El Sherbini and Farag Capture CIB Egyptian Open Trophies at Great
Pyramid of Giza Egyptian
duo Nour El Sherbini and Ali Farag have captured the 2020 CIB
Egyptian Open, PSA World Tour Platinum trophies after they beat
compatriots Nouran Gohar and Tarek Momen, respectively, in front of
the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza.
El Sherbini will overtake Gohar as the women’s World No.1 on
November 1 after winning 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 in 37 minutes to become
the inaugural women’s champion, while also lifting her 22nd PSA
title in the process. Gohar battled on despite suffering from both
an ankle injury and hip flexor problem coming into the match, but
was powerless to stop El Sherbini from powering on to victory.
El
Sherbini, 24, captured her fourth World Championship title on this
very court 11 months ago and will return to the summit of the PSA
Women’s World Rankings for the first time since November 2018.
“Of course, just playing here in front of the Pyramids is very big
for me," said El Sherbini afterwards.
"I
always love to play here, so I am, of course, over the moon to come
and win here for the second time. It is an unbelievable feeling for
me. I had to tell myself to keep going because Nouran is playing
unbelievably, and even though she was injured, she beat many top
players on her way to the final, but I am thrilled to win this
match.
“Coming here and supporting us made a huge difference. I hope all
the Egyptians are happy with this support, and with this crowd, they
make every event special and we all want to win in front of them.”
The
men’s World No.1 spot will also change hands on November 1, with
Farag’s run to the final seeing him wrestle back top spot from
fellow Egyptian Mohamed ElShorbagy.
Farag lost in last year’s Egyptian Open final to World No.4 Karim
Abdel Gawad but stormed out of the traps against a fatigued Momen to
complete an 11-8, 11-3, 11-4 triumph which sees him win his 20th PSA
title.
For Farag, it’s third time lucky at the Pyramids after defeats to
Gawad at both the 2016 Al Ahram Open and the aforementioned
tournament.
“It
was pretty emotional, what an occasion to be able to capture here,"
Farag said.
"As I have said after every match, we have always dreamt of being on
such a stage in front of the Pyramids and to be able to win it at
the third time of trying, it is an amazing feeling, especially
coming up against one of the greatest players on tour at the moment
in Tarek.
“You saw how gracious he is and how much of a role model for our
sport that he is so I couldn’t be prouder to share the court with
him. I would like to thank CIB endlessly to help bring the tour
back, and everyone there is supporting us. Also, thank you to
[Tournament Promoter] Amr Mansi and I-Events for their efforts. The
PSA are also doing an amazing job in these tricky times."
El Sherbini and Farag take home $38,000 each in prize money, which
is the most lucrative winner’s prize for a Platinum event ever.
Farag will be in action at the next PSA World Tour event - the Qatar
Classic - which will take place between November 1-7 at the Khalifa
International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar.visit
CIB Egyptian Open Finalists Decided
in Front of Great Pyramid of Giza World Champion Nour El Sherbini will line up against World No.1
Nouran Gohar in the final of the women’s CIB Egyptian Open, PSA
World Tour Platinum tournament as she looks to continue her stunning
run of form in front of the spectacular Great Pyramid of Giza.
The 24-year-old, who captured her fourth World Championship title on
this very court 11 months ago, has made it three out of three finals
in front of the last remaining Wonder of the Ancient World after
beating World No.4 Nour El Tayeb 3-1 to avenge her defeat to her
fellow Egyptian two weeks ago at the CIB PSA World Tour Finals.
The World No.2 overcame the now retired Raneem El Welily in front of
the Pyramids last year - gaining revenge for her defeat to El Welily
at the 2016 Al Ahram Open - and she will now line up against the
woman who took over El Welily’s World No.1 spot, Nouran Gohar, in
the inaugural women’s final.
“Of course it is very tough, I have been playing with Nour for 10
years now and every time it is tougher than the one before,” El
Sherbini said.
“This one was very tough and she tried to come back. We played two
weeks ago and I won the first game before she came back strong. I
didn’t want this to happen again this time, so I had to be sharp
from the start and I am really happy to be through.
“Nouran is very tough also, she has been playing really well this
tournament. It was a very tough match for her today but all credit
to her. It should be a good one hopefully."
Gohar is through to her first final in front of the Pyramids - and
her first since becoming World No.1 in July - after getting the
better of CIB PSA World Tour Finals winner Hania El Hammamy by a
9-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-4 scoreline in 75 minutes.
Gohar has been struggling with an ankle injury throughout the
tournament but, despite picking up an additional hip flexor problem
during the third game, her focus and mental resilience was
unwavering as she earned her place in a 17th PSA final. Gohar has
won three of 13 matches against El Sherbini and lost to her
compatriot at the World Tour Finals in Cairo two weeks ago.
“This week has been a little bit different, I’ve been having a
different injury every day," Gohar said.
