Featured News
Black Ball Squash Open: Day Three – Player Reaction
The second round of the Black Ball Squash Open begins today with stars such as Nour El Sherbini, Hania El Hammamy, Diego Elias and Ali Farag in action – play gets under way at 12:00 (GMT+2).
We’ll have reports and reaction from all eight matches here.
You can watch the action live on SQUASHTV, with Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby up against Belgium’s Tinne Gilis in the first match. You can also keep up to date with the live scores here.
Order of Play
Gilis Axes No.6 seed Elaraby
World No.13 Tinne Gilis has reached the quarter-finals of the Black Ball Squash Open for the first time after she came back from a game down to overcome No.6 seed Rowan Elaraby in the opening match of day three at the Black Ball Sporting Club.
The pair were meeting for the first time on the PSA Tour, which resulted in a tentative start to the encounter, with both players trying to feel each other out.
Elaraby was able to open up the court and find her winners at the front of the court to establish a one-game lead, and the second game followed a similar pattern, though this time it was Gilis who had the better of her opponent when it came to her short game as she levelled the scores.
A quick-fire third game went the way of Gilis as she profited off a number of errors from the Egyptian. A strong start from Elaraby saw her build up a 4-1 lead in the fourth but just as the started to get into the ascendancy, she appeared to start feeling ill and would have left the court for an illness break until she was warned by the referee that doing so would result in her conceding the game, and the match.
The 22-year-old battled on and, despite clear signs she wasn’t at her best physically, Elaraby was able to accumulate two game balls. Gilis fought back to force a tie-break, but at 10-10 in the fourth, Elaraby felt she could no longer continue and was forced to concede the match to hand Gilis a place in the last eight.
“I’m not sure what happened, at the beginning of the last game it looked like she had something wrong, but then she looked like she was fired up again and ready to play,” said Gilis.
“She was starting to scream and everything, so I thought she was back. Then halfway through she started feeling sick again, I don’t know why, and it’s definitely not the way I wanted to win. There’s nothing I can do, I guess, I just have to focus on my next match, but I hope she’s okay and it’s nothing too bad.
“At the beginning I tried to adjust to the court a bit because I hadn’t played on it. I had to find the way to play on this court, which was the main thing. They were very quick rallies, they weren’t too physical because she was going for every shot when I played a loose one.
“It was hard to keep my focus sometimes, but I’m glad that I managed to do that at the end.”
Gilis will go up against either No.3 seed Hania El Hammamy or Farida Mohamed in the next round.
Result
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [6] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 10-10 retired (45m)
Hesham on Form to Beat Soliman
Egyptian No.8 seed Mazen Hesham moved past compatriot Youssef Soliman as he completed a 3-0 victory to earn his spot in the quarter-finals of this tournament for the first time.
It was the second match in a row where the losing player seemed to have something wrong with them physically, with Soliman often bending over and using his racket for support during breaks in play.
To his credit, Hesham put in a composed performance and kept his mind on the task at hand, showcasing his ample skills with the racket to open up the court and keep the ball away from Soliman.
Soliman’s best opportunity came in the second game when he managed to build up a 6-2 lead, however his length soon died off and a couple of soft errors handed the momentum back to Hesham as he doubled his lead.
There was no let up from ‘The Black Falcon’ in the third as he kept the pressure on and soon closed out an 11-8, 11-7, 11-6, win in 41 minutes to set up a last eight fixture with either Peru’s Diego Elias or Frenchman Gregoire Marche.
“I played Youssef back at the U.S. Open and he beat me 3-0,” said Hesham.
“I wasn’t feeling great mentally at the part of the season, many things were going on behind the scenes, so I was looking forward to the next match. Youssef is a good friend of mine, but on court we push each other to the max.
“I don’t think he was struggling physically, I think I played the right tactic, that’s a different thing. I moved him a lot in the first two games and I think it paid off in the last game. I was sharp at the end, which was really important.
