Amr
Shabana
outlasted young compatriot Tarek
Momen
in five games in today's all-Egyptian final of the
Grasshopper Cup,
the PSA
International 50
squash event at the
ezw-Unterwerk Selnau in the Swiss
city of Zurich,
to become became the oldest winner of a PSA
World Tour
title this year.
The 34-year-old third seed from Cairo went into the match, his 47th Tour
final, after a straight games semi-final victory over second-seeded
Spaniard Borja
Golan
– whilst Momen, the No.6 seed, had taken his surprise place in the final
after pulling off his second hour-plus-long upset in 24 hours, defeating
favourite James
Willstrop
in a 93-minute marathon.
But four-time World Champion Shabana showed his class in the final when,
after squandering a two-game lead, he fought back in the decider to win
11-6, 11-9, 4-11, 8-11, 11-8 after 79 minutes.
The triumph marks Shabana's second title of the year and the 33rd of his
career – and extends his Tour title-winning run to a remarkable 16
years!
"It's been a great week, everything fell in place together," admitted
'The Maestro' later. "I know I was a bit fortunate with a couple of
matches - playing my opponents who had gruelling monster matches the day
before - but I still had to seize my opportunities.
"As you saw today against Tarek, I was 2/0 up and going smoothly towards
the finishing line – and all of a sudden he came back with energy and
focus and it took every ounce of energy, concentration and experience to
be through in the end.
"The last few points could have gone either way," added modest former
world number one Shabana. "Fortunately it was me."
Momen, ranked 12 in the world, said: "I'm happy with my performance
today. Of course I'm a bit disappointed for being unlucky with my
strings on match ball. But I guess this is karma because yesterday I had
a lucky shot on match ball.
"But there are many positive things I can take out of this tournament.
Me and Amr had an amazing match today so I'd like to congratulate him
and I hope I can keep up this level of performance until the end of
season!"
Semi
Finals
Top
Seeds Downed As Shabana & Momen Set Up All-Egyptian Zurich Final
PSAWorldTour
After despatching the top two seeds in contrasting semi-finals, Amr
Shabana
and Tarek
Momen
will contest the first all-Egyptian final of the
Grasshopper Cup,
the PSA
World Tour International 50
squash event at the
ezw-Unterwerk Selnau in the Swiss
city of Zurich.
Third seed Shabana, the rejuvenated 34-year-old four-time World Champion
from Cairo, was at his awesome best as he defeated No2 seed
Borja Golan,
the World No.5 from Spain, 11-3, 13-11, 12-10 in 43 minutes.
"I
really felt going into this match I was very sharp and very focused,"
said the left-hander (pictured below) on the eve of his 47th PSA World
Tour final appearance.
"In this phase of my career it's all about gathering different aspects
going into the match and I really felt I was ready to play.
"Movement-wise I felt I was moving well. Of course it helped me that he
had a two-hour match yesterday that prevented him from coming out firing
and I took full advantage of that. All credit to him after the first,
he managed to shift the pattern of play, making it very uncomfortable
for me, changing the pace.
"It
all came down to winning the big points in the end. Luckily for me it
came my way."
It took almost an hour longer to resolve the second semi – a match in
which the fortunes ebbed and flowed between the two players for a full
93 minutes.
Momen, the No.6 seed from Cairo, had never before beaten top seed
James Willstrop
in five meetings with the World No.6 from England since 2009.
Games and points were traded right up to eight-all in the decider – but
underdog Momen, ranked 12 in the world, held his nerve to win 11-6,
1-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9.
"I
really surprised myself with the way my game has matured,"
said Momen (pictured below raising his arms in delight), now in his 10th
Tour final.
"I knew that recently I found a way to be more patient but I haven't
been consistent with it but so far in this tournament I kept my cool and
calm and I've been very patient.
"Also
this helped to reduce the error count and I feel playing this way will
allow me to eventually progress in the rankings."
Asked whether the vociferous crowd had played a part in his win, Momen
was quick to say:
"We players really appreciate the crowd coming in every day right from
the first round – the attendance has been huge from the beginning.
"This
is by far the best crowd in the world. It's my first time playing in
this tournament and I'm planning on coming back again and again!"
England's former champion Daryl Selby
was denied the chance
to make the Grasshopper Cup
final for the third year in a row when he was beaten by Egypt's Tarek Momen
in the only quarter-final upset in the PSA World Tour International
50
squash event at the ezw-Unterwerk Selnau in the
Swiss city of Zurich.
Just two world ranking positions separated the pair who went into the
sixth meeting of their careers with Momen leading 3/2 in their
head-to-heads. And it was the World No.12 from Cairo who took an early
two-game lead before Selby, the World No.10 who won the title in 2012,
survived a tie-break third game to reduce the deficit.
