Malik Downs Home Favourite Mosaad In Thrilling Finale To Black Ball Squash Open 2024 Opening Day

World No.43 Curtis Malik overcame home favourite Omar Mosaad in a thrilling fifth-game tie-break to conclude proceedings on the opening day of the Black Ball Squash Open 2024.

England’s 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 World No.32 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.” 

Elsewhere across the two draws, there was plenty of success for Egyptian players, with a total of 11 home players booking their spots in the second-round. Among those who claimed victories were Aly Abou Eleinen, who fought past Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas in four games, and Salma Eltayeb, who upset the rankings to defeat compatriot Nadine Shahin.

Round two of the Black Ball Squash Open 2024 will take place tomorrow (April 12) and play begins at 12:00 (GMT+2). Top seeds Ali Farag and Nouran Gohar are among the seeds who will enter the draw and begin their quests for silverware. 

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Results:  Black Ball Squash Open 2024 Women’s RD1

Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Alicia Mead (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 (30m)

Hana Ramadan (EGY) bt Cindy Merlo (SUI) 3-1: 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6 (36m)

Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt Emilia Soini (FIN) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-8 (21m)

Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Kenzy Ayman (EGY) 3-1: 3-1: 11-5, 11-4, 8-11, 12-10 (39m)

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

Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 11-8, 8-11, 11-1 (43m)

Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 3-0: 11-2, 11-8, 11-9 (35m)

Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt Leandro Romiglio (ARG) 3-1: 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7 (58m)

Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 10-10 retired (89m)

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)

Draw: Black Ball Squash Open 2024 Women’s RD2 (top half – to be played April 12th)

Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)

[6] Salma Hany (EGY) v Salma Eltayeb (EGY)

[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)

Mariam Metwally (EGY) v [8] Nada Abbas (EGY)

Draw: Black Ball Squash Open 2024 Men’s RD2 (top half – to be played April 12th)

[6] Joel Makin (WAL) v Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)

Miguel Rodriguez (COL) v [5] Tarek Momen (EGY)

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Curtis Malik (ENG)

Nicolas Mueller (SUI) v [4] Mazen Hesham (EGY)