The two-time defending champion won 16-14, 11-5, 11-6 in a 52 minute encounter on his 26th birthday under Vanderbilt Hall's sparkling chandeliers.

But the scoreline did not tell the tale of the intensity of the clash as James appeared far from overawed by either his opponent or the setting.

He went blow-for-blow with the Egyptian in the early stages to force his opponent into a string of uncharacteristic errors before the tide eventually turned.

"Declan played very, very well out there," said Elshorbagy afterwards.

"I was playing at a very quick pace in the first game, and with it being his first match here in this setting I thought he would struggle to settle into the match. 

"But he stepped up and controlled me. 

"I was defending for large parts there and had to really dig in.

"Winning here the past few years was great, but nothing lasts for ever and if you start to take things for granted you can lose them pretty quick."

On a good day for Egypt, Elshorbagy was joined in the second round by younger brother and world number six Marwan, who beat England's Daryl Selby 11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8.

Frenchman Gregory Gaultier also made a winning return to the court that derailed his 2016 campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win over Peruvian Diego Elias.

The third seed suffered an ankle injury during his semi-final encounter with England's Nick Matthew last year but sent out a message to his rivals with an 11-3, 11-4, 11-3 win in 39 minutes.

"I was very fired up today because I had a poor year in 2016 with injuries and I was unable to perform as I wanted for most of the year," said Gaultier.

"But I'm back fully fresh physically and mentally and I wanted to show that 2016 was nothing compared to what will come in 2017.

"I played very aggressive today and my shots were going well so I'm very happy with how I played."

Men's first round action is due to continue tomorrow before the women's competition starts on Saturday (January 14).