"Hamdullah, it’s not a severe one, but it doesn’t really help the
mind. I’m really proud of myself with how I dealt with it. With the
little niggle in my leg, I had to adapt and change and it just went
my way this time, but we will have great battles in the future, I’m
100 per cent sure.”
The men’s final will see top seed Ali Farag and World Champion Tarek
Momen lock horns in the latest chapter of their rivalry following
respective wins over World Junior Champion Mostafa Asal and World
Tour Finals winner Marwan ElShorbagy.
Asal’s controversial victory over World No.5 Paul Coll in the
previous round - and the wild celebrations that followed - had been
the talk of the squash world, with footage of his celebration being
viewed over 200,000 times on the PSA World Tour’s social media
channels.
But the 19-year-old came up against an immovable object in Farag,
who played with control and craft to complete an 11-3, 11-7, 12-14,
11-4 victory which will see him compete in the final of this
tournament for a second straight year having lost to World No.3
Karim Abdel Gawad in last year’s showpiece event.
“I can’t stress enough how thankful we are to CIB, [Tournament
Director] Amr Mansi, i-Events and the PSA," said Farag afterwards.
"Obviously there are tough protocols they have to go through because
of COVID-19 precautions and we’re super grateful to be here. I’m
starting to enjoy myself again on court, I’m finding myself again,
my character and my game plan."
In the final match of the evening, Momen overturned two match balls
to make it six wins in a row over the in-form ElShorbagy. The match
was a scrappy affair with plenty of discussions with the referee,
who awarded a conduct stroke against ElShorbagy for repeated
remonstrations.
The 27-year-old looked to be on course to book his spot in the last
four but a loss of focus, coupled with a tremendous fightback from
Momen, means that it is the World No.4 who will take on Farag in
tomorrow’s title decider in what will be his 28th PSA final.
“Marwan is a great guy and I have known him forever and he has
always been a good friend,” Momen said.
“I just don’t understand what was happening today. He just seemed to
be so irritated from the very beginning, and I am not sure if he had
an issue with the ref but he was very angry and this anger just
started to transform into aggression on court. I am sure he is just
trying to win and he is just trying to play his own game."
The finals will take place tomorrow (October 17) at the Great
Pyramid of Giza from 19:00 (GMT+2) onwards. Action will be shown
live on
SQUASHTV the official
YouTube
and
Facebook
channels of the PSA World Tour.
World
Champion Tarek Momen fought through the pain barrier to overcome
Peru’s Diego Elias earlier today in front of the Great Pyramid of
Giza to ensure that there will be all-Egyptian semi-finals in both
the men’s and women’s CIB Egyptian Open, PSA Platinum event.
World No.4 looked to be struggling with stomach cramps and was off
the pace as Elias struck up a 2-1 lead, with Momen doubled over
after some taxing rallies.
Momen hasn’t found his best squash since the restart of the PSA
World Tour, but the 32-year-old put in a gutsy performance to
overturn that deficit and grind out an 7-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7
victory which sees him extend his winning run over Elias to seven
matches.
“I don’t think I enjoyed my experience today on court, but I am very
proud with the way I fought," Momen said afterwards.
"Throughout the whole match, I kept fighting, whether I am in pain
or not it is irrelevant. It is all about what is happening on court
and I just gave it my all. It was a very tough match and he is just
so talented, so tough to beat, and so to get a win today is such a
privilege in front of my home crowd.
“I need to check what I had for lunch to make sure I don’t have it
again. That is the main issue, but I am okay. It was a bit painful
but nothing to take away form the way I played. It was a hard-fought
match and I cannot make any excuses, I won 3-2 against a very tough
opponent and that is it.”
Momen will play men’s CIB PSA World Tour Finals winner Marwan
ElShorbagy for a place in the final after ElShorbagy dispatched
surprise quarter-finalist Mazen Hesham by a 3-1 margin.
Hesham had dispatched defending champion Karim Abdel Gawad and
India’s Saurav Ghosal earlier on in the event but came up against a
resolute ElShorbagy who completed an 11-9, 5-11, 11-7, 11-3 victory
in 60 minutes.
“I’m
a little bit annoyed with myself for this performance,” ElShorbagy
said.
“Before this season I said to myself that if I have to play against
my opponent and sometimes the referee, sometimes the decision won’t
go my way and I have to accept that. Today, I felt I was getting on
with the referees and not focusing on my game. I’m happy to win the
match though and I’m pretty sure I’ll be sharper for tomorrow’s
match."
In the women’s event, World Champion Nour El Sherbini and World No.4
Nour El Tayeb will face off following respective wins over India’s
Joshna Chinappa and Egypt’s Salma Hany.
World No.2 El Sherbini, competing on the court where she won her
fourth World Championship crown 11 months ago, overcame India’s
Joshna Chinappa 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 in 34 minutes to book a place in
her sixth successive semi-final.
“They’re
very hard conditions here and when you’re playing a very experienced
player you have to be ready,” said El Sherbini.
“Joshna played really well in the last two games and it was very
close until the end, but I’m really happy that I closed it out.
