A Pulsating Tournament
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FEATURE ...Gaultier only had to play 116 minutes in four matches and so reached the inal looking as fresh as the Hull spring daffodils. A PULSATING Gregory Gaultier (right) on the attack against Nick Matthew TOURNAMENT in the men’s final Richard Eaton reports on a record-breaking British Open Championships in Hull France’s Greg Gaultier became the oldest winner of the British Open since Azam Khan in 1962, when he beat home favourite Nick Matthew, the oldest finalist since Hashim Khan in 1958, in a brilliantly athletic, four-game final which belied their ages. The 34-year-old Frenchman’s 8-11, 11-7, was too aggressively creative for Malaysia’s perhaps the most extraordinary moment 11-3, 11-3 win over the 36-year-old English- nine-year former world no.1, Nicol David. of a tumultuous week. man earned him a third British Open title There were very few lows in this pulsating WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS and made him the oldest world no.1 in the tournament – until Ramy Ashour, the sport’s Expect most of the beaten Egyptians to history of a PSA ranking system which began most charismatic player, was forced to retire perform better by the Red Sea than by the in the 1970s. Matthew’s victory over title in the semi-finals with yet another injury, Humber. Their modest showing here may holder Mohamed ElShorbagy in the semi- perhaps a gluteal problem, after only one be related not only to foreign conditions, finals had already ensured the Egyptian game. It meant Gaultier only had to play but also to the imminence of the World would lose the top spot. 116 minutes in four matches and so reached Championship and a World Series men’s Earlier, Laura Massaro became the first the final looking as fresh as the Hull spring tournament at El Gouna. English woman in 58 years to win the title daffodils. There, Raneem El Welily may acquire a for a second time when she beat compatriot The biggest shocks included a loss for more consistent focus, in which case she Sarah-Jane Perry 11-8, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6. It Egypt’s Nouran Gohar, the women’s fourth could win the title that eluded her by one was the first time since 1953 that England seed, who was beaten in the first round on agonising point in 2014. Nour El Sherbini had three of the four finalists. a plaster court by qualifier and compatriot may have no need for mobile-phone The semi-finals saw Massaro cleverly Nada Abbas. However, the defeat of world dialogue before tense fifth games – as she reverse the five-game scoreline of the champion Karim Abdel Gawad by fellow did against Laura Massaro – and may last World Championship final, which she Egyptian and world no.23 Mohamed perhaps feel more secure, in which case lost from 2/0 up against Egypt’s Nour Abouelghar, just one match before Gawad she will be a genuine favourite. Also, El Sherbini, and then Sarah-Jane Perry could have become world no.1, was Nouran Gohar won’t have to start on a 10 SQUASHPLAYER.CO.UK strange, bouncy, distant court, which may Laura Massaro (right) swoops with another have disrupted her rhythm. Any one of this deadly backhand volley in her final against trio could bring triumphant publicity to a Sarah-Jane Perry politically-beleaguered Egypt. Nicol David is still in with a chance. She was better physically and tactically than for more than a year, and looked good enough to have reached the final. The other 33-year- old, Massaro, is in an even better place. She remains physically strong, and is tactically and emotionally better than ever – but taking on a clutch of gifted Egyptians in their back- yard is a formidable task. MOHAMED ELSHORBAGY ElShorbagy’s spell of indifferent form continued and his long run as world brilliantly-constructed rallies that were before losing 10-12, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5. no.1 ended in the semi-finals, when impossible to resist. “I have to say just how amazing he played,” Nick Matthew’s consistency and tactical Ashour told the crowd, which brought At least Elias received more than excellence pressurised him into errors spontaneous applause. Abouelghar’s utter at the end of long, fierce rallies. routine praise from his famous commitment to attack, his extraordinarily opponent. “Diego was putting me high-risk, narrow margin of error and his It was a strange tournament for into all the corners and if I wasn’t sensational movement could drag the him, characterised by bouts of moving well, I couldn’t have coped,” men’s game into a more fluid and more noisy anger and impassioned Ashour said. spectacular tactical