I Dig Sports
Since the formation of the World Table Tennis Championships 97 years ago, Canada has not as of yet been amongst the podium positions at the event but it has celebrated its fair share of success on the world stage.
In 1993 Johnny Huang finished third at the Men’s World Cup and nine years later he added a Men’s Singles silver medal to his name at the 2002 Commonwealth Games with Canada also securing Women’s Team bronze in Manchester. In 2014, the country collected its third table tennis medal at the Commonwealth Games, sealing Women’s Doubles bronze.
Looking to send a message to the world five years on from Glasgow 2014 Canada is placing its hopes in two ambitious athletes with Zhang Mo and Alicia Cote representing the country at the upcoming Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest, Hungary from Sunday 21st to Sunday 28th April.
Four times North American singles champion, gold medallist at the 2011 Pan American Games and winner of the Pan American Cup in 2018, Zhang Mo is undoubtedly the leading name of Canadian table tennis at this current moment in time and is well experienced on the international circuit having appeared on the biggest of stages the sport has to offer.
She’ll be joined by Alicia Cote who is set to compete at the World Championships for a second occasion, having appeared in 2015. The very same year she was the youngest player to feature at the 2015 Pan American Games and will use her time in Budapest as preparation for this year’s edition of the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
With less than a week before the action gets underway in Budapest, Zhang Mo and Alicia Cote don’t have long to wait until they face off against the world’s finest.
Watch the world’s biggest stars battle it out for international glory by grabbing your tickets for the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships:
Tickets
Düsseldorf final, possible fourth round clash?
It is just one of several intriguing contests possible in the fourth round; equally, Ma Long could face colleague Xu Xin, Germany’s Timo Boll could confront compatriot Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus could face any of them!
All have one factor in common, at some stage during their illustrious careers all have occupied the top spot on the world rankings.
Seeding is based on the world rankings for April; Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin occupy the top respective places, Timo Boll appears at no.5, Ma Long at no.11, Dimitrij Ovtcharov at no.12. Further down the order is Vladimir Samsonov at no.19, for seeding purposes one place higher, as the name of Lim Jonghoon, ranked no.17, does not appear on the Korea Republic entry.
Next in line to Xu Xin is colleague Lin Gaoyuan, followed by Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto; they are ahead of Timo Boll. Korea Republic’s Lee Sangsu is listed at no.6, followed immediately by Brazil’s Hugo Calderano and Koki Niwa.
Any top eight name that advances to the fourth round (the last 16) could well facing Ma Long, the defending champion.
Main draw: men’s singles and women’s singles events
…………the first round comprises 128 players, matters proceeding on a knock-out basis
…………a total of 64 players are seeded and receive a direct entry to the first round, the remaining places are filled by 64 players from the qualification tournament
…………on Friday 19th April, players seeded no.17 to no.64 will be drawn at random into the appropriate positions in the draw
…………on Saturday 20th April, players seeded no.1 to no.16 will be draw into the appropriate positions in the draw
…………following the conclusion of the qualification tournament on Tuesday 22nd April, the players who emerged successful will be drawn into the 64 remaining places
Main draw: men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles
…………the first round in each of the men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles events comprises 64 pairs, matters proceeding on a knock-out basis
…………on Friday 19th April, pairs seeded no.1 to no.32 in each event will be drawn into the appropriate positions in the draw
…………following the conclusion of the qualification tournament on Tuesday 22nd April, the pairs who emerged successful will be drawn into the 32 remaining places
Qualification: men’s singles
…………in the first stage of proceedings there are 80 groups, in each group play being on an all-play-all basis
…………players finishing in first places in group no.1 to group no.48 advance to the main draw
…………players finishing in first places in group no.49 to group no.80 progress to a preliminary round; the preliminary round winners advance to the main draw
Qualification: women’s singles
…………in the first stage of proceedings there are 60 groups, in each group play being on an all-play-all basis
…………players finishing in first place in each group advance to the main draw
…………four “Lucky Losers” are drawn at random from the second placed players in each group in order to complete the 64 qualification places
Qualification: men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles
…………throughout play takes place on a knock-out basis in all doubles events to determine the 32 qualifiers
…………a total of 101 pairs compete in the men’s doubles first stage, two rounds will be played
…………a total of 64 pairs compete in the women’s doubles first stage, one round will be played
…………a total of 112 pairs compete in the mixed doubles first stage, two rounds will be played
Shining performances first places against the odds
Vlada Voronina caused the biggest upset by beating Poland’s Aleksandra Michalak (11-7, 11-2, 8-11, 11-7); following close behind, in the closest match of the day, Emine Ernst accounted for Sweden’s Jennie Edvinsson 6-11, 12-10, 12-10, 8-11, 16-14). Not to be overshadowed, Liu Ru-Yun overcame Guatemala’s Lucia Cordero (11-5, 11-7, 11-13, 11-9).
