Ramy Ashour was forced to retire in the semi-final against Gregory Gaultier due to injury (Photo: Squash Site)
No Egyptians will be present in the British Open final after defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy lost and one-time winner Ramy Ashour was forced to retire due to injury in Saturday's semi-final contests.
ElShorbagy, who won the prestigious title in 2015 and 2016, lost 3-1 to Englishman Nick Matthew 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5 in 75 minutes to lose his ranking as the world number one.
Ashour, British Open champion in 2013 and last year's runner-up, sustained an injury and was forced to retire after 14 minutes, with Frenchman Gregory Gaultier leading 1-0 after taking the first game with an 11-9 win.
Gaultier will face Matthew in a mouth-watering final on Sunday.
Earlier on Saturday, Egypt's star Nour El-Sherbini also lost in the women's contest after throwing away a 2-0 lead to suffer a bitter 3-2 defeat by Laura Massaro in the semi-final.
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