Farag Claims First British Open Title

Having lost three previous finals, Ali Farag has won the British Open at the fourth time of asking, beating Peru’s Diego Elias in the final.

The opening game was as expected, quick in pace and high in quality. Both men made unforced errors at times, but there were several winners from both as well. It was Elias who had the first two game balls, but errors on both meant he was unable to convert. Instead, Farag got the job done with his first opportunity, hitting a jumping cross court nick to finish things off and take the early lead.

The Peruvian showed why he is becoming the sport’s first South American World No.1 on Monday, though, fighting back to win the second comfortably. He ran out into a quick 8-3 lead, and never looked like relinquishing it. He won the second 11-5 to level the contest at one game apiece.

A run of errors from Farag’s racket gave Elias a 4-0 lead but the former World No.1 then went on a run of seven points in eight to lead once more. Elias hit a couple of errors at a crucial time to allow Farag to hold game ball, and a controversial no let decision, which was upheld on video review, gave the Egyptian a 2-1 lead in the match.

He was able to stay with the Peruvian in the fourth game, as Elias maintained a cushion throughout. However, a quick burst of points at the end of the game saw Farag come through to take it 11-9, and to win the British Open for the first time in his illustrious career.

“So many great emotions at the time winning the ‘Wimbledon of Squash’. This is something that has been eluding for me the past few years and I’ve been trying very hard to do it. I came up short against some great champions in the past, and I was up against another great champion today,” Farag said.

“It was lucky it went my way but a quick word about Diego [Elias] – coming out of Peru and becoming World No.1 is an unbelievable achievement. In our part of the world we have so many great champions in the past who gave us belief and we look at their pathway to get there. It’s not handed on silver platter and we have to work really hard to get there! But for his side, growing up on his own with his dad working hard every single day and seeking the advice from the best like Jonathon Power and Wael El Hindi – he’s done extremely well for his goal and he’s got there. Kudos to him!

“I called my parents and I called everyone I know on my phone as I wanted to tell people that I feel like I’m back! They couldn’t believe it but I’ve been trying so hard for the past six months to get back in it. You lose faith in your injury if it’s ever going to come back to normal and you lose faith in your confidence. It’s such a long process, but I’m not the first or last athlete to get an injury but for me it was my first time to experience it.

“It was a new challenge with a lot of new emotions and I’ve got a long list of people I need to thank who have got me to where I am today: first and foremost the physios who have worked on my knee and Derek Ryan is a magician! What he knows about the physiology of the body and the psychology of the mind, the tactics of the squash – he’s just a master of everything and I can’t thank him enough. My physio back home – I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent on his massage table and he must be bored of me! Over the last four months I’ve seen him 60 or 70 times. I probably see him more than I see my wife at the moment! He’s been brilliant with me. I’m very grateful to be where I am now.

“There is a lot confidence that gets taken away from you and you need people behind you back to make you believe that you’ve still got it. The first one is always going to be Nour [El Tayeb]. She sees the worst of me and the worst of me is not easy to deal with! She’s been brilliant and patient with me and she’s been going through it with her shoulder injury so I’ve been very blessed to have her on my side in that regard.

“Karim Darwish – I play with him nearly every day and he gives me a hard time whenever I’m slacking off or whenever I’m harsh on myself. He knows the right balance as he’s been there so many times before. Mike Way who’s been on tour with me all the time and obviously my parents. They’ve seen the worst of me and your parents are always going to be your go to people. Whenever I have a problem I go to them and can be sassy to them! I’m always going to be a mother’s boy really and lean on her, my dad and my brother. I’m bless to have them in my corner and the sponsors.

“In your tough moments you realise who are the best people to stand by you and believe in you. I’ve been getting messages from all my sponsors across the globe at three in the morning if I’m playing at that time, they’re up and watching. First and foremost Dunlop – we’ve played an all-Dunlop final which is a testament to how good the brand is doing and has been doing for the past 100 years. CIB – everyone knows how important they are, World Open Squash, Etisalat and Sodic.

“Last and not least – you guys! We’ve played in so many great venues before but this is definitely up there as one of the best venues we’ve ever played at. You are probably the most knowledgeable crowd we play in front of – the English crowd are the ones who understand the most about squash. This is where the sport started and this is where the legacy is. To play in front of you guys is an amazing feeling.”

Result:
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [1] Diego Elias (PER) 3-1: 13-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9 (59m)