#VisaGate Photos
[26] Zeina Mickawy 3-1 Marie Stephan (Fra) 11-3, 11-6, 5-11, 11-3 (31m)
[8] Salma Hany 3-0 Ineta Mackevica (Lat) 11-3, 11-3, 11-9 (23m)
Rachel Arnold (Mas) 3-1 [29] Farida Mohamed 11-8, 11-8, 11-13, 11-9 (46m)
[32] Lisa Aitken (Sco) 3-1 Hana Moataz 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5 (42m)
[2] Nouran Gohar 3-0 Lucy Beecroft (Eng)
[15] Nadine Shahin 3-0 Menna Nasser 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 (21m)
[11] Rowan Elaraby 3-0 Georgia Adderley (Sco) 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 (30m)
[6] Karim Abdel Gawad 3-0 Sebastien Bonmalais (Fra) 13-11, 11-7, 17-15 (51m)
[7] Fares Dessouky 3-1 Greg Lobban (Sco) 6-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-3 (43m)
[12] Saurav Ghosal (Ind) 3-0 Aly Hussein 11-1, 11-5, 11-5 (38m)
[11] Mohamed Abouelghar 3-0 Karim El Hammamy 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 (36m)
[14] Mazen Hesham 3-0 Max Lee (Hkg) 11-4, 11-2, 11-6 (22m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy 3-0 Yip Tsz Fung (Hkg) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (25m)
World No.7 CIB Fares Dessouky will play Kobayashi, the first Japanese (male) to reach the Worlds Champs second round, after Fearless came back from a game down to defeat Scotland’s Greg Lobban, while 2017 World Champion Mohamed ElShorbagy ramped up his attempts to take the World No.1 ranking with a 3-0 win over Hong Kong’s Tsz Fung Yip.
If ElShorbagy makes it to the final he will be guaranteed the World No.1 spot regardless of what current incumbent Ali Farag does, and the 30-year-old’s strong start against Yip could spell danger for Farag’s reign as the world’s top player.
2016 World Champion CIB Karim Abdel Gawad also got his title challenge under way with an entertaining 3-0 win over Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais.
The in-form World No.2 CIB Nouran Gohar began her event in the women’s draw with an 11-6, 11-1, 11-5 victory against England’s Lucy Beecroft.
Like ElShorbagy, Gohar is bearing down on the World No.1 spot – currently held by fellow Egyptian Nour El Sherbini – and will be guaranteed top spot in the August rankings if El Sherbini fails to reach the semi-finals.
“Who doesn’t want to win this one?” Gohar said….
Mohamed ElShorbagy
“Everything was in check, and I feel like I played really well.“The Hong Kong players haven’t played a tournament for a year and a half, they haven’t been able to get out of the country during the whole of COVID. I was just telling him that it’s good to have him and the Hong Kong team back again, it’s good for the tour.
“I know that if Ali doesn’t reach the final I’m going to become World No.1, but if I reach the final I’ll be World No.1 anyway. It’s all in my hands, I’m in control, I want him to keep winning, and I want to keep winning. I want to kick him out of the World No.1 spot, that’s all I’m thinking of.
“I’ve been counting down the days until that moment, and that moment is very, very soon now.”
Rowan ElAraby
“I’d say I’m pleased with how I played. It’s always tricky in the first round and she’s a very tough opponent, so it was hard to beat her in three games.
“I love playing here in Chicago, I have good memories, so I’m looking forward to going as far as I can in this tournament. I trained really well and did a lot of practice with my coaches.
“The tournament, the glass court, the venue is amazing. Two years ago I did well and lost in the quarter-finals, so I have good memories here.”
Mohamed Abouelghar
“It’s always good to have a good start in a tournament. I play a lot with Karim in training, and I know how good he is. I’m happy with how I started and with how I held my tactics until the end. I knew his dangers and I did my best to contain him.“Everyone is coming here to win, but I’m just taking it one step at a time, enjoying every match as it comes, and hopefully the results will take care of themselves.
“The World Championship is something that you visualise winning as a kid. Coming here has a different vibe to it. Particularly after a long stop, it’s great to be back [in the USA] with easier restrictions.”
Fares Dessouky
“I was injured, as you know, so I haven’t trained at all. I am only on court with spirit and with what I have had over the last few months, and I am happy it worked.“The first game, I was not confident with my shots and I was struggling to read his game. My eyes are a bit slow! I am happy that I adapted very quickly, and I started playing very well from the second, and applying the pressure, so I am happy with that.
“I am very happy to be able to get on a flight to go somewhere, and it is here in the US. It is a lovely tournament, I like the city and it is great to be here again.”
Karim Samy
“It’s the first time we have played each other and I think he is a very tough opponent. He just needs that bit more experience, and with that, he will break the top 20 very soon. He is very clever on court and he has very good tactics. He moves very well so it won’t be too long until he gets into the top 20.
“To have a first round match like this gives you more confidence for the rest of the tournament and makes you ready for the next round. With this, I am happy with the way I dealt with the match. It is a good start after a long time without playing. It is nice to be back on court, and to try and to get back to the form I used to have. It is a good start for me.
“I am getting older, of course, that is why I don’t want to play 3-2 matches, which used to be 95% of my matches! With the recovery, I have to be smart. You have to change the way you recover, when I was 23, 24, I didn’t focus as much on the recovery. It is now the most important part of the game, it is very important.”