Defeats for Aleksandra Michalak and Jennie Edvinsson; vitally, it was their only defeat of the day; second place and progress to the main draw was thus reserved. Alas for Lucia Cordero, she suffered a further reverse at the hands of Svetlana Dmitrienko (12-10, 11-7, 11-6) and thus had settle for third place, journey’s end. Svetlana Dmitrienko ended the day in runners up spot.
Surprises but not for the other leading names on initial stage duty. Chinese Taipei’s Yu Hsiu-Ting, England’s Denise Payet and Germany’s Sophia Klee reserved first places in their groups as expected, a situation that applied also to China’s Li Yuqi and Sweden’s Rebecca Muskantor.
First positions as anticipated; however, down the order there were unexpected top spots. Chinese Taipei’s Lee Wan-Hsuan, Tsai Yun-En and Chang Ju-Chia, also upset the order of merit to top their groups, as did Turkey’s Merve Cansu Demir, England’s Charlotte Bardsley and China’s Zhang Xiaoting.
The junior girls’ singles event will be played to a conclusion on Tuesday 16th April.
Jo Yokotani sets standard, surprises plentiful
Notably, all three beat the highest ranked players in their respective groups.
Jo Yokotani accounted for Spain’s Alberto Lillo (11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8), the second highest rated on first stage duty behind Singapore’s Peng Chih, a young man who duly topped his group without alarm; similarly, Lin Shidong and Sam Wilson overcame the respective third and fourth names in the group phase pecking order. Lin Shidong beat Italy’s Carlo Rossi (11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5); Sam Wilson overcame Spain’s Marc Gutierrez (12-10, 11-7, 11-6).
The saving grace for Alberto Lillo and Carlo Rossi was that it was their only defeat; thus they finished in second position and advanced to the main draw. Alas for Mar Gutierrez, he had to settle for third place and therefore elimination. Second position finished in the hands of Thailand’s Thyme Sanglertsilpachi.
Defeats for notable names, for Canada’s Edward Ly, India’s Ryan Alburquerque and Portugal’s Tiago Li alongside China’s Quan Kaiyuan, the players who completed the top eight names on qualification duty, it was top spot.
However, further down the list, there were surprise names who ended the day at the heads of the order.
]Against the odds, Chinese Taipei’s Li Hsin-Yu secured first place in his group as did Frenchman Alex Lebrun China’s Tao Yuchang, Iran’s David Shams and Russia’s Maksim Bokov. Likewise, there were unexpected first places for Japan’s Ryoichi Yoshiyama, Denmark’s Daniel Simonsen, England’s James Smith and Gabriellus Camara of the Netherlands. Meanwhile, following suit, Ukraine’s Mykyta Zavada and Vladislav Bannikov reserved top places against the odds as did Italy’s Marco Cappuccino.
The junior boys’ singles event will be played to a conclusion on Tuesday 16th April.
Similarly, it was success in his opening junior boys’ singles contest for Gabriel Perez, the player who had been the backbone of Puerto Rico’s success earlier in the junior boys’ team competition. However, he was tested; he was extended the full five games distance by Ramon Maxwell from Barbados (11-3, 9-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7).
Somewhat differently for Pedro Cabrera and Mariano Lockward, it was a less stressful experience as they started their quest for honours. Pedro Cabrera beat Jamaica’s Nathan Curtis (11-6, 11-2, 11-3), Mariano Lockward accounted for Suriname’s Jason Lesperance (11-6, 11-2, 11-3).
Likewise, in their opening matches in the junior girls’ singles event, both Esmerlyn Castro and Dahyana Rojas recorded emphatic wins against colleagues. Esmerlyn Castro beat Sorangel Rosario (12-10, 11-8, 11-4), Dahyana Rojas overcame Jazmin Mesa (11-9, 11-9, 11-7).
