El Gouna: Marwan El Shorbagy and Raneem El Welily win all Egyptian battles

Published : 2018-04-27 21:16:46
Categories : Squash news around the world

Marwan El Shorbagy won his first World Series tournament on home soil (Photo credit: El Gouna Squash)

Main story: Marwan El Shorbagy wins his first major title in El Gouna

The finals of the El Gouna Open were all Egyptian affairs tonight in Egypt. While Raneem El Welily came out as the victor after squandering five match balls against Nour El Sherbini, Marwan El Shorbagy didn't leave a chance to Ali Farag and finally won his first World Series event. 

Numbers don't lie: if we include the 18 major squash tournaments played this season on the PSA World Tour in 2017-2018 (World Championship, World Series and $100,000), 34 of the 36 finalist spots had been taken by Egyptian players before the El Gouna Open! It is therefore not surprising that they extended this amazing domination on home soil, although titleholder Grégory Gaultier - only non Egyptian player to have ever featured in a final in El Gouna - came very close in the semi-final against Ali Farag (11-9 in the fifth game). Farag was not able to repeat this performance tonight in the final, against a very impressive Marwan El Shorbagy. After beating his older brother Mohamed in the semi-finals, the world number 4 dispatched his compatriot in straight games (11-8, 11-5, 11-4). At 24 years old, it is the first major title for Marwan, who came close on numerous occasions - most notably at the World Championship earlier this season. "All credit to Marwan, he's been playing well this season and deserves it," Farag said during the prize ceremony. "I didn't have the fire to get into the match after losing the first game and he never let me in. Tactically, he's got it all." "To win my first ever World Series title in Egypt means the world to me," El Shorbagy added. "I've learned from the few losses I'd had in major finals, and I think today I was more relaxed and more focused." Thanks to this win, he should overcome Grégory Gaultier in the next rankings and reach a highest of world number 3.

Raneem El Welily and Marwan El Shorbagy are the 2018 El Gouna Open champions (Photo credit: El Gouna Squash)

It was the first time that El Gouna hosted a Women's World Series event, but Nour El Sherbini v Raneem El Welily was already the World Squash Championship's final played on this court last year. It was the fourth meeting this season between the world number 1 and 2. El Welily, possibly a bit stiffed after a long semi-final against Nour El Tayeb, made a few unforced errors early on and El Sherbini took full advantage to take the first game (11-5). But she was able to extend the rallies and level at 1-all (11-8). Now completely relaxed, El Welily displayed her attacking skills in the third game, scoring winners at will (11-3). She carried this momentum in the fourth and got herself five match balls at 10-5. That's when the nerves came in, as well as the fighting abilities of El Sherbini. "I thought about the score too much," said El Welily after the match. "10-6, 10-7 is still ok, but at 10-8 you get into dangerous zone. 10-9, you think 'what have I done I am losing this' and then 10-10 you start thinking about the next game." She even saved a couple of game balls, but an error from El Sherbini on the backhand side allowed her to close the match in 4 games (14-12). After the World Championship, it's a second major title this season for El Welily, who also made three finals. The two finalists praised each other during the prize ceremony, and El Welily concluded saying that "even if Nour is a lot younger than me, I learn from her every day as much she does from me. We all push each other to be better players, and better human beings."

Other squash news in April

--- KING, QUEEN OF THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

There were many highlights at the Commonwealth Games Squash competition, held at Oxenford Studios in Gold Coast, Australia, earlier in April. The biggest star of the show was Joelle King, who already had two medals to her name (gold in women's doubles, and bronze in singles). Carrying the form she's been showing this season on the World Tour, the Kiwi won the singles event - after a hard-fought final against England's Sarah-Jane Perry. Partnering with Amanda Landers-Murphy, she also won the doubles tournament, beating defending champions, Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik from India, in the final. "I'm on cloud nine at the moment," said King, who also clinched the bronze medal with Paul Coll in the Mixed doubles, after the match. "Probably a year ago, three medals would have been beyond my wildest dreams - but the way this year has been going, I wanted three golds to be honest. But to come away with two golds and a bronze is pretty amazing. Amanda is the dark horse of the team, she's the quiet achiever. I've known her for a while now and we've become really close. She's carried me most of the week - brought me through when I was a bit flat and down." The Men's singles' final was another England v New Zealand clash, but it was James Willstrop who came out on top against Paul Coll, after delivering a masterclass performance. "It just clicked for me today," admitted the 34-year-old from Harrogate, who had been runner-up in the last two CW Games. "It's one of the most brilliant performances I've had in my career. It just worked and it clicked - I don't know why, maybe the hours of solo practice I've put in all my life. I love playing the game - four years ago there were some doubts about that - and to think I'm now here with a gold medal in the singles ... I can't really process it to be honest. I reckon it probably is my best title. It's a wonderful occasion - and the atmosphere and everything around it adds to it."