“I was not pumped for the tournament, but I think when I came here and saw my family and friends it helped and it was great to have a rematch with Youssef today because I was pumped as I wanted revenge. It was the perfect match for me to play in the first round of the tournament.
“Diego and Greg are going to play a good match, both of them are in good form, especially Diego who is looking to get the No.1 position here. I’m taking it match by match, day by day, and I’m going to focus for the next one.”
Result
[8] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (41m)
Sobhy Makes it 9/9 Against Hany
World No.5 Amanda Sobhy made it nine wins from nine against Egypt’s Salma Hany as she booked her spot in the last eight of the Black Ball Open for the fifth time in a row.
Sobhy has dominated all of her previous meetings with the World No.12 with four of their previous eight meetings being won by the American in straight games.
It was a similar story today in Cairo as Sobhy came out of the blocks firing and she was always in command of the middle of the court in the opening game, enabling her to play virtually any shot she wanted to punish her opponent.
Hany improved in the second as she surged into first a 4-0 lead and then an 8-5 advantage, moving up the court and attacking on the volley into the front corners with relish, leaving Sobhy stuck behind her.
She then went a bit passive though and Sobhy showed her resilient qualities to come back to sneak the second. A solid performance from the United States No.1 in the third saw her quell any chance of a Hany comeback and her 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 victory will see her take on either No.2 seed Nour El Sherbini or Wales’ Tesni Evans for a place in the semi-finals.
“I’m happy about it and I think my coach, Wael [El Hindi], might also be happy about it because I’m trying to get going a little bit faster,” said Sobhy.
“I’m proud of myself for finishing in three. I know Salma’s not easy, so I’m happy with my performance and that I got off to relatively good starts and kept my momentum throughout the three games.
“The depth is so strong and this is my first match. It feels like I’ve been having a holiday the last four days, and now I’m finally getting going. I’m very fresh so I felt like I could move, but now it’s straight through, there are no rest days and every match is going to be tough.
“You can’t really afford to drop your mental energy or exert yourself too much physically, you’ve got to be on the ball from the word go.
“They’re [El Sherbini and Evans] both great players. I think in the women’s game it’s awesome these days, the depth is so strong that you can’t go into a first round match thinking you can cruise through, you have to be dialled in from the start. Anything can happen and you have upsets all the time, you saw that in the last stretch of tournaments in the States.”
Result
[5] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Salma Hany (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (33m)
ElShorbagy Halts Gawad’s Comeback in Tense Five-Gamer
England’s No.5 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy made it seven successive wins against the returning Karim Abdel Gawad to earn his place in the last eight after a nail-biting five-game battle.
Gawad returned to the sport on Thursday after 10 months on the sidelines due to a heel injury, with ElShorbagy being his last opponent before that layoff when he beat Gawad in the third round of the 2021-22 PSA World Championships.
Today marked the pair’s 22nd meeting on the PSA Tour – with ElShorbagy winning 16 of them coming into their second fixture at the Black Ball Sporting Club – but Gawad certainly tested the World No.5 before ultimately going down by an 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 scoreline in ElShorbagy’s favour.
It looked like squash fans were set for a one-sided affair when ElShorbagy came out all guns blazing and dropped just three points as he powered to a one-game lead.
But he gave away a couple of cheap points in the second game as Gawad raced away to a 4-0 lead and, while ElShorbagy was able to come back to within touching distance, he didn’t have the accuracy to match his relentless pace and Gawad duly drew level.
When it came to the business end of the third game, ‘The Beast’ played some of his best squash to restore his lead, but he found Gawad a difficult foe to shake off and the former World No.1 came back at ElShorbagy once again in the fourth to draw level, showcasing some of his trademark racket skills in the process.
It was nip and tuck all the way throughout the decider, with ElShorbagy eventually just having enough quality to end Gawad’s brave resistance as he closed out the win to ensure he will face the winner of No.2 seed Ali Farag or Mohamed Abouelghar next.
