Men's top seed Ali Farag lost his second successive match in the group stages at the PSA World Tour Finals ©Getty Images

Men’s top seed Ali Farag of Egypt lost his second successive match in the group stages at the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour Finals in Cairo.

Farag was beaten 11-8, 8-11, 13-11 in a thrilling 64-minute contest in Group A by compatriot Mohamed ElShorbagy, after yesterday losing to his brother Marwan ElShorbagy.

Mohamed tops the group with six points following the win, while in the other all Egyptian contest in the group Marwan was defeated by Mostafa Asal 13-11, 11-3.

Asal is now second in the group with five points, with Marwan third on three and Farag bottom on two after two games.

In Group B, the first round of men’s matches was completed today when eighth seed Gregoire Marche of France came from behind to defeat sixth seed Joel Makin of Wales 8-11, 11-9, 11-3 in 59 minutes.

It marked an impressive debut at the tournament for Marche, a late replacement for Egypt’s Fares Dessouky who withdrew due to a back injury.

Marche and New Zealand’s Paul Coll both have three points in the group, while Makin and Egypt’s Tarek Momen both have one point to their name.

Nouran Gohar became the first player to qualify for the semi-finals of the PSA World Tour Finals in Cairo ©Getty Images
Nouran Gohar became the first player to qualify for the semi-finals of the PSA World Tour Finals in Cairo ©Getty Images

In Group A of the women’s competition, Nouran Gohar of Egypt became the first player to qualify for the semi-finals after overcoming Camille Serme of France 11-8, 14-12.

Gohar sits top of the group with seven points and has qualified for the next stage with a match to spare.

Top seed Nour El Sherbini of Egypt earned a vital win to go second in the group with five points, beating compatriot Salma Hany 11-8, 11-6.

Serme is second in the group with three points and Hany bottom with just one to her name, after each player has completed two matches.

In women’s Group B, the first round of games was completed today when Joelle King of New Zealand, the seventh seed, earned a straightforward 11-5, 11-8 win over fourth seed Amanda Sobhy of the United States.

After one match King and Hania El Hammamy of Egypt both have four points, while Sobhy and England’s Sarah-Jane Perry are yet to get off the mark.

The World Tour Finals, held on the Glass Court at the Mall of Arabia, features the top eight male and female players on the CIB Road to Egypt Standings, with points earned based on performances at all PSA World Tour events throughout the 2020-2021 season.