India No. 1 Saurav Ghosal’s last PSA outing at the prestigious British Open in March is not something he would like to remember. After upsetting the eighth seed Mathieu Castagnet in the first round, his run was cut short by a twisted ankle which forced a tearful Ghosal to call it quits in the second round.
One month on, the World No. 18 has recovered well and is set to make his much-awaited return at the season’s final World Series event being held at the Red Sea resort of El Gouna in Egypt. The 29-year-old has been presented with a comfortable opening round as he kickstarts his campaign against the 26th ranked Leo Au of Hong Kong on Sunday.
Saurav was originally supposed to start against his training partner and former World No. 1 James Willstrop who pulled out a few days ago due to a viral infection.
World No. 6 Rodriguez in second round for Saurav
If Saurav can cross the first hurdle, he is likely to face the seventh seed and World No. 6 Miguel Angel Rodriguez in Round 2. The Indian star has the confidence of beating the Colombian as recently as last year in the Colombian Open semi-finals.
A possible quarter-final showdown with the third seed Omar Mosaad looms large. The Egyptian has already beaten Ghosal twice this year.
Ramy Ashour and Mohamed El Shorbagy both in the draw
This being the only World Series tournament to be staged in Egypt, the powerhouse has 12 representatives in the main draw which includes the defending champion Ramy Ashour as well as the World No. 1 Mohamed El Shorbagy.
The two were involved in an enthralling five-game marathon final last year which arguably went on to become the best match played on the men’s side in 2015.
