The Jonah Barrington Column: May 2023

One of the sport’s greatest thinkers and a pioneer for the professional game, Jonah Barrington offers his thoughts on all of squash’s biggest talking points in a new monthly column – written exclusively for the PSA World Tour website.

In this month’s column, Jonah looks back at the British Open, along with offering a look ahead to the PSA World Championships, which begin on Wednesday in Chicago.

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By Jonah Barrington

The British Open was memorable for many different reasons but at the top of the list must be: a return to a major city in a fantastic setting as the quest for the fantastic prize resumed once again.

In the men’s tournament there were so many sub plots, not least the potential to become World No.1, for more than one player, and it was tremendous to see a great player recovered from injury and once again in the mix.

Indeed at the death the fasting [Ali] Farag did indeed take the British Open title for the first time, from the man [Diego Elias] who regardless of the outcome of the final would become the first South American to be acclaimed World No.1 on the very next day.

There was much pussy-footing around with almost what seemed the unmentionable – the elephant in the room! As I said before Mostafa Asal’s absence, let alone the reasons behind it, significantly reduced the gloss, and that will not be the case at the World Championships in Chicago this week – more of that later.

Elias had to get past the redoubtable Joel Makin in the second round – not an opponent to meet early in the draw – a big potential banana skin. [Karim Abdel] Gawad, unseeded, but fresh from winning the Optasia Championships, had an enthralling encounter with [Miguel] Rodriguez and then took out Mohamed ElShorbagy in a brutal battle – in the best sense – that went to the wire and thrilled the crowd.

Victor Crouin made the quarters against Diego but despite taking a two-game lead it was the ‘Puma’ who dug in to prevail in five – it was tight. Paul [Coll] had seemed relatively serene but Marwan [El Shorbagy] had other ideas and only faltered in the fifth after an impressive fight-back in the game before.

Meanwhile the packed populace loved the shoot-out between Gawad and [Mazen] Hesham, but Karim after such a long period away still has to regain the back-up physical ground, and let’s face it, Hesham is Hesham!

Ali and Tarek [Momen] had an uncompromising encounter in which neither especially took the eye. Ali, leaner by the day, faced Mazen’s ailing twin in the semis and Paul, apart from the third, failed to hit his straps against Diego who was moving like a stately galleon.

The final was much tighter than the 3-1 scoreline suggests and Diego had game balls early on he failed to convert and also suffered a very dubious no let decision late on. Yet Ali’s mental strength to produce such performances when, to my mind, he was some distance off his peak, while also enduring the fast imposed by observing Ramadan, was really something else that said I’m sure Diego will come again never fear.

Nouran Gohar is one of the all-time great women players, the World No.1 an all consuming force in all her matches and rightly called ‘The Terminator’.

She will be seriously frustrated by her demise in the final in Birmingham against [Nour] El Sherbini, the great champion that she is, who interestingly had successively come through five-game matches against Gina Kennedy and Amanda Sobhy, maybe the best female lefty ever?

By contrast, Nouran had just scythed her way through the draw without being tested and perhaps there was a nervous factor because of that. On the day Nour, was stretched a bit but was simply primed and unbeatable and that does happen in major finals.

When Gohar keeps it simple, massive persisting driving, pace and pressure, clinical shot, she is almost an unstoppable force. Yet the enigmatic Sherbini has the wherewithal to produce squash from another planet – wondrous!

In theory, there are five potential winners of the men’s World Championships in Chicago and you can make a decent case for anyone of them. Mostafa Asal should be fitter if he has been motivated by the frustration of his penalty, losing the No.1 spot, and missing the British Open.

Diego Elias will want to show that he is the rightful No.1 and can take that pressure. Mohamed ElShorbagy is itching to win another world title and reclaim the World No.1 spot for himself.

Ali Farag, still not quite at his highest level of fitness and game, yet he still took the British Open while still in recovery and enduring the strictures of Ramadan, will arrive in Chicago with his confidence considerably boosted. Paul Coll will have regathered after relinquishing his treasured British Open title and will still feel he has a chance of the ultimate success.

So the winner has to come from the famous five yet nothing is so straight forward. They know that there will be considerable obstacles to overcome before the business end of the game.

Karim Abdel Gawad lurks, still outside the top 16 and faces Youssef Soliman, the No.12 seed in the first round, who, I’m sure, will be salivating over the prospect of taking revenge from his loss to the once ‘Baby – Faced’ assassin in the Optasia final.

Yet Gawad is once again a rapidly increasing danger and I fancy his flag will flutter much closer to the faces of the chosen ones in the Windy City. But nothing is set in tablets of stone and Marwan, Victor, Tarek, Mazen, Fares [Dessouky], Joel [Makin] and Miguel [Rodriguez] et alia all know they can write a different result – brilliant isn’t it?

Mostafa and Joel in the third round has to stand out and fingers crossed folks as no quarter will be asked for or given! A 64-draw at this most major event gives so much opportunity and experience to those especially younger players from lower down the ladder but following their own personal dreams of glory.

In the women’s draw I just can’t wait to see how it all unfolds. Gohar, Sobhy, [Nour El] Tayeb, [Olivia] Clyne and [Hania El] Hammamy in the same half of the draw. Add [Satomi] Watanabe, Farida Mohamed etc, etc, etc, it is going to be something else.

If Nour El Tayeb reaches Gohar, and nothing is assured, then for sure Nouran in this Worlds is going to be put to the test early on. But Sabrina Sobhy is on home soil, Tinne Gilis is coming and of course Amanda [Sobhy] will be after Hania and vice versa.

Yet Nouran Gohar will, I suspect, be very ready this time! The bottom half maybe on the surface calmer but I will believe that when I see it, courtesy of SQUASHTV!

There are super early matches with [Emily] Whitlock meeting Gina Kennedy, [Nada] Abbas facing [Olivia] Fiechter and so many more – it just never stops.

What is absolutely certain is that this is the highest level by a distance in a Women’s World Championship.

Thank you to the Walter Family for your amazing ongoing support for our precious game.