“I’m very happy to get through, Gawad has been out for a very long time,” said ElShorbagy.
“I’ve played Gawad all my life and the worst time to play him is when he’s not feeling as fit as he’d like to be because that’s when he goes for it and I hate that because he’s super talented and you know you’re going to have to do a lot of work when you play him. It’s amazing to see him back on tour and playing well, he definitely took it up another level compared to his first match.
“It’s to be expected, he’s going to get better every day and every tournament. It’s good to have him back, but I’m glad to get through.
“I’m not very happy if I’m honest, I played a lot of loose shots around the middle. When you play Gawad it doesn’t matter if he can move or not, he’s going to kill you. It’s a very fast front wall and it makes the players want to hit the ball hard all the time.
“Before that fifth game it was all mental. I thought I had a big advantage with him being out for a very long time. Luckily enough because he was away, it played to my advantage in the fifth game and I’m just glad I got through in the end.”
Result
[5] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-2: 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 (63m)
El Hammamy Avoids Mohamed Banana Skin
2020 Black Ball Open champion Hania El Hammamy advanced from a tricky contest against fellow Egyptian Farida Mohamed to set up a last eight meeting with Belgium’s Tinne Gilis.
It was the pair’s first match on the PSA Tour and Mohamed proved to be a difficult opponent for El Hammamy to dispatch.
The World No.3 didn’t have things her own way and had to scrap at times against a tenacious opponent. But the physicality of the rallies took a toll on Mohamed in the third as El Hammamy build up a head of steam to close out the victory in straight games.
“It was a very tough match against Farida, she’s a very gutsy player and she likes to go for it every time she has a chance,” said El Hammamy.
“I had to be as sharp as I could and had to be alert so I could get whatever I could. I’m happy to get through.
“The last tournament I played was ToC and that was a long time ago. It’s a bit tough to play the first round, you have to adjust and keep yourself mentally sharp. It was a good first round for me to get going and get sharper for the next round.
“She’s [Gilis] a very talented player, she has been rising and just won a title a week ago, her biggest to date. She must be very confident, so I will have to be focused and ready. We’ve always played great matches and hopefully tomorrow is going to be another fun match.”
Result
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-0: 13-11, 11-8, 11-1 (35m)
Elias Begins World No.1 Charge with Win Over Marche
Peru’s Diego Elias kickstarted his attempts to claim the Black Ball Open title – and the World No.1 spot – with a 3-1 win over Frenchman Gregoire Marche in the penultimate men’s match of the day.
Current World No.1 Mostafa Asal’s surprise defeat to Fares Dessouky last night has given Elias the opportunity to become the sport’s first ever South American World No.1 if he is able to lift the Black Ball trophy next week.
And he looks a good bet to do so after the languid 26-year-old completed an 11-1, 11-4, 4-11, 11-7 victory in 41 minutes to book his spot in the quarter-finals.
Next up is Mazen Hesham, against whom Elias has won nine out of 12 matches on the PSA Tour.
“I think I was playing really good squash and I got a bit excited, I started going short a lot in the third, which was the complete opposite of what my dad told me,” said Elias.
“In the fourth I started to play a little bit more solidly to the back and that’s the way I was winning points in the first two games.
“I’ve been doing a lot of work in the past year and a half to two years. After my injury I started training a lot harder. It took a while until I could show it in the tournaments, so I’m happy that I’ve been doing a lot better in the last few months, making lots of finals and making some events.
“He’s [Hesham] a dangerous player and we’ve become good friends. He’s been spending a lot time in Florida with me, it’s going to be a great match and hopefully he doesn’t scream in my ear tomorrow.”
Result
[3] Diego Elias (PER) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 3-1: 11-1, 11-4, 4-11, 11-7 (41m)
El Sherbini Battles Past Evans Despite Hand Injury
2021 Black Ball Open champion Nour El Sherbini took the last open spot in the women’s quarter-finals of this year’s event after she overcame a 1-0 deficit against Wales’ Tesni Evans despite struggling with a hand injury.
