Hany is the highest-ranked player to be eliminated so far at the Club S Allegria in Cairo, succumbing to a 12-10, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3 defeat.

El Tayeb finished as the runner-up in 2019, but has since given birth to her first child and spent 14 months out of the game.

The 29-year-old has fallen to 28th in the world rankings, but demonstrated that can be a deceptive number as change of strategy after two games proved decisive in the all-Egyptian clash.

"I don't know why, but in the third, I switched and managed to go short, because I had been going to the back a lot," El Tayeb said, per the Professional Squash Association website.

"And then, when I got five or six points, I saw it was working, and I felt more confident.

"In the fourth, I was sure she was going to go for it, but I guess we were both very nervous. 

"Neither of us wanted to lose the Worlds in the second round with so much at stake for both of us."

Sivasangari Subramaniam is next up for El Tayeb, following the Malaysian's 11-9 11-9, 11-9 win over 14th seed Nadine Shahin.

Egypt's Shahin was one of four women's singles seeds to lose today, as Olivia Fiechter lost an all-American clash with Sabrina Sobhy and Canada's Hollie Naughton came unstuck versus Tinne Gilis of Belgium.

Those defeats all came in straight games.

The seven seeded players in men's singles action all won today.

Swiss Nicolas Müller knocked off Germany's Raphael Kandra 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 and is the only unseeded player through to round three.

Egypt's Marwan ElShorbagy awaits Müller.