Top seeds have it easy in first round

From the Gulf Times

Defending champions and top seeds Amr Shabana of Egypt and Nicol David of Malaysia eased into the second round of the Qatar Classic Squash tournament with convincing wins at the Khalifa Squash Complex yesterday.

Shabana defeated his Pakistani opponent Mansoor Zaman in straight games 11/2, 11/9, 11/4, while women’s reigning world champion Nicol David ousted England’s Dominique Lloyd-Walter 11-8, 11-7, 11-9.

The only time Shabana was stretched a bit was in the second game. A couple of unforced errors allowed Zaman level the game at 8-8 but Shabana regained his composure quickly to wrap up the game 11-9. The third game was more of a cakewalk for Shabana.

“These early matches are also tough as these qualifiers go all out knowing they have nothing to lose. However, a win makes you feel better,” said Shabana, who will meet Borja Golan of Spain in the next round.

David, on the other hand, faced some hiccups in the first and third games. She allowed Lloyd-Walter to take a 7-5 lead in the first game and was also trailing 6-5 in the third before staging a fightback.

“I would have liked to wrap up the match more convincingly but it is ok. I got a measure of her game once I engaged in long rallies. She went for her shots and I made my move,” said a pleased David, after the match.

She will now take on Engy Kheirallah of Egypt, who defeated Sharon Wee of Malaysia 11-9, 11-3, 11-7.