Impressive performances, it was the same for the principal names in the cadet boys’ singles and cadet girls’ singles competitions. In the opening contests in the former, Puerto Rico’s Pablo Figueroa beat Jamaica’s Andre Richardson (11-7, 11-6, 11-8), the Dominican Republic’s Eduardo Darley overcame Puerto Rico’s Derek Valentin (11-6, 11-9, 11-9).
Notable success for the hosts, in the cadet girls’ singles event, in the opening contests, Puerto Rico shone. Zulnamy Soto beat Jamaica’s Gianna Lewis, Kristal Melendez overcame Trinidad and Tobago’s Imani Edwards-Taylor (11-6, 11-2, 11-5), Alondra Rodriguez defeated the Dominican Republic’s Shary Muñoz (11-5, 12-10, 11-8).
Play in Santo Domingo concludes on Wednesday 17th April.
Entries
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Entries (Friday 12th April)
Junior Boys’ Team & Junior Girls’ Team
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Boys’ Team – Complete Results (Saturday 13th April)
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Girls’ Team – Complete Results (Saturday 13th April)
Cadet Boys’ Team & Cadet Girls’ Team
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Boys’ Team – Complete Results (Saturday 13th April)
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Girls’ Team – Complete Results (Saturday 13th April)
Junior Boys’ Singles & Junior Girls’ Singles
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Boys’ Singles – Results (Monday 15th April)
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Girls’ Singles – Results (Monday 15th April)
Junior Boys’ Doubles, Junior Girls’ Doubles & Junior Mixed Doubles
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Boys’ Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Girls’ Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Junior Mixed Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)
Cadet Boys’ Singles & Cadet Girls’ Singles
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Boys’ Singles – Results (Monday 15th April)
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Girls’ Singles – Results (Monday 15th April)
Cadet Boys’ Doubles, Cadet Girls’ Doubles & Cadet Mixed Doubles
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Boys’ Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Girls’ Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)
2019 Caribbean Junior and Cadet Championships: Cadet Mixed Doubles – Results (Sunday 14th April)
Low Wee Wern beats third Egyptian in a row to make Macau final
By ALEX WAN – Squash Mad Asian Bureau Editor
The semi-final matches at the Tap Seac Square had to be cut short after heavy rain interrupted play halfway through the second game of the men’s first semi-final. Then, third seed Omar Mosaad was leading Greg Lobban by a game and 4-2 in the second. After several attempts by the helpers to dry the floor, it became one too many times and match referee Anthony Soh decided that it should be continued back at the Macau Bowling Centre.
Malaysian comeback queen Low Wee Wern’s dream run at her maiden Macau Open continued today as she overcame a first game deficit to beat a third Egyptian in a row. Having taken out second seed Salma Hany in the second round, then Nadine Shahin in the quarters yesterday, Low beat a third Egyptian Zeina Mickawy in four games today.
Low, who has mostly been playing in 5k and 10k events since she came back on tour after a 20-month injury layoff to rehabilitate her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), bettered her milestone once again by making the final. The Malaysian had twice changed her flight and will be forced to do so once again tonight.
Low Wee Wern played patiently to force error after error out of Mickawy’s racket today.
Despite falling behind after losing out a very close first game that went to the tie-break, Low stuck to her game plan of keeping the ball behind Mickawy, who can be very dangerous with her hard-hitting. Her strategy paid off as Mickawy became more and more impatient and often tried to force a winning shot out of a less-than-ideal situation, that more often went into the tin.
“I think (today) I played one of my best this week, so far. I was a lot calmer on court. Even though I lost the crucial first game, I was actually quite calm. I was finding my length and the corners pretty well today. It’s a good improvement for me to get better day by day.
“For me to get into the final of a 50k is a great achievement. I’ve had to change my flight a couple of times because I didn’t know if I was up to making this far. Now, I’m slowly getting my confidence back, which is a good start to the year for me,” said Low.
In the other women’s semi-final, Annie Au and Joshna Chinappa, the first and third seeds of the event, played their 20th competitive match, with the first dating back to 2005 at the Asian Junior Championship. With Au holding an 11-8 record from their 19 matches and winning their last two encounters last year, she had to be the favourite today.
Having played back-to-back five setters the last two days, Annie Au was clinical this evening. Perhaps it was also because she is more familiar with Chinappa’s game after all these years. Au was always ahead of the Indian in the first two games and closed them both out effectively.
Annie Au chalks up win #12 over Asian rival Joshua Chinappa to make another Macau final.
