Ashour, Gaultier withdraw
THE last-minute withdrawal of some high-profile names, including former world No.1 Ramy Ashour, has forced the organisers to revise the draw for the Qatar Classic.
Egyptian Ashour failed to recover in time from a hamstring injury he sustained during the recent World Championship final against compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad in Cairo.
Ashour will miss out on crucial ranking points as he looks to be among the eight qualifiers for the season-ending World Series Finals. He currently sits third on the Professional Squash Association’s Road to Dubai Standings.
Ashour’s withdrawal came hours after 2011 Qatar Classic champion Gregory Gaultier pulled out with a damaged his ankle.
“I’ve an inflammation on my foot, it has improved a bit, but I still struggle to walk properly. So, I took the decision to pull out from Qatar Classic. But life goes on. I get to spend more time with my family at least,” Gaultier wrote on his Facebook page.
Egypt’s world No.6 Ali Farag also withdrew after suffering a hip injury while training.
Qatar Squash Federation Technical Secretary Gamal Rasmi wished the injured players a speedy recovery.
“Injuries are part of the game and we can’t help it. Ramy (Ashour), Gregory (Gaultier) and Ali (Farag) are players who’ve huge fan following in Doha. We wish them a speedy recovery. But we still have top names, led by world No.1 Mohamed (El Shorbagy). So we can still look up for some quality and exciting action,” said Rasmi.
