Fares Dessouky caused a major shock at the Black Ball Open on Friday as he sent World No.1 Mostafa Asal crashing out in round two.
Dessouky’s surprisingly one-sided 11-6, 13-11, 11-7 victory over the top seed in just 47 minutes sets up a quarter-final with Tarek Momen.
“I’m very happy to win the match. Every time I play Mostafa it’s very tough but today I played my best squash,” said Dessouky, the 202 Black Ball Open champion.
“He’s the World No.1, he’s so talented, but the last couple of times we played each other he was very dodgy in terms of his movements.
“Today was the first time we played a clean match since Canary Wharf. Every time after the match he talks badly about me but today I’m not going to do the same.
“He deserves everyone to respect him on court because he’s the World No.1, but it’s unacceptable that every time he talks about players in a bad way. Hopefully that will stop very soon.”
Asal’s defeat means that Peru’s Diego Elias – currently ranked at No.2 in the PSA Men’s World Rankings – will have the opportunity to become the sport’s first South American World No.1 if he can win the event.
Elsewhere, Welshman Joel Makin knocked out Paul Coll in a typically brutal 90-minute, four-game battle, partially avenging his defeat in a similarly lengthy affair in the Commonwealth Games men’s singles final.
The women’s defending champion, world No.1 Nouran Gohar, completed a comfortable 3-0 victory against USA’s Sabrina Sobhy. The 25-year-old will go up against England’s No.7 seed Sarah-Jane Perry in the last eight.