People have different styles, of course I’m glad that I have many
shots that I can play, I always try to use them and try to improve
these shots as much as I can."
El Sherbini’s match with El Tayeb will be a repeat of their clash at
the same stage of the CIB PSA World Tour Finals two weeks ago.
El Tayeb ended a run of five straight defeats to El Sherbini when
she overcame her compatriot in that match at the Mall of Arabia, and
she will have a chance to repeat that feat after beating Hany 11-6,
11-5, 11-5.
“Salma
beat me the last time she played, and at 2-0 up, I know she came
back to beat Joelle [King] the other day, so it was very tough all
the way," El Tayeb said.
“I will figure out how to break Nour down later, but it is always
exciting to play her in a semi-final or a final. She is the one
player that you want to test yourself against because she is one of
the best. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good and intense match.”
The semi-finals will take place tomorrow (October 16) at the Great
Pyramid of Giza from 18:00 (GMT+2) onwards. Action will be shown
live on SQUASHTV the official
YouTube
and
Facebook
channels of the PSA World Tour.
Asal Upsets Coll at CIB Egyptian Open to Reach First Platinum
Semi Reigning
World Junior Champion Mostafa Asal overcame World No.5 Paul Coll in
a dramatic five-game scrap at the CIB Egyptian Open earlier today in
front of the famous Great Pyramid of Giza to reach a PSA World Tour
Platinum semi-final for the first time.
The enigmatic 19-year-old fought back from 2-1 in an absorbing
contest to complete an 8-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 12-10 victory after
103 minutes of action – sparking wild celebrations that saw him rip
off his shirt and sweatband and throw them out of the court.
The match veered from the sublime to the ridiculous, with passages
of expertly crafted rallies, incredible shot-making and superhuman
retrievals making way for scrappy periods of play and plenty of
discussions with the referee, with Coll accusing his opponent of
blocking on a few occasions.
For the most part, Coll kept his composure and didn’t get involved
in any of the antics on court during the first half of the match,
but his focus began to slip the longer the match went on and Asal
ground out the victory, resulting in jubilant scenes.
“Everyone who is Egyptian plays like this in this country,” Asal
said.
“The support of this crowd is unbelievable. Without them, it
wouldn’t be like this.”
Asal will take on top seed and 2019 runner-up Ali Farag in the
semi-finals after Farag got the better of 37-year-old veteran
Gregory Gaultier.
Farag, the World No.2, was Gaultier’s opponent when the Frenchman
last appeared in a PSA World Tour quarter-final two years ago prior
to his career-threatening knee injury. Gaultier, making his first
Pyramids appearance since 2006, never looked that comfortable on
court following an early slip and Farag held his nerve to complete
the win in three.
"When
I was here at the age of 14 in 2006, I was up there watching him
from the stands, and I always dreamt of being on this court, but I
never imagined I would be on here with him," Farag said afterwards.
"The pressure is mostly away because of those situations, so I have
maximum respect for him to keep going after all these years and to
still be competing at the top level."
There were also two Egyptian winners in today’s women’s
quarter-finals, with World No.6 Hania El Hammamy and World No.1
Nouran Gohar beating France’s Camille Serme and Belgium’s Nele Gilis,
respectively.
El Hammamy claimed a landmark win over Serme when she came from two
games down to beat the World No.3 at the Pyramids in their
quarter-final battle at the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship 12
months ago.
20-year-old El Hammamy had beaten Serme in three of their last five
matches – including that Worlds quarter-final – and prevailed by a
9-11, 17-15, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8 scoreline after 91 gripping minutes,
which is the longest women’s match since the restart.
"One
year ago, on this court, in front of the Pyramids, that’s when I
first started to beat Camille and it’s special today as well," El
Hammamy said.
"It’s never easy to come up every tournament and show this
performance and to play five games against her. Today, I’m just
happy that I managed to keep pushing myself until the last point. I
think everyone can see that I was relieved when Camille put the last
shot in the tin, I didn’t even celebrate, I just wanted to get off
court and recover."
Meanwhile, Gohar shrugged off an ankle injury to overcome World
No.14 Gilis 11-4, 11-9, 11-9 and she will face El Hammamy for a
place in the title decider.
“Honestly,
I am trying not to think about being No.1, which really helps,"
Gohar said.
"I just feel that becoming World No.1 did not change me as Nouran,
and that I still have the same strengths and the same weaknesses. I
am just working with my coaches on the same things, so I don’t
really thinking about being World No.1 when I enter the court, I
just have the same game plan and I try to enjoy myself on court.”
The quarter-finals continue tomorrow (October 15) at the iconic
Great Pyramid of Giza from 18:00 (GMT+2) onwards. Action will be
shown live on SQUASHTV the official
YouTube
and
Facebook
channels of the PSA World Tour.
Hesham and Hany Book Quarter-Finals Spots at CIB Egyptian Open
Egyptian duo Mazen Hesham and Salma Hany have reached the
quarter-finals of the CIB Egyptian Open, PSA Platinum tournament
following respective wins over higher ranked players Saurav Ghosal
and Joelle King earlier today.
