Im glad Saurav isnt on the junior circuit anymore

Mohamed El Shorbagy says he craves naan,the Indian bread,back home in Alexandria,Egypt....

Mohamed El Shorbagy says he craves naan,the Indian bread,back home in Alexandria,Egypt. The latest PSA Young Player of the Year though,found Saurav Ghosal on his tournament platter the first two times he travelled to India,and the prospect was clearly unpalatable.

The teenaged Shorbagy has found Ghosal a little too difficult to handle on the court,going down to the same rival in two seniors tournaments in Chennai and Kolkata. The third time around at the World Juniors earlier this year Shorbagy was mighty pleased to find the Indians name missing from the list after the latters graduation to senior ranks. The Egyptian promptly wrapped up his first title in India. I was tired of losing to Saurav all the time,so I quite enjoyed looking at the draw with no Saurav in it. Im glad he wasnt a junior anymore,because hed become a sort of a roadblock here in India for me, Shorbagy says,gleeful of returning to the country where he can tuck into naan and biryaani.

The youngest player to make the Top 20 is in Mumbai for the PSA Masters starting Saturday and is hoping for a chance to dent some established reputations,with his fingers crossed over the possible face-off with Ghosal. Its an exciting time to break into the Top 10 because everyone is beating everyone, says the 18-year-old,the latest squash success story in Egypts impressive line-up. Shorbagy had made history when as a qualifier,he reached the quarter-finals of the World Open in Manchester and went on to win his first juniors title against Pakistans Amir Atlas Khan.

The teenager,whose game is known for its lightning aggression,had put in enormous hours on the court growing up in Alexandria,making him one of the fittest and strongest hitters on the world scene.

Studying mechanical engineering in Bristol while training under Jonah Barrington,Shorbagy says the academic load is just a front. I carry my books to tournaments,but I dont look at them, he quips.

Shorbagy,who starts against Malaysian Azlan Iskandar on Saturday,blinks wildly into photos every time fans approach him for pictures. Hes sure,however,that he wont be the first to blink against the top stars hes set to encounter here.