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CIB Egyptian Open 2021
Mens Draw
10 - 17 Sep
Cairo, Egypt, $270k |
ROUND TWO
11 SEP |
ROUND THREE
12
-13 SEP |
QUARTERS
14 -15 SEP |
SEMIS
16 SEP |
FINAL
17 SEP |
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[1] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY)
11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (33m)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) |
Mohamed Elshorbagy
11-8, 11-4, 11-9 (50m)
Karim El Hammamy |
Mohamed Elshorbagy
11-2, 11-7, 11-8 (41m)
Eain Yow Ng
|
Mohamed Elshorbagy
11-6, 11-3, 11-8 (42m)
Tarek Momen |
Mohamed Elshorbagy
6-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-5 (74m)
Ali Farag
|
Karim El Hammamy (EGY)
9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-2, 11-5 (77m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) |
[9/16] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6 (39m)
Arturo Salazar (MEX) |
Miguel Rodriguez
5-11, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10 (81m)
Eain Yow Ng |
[9/16] Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
11-8, 11-5, 11-8 (50m)
[8] Mostafa Asal (EGY) |
Shahjahan Khan (USA)
10-12, 9-11, 12-10, 4-1 ret. (35m)
[7] Fares Dessouky (EGY) |
Shahjahan Khan
11-13, 11-5, 11-1, 11-7 (42m)
Zahed Salem |
Zahed Salem
10-12, 11-4, 11-5, 11-2 (43m)
Tarek Momen
|
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY)
11-6, 14-12, 11-6 (34m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) |
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP)
11-9, 12-10, 14-12 (61m)
Todd Harrity (USA) |
Iker Pajares Bernabeu
11-6, 11-1, 11-2 (27m)
Tarek Momen |
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY)
5-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-5 (42m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) |
[4] Paul Coll (NZL)
11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (39m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) |
Paul Coll
11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5 (87m)
Mohamed Abouelghar |
Paul Coll
11-7, 11-9, 11-3 (45m)
Marwan Elshorbagy
|
Paul Coll
11-9, 10-12, 11-4, 11-9 (69m)
Ali Farag
|
[9/16] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
11-9, 11-8, 11-8 (49m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) |
Ramit Tandon (IND)
10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (58m)
Lucas Serme (FRA) |
Ramit Tandon
11-6, 11-9, 11-8 (31m)
Marwan Elshorbagy |
[5] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY)
11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (37m)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) |
[6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
10-12, 12-10, 13-11, 13-15, 11-4 (89m)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) |
Karim Abdel Gawad
8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6 (66m)
Mazen Hesham |
Mazen Hesham
11-6, 11-7, 12-10 (48m)
Ali Farag |
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY)
11-9, 11-3, 1-11, 12-10 (44m)
[WC] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) |
Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY)
8-11, 4-4 ret. (25m)
Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) |
Mohamed Elsherbini
11-4, 11-2, 2-0 ret. (24m)
Ali Farag |
[9/16] Gregoire Marche (FRA)
11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (38m)
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) |
[1] Mohamed
Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt [WC] Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) 11-8, 11-3, 11-6
(30m)
Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bt Christopher Binnie (JAM) 9-11, 11-8, 11-6,
11-2 (65m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 13-11, 11-5, 11-5 (39m)
Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt Max Lee (HKG) 12-10, 10-12, 11-4, 13-11 (47m)
[9/16] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bye
[9/16] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bye
[8] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bye
[7] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bye
Shahjahan Khan (USA) bt Mazen Gamal (EGY) 11-7, 12-10, 11-6 (39m)
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY) bye
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Henry Leung (HKG) 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9
(54m)
Todd Harrity (USA) bt Syed Azlan Amjad (QAT) 11-3, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3
(38m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Lau Tsz Kwan (HKG) 11-5, 11-8, 9-11,
11-13, 12-10 (74m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 6-11, 4-11, 11-1, 11-3,
11-8 (74m)
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) bye
[4] Paul Coll (NZL) bye
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Ryosei Kobayashi (JPN) 11-7, 11-2, 11-9 (27m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 8-11, 11-8, 11-5,
11-6 (60m)
[9/16] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bye
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) 11-7, 11-8, 3-11, 15-13
(70m)
Ramit Tandon (IND) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (41m)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bye
[5] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
[6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bye
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bye
[WC] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 9-11, 11-1, 11-4, 11-8
(38m)
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bye
Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) bt Faraz Khan (USA) 11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 12-10
(63m)
Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) bt Martin Svec (CZE) 14-12, 11-2, 11-5 (29m)
[9/16] Gregoire Marche (FRA) bye
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) bye
|
|
CIB Egyptian Open 2021
Womens Draw
10 - 17 SEP
Cairo, Egypt, $270k |
ROUND TWO
11-12 SEP |
ROUND THREE
13-14 SEP |
QUARTERS
15 SEP |
SEMIS
16 SEP |
FINAL
17 SEP |
|
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
11-7, 12-10, 11-5 (31m)
Emily Whitlock (WAL) |
Nour El Sherbini
12-10, 11-5, 11-3 (27m)
Danielle Letourneau |
Nour El Sherbini
11-2, 11-4, 11-4 (21m)
Farida Mohamed |
Nour El Sherbini
v
Camille Serme |
Nour El Sherbini
11-7, 11-4, 5-11, 7-11, 12-10 (64m)
Nouran Gohar
|
[9/16] Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
11-6, 11-5, 11-2 (23m)
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) |
Lucy Turmel (ENG)
11-4, 11-3, 11-4 (21m)
Cindy Merlo (SUI) |
Lucy Turmel
12-10, 11-13,
11-5, 11-8 (46m)
Farida Mohamed |
Farida Mohamed (EGY)
11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10 (36m)
[5] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) |
[8] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
15-13, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5 (49m)
[9/16] Olivia Fiechter (USA) |
Rowan Elaraby
11-6, 11-2, 11-7 (26m)
Jasmine Hutton |
Rowan Elaraby
12-10, 11-3, 11-2 (31m)
Camille Serme |
Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
12-10, 9-11, 11-3, 13-11 (33m)
Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) |
Lisa Aitken (SCO)
11-8, 11-6, 11-3 (30m)
Hana Ramadan (EGY) |
Lisa Aitken
9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-1 (52m)
Camille Serme |
[3] Camille Serme (FRA)
11-3, 11-2, 11-3 (17m)
[9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) |
[4] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
11-4, 11-6, 11-3 (25m)
Milou van der Heijden (NED) |
Amanda Sobhy
9-11, 18-20, 11-2, 11-2, 11-8 (57m)
Olivia Clyne |
Amanda Sobhy
v
Salma Hany
|
Amanda Sobhy
v
Nouran Gohar |