On the glass court erected in front of the iconic Great Pyramid of
Giza, Hesham earned his place in the last eight of a Platinum
tournament for the first time since May 2019 courtesy of an 11-8,
11-9, 11-8 victory over Ghosal in 56 minutes.
Hesham, who will undergo military service after this tournament
until the end of 2021, claimed a huge scalp against defending
champion Karim Abdel Gawad in the previous round, and his win over
Ghosal means he will line up against CIB PSA World Tour Finals
champion Marwan ElShorbagy in the quarter-finals.
“I’m
enjoying myself, playing in front of the Pyramids in Egypt, what
else do you need?” said Hesham afterwards.
“I had to fight in each game and especially for the last few points,
the crucial points at 8-8 and stuff like this. I’m really happy to
be here, to be playing and enjoying my squash again and moving a
little better. I have felt like an 80-year-old for the last few
years, so I am living up to my age again.
“I have the best fans here. My mum, dad, cousin, my coach has helped
me a lot these last few years and Hossam, the new addition to the
team, these guys are amazing. I’m a hard case to deal with, I’m
trying to be a better person and a better player and I think it’s
all going to plan.”
ElShorbagy got the better of England’s Nathan Lake to win in three
games at the New Giza Sporting Club, while World Champion Tarek
Momen overcame Mexico’s Cesar Salazar in the other men’s match at
the Pyramids.
“I
think I played a good match,” said Momen.
“It definitely helps when I play in my hometown and against foreign
players. I’ve had this experience here and at the World Champs as
well, I had a lot of Egyptian support and it made a difference.
Overall, I’m very happy to be playing at home and winning matches
and I’m very pleased to be coming back after tomorrow."
Momen will line up against Peru’s Diego Elias for a place in the
semi-finals. Elias, the World No.6, defeated Frenchman Gregoire
Marche 11-5, 5-11, 12-10, 11-6.
In the women’s event, World No.10 Salma Hany earned her spot in the
quarter-finals after coming back from two games down to beat World
No.8 Joelle King at New Giza Sporting Club.
The match was a scrappy, feisty affair with a number of traffic
issues throughout and the players had stern words for each other on
court. But it was Hany who held her focus during a dramatic fifth
game to secure her place in the last eight.
“It
was fight or die today,” Hany said.
“It was a scrappy match, I apologise to Joelle, but sometimes you
are not going to win playing only great shots. Sometimes you have to
accept you are not playing your best squash and just dig in and
grind it. I have the upmost respect for Joelle, she is a very fair
player… I was not walking out of that court a loser today.”
Hany’s opponent will be World No.4 Nour El Tayeb after she eased
past fellow Egyptian Nadine Shahin in straight games, while World
No.2 Nour El Sherbini made her return to the court where she picked
up her fourth PSA Women’s World Championship title last November.
El
Sherbini, who overcame the now retired Raneem El Welily to lift the
most prestigious title in women’s squash on her 24th birthday,
claimed a 3-0 win over Canada’s Danielle Letourneau.
“It’s always a pleasure playing here,” said El Sherbini.
“I’ve had the chance to play here twice and it’s been good for me,
once I won and the other I was runner-up. I definitely have good
memories here and it’s good to be back, hopefully I can add another
memory here."
India’s Joshna Chinappa stands between El Sherbini and a place in
the last four after she overcame 18-year-old Egyptian Farida Mohamed
in five games.
The quarter-finals begin tomorrow (October 14) at the iconic Great
Pyramid of Giza from 18:00 (GMT+2) onwards. Action will be shown
live on
SQUASHTV the official
YouTube
and
Facebook
channels of the PSA World Tour.
France’s Gaultier Rolls Back the Years to Reach CIB Egyptian Open
Quarters 37-year-old
Frenchman Gregory Gaultier is through to the quarter-finals of a PSA
World Tour event for the first time in two years after the World
No.76 defeated World No.10 Miguel Rodriguez earlier today in their
third round clash at the CIB Egyptian Open, PSA Platinum tournament.
Gaultier, a former World No.1, spent 15 months on the sidelines
between October 2018 – January 2020 after suffering a serious knee
injury which left him fighting for his career and required two
surgeries just to get him back on court.
His return to action was then cut short after just two events due to
the global COVID-19 pandemic which brought professional squash to a
halt for six months. But his mental strength and belief was
unwavering and he put on a demonstration of the control and class
that has characterised his career as he overcame Rodriguez by an
11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10 scoreline to record his first win over a top
10 player since September 2018.
“I’m very happy I kept digging in,” said Gaultier following his win
at the New Giza Sporting Club.
“Mentally I stayed focused despite it all, and I’m chuffed to get
through, they were two tricky matches in a row. They were not the
easiest of conditions, it was very hard to finish off the rallies.
