Egypt's Gohar, alongside three-time men's world champion and compatriot Ramy Ashour, took the first steps towards qualifying for Dubai due to their victories in Hong Kong at the first World Series tournament of the 2016-17 season.

Only the top eight players in the standings at the end of the season will qualify for a place at the Finals, with every match in the PSA World Series vital in the qualification process.

After leaving her qualification for Dubai to the final tournament last season, Gohar began the 2016-17 season in red hot form, defeating England's world number two Laura Massaro and Malaysia's world number three Nicol David before downing US star Amanda Sobhy to take the Hong Kong crown.

It means that in the early going, she sits atop of the Road To Dubai standings on 100 points.

"It was such a great feeling to be in Dubai last season and be among the top eight players in the world, so I'm really going to work hard this season to make sure I can qualify again," said Gohar.

"I have started very well in Hong Kong but I will have to continue to push hard and see how it goes throughout the season."

Ashour, the 28-year-old who also missed out on competing in Dubai last season, showed signs that he is continuing to recover from his injury woes as he saw off compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad in a highly entertaining five-game final in Hong Kong.

The victory means Ashour takes the maximum 100 points on offer - more than he accumulated throughout the entirety of the 2015-16 season - to top the standings after one event.

This year's Dubai winner Gregory Gaultier, the French world champion, and Egypt's world number one Mohamed Elshorbagy, are both outside the top eight after surprise second round defeats in Hong Kong.

The race to Dubai continues in October in the United States, where both Gaultier and Massaro will be hoping to successfully defend their titles in Philadelphia.