However, in the third, things became less comfortable. After opening up a 6-2 lead, Au allowed Chinappa to claw back at 6-6 and twice lead 8-7 and 9-8. But she managed to contain that and eventually sneak the third on the tie-break for a straight-games victory.
“I knew it was going to be a hard match today. Joshna and I practice a lot together on tour, so we are very familiar with each other’s game. Moreover, we also play against each other a lot in Asian continent events. So I knew it was a tough one.
“Luckily, I managed to play according to my game plan today – to keep the ball at the back and only bring to the front when the opportunity arises. Today I also feel I have a much better plan setup compared to the previous days. I feel I also moved a lot more effectively today.”
“Overall, I thought I was calmer today. Maybe the hard matches the last two days helped me get to this state. It’s like I’ve had two tough lessons and I do not want to get that close today,” Au said cheekily when asked if today was her easier game, compared to the score-lines of the previous days.
Omar Mosaad in total control in the all-glass court at the Tap Seac Square.
Over at the men’s, both the semi-final matches were pure entertaining stuff for the crowd. Despite having to move back to the Macau Bowling Centre halfway through the first Mosaad-Lobban match, that did not hamper the spirit of both the crowd and players.
Omar Mosaad has been hitting so cleanly all week and he continued to do so tonight as he halted the giant-killing run of Scotland’s Greg Lobban in four games. After taking the opener on the all-glass court, which Lobban clearly wasn’t as comfortable on, and six points into the next, play was halted and moved.
After the restart, it was Lobban who started off stronger and moved more comfortably. Mosaad seemed distracted and began to question the referee more than his usual self. Perhaps that cost him the third game. But being the professional that he is, he managed to regroup and refocus in the third to get the job done. While there were calls he wasn’t happy about, he seemed to be more accepting and moved on much easily. He was rewarded with the third game and took the lead once again.
Greg Lobban had to play second fiddle once again in his second 50k semi-final.
In the fourth, it was nearly point-for-point and Lobban had an opportunity to force a fifth when he had game ball at 10-8. He didn’t manage to convert the two game balls and even had a third at 11-10. That too, was saved and it was Mosaad’s turn to have a shot at 12-11. Mosaad had an even bigger chance when Lobban’s return of serve snapped the strings of his racket and he played the entire rally with broken strings that ended with a let. However, that proved useless as Mosaad slotted a forehand volley drop into the nick and raised both his arms in victory and claim his place in his fourth Macau Open final.
“This is a special event for me. I’ve reached the final here for the fourth time today. The change of court halfway back here was a little tricky for me. There was nearly an hour delay before we restarted. I actually started back really well, but then Greg started to play even better. The third was important for me to get the lead again. Then in the fourth, it was pretty much point-for-point.
“I’m going to give my best tomorrow. As I’ve told you before, I take it match by match and I have gotten over three. So tomorrow will be one final match before I head to El Gouna, and I will put in everything I have,” the Hammer of Thor said afterwards.
Mosaad celebrates his win and fourth Macau Open final.
While Mosaad has plenty of experience here in Macau, his opponent tomorrow will be a first-time finalist here. Top seed Diego Elias edged out defending champion Yip Tsz Fung is a match that truly showcased both their amazing skills. The pair, who both play a very similar game of calculated lengths and deft drops, entertained the crowd for a full 53 minutes.
After losing out closely 11-9 in the first, Yip had his chance to equal at 10-8 up in the second, but he just couldn’t close it. Given the final result of the match, this might be something that will haunt him for a while. He did manage to come back to take the third, but Elias stamped his mark to close out the fourth and book his place in the final.
“I’m feeling really good and I think I played well. Yip is a really tough player who loves to play the ball to the front. He has very good hands and I had to work a lot today. I had to run a lot more today than the previous days,” the Peruvian Puma said after.
Diego Elias (l) contains yet another big Hong Kong threat in Yip Tsz Fung to make the final.