"If you hit the ball just a bit too hard, it bounces off very hard,
so against Miguel I had to play extremely accurate squash without
overhitting and varying the height, and I really had to be very
patient. It was not the most entertaining squash, but that’s what
needed to be done.”
Gaultier’s most recent PSA World Tour quarter-final was against
World No.2 Ali Farag at the U.S. Open in October 2018 and he will
take on the Egyptian once again following Farag’s 10-12, 11-8, 11-9,
9-11, 11-7 victory over Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller on the glass
court in front of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza.
Farag, a runner-up at last year’s CIB Egyptian Open, was struggling
with a finger injury and came close to suffering a surprise exit
after Mueller displayed his shot-making skills to take the No.1 seed
to a fifth game. But tiredness ultimately got the better of him as
Farag closed out the win to book his quarter-final berth.
“The
injury was a very silly thing in the morning, I was opening a can of
oatmeal, I just had my breakfast and cut my finger," Farag said.
"You’d be surprised how much it affects the holding of the grip, and
I just missed so many easy shots because I couldn’t hold the grip
properly. In a fraction of a second I’m thinking about it and then
I’m wrong footed. All of this plays in your head, but I’m happy to
still be in the tournament and have a day off, where I’ll be playing
without it and hopefully all will be good."
Farag’s compatriot, 19-year-old Mostafa Asal, has also earned his
spot in the last eight after a relentless performance saw him defeat
37-year-old former World No.1 James Willstrop at the New Giza
Sporting Club. He will line up against World No.5 Paul Coll, who
defeated World No.49 Youssef Ibrahim.
In the women’s event, World No.1 Nouran Gohar had to fight through
the pain barrier as she overcame an ankle injury to dispatch fellow
Egyptian Rowan Elaraby 11-4, 11-9, 11-5.
Gohar, 23, was wearing heavy strapping around her right ankle and
looked on the verge of shaking hands after hurting it further at 2-1
down in the third game. But after some time off court to receive
treatment, Gohar returned and put together a steely performance
befitting of her ‘Terminator’ nickname to close out the win against
all the odds.
“I
thought my ankle was going to be worse actually,” said Gohar
following her win.
“At first, the feeling wasn’t very good, but I really wanted to
play, so I think that helped a little bit to just not really think
about it. I’m just glad I was able to keep going and not just pull
out. It felt really great to be back here, I love this court,
whether it’s at El Gouna or here, my first match on this court was
at Wadi Degla and I have very good memories on the court, but put it
in front of the Pyramids and it’s another thing."
The first match of the inaugural women’s CIB Egyptian Open pitted
World No.3 Camille Serme up against World No.29 Sabrina Sobhy, with
the former coming close to causing another upset at this year’s
tournament after toppling fellow American Olivia Clyne in the
previous round.
Serme, who exited the CIB PSA World Tour Finals at the hands of
Sabrina’s older sister Amanda a fortnight ago, never looked
comfortable on court after an early slip. But the 31-year-old held
her nerve to edge her opponent out, winning 11-6, 12-14, 9-11,
12-10, 11-7.
"I
always know it is going to be hard against Sabrina, she is coming
along strongly," said Serme.
"We’ve been practicing and training together a little bit so I know
what she’s capable of. To be honest, I saw myself on a plane home
tonight when I was 2-1 down. I don’t know what happened, I need to
analyse with my coach how I actually won this match. I felt a bit
flat in a few games and she was really good, attacking and volleying
very well. I’m happy I’m through and really glad I made it."
She will face off against PSA World Tour Finals champion Hania El
Hammamy for a fifth tournament in a row after El Hammamy beat
Belgium’s Tinne Gilis 3-1 over at the New Giza Sporting Club. El
Hammamy stunned Serme when she came back from two games down to beat
the French player in the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
quarter-finals 12 months ago in front of the Pyramids.
GIlis’s older sister, Nele, was the day’s other victor as she came
back from a game down to beat Canada’s Hollie Naughton. She will
play Gohar next in only her second PSA Platinum quarter-final
appearance.
Round three continues tomorrow (October 13). Side court action will
once again be held at the New Giza Sporting Club from 12:45 (GMT+2),
while four matches will be held at the glass court in front of the
iconic Great Pyramid of Giza from 18:00 onwards.
Action will be shown live on SQUASHTV the official
YouTube
and
Facebook
channels of the PSA World Tour.
Hesham Sends Defending Champ Gawad Out of CIB
Egyptian Open During Day of Upsets Six
of the world’s top 10 players across the men’s and women’s draws crashed
out of the CIB Egyptian Open, PSA Platinum event earlier today with
World No.14 Mazen Hesham claiming the biggest scalp as he ended fellow
Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad’s title defence.
World No.3 Gawad is a specialist in Egypt and has won two titles in
front of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which will host the glass court
matches from tomorrow onwards.
But the No.2 seed wasn’t at the races today at the New Giza Sporting
Club and was powerless to prevent Hesham from completing a major win as
he grappled with the effects of plantar fasciitis which had flared up
during his run to the final of last week’s CIB PSA World Tour Finals.