[9/16] Olivia Clyne (USA)
9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10 (60m)
Melissa Alves (FRA) |
Jana Shiha (EGY)
9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 14-12 (42m)
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) |
Jana Shiha
11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (23m)
Salma Hany |
[7] Salma Hany (EGY)
8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (41m)
Coline Aumard (FRA) |
[6] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
11-8, 11-2, 11-6 (27m)
[9/16] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) |
Hania El Hammamy
11-13, 11-2, 11-7, 11-4 (54m)
Nele Gilis |
Hania El Hammamy
v
Nouran Gohar
|
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL)
11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (31m)
Donna Lobban (AUS) |
Nada Abbas
(EGY)
11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-1 (58m)
Mariam Metwally (EGY) |
Nada Abbas
11-3, 11-2, 11-5 (22m)
Nouran Gohar |
[9/16] Hollie Naughton (CAN)
11-7, 11-3, 11-5 (29m)
[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) |
|
10 SEP
ROUND ONE RESULTS |
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bye
Emily Whitlock (WAL) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 11-9, 14-12, 11-4 (41m)
[9/16] Danielle Letourneau (CAN) bye
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) bt [WC] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) 11-8, 11-5, 11-3
(24m)
Cindy Merlo (SUI) bt Mayar Hany (EGY) 4-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5 (32m)
Lucy Turmel (ENG) bt Vanessa Chu (HKG) 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 (24m)
Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt Anna Serme (CZE) 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (24m)
[5] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bye
[8] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bye
[9/16] Olivia Fiechter (USA) bye
Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) bt Ineta Mackevica (LAT) 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 1-11, 11-6
(35m)
Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt Lee Ka Yi (HKG) 7-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (38m)
Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 5-11, 11-0
(45m)
Hana Ramadan (EGY) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 17-15 (48m)
[9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bye
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) bye
[4] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bye
Milou van der Heijden (NED) bt Menna Nasser (EGY) 11-9, 11-2, 11-6 (23m)
Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG) 11-6, 13-11, 10-12, 11-7
(46m)
[9/16] Olivia Clyne (USA) bye
Jana Shiha (EGY) bt Enora Villard (FRA) 11-9, 11-2, 11-7 (21m)
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bye
Coline Aumard (FRA) bt Emilia Soini (FIN) 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-1
(49m)
[7] Salma Hany (EGY) bye
[6] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bye
[9/16] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bye
Donna Lobban (AUS) bt [WC] Malak Khafagy (EGY) 11-9, 11-1, 11-5 (22m)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) bye
Mariam Metwally (EGY) bt Tze Lok Ho (HKG) 11-4, 11-5, 12-10 (30m)
Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Hana Moataz (EGY) 11-3, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6 (39m)
[9/16] Hollie Naughton (CAN) bye
[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bye |
Gohar and Farag Crowned Egyptian Open Champions at
Great Pyramid of Giza
 Egypt’s
World No.2 Nouran Gohar and World No.1 Ali Farag are the 2021 CIB
Egyptian Open champions following respective wins over compatriots
Nour El Sherbini and Mohamed ElShorbagy in front of the iconic Great
Pyramid of Giza.
Gohar was forced to do things the hard way as she halted a fightback
from defending champion El Sherbini and saved three championship
balls in a five-game thriller on the way to her 11th PSA title.
This was the third successive final that the two players have faced
each other, with World No.1 El Sherbini taking victories at both the
PSA World Championships and British Open, but Gohar ended that
streak with an emphatic performance.
The World. No.2 found herself in a solid position after going 2-0
up, before El Sherbini settled into her rhythm and was able to fight
back to drawl level. From that moment it looked as though the World
No.1 was going to snatch another title from her compatriot’s hands,
before Gohar dug deep to save three match balls to win her first
title in front of the Pyramids.
 “I
felt like I was spending the whole night on the court,” said Gohar
afterwards. “I am enjoying these matches now. At the beginning, it
was tough to lose but now I am enjoying it.
“I feel like I am growing every match and Nour did everything in
this game. I just have to catch up with what she is doing. Having
the rivalry with her right now is something big which I am really
proud of.
“Playing the finals of all the big events is something I am really
proud of and to win it today is something extra special for sure. I
can’t actually believe it is the first time I have beaten her in a
final in front of the Pyramids, in front of my friends and family,
in front of the home crowd. Nothing can beat this.”
In the men’s final, it was World No.1 Farag who mounted an
impressive comeback as he came from two games down to defeat rival
Mohamed ElShorbagy and defend his title at the PSA World Tour
Platinum event.
ElShorbagy got off to the better start in the 14th PSA final meeting
between the pair, as he stormed into a 2-0 lead, but Farag showed
his resilience to fight back and draw level with fatigue beginning
to get the better of World No.2 ElShorbagy as the match wore on.
 Farag
used this to his advantage, stretching out the rallies and moving
ElShorbagy around the court, to close out 6-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6,
11-5 in 74 minutes and claim the 23rd PSA title of his career, as
well as strengthening his hold on the World No.1 spot.
“I am feeling amazing. It can’t get any better,” said Farag.
“Playing at such a venue against the greatest rival of my career and
the greatest of our generation. To be able to come back from 2-0
down is something that I am really proud of. As always, I am very
proud to be able to share the court with such a great champion like
Mohamed. I learn a lot from him every year.
“We have played in almost every Platinum event final, but we didn’t
play in the most special one until today. We delivered a match for
the crowd that they really deserve.”
Gohar and Farag take home over $41,000 in prize money each, which is
the most lucrative winner’s prize for a Platinum event ever, and
qualify for the season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals.
The next stop on the PSA World Tour will be the Oracle NetSuite
Open, PSA Gold event which takes place in San Francisco from
September 23-27.
|
All Egyptian Finals Confirmed in Front of Great
Pyramid of Giza
World Champion Nour El Sherbini will line up against World No.2
Nouran Gohar in the final of the women’s CIB Egyptian Open, PSA
World Tour Platinum tournament as all-Egyptian finals were confirmed
in both draws in front of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza.
World No.1 El Sherbini, who captured this title in 2020, has made it
four out of four finals in front of the last remaining Wonder of the
Ancient World after defeating World No.4 Camille Serme, with the
latter forced to retire through injury in the fourth game of their
semi-final match.