RESULTS (SEMI FINALS)
Annie Au (HKG) bt Joshna Chinappa (IND) 11-8, 11-5, 12-10 (34m)
Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 10-12, 11-2, 11-5, 11-6 (38m)
Diego Elias (PER) bt Yip Tsz Fung (HKG) 11-9, 13-11, 9-11, 11-7 (53m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 11-5, 10-12, 11-7, 13-11 (76m)
Pictures courtesy of Macau Squash Association
Raneem El Welily celebrates her win over Nour El Tayeb
One and two in the world to compete in each final
By ELLIE MAWSON
An Egyptian quartet will feature in the finals of the DPD Open Squash as the world’s top four players – Raneem El Welily, Nour El Sherbini, Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy – get set to do battle for the PSA Gold titles in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
World No.1 Raneem El Welily and World No.2 Nour El Sherbini will go head-to-head in the women’s final after they were both pushed all the way to five games by compatriot Nour El Tayeb and France’s Camille Serme, respectively.
El Welily avenged her defeat to El Tayeb at February’s PSA World Championships by taking an 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 11-2, 12-10 thrilling victory, which sees her reach her 47th PSA final.
“Nour played really well and maybe better than me in some parts of the match,” said World No.1 El Welily. “I just hung in there and tried to push myself to fight until the end and I live to see another day.
“My attitude and personality on court, they help me get to where I am today and it’s definitely something I’ve been working on and I’m happy to be in another final this season.”
El Welily and El Sherbini will contest their 12th successive PSA final after the latter overcame France’s World No.4 Serme in another epic five-game battle in the women’s draw at the DPD Hub in Eindhoven.
The two players have faced each other in the previous two tournaments, with both of those encounters also going to five in the favour of the Egyptian, and today proved to be no different as El Sherbini halted a Serme comeback to be victorious by an 11-9, 11-4, 2-11, 3-11, 11-6 scoreline.
The 23-year-old El Sherbini said: “It is the third time that I have beaten Camille 3-2. That shows how hard and tough the match is every time. Unfortunately, we have played the last three tournaments against each other, back to back, but I’m really glad to be on the winning side.
“After being up 2-0, she really came back strong and was attacking everything when I was a bit passive and flat. In the fifth I tried to get myself back and be mentally strong and I’m really glad I came back strong and won.”
Ali Farag works hard to beat Simon Rosner
The men’s final will also be contested by the World No.1 and World No.2 as Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy claimed respective semi-final wins over Germany’s World No.4 Simon Rösner and Egypt’s World No.6 Karim Abdel Gawad.
Reigning World Champion Farag was in top form to despatch Germany’s Rösner in straight-games in 38 minutes and progress through to his eighth PSA final of the season.
“Winning that first game was really important because I know it could have been totally different if I lost that one,” said 26-year-old Farag. “I think my movement got me through today, I don’t think my squash was the best, and he was dominating the ‘T’ area for most of the time.
“I’m just glad I was moving well and picking up a lot of his balls. It’s always tough against Simon, tough but very fair, so it’s always a joy to play against him especially in front of this crowd.”
Meanwhile, ElShorbagy played out a high-quality match with former World No.1 Gawad to progress through to his second successive final after winning the Grasshopper Cup earlier this month.
The two players brought the crowd to their feet with an emphatic display with ElShorbagy taking an 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9 victory that will see him face Farag tomorrow in their first meeting since 26-year-old Farag took the World No.1 spot from him.
Mohamed ElShorbagy salutes the crowd after beating Karim Abdel Gawad
“He’s [Gawad] definitely the most talented squash player we have on tour now,” said 28-year-old ElShorbagy. “You have to get the physicality into the match and make him work hard. The players who like making squash look easy don’t like playing players that make it look tough.
“This is the first time we play where he is No.1 and I’m No.2 now, so it’s reverse pressure a little bit. I think he [Farag] is going to feel what I always feel when I played him before. It’s going to be a new experience for both of us. He has been having an unbelievable season. He raised the bar for all of us and we are all trying to get to that level and I’m sure it’s going to be a great match tomorrow.”
The finals will take place on Sunday April 14 at 15:00 local time (UTC+2) and the action will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).
DPD Open 2019, DPD Hub, Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Men’s Semi-finals:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [4] Simon Rösner (GER) 13-11, 11-8, 11-5 (38m)
[2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) bt [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9 (49m)
Final:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY)
Women’s Semi-finals:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 11-2, 12-10 (60m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [4] Camille Serme (FRA) 11-9, 11-4, 2-11, 3-11, 11-6 (52m)
Final:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Pictures courtesy of PSA
Ali Farag and Raneem El Welily post Eindhoven title triumphs
Raneem El Welily and Ali Farag show off their DPD trophies
World number ones deliver the goods in DPD finals
By ELLIE MAWSON
Egypt’s World No.1s Ali Farag and Raneem El Welily are the 2019 DPD Open Squash champions after they claimed respective wins over Mohamed ElShorbagy and Nour El Sherbini in Eindhoven, Netherlands today.
