Black Ball Squash Open 2024 – Day Two: Evening Round-Up

The opening day of the Black Ball Squash Open 2024 saved the best action until last, with Englishman Curtis Malik defeating home favourite Omar Mosaad in a late-evening five-game thriller, taking the decider 13-11.

World No.43 Malik stunned the crowd into silence early on as he took a two-game advantage with some smart strategic play, lengthening the rallies and pulling Mosaad around all four corners of the court.

However, Mosaad, who plays and trains at the Black Ball Squash Club, used the crowd to his advantage to save a match ball in the third, and subsequently take the match all the way to a deciding game. From there, Malik saw three more match balls slip through his grasp before a no-let decision in his favour in the fifth-game tie-break sealed victory for the Englishman at the PSA World Tour gold event.

“It was a really weird match actually,” Malik said after the match. “I got a good lead in the first but let him back in in the second. The third was similar to the second. I lost my focus, but he did start to play better as the match progressed, and he started to use the crowd well. I was feeling a bit more pressure as the match progressed, but I just decided I wanted to hit good targets into the back of the court. 

“[In the fifth] I was literally just thinking about the training I’ve been doing recently – I’m physically feeling really fit, so I thought why would I cheap out with cheap shots? I just decided to string out the rallies and try to get myself back into it because I felt physically pretty good.” 

As Malik clinched the win in five games on the glass court, Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen simultaneously came from behind to defeat Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas in a gruelling 74-minute encounter.

Despite losing a mammoth 30-minute first game by a 13-11 scoreline, Eleinen displayed his cool temperament to methodically pick his opponent off with his trademark line and length, taking the following three games by 11-2, 11-8 and 11-6 scorelines.

Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, Salma Eltayeb was the one seeding upset of the session, defeating compatriot Nadine Shahin in straight games.

Eltayeb, who sits three spots behind Shahin in the current world rankings, looked in razor-sharp form from the very first point, finding her length well and punishing any loose shots from her opponent with disdain. The World No.40 only needed 23 minutes on court to progress to the second round, setting up a tie with No.6 seed Salma Hany.

“It’s my first time playing Nadine, and obviously she’s a really good player and a really experienced one so I’m really pleased to get through in three,” Eltayeb said after the match. “It’s my first Black Ball Open and my second PSA Tour event in Egypt so I’m really happy to have my friends and family watching me. Honestly, seeing them all here cheering me on is so thrilling and it makes me more excited to play. 

“I’ve just started a new programme of training, so that is what is helping me play my best squash recently. I’m really excited to try and perform tomorrow.”

Elsewhere, World No.36 Hana Moataz overcame Egyptian compatriot Nour Aboulmakarim in a back-and-forth four-game encounter on the side court, while the two all-Egyptian duels went the way of Mariam Metwally and Sana Ibrahim, as they claimed straight game victories over Wildcard Nour Ramy and Haya Ali, respectively.

The other two men’s matches from the evening saw Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller see off the threat of 16-year-old Wildcard Aly Ezzat in straight games, and Egypt’s Mohamed ElSherbini progress past Bernat Jaume in a tight three game encounter.

For more information on the Black Ball Squash Open 2024, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. You can also keep track of all of the live scores from the event by clicking here.

Results: Black Ball Squash Open 2024 Women’s RD1

Salma Eltayeb (EGY) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (23m)

Hana Moataz (EGY) bt Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) 3-1: 11-3, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6 (42m)

Mariam Metwally (EGY) bt [WC] Nour Ramy (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (22m)

Sana Ibrahim (EGY) bt Haya Ali (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-4 (27m)

Results: Black Ball Squash Open 2024 Men’s RD1

Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt [WC] Aly Ezzat (DMA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 (31m)

Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 3-0: 14-12, 11-8, 11-8 (48m)

Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 3-1: 11-13, 11-2, 11-8, 11-6 (74m)

Curtis Malik (ENG) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-2: 11-7, 11-9, 13-15, 7-11, 13-11 (85m)