The Frenchwoman, who withdrew from last month’s British Open due to
a tendinitis in her right calf, looked out of sorts in the first
game as her usual dynamic movement evaded her as El Sherbini
comfortably took the first.
Serme gathered herself in the second to respond strongly to draw
back level, before El Sherbini regained the lead after a blistering
third game. The fourth provided all the drama though as Serme looked
once again like she was causing problems for the World Champion and
was in the lead at 9-8 before disaster struck and she fell to the
floor clutching her right leg, before being carried in tears from
the court as the victory went to El Sherbini.
 “It
is the worst ending of any match and you never want to win the match
like this,” said El Sherbini afterwards. “I am really sorry for
Camille, she has been injured in the last tournament and she didn’t
have the chance to compete in the British Open and injuries is the
worst enemy for any player.
“I was playing well, the whole match, even at the end, and I was
still happy with my performance.”
El Sherbini’s opponent will be familiar rival Gohar in a repeat of
the 2020 final after the World No.2 displayed a performance of utter
dominance against USA No.1 Amanda Sobhy to reach her fifth final of
the year.
 Gohar
took just 28 minutes to condemn Sobhy to a straight-games defeat,
where she will meet compatriot El Sherbini in their third successive
final on the PSA World Tour.
“Amanda is very experienced on tour and it is really tricky to play
against her,” said Gohar. “She is very skilful, she doesn’t give up
easily, so it was tough out there.
“Not only last year, but we [Gohar and El Sherbini] have been
playing since the final of El Gouna. [Then] World Championships,
British Open, all the big stages, and I am just happy that we are
playing another one here, in Egypt.
“It is very special in front of the Pyramids. It is a very special
match, and I think it is a treat for the crowd to watch it, so I am
delighted to be playing against her again tomorrow.”
The men’s final will also see the World No.1 and World No.2 go to
battle as Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy go head-to-head for the
PSA Platinum title tomorrow night.
Farag got the better of New Zealand’s World No.3 Paul Coll in the
last match of the day as he extracted his revenge following Coll’s
win over the Egyptian in the final of the British Open last month
when to win his first major title.
It was a different story today though as Farag held his nerve and
played some flawless squash to book his place in his 44th PSA final.
 “I did have a plan and I think I executed most of it, but with the
conditions, I had to adapt, and so did he,” said Farag in his
post-match interview. “The wind keeps getting harder every night.
“We both had to adapt to it and to mix the pace, and I was very
annoyed with myself for losing that second game. I gave him a very
cheap return of serve in the tin at 9-10, to get him back to 10-all.
That changed the dynamic of the match completely. 2-0 to 1-1 would
have been totally different. I am happy that I contained myself and
came back in the third strong, and then the fourth, thankfully I
scraped through.”
ElShorbagy, meanwhile, was at his best to down former World Champion
Tarek Momen in straight-games as he looks to add the CIB Egyptian
Open title to his already impressive trophy cabinet.
The Bristol-based Egyptian is appearing at the Pyramids for the
first time since 2016 and he made it count with a formidable
performance to set up a 14th final showdown with compatriot Farag as
the two continue to battle it out for the No.1 spot.
 "I knew I had to start sharp, be aggressive and get a good lead in
each game, which I definitely didn’t in the first,” said ElShorbagy.
“In both the first and the third, I had to fight my way back and to
get off in three against a quality player like Tarek, in the
semi-final of a major, is obviously an ideal scenario. I am really
pleased.
“It is my first time back here since 2016. [I have] probably won
every other major in my career, but I haven’t been able to get my
hands on this trophy. The top players always raise their game at the
end of the tournament, so I will give it everything I can for the
final tomorrow.”
The finals of the CIB Egyptian Open take place tomorrow (September
17) at 19:00 (GMT+2). Action from the Great Pyramid of Giza will be
shown live on
SquashTV.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour
and the
PSA SQUASHTV YouTube Channel.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official website or follow on
Twitter,
Facebook &
Instagram.
|
World No.1 Farag Completes Semi-Final
Line-Up
 Egypt’s
World No.1 Ali Farag is through to the semi-finals of the CIB
Egyptian Open after defeating compatriot Mazen Hesham in straight
games in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza.
Farag, who is the defending CIB Egyptian Open champion after
securing victory at this event in 2020, got the better of Hesham,
who had defeated former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad in the third
round, in straight games.
The ‘Squash Falcon’ gave it everything he had, hitting incredible
winner after incredible winner, but it was Farag that took the win,
closing out the match after 48 minutes of high-octane squash.
“I try to find different things out [to beat Hesham’s unique
play-style]. We came on with a very dead ball. I know the wind
affects it a bit, which makes it even deader, but I think there was
something with the ball. You had to hit the ball really over the
service line to get it deep into the back corners,” the World No.1
said.
“I think I dealt with that well in the first, but as you saw in the
second and third, I don’t think I played badly, but he just comes up
with winners from nowhere really. You just have to accept that at
some point. It’s annoying that three of them came at 5-5 in the
third, three rolling nicks that I could do nothing with and I don’t
think my shots were bad either, but I was just happy that I won that
one because I was already thinking of the fourth to be honest.
“I was thinking that I was going to change the ball, thinking about
what my tactics were going to be, but then 10-8 to 10-10 in a
fraction of a second. A return nick from myself and a return tin
from him and there we were again. I’m very relieved to be through in
three for sure.”
The reigning World Champion will face the newly-crowned Allam
British Open champion, Paul Coll, in the semi-finals, after the New
Zealander overcame a tough challenger from World No.5 Marwan
ElShorbagy.
The Kiwi, who is in the form of his life, and at a career-high of
World No.3 following his maiden major victory in Hull last month,
had only tasted success against ‘the Jackal’ twice in their previous
six encounters, but he had no issues in this contest.
From the off, Coll’s length game was immaculate, and he put work
into the legs of the Egyptian, who has good memories of playing on
home soil, after winning the CIB PSA World Tour Finals last October.
The World No.3 won in straight games to book his place in the last
four.
 “It
[Winning the British Open] gave me a lot of confidence. I’ve
struggled with Marwan in the past and he’s beating me in the
head-to-head. I was extremely happy with that performance tonight. I
had a tough one a couple of days ago but I’m really happy to come
through that in three against a really classy opponent,” Coll said
after his victory.