Hesham was clinical and made few mistakes, with his victory marking the
first time since April 2016 that Gawad has failed to make it past the
second round of a PSA World Tour event on home soil.
Following this tournament, Hesham will undergo military service until
the end of 2021, meaning he is currently unable to play squash outside
of his native Egypt. The 26-year-old, shorn of his trademark hairstyle,
says he is making the most of this event and refuses to put any pressure
on himself.
"After this tournament, I’m going to the army, so I’m not going to go
outside of Egypt for a while," revealed Hesham.
"I might as well not put any pressure on myself and relax, tomorrow is
another day and another game, it’s such a strange period as well. I am
working hard, I’m injury free, I’m fit, and I’m taking it match by
match.
“To be in the last 16 doesn’t matter that much to me but what matters to
me is to be able to play with somebody as good as Karim. After he lost
the first game, we know that he is not the best at the beginning, I kept
wondering when he was going to wake up and I rushed a bit in the third,
and he came back very strong."
Hesham will be joined by 19-year-old compatriot Mostafa Asal, who
achieved one of the biggest wins of his burgeoning career as he took out
Germany’s World No.8 Simon Rösner.
Asal was appearing at his first tournament since the restart of the PSA
World Tour following the six-month COVID-19 enforced suspension and his
shot-making talents were in full flow as he outgunned his opponent to
book his spot in the last 16.
“Simon
is such a dangerous player, so talented, and when I saw the draw I
thought that is tough,” said Asal.
“But I train with [Karim Abdel] Gawad, and that helped me to put up a
plan as I watch him play Simon. My dad told me not to take my
PlayStation, but I asked what am I going to do in those four walls all
day? It’s helping me feeling relaxed, like it’s a normal day."
England’s former World No.1 James Willstrop made sure a trio of top 10
players missed out on a place in the next round as the 37-year-old took
out the in-form World No.9 Joel Makin. Gregory Gaultier made his PSA
World Tour return with a victory over fellow veteran Borja Golan, while
top seed Ali Farag dispatched 2015 World Championship runner-up Omar
Mosaad.
There was plenty to celebrate for the Gilis sisters in the women’s draw
as Nele and Tinne defeated United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy and Welsh
World No.9 Tesni Evans, respectively.
For
Nele, it was her first ever win over a top 10 player as she vanquished
World No.7 Sobhy 8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10, overturning two match
balls in the process. Gilis will take on Canada’s Hollie Naughton for a
place in the quarter-finals.
“A year ago, I would have been nervous for a match like this, but during
the lockdown I thought a lot about my father who passed away about 10
years ago," said 24-year-old Nele.
"He is still a huge part of my life and he would have wanted me to enjoy
my life. It was like a mirror was placed in front of my face and asked
me: ‘So, why are you stressed? You are living your dream, so start
enjoying it’.”
Tinne followed her older sister’s example as she put in an immaculate
performance to beat Evans in straight games. The 22-year-old’s 11-9,
11-5, 11-8 victory will see her play the in-form Hania El Hammamy in the
last 16, with El Hammamy coming off the back of a title-winning run at
the CIB PSA World Tour Finals last week.
“I
went on there with nothing to lose and no pressure on me," Tinne said.
"And I was a bit tense as well because I watched Nele’s match. That’s
not true, actually I was fired up because I was thinking that it was my
turn now to win.”
Elsewhere, Egypt’s Farida Mohamed, 18, followed up her Black Ball Open
scalp of World No.8 Joelle King with a 3-0 dismantling of World No.5
Sarah-Jane Perry. The World No.38’s reward is a round three clash with
India’s Joshna Chinappa.
The likes of World No.1 Nouran Gohar, World Champion Nour El Sherbini
and World Tour Finals runner-up Nour El Tayeb also got their tournaments
under way with victories.
Round three of the CIB Egyptian Open begins tomorrow (October 12). Side
court action continues at the New Giza Sporting Club from 12:45 (GMT+2),
while four matches will be held at the glass court in front of the
iconic Great Pyramid of Giza from 18:00 onwards.
Action will be shown live on SQUASHTV the official
YouTube
and
Facebook
channels of the PSA World Tour.
Egyptian
wildcard Karim El Hammamy claimed his first PSA World Tour victory since
May 2019 as he upset Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu to book his place in
round two of the CIB Egyptian Open, PSA Platinum tournament currently
taking place in Egypt.
Held under strict COVID-19 protocols, the Egyptian Open will take place
on a glass court in front of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza from
October 12-17. First and second round matches take place at the New Giza
Sporting Club on ‘traditional’ plaster courts between October 10-11,
with 32 matches played today.
El Hammamy is just one win away from a coveted place on the spectacular
glass court after he battled to an 4-11, 11-5, 11-6, 16-14 victory after
92 minutes of intense action. The 24-year-old has struggled for form
over the past 18 months - falling outside of the world’s top 50 to No.60
- but came up with a big performance when it mattered to vanquish World
No.26 Pajares.
