World No. 1 Mohamed Elshorbagy made a whirlwind start to his bid to win the World Series finals and created another kind of storm - of applause from spectators - by praising the mother who coaches him. The 25-year-old Egyptian triumphed 11-4, 11-6 in a physically explosive battle with Mathieu Castagnet, the seventh-seeded Frenchman, and then told the crowd how Basma Hassan had made his pre-eminence possible. "She has played such a big role in my career," Elshorbagy explained. "She comes to every tournament and she is more like a manager. I'm lucky to have a woman like that in my life." The bustling Alexandrian was always in control against Castagnet, even though the movement and dynamism of the rallies took the crowd's breath away. Once the Frenchman made a point blank interception from within six feet of the front wall, but even that was not enough to get the ball away for a winner. Earlier, Elshorbagy made it even clearer that he would not be at the pinnacle but for his mom, claiming that without her help he would have lost his last big final, at El Gouna three weeks ago when he was two games down against the world champion from France, Gregory Gaultier. "When I lost the second game my mother came to me," Elshorbagy revealed. "She said ‘I don't mind you losing, but don't come off court and let me down - just fight for every point now.' And it worked." Elshorbagy next plays Miguel Angel Rodriguez, the fifth-seeded Colombian, who scored his first ever win over Nick Matthew, the 35-year-old three times former world champion from England, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9. Matthew, who contemplated retirement after the British Open two months ago, still looked hampered by the ankle injury which has troubled him for nearly a year. The other world No. 1, Nour El Sherbini, by contrast, was beaten. The 20-year-old who recently won both the world and British Open titles, lost 12-10, 17-15 in an entertaining high speed encounter to her fellow Egyptian Raneem El Welily. It was not a major surprise, for Welily was the world's top ranked player herself for a spell last year, and her creative style suited the shorter best-of-three games format very well. El Sherbini can still qualify if she wins her next two matches. Welily could nevertheless qualify for the semifinals Wednesday if she beats Camille Serme, the former British Open champion from France, who saved a game point at 9-10 in the second game against Omneya Abdel Kawy, a former world finalist from Egypt, to win 11-9, 13-11. Later Nicol David, who could win this title for a third successive time despite the women's event's three-year absence — began with an enterprising 11-6, 13-11 win over Amanda Sobhy, the first American to reach the world's top eight. The women's game's most successful player next faces another former world No. 1, Laura Massaro who produced a performance full of good movement and bold shot selection to win 11-7, 13-11 against Nouran Gohar, the world junior champion from Egypt. Gaultier, produced a typically waspish display, full of sharp dialogues with the referee, unexpected shot selections and fine winners to beat Simon Rosner, the best player ever to come from Germany, 11-2, 11-9. Gaultier next plays Cameron Pilley, who has a chance of becoming the first Australian in a decade to qualify for the later stages after a tenacious 11-7, 5-11, 11-6 win over Omar Mosaad, the world runner-up from Egypt. It avenged Pilley's defeat in El Gouna last month.