“I’ve been working on it [using the front of the court] a lot. My
coach is one of the best in that area I think. In the last month
we’ve done a lot of work on it, some sharp work at the front and it
really paid off tonight. It was tricky conditions out there, a lot
of wind blowing, but I was timing it really well and was comfortable
taking it short. It was one of those performances that just clicks
tonight.”
 In
the women’s draw, World No.2 Nouran Gohar came through an
all-Egyptian battle with World No.5 Hania El Hammamy, with the
change to a new ball for the fourth game helping her seal the deal.
The pair were meeting for the sixth time on the Tour, with Gohar
holding a 100% record over her compatriot, and that continued, as
she set up a clash with USA No.1 Amanda Sobhy in tomorrow’s
semi-finals.
“It’s always tough against Hania, I think that’s the toughest draw
you can get in a quarter final. She was in the top four and was then
out for a month, so the draw played a role this time. It’s always
tough against her, we’ve played quite a lot over the last couple of
months. It has become a bit of a habit to play against Hania!” ‘The
Terminator’ explained.
“I’m just glad with the way I dealt with the conditions. It wasn’t
easy out there, outdoors. The crowd played a huge role, I could hear
them cheering for both of us and that gives us a really good push,
even if you’re not in your best form and having your best day, it
gives you an extra boost.”
Sobhy, the No.4 seed for the tournament, overcame Egypt’s World No.9
Salma Hany in the opening match of the evening. The American claimed
the first game on a tie-break, and that gave her the momentum,
dropping just five points over the next two games to advance to the
last four.
 “It’s
crazy [to be playing in front of the Pyramids]. It’s been five years
and I haven’t had much luck in the last few years here, but this
year I’m turning it around and finally get to play on the glass and
it’s amazing. It’s just a really spectacular venue and the fact that
I haven’t been here in five years, it’s a long time. So, to finally
have made it is something really special and I’m just trying to
enjoy every moment,” Sobhy said.
The quarter finals of the CIB Egyptian Open continue tomorrow with
the bottom half of the draw in action at 18:15 (GMT+2). Glass court
action from the Great Pyramid of Giza will be shown live on
SquashTV.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour
and the
PSA SQUASHTV YouTube Channel.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official website or follow on
Twitter,
Facebook &
Instagram.
|
World No.1 El Sherbini Leads Top Seeds
into
Semi-Finals
 World
No.1 Nour El Sherbini booked her place in the semi-finals of the CIB
Egyptian Open after she defeated compatriot Farida Mohamed in
straight-games on a night of domination for the top seeds in front
of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza.
El Sherbini, who won this title in 2020 after defeating compatriot
Nouran Gohar in the final, was in top form as she comfortably
dispatched World No.34 Mohamed, who had taken out England’s World
No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry earlier in the tournament, by an 11-2, 11-4,
11-4 scoreline to set up a semi-final showdown with Camille Serme.
“It’s so special being here,” said the World Champion. “Playing in
front of the Pyramids is extra special and I’m really happy with my
performance, I found my shots even better this time and I’m really
happy.
“I haven’t played Camille a lot this season, we actually only played
once. I’m sure it’s going to be a tough battle, we always do have
very tough matches and I think it’s the first between us in a
Platinum semi-final event, so I’m looking forward to this one and
keen to get back on court.
France’s World No.4 Serme had to be on her metal as an edgy first
game went all the way to the tie-break before she was able to take a
crucial lead in the match.
From that moment on Elaraby, who like Serme was forced to withdraw
from the Allam British Open last month, looked to struggle with her
movement, failing to put any pressure on the No.3 seed as Serme
closed out the 12-10, 11-3, 11-2 victory.
 “I
missed the British Open, so I was very keen to be here,” said Serme.
“To be able to play in front of the Pyramids. I love this
tournament, especially, so I’m very happy to reach the semis.
“It’s good to have a physio on site and to have a day off tomorrow,
have some time off and I can recover and be ready for the semi-final
on Thursday.”
In the men’s draw, top seed and World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy
secured his place in the last four on his first appearance at the
Pyramids since 2016 after an emphatic 3-0 win over Bristol training
partner Eain Yow Ng.
An utterly dominant first game from ElShorbagy laid the foundations
for a formidable 11-2, 11-7, 11-8 win as he put Malaysia’s Eain Yow,
who was featuring in his first Platinum quarter final after wins
over World No.9 Mostafa Asal and World No.11 Miguel Rodriguez
earlier in the tournament, to the sword.
 “I
care a lot for him and I think because I care a lot for him I wanted
to be really aggressive and play really well and make it really
tough,” said ElShorbagy. “Even though this is his first quarter
final, I wanted to show him there’s a long way to go.
“I know his attitude back in Bristol, he’s really hard-working,
really committed to the sport and he’s going to go places in this
sport.
"This is the most iconic tournament we have in Egypt. To be back
here playing the semis, I’m really proud to come back and make it
that far but we’re getting into the most important part of the
tournament now, the later stages. That’s when most of the top guys
raise their level and I expect that of myself in two days.”
ElShorbagy’s opponent in the last four will be compatriot and former
World Champion Tarek Momen after he came from a game down against
fellow Egyptian Zahed Salem to advance.
The World No.4 suffered from a fired-up Salem in the first game as
despite saving two game balls, the World No.15 was able to close out
on the tie-break.
Momen soon settled down into his stylish rhythm though as he drew
level before comfortably closing out the match 10-12, 11-4, 11-5,
11-2 to reach the semi-finals of the PSA World Tour Platinum event.
 “Today
was a bit more difficult, getting used to the conditions,” admitted
Momen in his post-match interview. “It’s a mixture of windy and hot
weather. Those are the two most difficult challenges a player can
face on the court. At the beginning I was struggling to find my
length, it was falling short and he was cutting off everything and I
made a lot of errors. But at the start of the second game I started
to adapt to the conditions. I started to find my range and made less
errors and from then on, I think I played pretty well.
“The decision [to skip the British Open] was purely personal. I just
wanted to spend some time with my family, but I think it worked out
for the best for me because we’ve been playing for so long. For me
to get this break, I think it was crucial to start the new season
fresh.”
The quarter finals of the CIB Egyptian Open continue tomorrow with
the bottom half of the draw in action at 18:15 (GMT+2). Glass court
action from the Great Pyramid of Giza will be shown live on
SquashTV.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour
and the
PSA SQUASHTV YouTube Channel.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official website or follow on
Twitter,
Facebook &
Instagram.
|
Hesham Takes Out Gawad to Reach
Quarter Finals
 Egypt’s
World No.14 Mazen Hesham overcame former World No.1 Karim Abdel
Gawad in five games to secure his place in the quarter finals of the
CIB Egyptian Open, which will take place on the glass court in front
of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza.