"It means a lot to me,” said El Hammamy.
“I missed playing, I missed winning. I was playing the World No.26, so I
knew it was going to be a hard match, but for once I didn’t expect too
much of myself, I didn’t put too much pressure on the win.
"I only have one thing to take care of now, only one thing to think of,
it’s squash, I don’t study anymore. For the match, I had a game plan for
each game, I had watched Iker play a lot and studied him. This means so
much to me.”
El Hammamy will play Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller in the last 32, with
Mueller beating the other men’s wildcard, Moustafa El Sirty, by a 3-1
scoreline.
Elsewhere
in the men’s draw, USA’s World No.62 Todd Harrity scored an upset win
over World No.19 Adrian Waller as he came back from 2-1 down to win
11-5, 6-11, 6-11, 11-2, 11-7
“I’m really happy,” said Harrity, who will play No.5 seed Diego Elias in
the next round.
“I worked really hard, I’ve been in Egypt for the past two months, and
it was a big change for me. It was a rich period of training, both on
mental toughness and squash and I think that’s what got me through
today. That mental toughness, I learned it from my matches here with the
Egyptian players."
Englishman Nathan Lake also claimed a fine 3-0 victory over the
higher-ranked German Raphael Kandra, while his compatriot and World
No.44 George Parker won a battle of Britain with World No.21 Greg Lobban.
Scotland’s
Lisa Aitken caused the biggest upset in the inaugural women’s event,
recovering from a bout of food poisoning to beat World No.19 Nada Abbas
in a huge five-game battle.
30-year-old Aitken, World No.40, executed her game plan to perfection in
the decider to complete an 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4 victory which
will see her line up against India’s Joshna Chinappa in the next round.
“I played Nada a couple of years ago and the score line was similar,
3-2,” said Aitken.
“I’m very happy with my determination. I got food poisoning for two
days, and it would have been very easy to take that as an excuse to come
out weak. But I knew that if I pushed myself, nothing bad would happen
to me, so I’m happy with the way I pushed.”
Egypt’s Zeina Mickawy was also pushed to five games as she avoided a
scare against 17-year-old wildcard Sana Ibrahim. It was only Ibrahim’s
second PSA World Tour event but she impressed against Mickawy, only
finally succumbing 11-4 in the fifth.
“It
was a tough match for me, mentally," said Mickawy.
"I’m very glad I got through it. I know how the young Egyptians are,
they are hungry, they just want to win, no matter who they are playing.
That’s what she did, she played very well, she was hungry and she didn’t
stop trying."
Meanwhile, USA’s World No.45 Haley Mendez upset World No.28 Julianne
Courtice, while her compatriot Sabrina Sobhy defeated wildcard Salma
Eltayeb.
Some of the world’s leading players - including defending men’s champion
Karim Abdel Gawad and reigning women’s World Champion Nour El Sherbini
get their tournaments under way tomorrow (October 11) in round two.
Action will be shown live on SQUASHTV and the official
YouTube
and Facebook
channels of the PSA World Tour.
Draws Released for CIB Egyptian Open
The draws for the CIB Egyptian Squash Open PSA Platinum tournament have
been announced, with 96 of the world’s leading male and female players
set to line up at the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, between October
10-17.
The tournament - organised by I-Events - will take place in front of the
iconic setting of the Great Pyramid of Giza for the second year running
and will be the first Platinum event following the six-month suspension
of the PSA Tour due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
World No.2 Ali Farag, who reached the final of the tournament last year,
leads the men’s draw and receives a bye into the second round where he
will face compatriot and former World No.3 Omar Mosaad for a place in
the last 16.
The former World No.1 is seeded on the same side of the draw as New
Zealand’s World No.5 Paul Coll, Germany’s World No.8 Simon Rösner and
Colombia’s former British Open champion Miguel Rodriguez.
At the opposite end of the draw is defending champion Karim Abdel Gawad,
who continued his run as the man to beat in Egypt when he overcame Farag
in the final last November.
Gawad also receives a bye into the second round where he will come up
against compatriot Mazen Hesham for a place in the third round.
Standing in his way to the final are the likes of reigning World
Champion Tarek Momen – who he could meet in a blockbuster semi-final
should the draw go to seeding - along with Peru’s World No.6 Diego Elias
and Egypt’s World No.7 Marwan ElShorbagy.
48 of the world’s leading female players will also compete in Cairo for
the inaugural women's trophy, with the likes of Egypt’s World No.1
Nouran Gohar, reigning World Champion Nour El Sherbini, French World
No.3 Camille Serme and recent Manchester Open winner Nour El Tayeb all
appearing at the event.
Top seed Gohar receives a bye into the second round where she will face
either compatriots Zeina Mickawy or wildcard Sana Ibrahim.
The World No.1 is featured on the same side of the draw as the likes of
World No.3 Serme, Black Ball Open winner Hania El Hammamy and USA’s
World No.7 Amanda Sobhy.