The PSA World Tour Gold tournament was held at the brand new DPD headquarters in the Dutch city to mark the grand opening of their new distribution centre and it was the two Egyptian World No.1s who took home the inaugural titles.
World No.1 El Welily claimed her second successive PSA title, following her win last month at the Black Ball Squash Open, after producing an incredible comeback from 2-0 down to win 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 against reigning World Champion El Sherbini.
El Welily, who had gone to five games in all of her matches in Eindhoven, held numerous game balls in the first, but El Sherbini battled back to rattle off the points in quick succession, eventually taking the opener on a tie-break.
The three-time World Champion then doubled her lead in the second, with both players showing some unbelievable skill on court much to the delight of the packed-out crowd. However, El Welily showed her incredible mental strength to battle back in style and claim her 21st PSA title.
“The five-setters really paid off eventually,” said 30-year-old El Welily. “To come back from 2-0 down against Nour is almost impossible, mentally at least, so I’m really happy with the way I managed to push myself mentally and physically and show some character towards the end.
Raneem El Welily celebrates her victory
“After I lost the first when I was 10-5 up, I thought I blew it up, but I just told myself it’s not the end of the world just keep pushing. You need to come off court doing your best, if you mess things up sometimes you fight hard to make things right again.”
Meanwhile, World No.1 and World Champion Farag dominated against rival ElShorbagy to claim the men’s title.
It was the first meeting between the two players since January’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions final, when Farag won to take the World No.1 spot from ElShorbagy and Farag ensured he continued his dominance with a 3-1 win.
Ali Farag (left) and Mohamed ElShorbagy contest the DPD final
The first game looked as though it was going to set the tempo for the rest of the match, with both players showcasing their ability to send it all the way to a tense tie-break, which ElShorbagy claimed. However, Farag came out firing in the second and never looked back as he controlled the rest of the match against a below-par ElShorbagy to take an 11-13, 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 victory.
“The first game was really tough and it was a tough one to lose,” said the 26-year-old Farag afterwards.
“I’m glad I regrouped myself and Nour [El Tayeb] gave me a very good tip after the first. It’s always a pleasure to share the court with someone who is one of the greats of our sport and I’m looking forward to many more battles in the future.
“He was No.1 when I was starting so Mohamed is always going to be favourite. I don’t put much pressure on myself but obviously I’m very happy with the way I handled things. I think I played good squash and I’m looking forward to taking that on next week in El Gouna.”
The next PSA World Tour tournament will be the El Gouna International which takes place in Egypt between April 17-26.
DPD Open Squash, DPD Hub, Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Men’s Final:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-1: 11-13, 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 (46m)
Women’s Final:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 3-2: 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (65m)
Pictures courtesy of PSA
Diego Elias and Annie Au are new Macau Open champions
Annie Au wins biggest career title while Diego Elias win second title in a month
By ALEX WAN – Squash Mad Asian Bureau Editor
The wrath of the weather once again denied tonight’s final matches the prestige of being played at the impressive all-glass court set up at the Tap Seac Square. However, that did not dampen the spirit of all the finalists who gave the packed gallery a feast of our lovely sport.
Annie Au of Hong Kong and Macau Open debutant Diego Elias both became first-time champions of this prestigious 50k event. The pair both won in similar fashion, with Au halting the giant-killing run of Low Wee Wern and Elias outplaying Omar Mosaad.
The women’s final started the evening for a change, after four straight days of the men opening. Hong Kong’s Annie Au, who has played in the event for many years but never won it before, was up against Malaysia’s comeback queen Low Wee Wern. The pair, who are quite in the same age bracket, has played each other fifteen times and not including the smaller regional events.
It was fairly equal in the first half of the first game up to 5-5, before Au ran away with six straight points to lead. Au was lethal in the front right corner throughout the entire match, winning six points in the very same spot in the first game alone. Every time the ball was sent there, it would either be a winner or a shot so tight that Low could only force a weak return.
Low Wee Wern returns a shot to Annie Au in their final match.