Hesham, who played his round three match on the traditional courts
at the New Giza Sporting Club, got the better of No.6 seed Gawad in
their last meeting at this event in 2020 and the talented shot maker
ensured he did it again with a resilient showing against the 2019
champion.
Despite Gawad taking the first game 11-8, Hesham rallied well to
take the next two 11-5 and 11-9. Gawad improved to take the fourth
game, but ultimately it was Hesham who was able to hold out in the
fifth to secure the victory.
"Playing Karim is very difficult because you never know what to
expect, kind of the same as me,” said Hesham afterwards. “If he is
moving well, he’s going to be dangerous. If he is a bit slow, he can
still play some tricky shots.
"I think I blew it in the fourth, he was handing it to me then I
just gave it back to him, but I’m really glad with the way I fought
back in the fifth. I started shaking a little bit, I wanted to end
it too quick, you have to be on your toes the whole time.”
Hesham will face World No.1 Ali Farag in the quarter finals after he
overcame compatriot Mohamed ElSherbini in front of the Pyramids on
the glass court, with the latter forced to retire in the third game.
Defending champion Farag was comfortably in control as he took a 2-0
lead for the loss of just six points, before ElSherbini limped off
court at 2-0 down in the third, with the World No.31 eventually
shaking hands with Farag to bring a premature end to the last match
of the day.
“It was a shame it had to end that way, I hope it’s nothing serious
because we have a lot of tournaments coming up,” said Farag.
“I keep approaching every tournament the same way, whether I won it
or lost in the first round. I come here and try to win it, but there
are a lot of big players in the draw and it’s going to get tougher
and tougher every round.”
The other quarter final in the bottom half of the men’s draw will
see New Zealand’s Paul Coll face Egypt’s Marwan ElShorbagy after
they claimed respective wins over Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar and
India’s Ramit Tandon.
Coll was forced to do things the hard way as he went the distance in
an 87-minute battle with World No.16 Abouelghar as the Egyptian
twice came from behind to claw his way back into the match. However,
the fifth proved to be a step too far as the Kiwi was able to take
control and never looked back to close out an 11-9, 9-11, 11-7,
5-11, 11-5 victory.
 “He’s
probably the toughest round three opponent you could get,” said Coll
afterwards. “I knew before we even started that it was going to be a
battle and it lived up to that today. I’m very happy to come
through, it was a bit of an up and down match, but I’m happy to find
my range on this court and get a good amount of time on there.”
ElShorbagy, meanwhile, produced a strong showing against World No.54
Tandon on the traditional courts to claim an 11-6, 11-9, 11-8
victory and secure his place in the last eight at the PSA Platinum
event.
In the women’s draw, USA’s World No.6 Amanda Sobhy was forced to
come from two games down against compatriot Olivia Clyne in a
thrilling battle at the New Giza Sporting Club earlier in the day.
Clyne, who suffered a 3-0 defeat to Sobhy just three weeks ago at
the British Open, showed she had put that behind her as she executed
a strong game plan to go 2-0 up. However, Sobhy rallied back well to
draw back level in quick-fire fashion before a controversial stroke
decision saw her claim an 11-8 win in the fifth.
 “She
played so well, it’s the best I’ve seen her play against me,” said
Sobhy. “You could tell she was so up for it. She took our match from
the British and built on that and she was tactically brilliant.
“I got a bit lucky on that last call, that was one of those where
you just don’t look anywhere and you are like 'Oh, I’m going to take
it, sorry.' I’m happy I got through, it wasn’t my finest
performance, but I’m just glad I just pushed and now I get to go to
the Pyramids.”
She faces World No.9 Salma Hany for a place in the semi-finals after
she overcame younger compatriot Jana Shiha in straight-games.
 The
other quarter final in the bottom half of the women’s draw will see
a thrilling battle between World No.2 Nouran Gohar and World No.5
Hania El Hammamy following respective wins over Nada Abbas and Nele
Gilis.
Gohar, who finished runner-up at this event to Nour El Sherbini last
year, cut a determined figure as she found her accuracy quickly to
down World No.27 Abbas, 11-3, 11-2, 11-5.
Meanwhile, El Hammamy had to come from a game down against Belgium’s
Gilis to secure her last eight spot.
“It took both of us a while to adapt to the court conditions,” said
El Hammamy. I think the first game it took a little bit of time to
get into the game and the last three games, I managed to find my
length and corners.”
The quarter finals of the CIB Egyptian Open take place tomorrow at
18:15 (GMT+2). Glass court action from the Great Pyramid of Giza
will be shown live on
SquashTV.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour
and the
PSA SQUASHTV YouTube Channel.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official website or follow on
Twitter,
Facebook &
Instagram. |
Eain Yow Reaches Maiden Platinum Quarter Final at the CIB Egyptian
Open
 Malaysia’s
Eain Yow Ng continued his hot streak of form with a 3-2 victory over
Colombia’s World No.11 Miguel Rodriguez to reach his maiden PSA
World Tour Platinum quarter final at the CIB Egyptian Open.
The two players met just last month at the Allam British Open when
Rodriguez claimed a brutal 101-minute win over the Malaysian.
However, today was the turn of Eain Yow as he continued his
thrilling run in Egypt.
The 23-year-old claimed a huge upset over World No.8 Mostafa Asal
yesterday and further backed that up as he saved two match balls to
put Rodriguez to the sword and set up a quarter-final showdown with
top seed and training partner Mohamed ElShorbagy on the glass court
in front of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza.
“About three weeks ago, we played at the British Open and we had a
massive match and at the end of the fourth, I fully cramped,” said
World No.18 Eain Yow afterwards.
“Today I was thinking, it’s the same and there was a bit of that
fear at the start. I just told myself: ‘Play your game, be
confident’ and I just started to do just that.
“People who know me, my team, they know how hard I’ve been working
over the last few years. Coming from winning the World Juniors, I
wasn’t coming up as fast as I wanted to and the people close to me
know how bad I was struggling with that. After being away from my
family for a whole year in Bristol, it’s starting to pay off. The
two ElShorbagy brothers toughen me up, and the reward is to play
Mohamed in the next round.”
