds were also taken the full distance before claiming places in the second round. Mohd Ali Anwar Reda, the No 8 seed from Cairo, twice saw Kristian Frost Olesen draw level in the match and then had to survive a tie-break decider before beating the Dane 11-7, 5-11, 11-2, 9-11, 12-10 in 106 minutes. And it took four minutes longer for sixth seed Omar Abdel Meguid to see off 23-year-old fellow Egyptian Andrew Wagih Shoukry, ranked 25 places lower, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 in 110 minutes. 2nd round line-up: [1] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Mohamed Abul-Ghar (EGY) [8] Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) v Zahed Mohamed (EGY) [5] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) v Shaun le Roux (RSA) [3] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [Q] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) [4] Alister Walker (BOT) v Eddie Charlton (ENG) [6] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) v Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) [7] Mazen Hesham Ga Sabry (EGY) v Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) [2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) v Joel Hinds (ENG)