Joelle King (at the top with Amanda Landers-Murphy), James Willstrop (in red) and David Palmer (bottom right, with Zac Alexander) were among the heroes of the 2018 Commonwealth Games (Photo credits: www.stuff.co.nz, cwgsquash.net)

The host country Australia may not have got any medal in the singles tournaments, but the crowd had much to cheer about in the doubles. After cousins Cameron Pilley and Donna Urquhart won the Mixed doubles, Zac Alexander & David Palmer held off English rivals Daryl Selby & Adrian Waller in a thrilling final in the Men's. Palmer, a former world number one and world champion who has featured in squash's six appearances in the Commonwealth Games since 1998, extended his record medals haul to nine. "I said from day one, a year and a half ago, that I wasn't just here to make the numbers up - I still felt, deep down, that if things went my way I had a chance," he said. "Zac and I rode under the radar this week as fifth seeds - it's been nice not to have the pressure on us. We snuck through and stepped it up when we needed to. Zac was great, he's so strong on the forehand, he reads the ball well, he hits the ball cleaner than anyone - and tactically he's very good as well." When asked if he might return for the 2022 Games in Birmingham, Palmer said: "No, this is it! This is a dream come true to finish like this."

Source: www.squashinfo.com

--- THE OLYMPIC CAMPAIGN CONTINUES ...

While the Professional Squash Association and the World Squash Federation have announced a partnership with the Olympic Channel, as well as the launch of SquashFORWARD - a program bringing together eight squash players aged under 23 from around the world to shape the future of the sport - WSF's president Jacques Fontaine talked to Inside the Games earlier in April. The Frenchman believes the sport has solved problems with broadcasting and could add much to the Olympic programmes at both Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028. He also cited the sport's popularity in countries not prevalent on the Olympic medals table, like Egypt and Malaysia, as plus points, and promised that they can guarantee the attendance of the world's best players. Fontaine, who claims to have met over 20 International Olympic Committee (IOC) members at the Winter Olympic Gamess in Pyeongchang in February, promises he is not complacent and believes nothing is guaranteed. "I will remain humble," he said. "I think we deserve it, but we have experienced three failures and the consequences for the nations were devastating. It is not only a question of money, but a question of why aren’t we in the Games? We consider that our venues, events, championships are good enough. Our athletes are perfect, we are WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) compliant 100 per cent, and we promote full gender equality including in prize money." The IOC make a final decision on which sports are added based on a recommendation from local organisers. Fontaine added that they will have to "evaluate a candidacy together with a candidacy for LA 2028. We cannot forget the dual awarding and we cannot focus just on Paris," he said. Fontaine revealed they are currently considering changes to the format, such as a sudden-death deuce, to comply with broadcaster requests for a more reliable time-frame for each match. "TV have been saying the same thing for years, 'How can you be sure about the length of matches? We must be sensitive to what the TV says because the IOC is, so it's something we can absolutely think about." New technologies currently being pioneered by the PSA include four cameras and a series of sensors around an all-glass court, as well as a motion tracking system enabling the instant analysis of player and ball movement. "We and the PSA have been very innovative in terms of efforts with new technology." He conceded, though, that the sport needs to get more television coverage, and that another potential problem was the tendency for some players to argue with referees during matches.