ElShorbagy made his way into the quarter finals after an 11-8, 11-4,
11-9 victory over compatriot Karim El Hammamy as squash made its
return in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza for the first time this
week.
World No.2 ElShorbagy ensured he got off to a good start on the
glass court, on his first appearance in front of the Pyramids since
2016, as he overcame a resilient El Hammamy to progress.
 “It’s
an honour to be back here playing in front of the Pyramids and in
front of an Egyptian crowd,” said ElShorbagy. “It’s never easy to be
back playing in Egypt because there is so much pressure, but I feel
blessed every time I can go on court and perform.
“I’m playing Yow in the quarters, he’s like a younger brother to me.
We live in Bristol and I’m really happy for him to be in the
quarters. It’s our second meeting, we practice a lot in Bristol, but
I think our match in two days will be a bit different.”
Elsewhere, Egypt’s former World Champion Tarek Momen put in an
imperious display on the glass court as he comfortably made his way
past Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu to reach the last eight.
Momen, who finished runner-up to Ali Farag at this event last year,
laid down the gauntlet to show he was a contender for the title once
again as he was at his accurate best to defeat Pajares 11-6, 11-1,
11-2 in 27 minutes.
The World No.4 will face compatriot Zahed Salem for a place in the
semi-finals after he came from a game down to defeat USA’s World
No.45 Shahjahan Khan on the traditional courts at the New Giza
Sporting Club earlier in the day.
“Today, I think I did pretty well throughout the whole match,” said
Momen in his post-match interview. “I wanted to start a little bit
sharper than yesterday, I played well yesterday but I just didn’t
start well, so I wanted to flip that. I’m very happy with the way I
managed to keep my errors at a low rate and pleased to get through
in three games.
“I’m playing Zahed next, he is a good friend of mine and is a really
good player. He hasn’t been playing for a while, he hasn’t been able
to travel, so it’s good for him to come here after such a long break
and make it to the quarters.”
 In
the women’s event, World No.1 Nour El Sherbini continued her title
defence in front of the Pyramids as she overcame Canada’s World
No.20 Danielle Letourneau in straight-games.
The World Champion, who has won two titles in front of the Pyramids
in her career already, was put under pressure in the early stages as
Letourneau brought the challenge to the home favourite to find
herself two game balls up for the lead.
The nerves looked to get the better of the Canadian though as errors
began to creep into her game to allow El Sherbini back into
contention and eventually sneak the first game. That proved to
provide a big dent to Letourneau’s challenge as El Sherbini
comfortably powered to the finish line in the end by a 12-10, 11-5,
11-3 scoreline.
“It’s a tournament that every player dreams to play and it’s one of
the iconic venues,” said El Sherbini. “It’s really great to come
back, I have a lot of great memories here and I’m glad to be here
again.
“Danielle is a really good player. First game was very tight and I’m
glad I got it at the end, I think that made a huge difference in the
match being 1-0 up and losing the first game. I’m really glad I went
through.”
El Sherbini will face compatriot Farida Mohamed in the next round
after she defeated England’s Lucy Turmel to reach her maiden PSA
World Tour Platinum quarter final.
The World No.34 claimed a huge victory yesterday when she sent out
World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry for the second year in a row and Mohamed
ensured she kept that form to overcome Turmel, 12-10, 11-13, 11-5,
11-8.
 “Lucy
played really well, she was fighting till the end,” said Mohamed
afterwards. “She was game ball in the first game, and she won the
second, so it wasn’t easy at all. Her physicality is amazing, and
she plays really great length, so very tough to move her out.
“It’s my first Platinum quarters and first time at the Pyramids. I
really wanted to play there, and against Nour, I hope it will be a
better match than last time I played against her.”
The other quarter final in the top half of the women’s draw will see
France’s World No.4 Camille Serme face Egypt’s World No.10 Rowan
Elaraby after they claimed respective wins over Scotland’s Lisa
Aitken and England’s Jasmine Hutton.
Serme has been struggling with injury in recent weeks after she was
forced to withdraw from the Allam British Open and the Frenchwoman
suffered from a sluggish start in front of the iconic Pyramids in
Egypt as Aitken came storming out of the blocks.
The Scot took the first game as Serme took time to cement her
physicality on the match before eventually taking a 9-11, 11-7,
11-5, 11-1 win.
“To be honest with injury, I haven’t been able to train properly,”
said Serme. “I haven’t played a proper match since Chicago, so I
needed to find my targets again, even my rhythm and footwork. I knew
Lisa could be tricky and a very difficult opponent, she has been
playing well.”
Elaraby, meanwhile, has also been struggling with injury since the
British Open last month, but she looked to have put that behind her
as she put World No.43 Hutton to the sword by an 11-6, 11-2, 11-7
margin.
“I have been struggling with my body since Manchester,” admitted
Elaraby afterwards. “It’s not the best timing, I have been
struggling with my movement for three events now. I try to be on
court, mentally more than physically. It’s the challenge now.
“At 10-2, I just felt a pinch in my leg, and it just worried, my
mind went blank. I had to regroup and thankfully I got it back, I
don’t know how I would have reacted had I lost that game to be
honest.”
Round three of the CIB Egyptian Open continues tomorrow at 12:45
(GMT+2). Action from the New Giza Sporting Club will be shown live
on the
official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour
and the
PSA SQUASHTV YouTube Channel.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official website or follow on
Twitter,
Facebook &
Instagram.
|
|
Eain Yow Shocks Asal to Reach CIB Egyptian Open Third Round
 Malaysia’s
Eain Yow Ng has claimed another scalp, with a shock win over World
No.9 Mostafa Asal at the New Giza Sporting Club sending him through
to the third round of the CIB Egyptian Open, PSA World Tour Platinum
event.
The World No.18 has shown some fine form in recent weeks after
upsetting former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad at the Allam
British Open last month, which helped him break into the top 20, but
Asal - the reigning CIB PSA World Tour Finals champion - was the
heavy favourite going into today’s second round match.
However, Eain Yow did not allow himself to be affected by fervent
home support in Asal’s favour and kept his focus during occasional
stoppages in play from his opponent, closing out an 11-8, 11-5, 11-8
victory in 50 minutes.
“My team and I believed I could do it, but I know that everyone
believed he would be the winner,” said Eain Yow, who will face
Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez next.
“He is playing the best squash in the last few months. The way he
was playing is at the top of our game, so I had to believe in
myself. That is the biggest difference this season.