But Momen (pictured below, in green shirt) regained the advantage in the
fourth to close out the match 11-3, 11-4, 12-14, 11-5 after 61 minutes.
"I'm very happy with my performance
today,"
said 26-year-old Momen, making his Zurich debut. "I felt I was sharp from the
beginning - I had a game plan and I was very patient and didn't make
many errors.
"I wish I could keep this up and
repeat such a performance for the next matches and until the end of the
season!"
Momen will now face James Willstrop,
the top seed from England who recorded his seventh successive career win
over Simon Rösner
when he beat the fifth-seeded German 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 in 61 minutes in
the final match of the day.
"It's been a long day, but it was
worth the wait because the crowd was great to play in front of – and the
atmosphere was exciting even though it was getting late in the day,"
said the World No.6 from Yorkshire.
"It's not always easy to hold your
concentration when you're thinking about the match all day but I think
we both played some quality squash."
It was first match of the session which disrupted the schedule – one
which finished 134 minutes after it started, but included a 22-minute
break when a power-cut caused the court lights to fail.
Spaniard Borja Golan
finally emerged triumphant over Egypt's No.7 seed Omar Mosaad
– the No.2 seed from Santiago de Compostela avenging his defeat to the
World No.13 from Cairo in last week's PSA World Series El Gouna
International Open
in Egypt to win 12-14, 11-8, 12-10, 12-10 in 112 minutes.
"I knew that today's match was going
to be really hard,"
said Golan, the 31-year-old World No.5 and highest-ranked player in the
championship. "I played him last week and didn't
feel very confident.
"In the first game I felt the same, I
didn't feel comfortable with my shots and I was playing on his rhythm.
But then in the second I felt more comfortable and attacking more and
playing faster and it was working.
"I needed a big victory like that -
hopefully it will help my confidence for the next match!"
Golan (pictured below, in all-white) will now face Egyptian Amr Shabana,
the 34-year-old four-time World Champion from Cairo who ended qualifier
Mohamed Abouelghar's
run when he beat his 20-year-old protégé 14-12, 11-4, 11-8 in 30
minutes.
"It was tough playing him, I wish
nothing but the best for him,"
said former World No.1 Shabana of his opponent, currently ranked 57 in
the world. "He is an amazing player – I think he
has a tremendous future – I hope he makes it to the very top!
"Today I experienced the circle of
life. During the first game, I remembered the first time I played
Jonathon Power when I was 17 and he was 22. And I remembered the
respect I gave him that day and today I really sensed that with Mohamed.
"I'm happy to be in the semi-final.
It's been a healthy season for me so far - I've put in the work.
Hopefully it can carry me through to some decent results."
1st
Round Bottom Half
Abouelghar Ousts Pilley In Grasshopper Shock
#PSAWorldTour
Egypt's
Mohamed Abouelghar
produced the biggest win of his career when he defeated eighth-seeded
Australian
Cameron Pilley
in the first round of the
Grasshopper Cup
in Switzerland to become the only qualifier to make the quarter-finals
of the PSA
World Tour International 50
squash event at the
ezw-Unterwerk Selnau in
Zurich.
The youngest player in the draw, 20-year-old Abouelghar battled for 62
minutes to see off World No.17 Pilley 11-7, 8-11, 13-11, 11-6 in his
first appearance in the main draw of a PSA Tour event this year after
four successive qualifying disappointments.
"I'm
very happy - finally a losing streak has come to an end!"
said the World No.57 (pictured below, in black) from Cairo.
"Cameron is such great player and I never thought I could keep up with
him and have a tough four-setter. "I
need to thank some people: First of all my coach Mohamed Farid, and my
fitness coach Mahmoud. They've been doing a great job with me over the
past 10 years and maybe I couldn't play squash without them!"
Abouelghar will now take on distinguished fellow countryman Amr
Shabana,
the four-time World Champion also from Cairo, for the first time on the
Tour. Third seed Shabana, the left-hander making his Grasshopper debut
(pictured below), ended champion
Alister Walker's
reign – beating the World No.19 from Botswana who won the title last
year for the first time 11-5, 11-9, 11-6 in 36 minutes.
There will be further Egyptian interest in the fourth quarter-final
line-up settled on the second day of first round action. No.7 seed
Omar
Mosaad
survived an all-Egyptian clash with Cairo club-mate and qualifier
Mohd Ali Anwar Reda,
winning 11-4, 5-11, 11-7, 11-3.