Low got to a good start in the second, opening up a 2-point cushion at 2-0. It was close from then on up to 7-7 before Au broke away to game ball at 10-7. Low fought back and levelled 10-10 to force the tie-breaker and even got ahead to game ball after a no let decision was given against Au, but she couldn’t convert. Once Au was back serving, she made no mistake and took the game 13-11.
If Au was on fire on the front right hand corner in the first game, she was even more so in the second as she won an astonishing nine points there. By the second game, the refereeing decisions were also beginning to be questionable and highly inconsistent, something which lasted the entire match. An exact situation could warrant two very opposite decisions and, in some cases, were critical to the outcome of the game.
Low once again got off to a flying start in the third, racing away to a 3-0 lead. But that quickly turned around as Au then forged ahead 7-4. Low also had, on some points, looked to limp a little and was less comfortable with her movement. That did not bother Au as she never looked back from the lead and won the game and match after two consecutive no lets were given against Low. The win gives Au her biggest title in her career.
Annie Au in full control at the Macau Open final, while Low Wee Wern might’ve been asking herself what she needs to do.
“I’ve been playing this event for many years and in the last few, it’s either the semi-finals or once the final. So to win, it, I feel very happy that I took the opportunities I had this year. It also feels rewarding because I’ve had pretty tough matches in the beginning. It took me a while to get into this tournament, but luckily I managed to settle in the last two matches.
“(Low) Wee Wern has been playing really well this event, so I knew she was going to be a tough customer. I was expecting very tight points and they were. We’ve played each other many times, so we are both familiar with each other’s game. Our standards are also very close so it’s a case of who is more stable on the day,” Au said later when asked about how she felt and if playing Low Wee Wern was a familiar thing.
While Low might be ruing not taking her chances in the second game, she was also very positive on what she has achieved here this week.
“Overall, it’s been a pretty good round for me to have upset three higher seeds. I didn’t expect myself to get to the final. But for today, just a little disappointing and to be honest, the squash just wasn’t as free flow as I would’ve liked it to be. But it happens and I just have to move on from this.
“I don’t think I’ve played four hard matches back to back for a few years. So to actually get back on court today is actually a bonus. To actually know I’m OK physically and the body held up. For that I have to thank my physio who has been working for me for a few years now.”
The men’s final was on paper a cracker in store. But while it failed to live up to its sizzle, there were moments in the match where things were pretty heated up. The start of the first game was rather close, with the Peruvian breaking away to a 2-point lead after slamming a forehand volley cross court into the nick to go 5-3.
The next point was a crucial one as a no let given against Mosaad had him a little rattled and it was evident his concentration was off the books as the next five points went by quickly to give Elias the one-game lead.
In the second, the opening rally was perhaps the best of the day. It was long, both players took turns attacking and defending and it ended in Elias’ favour. That rally must’ve zapped quite a bit into Mosaad’s reserves as he quickly went down 1-6. He only managed to break the cycle after two consecutive deft drops to the backhand corner. Mosaad manages another two points in the game, but Elias would eventually be two-up.
Diego Elias masterfully won the final match today.
Elias was pretty much picking up every shot Mosaad threw at him – whether it was the low, hard Hammer of Thor shot into the back or a soft dying drop to the front, Elias would get to it and eventually, it simply wore Mosaad out.
The third was by far the most competitive game. When Elias got to a 6-3 lead, Mosaad found his second wave and fought back to 6-6, before he crashed a very simple shot in the front into the tin. That threw the momentum back to Elias, who raced to 10-7. Mosaad wasn’t done yet and took the next two points with two shots into the nick. Shamefully, the match had to be ended on a no let decision against Mosaad when it was evidently a simple let.
The new Macau Open champion said:
“That wasn’t easy at all today. It might have looked so, but it wasn’t. I played a really good tournament and I’m happy with my performance. I’ve been playing better every day and I knew today was going to be a lot harder playing against a player like Omar.
“I’ve had some good wins here and also this season, so I think I’m going to do well next week in El Gouna. I think it’s going to be a good year in fact. I hope I can keep on doing well. One of my goals is to qualify for the World Series Finals and hopefully finish in the top five (in the world) by end of the year.”
Diego Elias speaking to the local television after his win.
Omar Mosaad, who is clearly a local crowd favourite here, was still pretty pleased with his week here in Macau.
“You know I did my best here. I did not start very well today, especially in the first game. He started to be very confident and played really well. He also had the advantage of playing in this court all week, while I’ve been playing on the other. So today is really my first time on this court and it feels different.