“I actually believe in myself, and I’m not afraid to play anyone. I
believe that I can beat anyone on the day and that’s the difference,
the gain in confidence in my own game. I just did my job.”
World No.7 Fares Dessouky also saw his tournament come to an end
after he was forced to retire from his fixture with USA’s Shahjahan
Khan due to a back injury.
Even from game one, Dessouky was clearly not comfortable on court
and walked gingerly in between rallies, but his shot-making skills
were so potent that he was still able to take a 2-0 lead. He then
held three match balls to put himself on the brink of a gritty
victory, but he was unable to finish off a tenacious Khan off as the
World No.45 rattled off five points in succession to halve the
deficit, before Dessouky eventually shook hands in the fourth.
 “He
had issues before the match as well,” Khan said.
“I didn’t see it at the start but as the match went along, I
realised something was wrong. I tried to move him around just to
expose his movement. It’s a shame that the match had to end that way
as he is a great player.”
Top seed Mohamed ElShorbagy also got his tournament under way with
victory against Frenchman Baptiste Masotti, while defending champion
Ali Farag also beat French opposition in Gregoire Marche.
In the women’s event, Egypt’s Farida Mohamed followed up her shock
win against World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry at last year’s CIB Egyptian
Open with a 3-1 win over the English player today.
Mohamed memorably claimed a huge upset at this venue last year when
she overcame Perry in straight games, and the 19-year-old ensured
that lightning struck twice as she put in another powerful display
to take out one of the top seeds.
 “I
just tried to move her as much as I could,” said Mohamed.
“I don’t think I was blocking or on the way, I was just actually
trying to keep her away from me as much I could to be able to play
as she is very tall. She pushed me more than once, I don’t mind
because I’m sure she didn’t mean it, it’s part of the game. I was
satisfied with my movement today, I don’t think I did anything and
the ref didn’t mention anything.”
Mohamed’s compatriot - Jana Shiha - will appear in the third round
of a Platinum event for the first time after the World No.55
completed a surprise victory against World No.14 Nadine Shahin.
Shiha’s round one over France’s Enora Villard was a relatively
one-sided affair, but this time around the 20-year-old had to dig in
and hold her nerve to complete an 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 14-12
victory in 42 minutes. Shiha’s reward is a clash with No.7 seed
Salma Hany.
 “I
was a couple of match balls up in the last game I think and then I
did a lot of tins,” Shiha said.
“I’m pretty happy with the way I did it today. In the fourth game,
she got that one eventually, but for the rest of the match I was
tougher than usual, I played steady, at least at the end. I’m happy
and I’m proud of myself today with the way I played.”
Defending champion Nour El Sherbini made a winning start with a 3-0
win against Wales’ Emily Whitlock and she will take on Canada’s
Danielle Letourneau in the last 16. No.2 seed Nouran Gohar was also
in action as she overcame World No.17 Hollie Naughton in straight
games.
Round three of the CIB Egyptian Open begins tomorrow at 12:45
(GMT+2). Action from the the New Giza Sporting Club will be shown
live on the
official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour
and the
PSA SQUASHTV YouTube Channel.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official website or follow on
Twitter,
Facebook &
Instagram.
|
Wildcard Elnawasany Causes Upset as CIB Egyptian Open Begins
The 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, PSA World Tour Platinum tournament got under
way at the New Giza Sporting Club today with wildcard Yahya Elnawasany
causing the day’s biggest upset as he took out Pakistan’s Tayyab Aslam
in four games.
World No.74 Elnawasany - from Cairo - will appear in the second round of
a PSA Platinum event for the first time after he came back from a game
down to win 9-11, 11-1, 11-4, 11-8 against World No.46 Aslam.
 “I
think my mum must be jumping up and down with joy,” Elnawasany said
following the match.
“It’s crazy, I just came here to prove myself. Two or three weeks ago, I
lost in the Wadi Degla tournament, I played two 5K tournaments and I was
bad in both. The level was not that high, so to be honest, I was about
to quit squash.
“I played here 2 years ago in Al-Ahram, but it was my first time and I
was not really up for it. But this time, I am taking it for real, I had
a great opportunity to play Tayyab and not a top seed, so I saw that as
an opportunity and I had to take it.”
Elnawasany will play compatriot Mazen Hesham in round two and he will be
joined in the last 32 by fellow Egyptian Youssef Soliman, who overturned
a 2-0 deficit against Frenchman Auguste Dussourd to avoid a surprise
defeat.
Soliman - who rose 10 places to break into the men’s top 20 this month -
was in hot water after a slow start, but he fought back to take three
games without reply, and he will take on World No.4 Tarek Momen next.
“Today I am not happy with my game at all,” said Soliman.
“When I found myself at 2-0 down I said ‘alright, here we go” and I just
kept hitting the ball hard, trying to get into it. That’s part of the
tournament sometimes to try and just find a way. I kept grinding,
grinding, and eventually it worked.”
Spain’’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu is also through in five after avoiding a
scare against Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau, while Mexico’s Cesar Salazar
returned to the tour after a 10-month absence, requiring five games to
see off the threat of Henry Leung.
In the women’s event, Switzerland’s Cindy Merlo has reached the last 32
of a Platinum event for the first time in her career following a
hard-fought 3-2 win over local player Mayar Hany.
World No.49 Merlo came from behind twice to secure victory and her
reward is a second round encounter with England’s Lucy Turmel.
 “I
keep coming to these tournaments and I never manage to win the first
round,” Merlo said afterwards.
“So already, I was sort of emotional. I was thinking this could be
happening, this could be possible, and at other times, it was ‘oh, there
we go, as usual, it’s not going to work, I’m not playing well today’. I
just had to keep fighting for myself, I am overwhelmed, I’m not sure
what happened or how I won the match.”
Scotland’s Lisa Aitken also took part in an exciting five-game thriller
as she finally got the better of World No.60 Sana Ibrahim with an 11-0
triumph in the decider.
 “I
hadn’t played a match for a while, so the fact it went to five gave me a
bit of practice, and I’m happy with the way I played in that fifth
game,” Aitken said.
“She might not have the most skilful attributes but actually everything
else she does have makes her very dangerous. I really admire all the
young Egyptians, they each possess weapons of their own."