The Egyptian sported significant strapping on her left hand and wrist – fortunately for her her non-racket hand – but it still impeded the way she was setting up for shots, particularly in the opening stages.
El Sherbini took a while to settle and Evans took full advantage in the first game, winning the length battle to edge ahead.
‘The Warrior Princess’ looked more comfortable on court from the second game onwards though and looked like she was beginning to adjust to her injury, eventually putting in the winners that squash fans are accustomed to, drawing level. El Sherbini kept the quality up in the third too and had the better of the front of the court, making Evans pay every time she hit a loose shot.
The early exchanges in the fourth were fiercely-contested, but El Sherbini was able to pull away to earn five match balls and, despite back-to-back tins, held on to close out the win.
“It was a tough first round, Tesni is playing really well and attacks well,” said El Sherbini.
“The court conditions were a bit tough for both of us, it’s very fast. I couldn’t find my game at the start, so I’m just happy that I’m through. What matters is the win.
“It’s not the best situation to play like this, unfortunately it was only a week ago [she sustained the injury] so I didn’t have time to heal. I’m doing my best to perform like this, it’s hard to serve and to balance the body, but I’ve been playing with it the whole week so I could get used to it. I’m going to live for it for a month, so I have to get used to it.
“I just hit my hand on the floor while playing with all my weight.”
Result
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Tesni Evans (WAL) 3-1: 8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 (44m)
Farag Comes Out on Top Against Abouelghar
Three-time Black Ball Open runner-up Ali Farag got the better of fellow Egyptian Mohamed Abouelghar in the final match of the day to extend his winning run over his compatriot to six matches.
Both players have missed around four months of action this season due to knee injuries, but Abouelghar had more time on court coming into today’s match and was competing in his fifth tournament since December.
Farag, only playing his second event since October, fell victim to a superb first game from Abouelghar, who played at an intense pace and kept his error count low to squeeze his opponent out.
The World No.3 recovered though and was in command in the second. Abouelghar continued to go short but lacked the accuracy he had in the opening game, enabling Farag to drawl level, before a huge push from the 30-year-old saw him move into the lead for the first time.
The fourth game was simply mesmerising from Farag, who showed the kind of ability that has seen him spend over 100 weeks at the summit of the PSA World Rankings in the past. Every time Abouelghar threatened him, Farag was able to find a solution and he soon closed out an 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3 victory in 47 minutes.
That win sets up a mouthwatering fixture against long-time rival Mohamed ElShorbagy, which will be a repeat of the previous two PSA Men’s World Championship finals.
“I surprised myself with the quality of squash I played today,” said Farag.
“I haven’t played that well since I got back, even in practice. I haven’t felt that fit in the gym and everything clicked today a lot better than I expected. It’s really thanks to the people that have worked with me over the past four years.
“I’m super grateful to be back, regardless of the result. The result is a big bonus, but the quality of squash I played and my movement was beyond rewarding.
“Mohamed [Abouelghar] has had a similar injury to a greater extent unfortunately for him. He’s been my doctor really, I’ve been texting him every day. Now that we’ve drawn each other, I didn’t want to bother him, but the past four months he’s been my ‘non-doctor’ doctor.
“I’ve been asking him if things feel alright or if they’re normal, and he tells me what to do. He’s on the comeback, I saw him playing so well in Pittsburgh and it’s great to have him back on tour because he is a great asset. He produces a brand of squash that no one else does, so I’m very happy to be through today against such an exceptional opponent.
“I very much look forward to it [playing ElShorbagy]. Mohamed has been in great form this season, especially after last season where he had a tough time. It shows his character and how much of a champion he is.
“I tell him all the time that I’ve learned so much from him.”
Result
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3 (47m)