“But overall, I’m happy with how I did here. I won three matches and lost today. Of course, today is also a very valuable lesson to me to develop my skills better and work on my fitness. Right now, I’m just looking forward to my next tournament back home in El Gouna.”
Annie Au and Diego Elias with their first Macau Open title trophies.
RESULTS (FINALS)
Annie Au (HKG) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-5, 13-11, 11-8 (41m)
Diego Elias (PER) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 11-3, 11-4, 11-9 (38m)
Pictures courtesy of Macau Squash Association
When Miguel Rodriguez dives across court it’s a race against time to get there before the ball bounces twice
Your brain has to master four dimensions before you can master squash
By CHRIS SARGENT – Squash Mad Columnist
Why is squash so addictive if you are that way inclined? This is a question that has puzzled me ever since I started playing around 10 years ago. Why, because having never played a racket sport before, I was instantly addicted and remain so today.
I used to think it was the buzz from the exercise and hard work that had hooked me. Also, the therapy of hitting a small black ball hard and that satisfying “thwack”. But it is much, much more than that.
I have come to the conclusion that it is not the fact that it gives you a great workout. It is not the adrenalin buzz or the one-to-one competition. I have done other sports that easily compete on these terms (karate for example). What is it that keeps me wanting to get back on court?
I have come to a pretty simple conclusion (and a realisation that has helped my own squash). It may just be me, but I have finally realised that squash is played in Four Dimensions. I think this is pretty much unique in individual competitive sport.
What do I mean by four dimensions? Well, you have length, width, height AND time (speed of shot, movement etc).
Think about it, we use all four (some coaches suggest six) corners of the court. We use the full height and space available above the floor level AND we use the speed of shot. We use them combination to manoeuvre our opponents out of position and win points.
When you compare this to tennis, for example, this is a game that mostly consists of three dimensions, length, width and time. Most rallies consist of serve, baseline play and power (speed of shot = time). The height element rarely comes into play as a key element of strategy in the same way as squash – it is coincidental to the power and length element.
Now, I have been thinking about this in my own squash. I propose that every squash player goes through a similar evolution.
Stage 1: You start off just hitting the ball in two dimensions. Any use of height is purely coincidental.
Stage 2: As you progress, you start to try to use the “time” element – basically you start to try to hit the ball harder. This gets you more success to some degree.
Stage 3: Then, a friendly opponent who has just hammered you suggests that you might want to use the upper (largest) part of the wall a bit more! Suddenly, you are struck with that “why didn’t I think of that before?” moment. As soon as you do, a whole new aspect and complexity (difficulty) of the game opens up.
Stage 4: After a while you slowly start to understand the main purpose of hitting the ball high and slow. Obvious, really, but it is to get you to the T, not just to get your opponent to the back of the court. This gives you time to actually play and control the game!
Stage 5: Finally, you realise that the “time dimension” is the missing part of the jigsaw. You start to bend your opponent’s time by varying the pace and height of shots to break their rhythm and confuse. For the time dimension, also read “holding shots” and “taking the ball early”.
Stage 6: The final stage or “Squash Nirvana”, is to be able to use all of the four dimensions in squash in a strategic and devastating way. Of course, all this needs to be done while having your heart burst out of your chest and lungs strain for oxygen to power you around the court.
When you watch the top men and women, it is quite incredible how they manipulate the ball – and their opponents’ time. It is a tug of war in four dimensions that captivates and enthrals. I firmly believe that it is that glimpse of what is possible that keeps me hooked.
It is those rare occasions when, for just one or two points, it all clicks. You seem to be able to win points at will using the four dimensions that grabs your imagination. You think “why is this game so difficult?”
Then, those fleeting moments of relative genius and inspiration disappear, and it is back to earth with a bump. That is what keeps me hooked. That hunt for that perfect rally, that feeling of flow and control. I just wish it would happen more often!
Where am I in this progression? Well, I would like to think that I am making progress through Stage 4 and aspiring to Stage 5. But, when I play opponents who truly know how to use length, width and height effectively, and are able to “bend time”, I am but a beginner at their mercy!
They, truly, are Time Lords of Squash.
Squash is renowned for the extraordinary movement demanded by sudden changes of direction and the reduced time between shots when your opponent takes the ball early or adds some extra pace to his or her shot. Hence all those dives and lunges.
Pictures courtesy of Patrick Lauson and PSA
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