Full article on https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1063984/squash-hoping-french-and-global-appeal-and-improved-broadcasting-will-boost-latest-olympic-bid

World Squash Federation president Jacques Fontaine (here at the CW Games) is travelling the world to promote his sport (Photo credit: sbs.com.au)

May squash hotspots

--- The European Squash Team Championships start on Wednesday in Wroclaw (Poland), at the Hasta Vista Club, billed as the biggest in the world (32 courts). Will it be once again all about the England-France rivalry? The two countries met in the final the last four times in the women's event, and this extends to 2008 in the men's ... It will be the last one for Nick Matthew, who has been part of 16 of these 18 battles (he missed 2015 and 2016 because of injuries). "It will be weird without him," said national French coach Renan Lavigne, who had met "the Wolf" in his first final in 2004! The England squad is the same than last year (Matthew, Willstrop, Selby, James, Richards), while titleholders France will be without Grégoire Marche (replaced by European Junior Champion Victor Crouin, who will make his first appearance in the senior team). Their main challengers will be Scotland, Germany and Spain, who can reasonably hope for a first ever top 3 finish. In the women's draw, England - boasting 4 players in the world top 15 - will be huge favorites to clinch a title they have won 39 times in 40 events. Camille Serme and France will be hoping they can challenge them for the fifth time in a row, but before that they will have to be wary of Wales - who gave them a tough time in the semis last year - in the pool stage.

Nick Matthew will make his last appearance at the European Team Championship and the British Open in May (Photo credit: Philippe Rochais)

The highlight on the PSA World Tour in May will be the last World Series event of 2017-2018: the British Open, staged in Hull. Nick Matthew has been handed a difficult first round fixture against Egypt’s World No.5 Tarek Momen. The 37-year-old from Sheffield, three-time winner of the ‘Wimbledon of Squash’, will call time on an illustrious career at the end of this season, and the British Open will therefore be his last tournament should he not qualifiy for the World Series Finals. But he will have to defeat one of the most in-form players if he is to progress beyond the opening round. This year marks Matthew’s first unseeded appearance at the tournament since 2003. Matthew’s bitter rival James Willstrop also has tough Egyptian opposition in round one, which comes in the form of World Championship runner-up Marwan El Shorbagy. Should Matthew and Willstrop both come through their first and second round matches in Hull, then the pair will face off in the quarter-finals in what could be the final meeting of one of the sport’s most captivating rivalries. Top seed Mohamed El Shorbagy will kick off his attempts to win a third British Open crown against Peruvian two-time World Junior Champion Diego Elias while the man he is seeded to meet in the final, U.S. Open champion Ali Farag, gets under way against a qualifier. Defending champion Gregory Gaultier faces Australia’s Cameron Pilley, with 2013 winner Ramy Ashour in action against former World No.4 Miguel Angel Rodriguez in the opening round. In the women’s draw, defending champion Laura Massaro is seeded seventh and will face a qualifier in round one, with a potential quarter-final meeting against World No.3 Nour El Tayeb in store. World No.1 Nour El Sherbini, the 2016 British Open champion, opens up her tournament against England’s World No.19 Emily Whitlock, while World Champion Raneem El Welily will line up against a qualifier in round one. In-form New Zealander Joelle King will pit her wits against a qualifier in round one, with a second round fixture against Welsh bronze medalist Tesni Evans in store if both players can come through their opening round matches unscathed.

Source: PSA World Tour

Main results

PSA

  • El Gouna International Open 2018 (El Gouna, Egypt) - $165,000 (Men's) + $165,000 (Women's)
Winners: Marwan El Shorbagy (Egypt) and Raneem El Welily (Egypt)

Others

  • Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast, Australia)

Winners: James Willstrop (England, Men's singles), Joelle King (New Zealand, Women's singles), David Palmer & Zac Alexander (Australia, Men's doubles), Joelle King & Amanda Landers Murphy (New Zealand, Women's doubles), Cameron Pilley & Donna Urquhart (Australia, Mixed doubles) 

  • European Team Championships Division 3 (Riga, Latvia)

Winners: Croatia or Sweden (Men's), Italy or Ukraine (Women's)

Schedule

PSA

  • Allam British Open 2018 (Hull, England) - 13th to 20th of May - $165,000 (Men's) + $165,000 (Women's)
  • Sporta Guatemala XI Torneo Interacional PSA 2018 (Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala) - 21st to 26th of May - $50,000 (Men's)

Others

  • European Team Championships Divisions 1 and 2 (Wroclaw, Poland) - 2nd to 5th of May -  Men and women
  • European U15/U17 Team Championships (Malmö, Sweden) - 10th to 13th of May

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