KHOBAR: World No. 1 Ramy Ashour gave up on his bid to win back the World Open title after only six minutes of the second round when a hamstring injury forced him to call a halt Sunday. The 23-year-old from Cairo left the court in agony after losing one game which was so painful it suggested he might have been better never to have taken the court. It was won 11-2 by Aamir Atlas Khan, the Pakistan No. 1, and Ashour's retirement cost the tournament someone who was simultaneously its most charismatic player, the unofficial favorite for the title. Nick Matthew, the top seed, has a last 16 encounter with Hisham Ashour, Ramy's elder brother, Monday. Others who may take advantage are Ashour's compatriot Amr Shabana, the 31-year-old defending champion, who plays Azlan Iskandar of Malaysia, and a third Egyptian, Karim Darwish. Darwish progressed safely to the third round with a 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 win over Tom Richards of England. Another front runner to impress was James Willstrop of England, whose 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 win over Borja Golan of Spain appears to have opened up a route through to the semifinals in place of Ashour. – Agence France