"It's
the first time playing Reda on PSA,"
explained the World No.13 after his 49-minute victory. "He's
my team mate - we play at the same club in Egypt, the Heliopolis club,
so we usually train together at the club. We know how each other plays. "Today
I started really well, especially at the end of the first game - but in
the second he started to change his tactics and he played more basics
and I struggled a little bit and I think that worked for him. In the
third game, especially in the first five points, it was a mental game
because we were both trying to lead - so I think in the middle of the
third I played two more good shots and I started to create a lead. "In
the fourth I started early and was able to move ahead. I'm really happy
to play with Mohd Reda - he did good work in the qualifiers. Now I'm
going to watch Henrik and Borja, have dinner, and enjoy Zurich!"
Spaniard Borja
Golan
was the victor in the final match of the day, beating Finnish qualifier
Henrik
Mustonen
11-7, 11-7, 11-5 in 35 minutes.
"Henrik
was a really tough opponent, attacking all the time, so you have to be
patient and play a good basic game," explained the
No.2 seed, but highest-ranked player in the draw.
"I
think the difference today was that he made more errors at crucial times
in the first and second game,"
added the World No.5 from Santiago de Compostela.
"Looking forward to my match tomorrow."
1st
Round Top Half
Rösner
Resists Local Hero Mueller In Zurich
#PSAWorldTour
Fifth seed
Simon Rösner
claimed his anticipated place in the quarter-finals of the
Grasshopper Cup
in Switzerland – but the World No.11 twice had to come from behind to
overcome local hero
Nicolas Mueller,
the highest-ranked Swiss player of all-time, in the opening round of the
PSA
World Tour International 50
squash event at the
ezw-Unterwerk Selnau in
Zurich.
"Really happy to beat my good mate @MuellerNicolas in a real tough
battle that was decided in the 5th,"
tweeted the German champion after the 9-11, 11-9, 2-11, 11-7, 11-7
victory in 82 minutes which maintains the 26-year-old's unbeaten Tour
run over his European rival, ranked 25 in the world. "Very
fair & clean match. Truly enjoyable!"
Rösner (pictured below, in red, against Mueller) will now line up
against James
Willstrop,
the top seed from England. On his debut in the event, the World No.6
from Harrogate in Yorkshire eased past Finland number one Olli
Tuominen,
the event's champion in 1999, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 in 32 minutes.
Swiss hopes were also dashed in an earlier clash when England's No.4
seed Daryl
Selby
beat Lucerne-born wild card Reiko
Peter
11-7, 11-8, 11-8.
"Great
crowd tonight, lovely and vociferous!"
2012 champion Selby (pictured below in yellow, foreground, with Peter)
told his Twitter followers later.
"Managed to win in 3 but Reiko definitely improving all the time. Tarek
up next on Friday."
Selby, the World No.10 from Chelmsford in Essex, will now face sixth
seed Tarek
Momen
as he bids to reach the final for the third year in a row.
Egyptian Momen, ranked 12 in the world, defeated Danish qualifier
Kristian Frost Olesen
11-5, 12-10, 11-8 in 30 minutes.
Olesen
Makes Grasshopper Cup Line-Up #PSAWorldTour
Denmark's
Kristian Frost Olesen
became the lowest-ranked player to qualify for the 2014
Grasshopper Cup
in Switzerland – and added a ninth nation to the main draw line-up of
the PSA
World Tour International 50
squash event taking place at the EWZ
Selnau
in Zurich.
The Grasshopper Cup, which dates back to 1979, returned to the PSA Tour
in 2012 – and this year, with the tournament level raised to PSA
International 50 status, has attracted a star-studded field including
nine players from the world top 20, led by England's World No.6
James Willstrop.
Olesen, ranked 64 in the world, battled for 63 minutes to overcome
England's Eddie
Charlton,
ranked nine places higher, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 in the qualifying finals.
The 25-year-old from Odense will now take on No.6 seed Tarek
Momen,
the World No.12 from Egypt.
Fellow qualifiers include Finland's Henrik
Mustonen
and Egyptian pair
Mohamed Abouelghar
and Mohd
Ali Anwar Reda.
Mustonen, the World No.38 from Hollola, defeated England's
Charles Sharpes
11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-2, whilst Reda beat higher-ranked Jaymie
Haycocks,
also an Englishman, 11-2, 11-7, 11-9 and Abouelghar overcame Malaysian
Muhd
Asyraf Azan
11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8.
Top seed Willstrop, who is making his Grasshopper Cup debut, begins his
campaign against Olli
Tuominen,
the former World No.13 from Finland who has twice reached the event's
final and was champion in 1999.
The 30-year-old Englishman is expected to contest Sunday's final against
second seed Borja
Golan,
the World No.5 from Spain who was a semi-finalist in 2013.
Grasshopper image below, courtesy of Helen Ree, shows Olesen and
Charlton in action