Round two of the CIB Egyptian Open begins tomorrow at 12:00 (GMT+2) and
stars such as top seeds Mohamed ElShorbagy and Nour El Sherbini will get
their title challenges under way. Action from the New Giza Sporting Club
will be shown live on the
official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour
and the
PSA SQUASHTV YouTube Channel.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s
official website or follow on
Twitter,
Facebook &
Instagram.
|
CIB Egyptian Open to Feature Highest Ever Platinum
Prize Fund
 The
CIB Egyptian Open will bring world-class squash back to the iconic Great
Pyramid of Giza between September 10-17 when 96 of the world’s leading
players will battle it out for a share of the $590,000 prize fund -
which is the highest total player compensation ever at a PSA Platinum
event.
“CIB have been incredible supporters of the sport over a number of years
now - in particular during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic where
their support was invaluable - and I’m delighted to see them raise the
bar once again to provide record-breaking prize money at a PSA World
Tour Platinum level,” said PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough.
“I’d like to thank CIB, Hussein Abaza [CIB Chief Executive and Board
Member] and Amr Mansi [Tournament Director] for their continued hard
work, and I look forward to watching our athletes compete at one of the
most iconic sporting locations in the world once again.”
World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy and World Champion Ali Farag are seeded to
meet in the men’s final in the latest battle for the World No.1 spot,
which Farag reclaimed on September 1.
ElShorbagy tops the draw and will take on either Frenchman Baptiste
Masotti or wildcard Ibrahim Elkabbani in round two ahead of a potential
third round encounter with Scotland's Greg Lobban. The 30-year-old is
then seeded to play fellow Egyptian Mostafa Asal and World No.4 Tarek
Momen in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively.
Meanwhile, Farag will open against Frenchman Gregoire Marche in round
two before a potential clash against Mohamed ElSherbini in the last 16.
Farag is then predicted to play 2019 Egyptian Open winner Karim Abdel
Gawad in the quarter-finals before a semi-final fixture against New
Zealand’s Paul Coll in a rematch of their Allam British Open final
showdown, which Coll won to lift his first major title a fortnight ago.
In the women’s event, World No.1 Nour El Sherbini headlines the draw and
is seeded to face World No.2 Nouran Gohar in the title decider. The pair
met in both the PSA World Championship and British Open finals - with El
Sherbini winning both - and the 25-year-old will take on either fellow
Egyptian Menna Hamed or Wales’ Emily Whitlock in round one.
From there, El Sherbini is seeded to play World No.10 Rowan Elaraby,
World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry and World No.4 Camille Serme en route to the
final. Gohar, meanwhile, opens up against Canada’s Hollie Naughton
before predicted encounters against Nada Abbas, World No.5 Hania El
Hammamy and World No.6 Amanda Sobhy.
Fayrouz Aboelkheir and Malak Khafagy take the wildcard spots in the
women’s event and they will face South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller and
Donna Lobban, respectively. Yahya Elnawasany takes the other remaining
wildcard spot in the men’s draw, and he will play Pakistan’s Tayyab
Aslam.
The prize money will be split equally across the men’s and women’s
events and all of the action will be shown live on SQUASHTV, while the
semi-finals and finals will be shown live on the channels of contracted
broadcast partners.
For more information on the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, visit the
tournament’s official website or follow on Twitter, Facebook &
Instagram.
2021 CIB Egyptian Open: Men’s Draw
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]
[WC] Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) v [17/32] Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
[17/32] Karim El Hammamy (EGY) v Shahjahan Khan (USA)
Bernat Jaume (ESP) v [17/32] Greg Lobban (SCO)
[17/32] Arturo Salazar (MEX) v Max Lee (HKG)
[9/16] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) [bye]
[9/16] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) [bye]
[8] Mostafa Asal (EGY) [bye]
[7] Fares Dessouky (EGY) [bye]
Mazen Gamal (EGY) v [17/32] Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY) [bye]
Henry Leung (HKG) v [17/32] Cesar Salazar (MEX)
[17/32] Todd Harrity (USA) v Asim Khan (PAK)
Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) v [17/32] Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP)
[17/32] Youssef Soliman (EGY) v Auguste Dussourd (FRA)
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) [bye]
[4] Paul Coll (NZL) [bye]
Ryosei Kobayashi (JPN) v [17/32] Raphael Kandra (GER)
[17/32] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v Dimitri Steinmann (SUI)
[9/16] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) [bye]
[17/32] Lucas Serme (FRA) v Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA)
Ramit Tandon (IND) v [17/32] Borja Golan (ESP)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) [bye]
[5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]
[6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) [bye]
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) [bye]
[17/32] Tayyab Aslam (PAK) v [WC] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY)
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY) [bye]
[17/32] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) v Faraz Khan (USA)
Aditya Jagtap (IND) v [17/32 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT)
[9/16] Gregoire Marche (FRA) [bye]
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) [bye]
2021 CIB Egyptian Open: Women’s Draw
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) [bye]
Menna Hamed (EGY) v [17/32] Emily Whitlock (WAL)
[9/16] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) [bye]
[WC] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) v [17/32] Alexandra Fuller (RSA)
[17/32] Mayar Hany (EGY) v Cindy Merlo (SUI)
Vanessa Chu (HKG) v [17/32] Lucy Turmel (ENG)
[17/32] Farida Mohamed (EGY) v Enora Villard (FRA)
[5] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [bye]
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL) [bye]
[9/16] Olivia Fiechter (USA) [bye]
[17/32] Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) v Ineta Mackevica (LAT)
Lee Ka Yi (HKG) v [17/32] Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
[17/32] Lisa Aitken (SCO) v Sana Ibrahim (EGY)
Hana Ramadan (EGY) v [17/32] Zeina Mickawy (EGY)
[9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) [bye]
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) [bye]
[4] Amanda Sobhy (USA) [bye]
Menna Nasser (EGY) v [17/32] Milou van der Heijden (NED)
[17/32] Melissa Alves (FRA) v Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG)
[9/16] Olivia Clyne (USA) [bye]
[17/32] Danielle Letourneau (CAN) v Jana Shiha (EGY)
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) [bye]
[17/32] Coline Aumard (FRA) v Emilia Soini (FIN)
[7] Salma Hany (EGY) [bye]
[6] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) [bye]
[9/16] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) [bye]
[17/32] Donna Lobban (AUS) v [WC] Malak Khafagy (EGY)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) [bye]
[17/32] Mariam Metwally (EGY) v Tze Lok Ho (HKG)
Hana Moataz (EGY) v [17/32] Nada Abbas (EGY)
[9/16] Hollie Naughton (CAN) [bye]
[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) [bye]
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