Situated at the opposite end of the draw is World No.2 El Sherbini, who
was victorious at the last outing at the Great Pyramid of Giza when she
lifted her fourth World Championship crown last year on her 24th
birthday.
She receives a bye into the second round where she will face either
Australia’s Donna Lobban or compatriot Menna Hamed for a place in round
three.
On El Sherbini’s side of the draw is World No.4 El Tayeb, who she could
face in the semi-finals, along with English No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry and
New Zealand’s World No.8 Joelle King.
“We are delighted to see professional squash return in front of the
Great Pyramid of Giza later this month,” said PSA Chief Executive Alex
Gough.
“The Pyramids at Giza have become synonymous with squash over the years
and provides a great spectacle for our sport and our athletes. We are
extremely grateful to CIB and I-Events for their continued hard work to
bring world-class squash to the landmark once again and under difficult
circumstances with the continued impact of the global COVID-19
pandemic.”
Prize money will total $540,000, which will be split equally between men
and women.
The early round matches will take place at the New Giza Sporting Club,
while matches at the Glass Court will commence on October 12th.
All glass court matches will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world),
Eurosport Player (Europe only), ON Sport (Egypt) and the official
Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan) while
the semis and finals will be shown on multiple mainstream broadcast
channels around the world.
The tournament will abide by strict protocols with relation to health
and safety, international travel policies and social distancing
guidelines.
You can stay up to date with the latest from the CIB Egyptian Squash
Open by following the event on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
CIB Egyptian Squash
Open: Men’s Draw [1] Ali Farag (EGY) [Bye]
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) [Bye]
[17/32] Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) v [WC] Karim El Hammamy (EGY)
[WC] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) v [17/32] Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
[9/16] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) [Bye]
Benjamin Aubert (FRA) v [17/32] Borja Golan (ESP)
[17/32] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v Ben Coleman (ENG)
[8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) [Bye]
[7] Simon Rösner (GER) [Bye]
Victor Crouin (FRA) v [17/32] Mosafa Asal (EGY)
[17/32] James Willstrop (ENG) v Leonel Cardenas (MEX)
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL) [Bye]
[17/32] Declan James (ENG) v Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND)
Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v [17/32] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT)
[17/32] Greg Lobban (SCO) v George Parker (ENG)
[4] Paul Coll (NZL) [Bye]
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) [Bye]
[9/16] Fares Dessouky (EGY) [Bye]
[17/32] Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Patrick Rooney (ENG)
Richie Fallows (ENG) v [17/32] Youssef Soliman (EGY)
[9/16] Gregoire Marche (FRA) [Bye]
[9/16] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) [Bye]
[17/32] Adrian Waller (ENG) v Lucas Serme (FRA)
[5] Diego Elias (PER) [Bye]
[6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) [Bye]
Arturo Salazar (MEX) v [17/32] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY)
[17/32] Zahed Salem (EGY) v Alan Clyne (SCO)
Nathan Lake (ENG) v [17/32] Raphael Kandra (GER)
[17/32] Tom Richards (ENG) v Auguste Dussourd (FRA)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) [Bye]
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY) [Bye]
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) [Bye]
CIB Egyptian Squash Open: Women’s Draw [1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) [Bye]
[WC] Sana Ibrahim (EGY) v [17/32] Zeina Mickawy (EGY)
[9/16] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) [Bye]
Haley Mendez (USA) v [17/32] Julianne Courtice (ENG)
[17/32] Lucy Turmel (ENG) v Enora Villard (FRA)
Ineta Mackevica (LAT) v [17/32] Hollie Naughton (CAN)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) [Bye]
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) [Bye]
[6] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) [Bye]
Salma Youssef (EGY) v [17/32] Mariam Metwally (EGY)
[17/32] Tinne Gilis (BEL) v Sarah Cardwell (AUS)
[9/16] Tesni Evans (WAL) [Bye]
[17/32] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) v [WC] Salma Eltayeb (EGY)
[9/16] Olivia Clyne (USA) [Bye]
[17/32] Alexandra Fuller (RSA) v Emilia Soini (FIN)
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) [Bye]
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) [Bye]
Mayar Hany (EGY) v [17/32] Melissa Alves (FRA)
[17/32] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
[9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) [Bye]
[17/32] Olivia Fiechter (USA) v Rachael Chadwick (ENG)
[9/16] Salma Hany (EGY) [Bye]
[9/16] Alison Waters (ENG) [Bye]
[8] Joelle King (NZL) [Bye]
[5] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [Bye]
Farida Mohamed (EGY) v [17/32] Emily Whitlock (WAL)
[9/16] Joshna Chinappa (IND) [Bye]
Lisa Aitken (SCO) v [17/32] Nada Abbas (EGY)
[17/32] Danielle Letourneau (CAN) v Hana Ramadan (EGY)
Menna Nasser (EGY) v [17/32] Millie Tomlinson (ENG)
[17/32] Donna Lobban (AUS) v Menna Hamed (EGY)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) [Bye]