era, especially as courtside calls from his mother, The 20-year-old played well enough at Ashour, Gawad and one or two others are Basma, but producing two capable of playing in comparable fashion. courageous recoveries against a high pace to have asked questions of dangerous compatriots Fares a genius. Sarah-Jane Perry reached her first World Dessouky and Ali Farag. MATCHES OF THE TOURNAMENT Series final and showed how much she We were so spoilt for choice. There was has developed. She changes the direction There was also a claim from ElShorbagy Mohamed ElShorbagy’s two noisy, dramatic of the ball brilliantly and struck more than that winning or losing the title, or the top escapes, against Fares Dessouky and Ali 30 winners in beating Nicol David for a ranking was less important than the Farag. There was Ramy Ashour’s survival second time. She is now a threat to personal challenge life was now presenting from two games down and 7-9 adrift in anyone. Expect further improvement. him. The prolonged shouting at certain the third against Mohamed Abouelghar stages was, he said, a way of regaining PLAYERS TO WATCH in the quarter-finals. And there was Greg the passion which helped him to the top - Nada Abbas, a 16-year-old from Giza, who Gaultier’s surgical 31-minute destruction though one referee ordered ElShorbagy has already been a professional for two of worthy Australian Cameron Pilley in to stop shouting at him! years, became the British Open’s youngest- the second round, which was as close to ever sensation by beating one of the title Against Dessouky in the first round he had perfection as any player could get. been 3-6 down in the fifth game and against contenders on her first appearance in the Farag in the quarter-finals 7-9 down in the But Abouelghar’s sensational 3/1 victory 88-year-old event. The self-possessed fourth and within two points of defeat. He over Karim Abdel Gawad in the second teenager beat her powerful Egyptian prevailed when it had seemed unlikely and round was probably my favourite. For compatriot, Nouran Gohar, a runner-up failed when he seemed he might succeed. prolonged spectacular hitting, especially last year, 12-10, 14-12, 5-11, 11-8, cleverly It was undoubtedly a watershed tournament, from the little-known world no.23, this slowing down the rallies against one of from which he will take stock, possibly can rarely if ever have been bettered. the world’s most formidable hitters. painfully. Abouelghar’s risk-taking commitment, Another eye-catcher was Mayar Hany, a along with Gawad’s brilliant creativity and DIEGO ELIAS 20-year-old from Cairo, who beat Joelle movement, suggested that the elite men’s King, the ninth seed from New Zealand, in The former world junior champion from game is taking a new, even more adventurous Peru struggled more than expected to win four well-contested games and then played tactical direction. It is already a vastly- a good third game against Laura Massaro. in four games against English qualifier improved spectacle from 20 years ago. Nathan Lake on the bouncier plaster courts Meanwhile, Fares Dessouky, who in the first round, but made the rapid Laura Massaro’s semi-final recovery has impressed before, suggested transition to the all-glass show court – against Nour El Sherbini was also right up he may have all the attributes once where he was plunged into a body-jerking there among the best. France’s Camille encounter with Ramy Ashour – quite well. Serme squeezed out a dramatic 3/1 victory he copes with his emotions. For too, over Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb, whose long periods against Mohamed He was far from overawed and although spirited third and fourth-game fightbacks ElShorbagy he appeared the more beaten 11-9, 11-6, 12-10 by the sport’s were punctured by dramas surrounding complete player. most gifted player, he led 8-6 in the first two contentious penalty-stroke decisions. game and 10-8 in the third. Elias had really Another with considerable potential is Paul Stressed referees need better working needed to capitalise on his good start. Coll on the evidence of a 38-point third game conditions. against the eighth-seeded Egyptian, Tarek Once Ashour pocketed the first game, he PLAYERS OF THE TOURNAMENT Momen. It had a mesmerising whirlwind performed much more like the game’s Not only did Mohamed Abouelghar achieve of patterns created by two of the fastest most dazzling maverick and after he had a career-best with a place in the quarter- movers in the game. Though Momen won taken the second, Elias struggled to keep finals of the British Open, he also beat 11-6, 11-9, 20-18, Coll suggested he is the him away from the front court.