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TODAY at the Grasshopper Cup -
Fri 25th Apr, QUARTER-FINALS |
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25-Apr,
Quarter-Finals:
Down
to the last four ...
Quarter-finals night in
Zurich started off with Spain's Borja Golan coming
through a gruelling battle with Omar
Mosaad, a two-hour match that had breaks for injury and
light failure (and 67 decisions).
That was followed by two Egyptian winners in Amr Shabana
and Tarek Momen, and rounded off with victory for top
seed James Willstrop.
Quarter-Finals:
[2] Borja Golan
(Esp) 3-1 [7] Omar Mosaad (Egy)
12/14, 11/8,
12/10, 11/9 (112m)
[3]
Amr Shabana (Egy) 3-0 [Q] Mohamed Abouelghar (Egy)
14/12, 11/4,
11/8 (30m)
[6] Tarek Momen (Egy) 3-1 [4] Daryl Selby (Eng)
11/3, 11/4,
12/14, 11/5 (61m)
[1] James Willstrop
(Eng) 3-0 [5] Simon Rosner (Ger)
11/8, 11/8, 11/6 (60m)
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 In El Gouna, we
had a very hard battle, so to win today against such a player,
only 26, will give me a lot of my confidence back.
In the first game, I just couldn’t score a point, I just didn’t
know how, I didn’t have an answer. And I feel the court was very
fast and suited him better.
But I realise now, I’ve learned something today. It’s that the
mind is more important in squash than the shots, than the
fitness. Look in the 3rd, I was up 7/0, power cut, and suddenly,
he is back 9/9! It was all about mental strength. It’s all in
the mind…
Tomorrow, I’ll play the winner of the next match. Whoever it is,
it’s going to be tough, but I’ll enjoy it…
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[2]
Borja Golan
(Esp) 3-1 [7] Omar Mosaad (Egy)
12/14, 11/8,
12/10, 11/9 (112m not including lights delay)
BORJA WINS A
TENNIS MATCH….
 Let me start to say that
truly, at times during the match, I felt like walking off to the
bar, get myself a cup of tea, and forget about everything for a
while… Let me add IMMEDIATELY that’s it’s nobody’s fault. It’s
not Borja or Mosaad, or the refs responsibility really. It’s
just one of those combinations of factors, both big guys,
playing in warm conditions, and both liking to take the ball
early. Add to that that occasionally, there were not clearing
the ball quick enough, not going for the ball but for the man,
and going to the ball too early preventing the other player to
clear, and you have 112m of match for 4 games, and 67 decisions.
That said, let’s start with the first game. Enormous. 45 minutes
of a huge battle. Mental. Physical. And if in El Gouna, Mosaad
was able to play fast and sweet as the court was very rewarding,
here, on much warmer conditions, he had to be patient, and try
and match Borja at his own game.
He was able to do so for a whole game. A mammoth one. But that’s
what it takes to beat Borja. 45m for one game, you must be
mentally iron like but also physically stone like. The two
players were sweating so much the court had to be wiped 4 times
in that first game only. And that was not the players trying to
take a breather. Really needed…One of those games where every
shot counts, every rally has got an incidence on the outcome.
3/3. Blood injury for Mosaad, a little 4 minutes break.
4/4. 5/5. 6/6. 7/7. 9/7 for Mosaad then game ball 10/8. 10/9.
Immense gruelling rallies. Errors are creeping in for Omar for
the first time of the match. 10/10. And Borja imposing his
favourite mid pace squash, and Mosaad that’s accepts to rally.
11/11. 12/12. Finally, after 45m of grinding squash, Mosaad
takes the marathon on his 4th game ball, saving one on the way,
with a no let against Borja that really looked a harsh decision
from where I was sitting from.
But the hard work had been produced. In the second, if Omar is
still goes with the momentum of the first game, leading 5/3 and
7/5, he then starts developing signs of tiredness, not as
patient, going for shots too early, and from 8/8, it’s all about
Borja’s grit and determination, 11/8 for the Spanish, in 17m.
And it looks all finished when he is up 7/0, 8/1 in the 3rd. But
blank!!!! Power Cut, and a few court lamps just switch off. And
we then wait 22m for them to come back on… And of course, that’s
the best thing that could happen to Mosaad, and the worst to
Borja!
As they both come back on court, they only get to play one rally,
and blank! A few lamps go off again. “Let’s keep playing” says
Borja to Mosaad who is rightly very hesitant. Stephan Buchi,
promoter of the tournament, steps in on court, explaining to the
Egyptian that it is probably best to keep on playing, as the
lamps will go on shortly. Reluctantly, Mosaad accepts, and play
restarts in a court a bit darker that it should be.
But still, an all refreshed Mosaad will push his opponent, 9/9,
10/10, but won’t be able to save a third game ball, Borja 12/10
in 40m (minus 22…).
Turning point.
The fourth is again extremely close score wise, and long, 19m.
2/2. 4/4. 5/5. 6/6. 7/7. 8/8. Mosaad, visibly very tired, is
truly digging in, and hanging in there, and we feel that Borja
is much fresher. At 9/8 for Borja, a no let, as harsh as the one
that costs Borja the first game, gives him a match ball (it all
levels out, doesn’t it), 10/8. Mosaad saves it thanks to a
ridiculously lucky corner shot that flies in the left back
corner. “the more I practice, the luckier I get”.. But the
Hammer of Thor cannot save the last one, stroke against him.
Match to Borja.
Pfew. I dread to think the length of the match if we had gone to
5. And with so many interruptions, I had the feeling that it was
more of a Wimbledon by rainy day kind of match, than a squash
match.
This match will make a hell of a good to Borja’s confidence – he
doesn’t stop telling me how fragile in that department he is at
the moment. As for Mosaad, that fitness again that seems to make
him go for too much at crucial times… Squash is such an
unforgivable sport isn’t it. All to the last details, it’s all
have got to be perfect… |
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[3]
Amr Shabana (Egy)
3-0 [Q] Mohamed Abouelghar (Egy)
14/12, 11/4,
11/8 (30m)
SHABANA NOT
FOCUSED,
ABOU TOO MUCH RESPECT
Only seven. Yes, Shabs played only 7 unforced errors in the
opening game. And Abou 1! World in reverse….
 Shabana
against his training partner was comfy up 5/0, 6/1, 7/2, when he
started to string happily tin after tin, allowing his opponent
who was far too demure to start with to come back and go for a
bit more of his shots. 10/8 still for Shabana, a tin and a
winner, 10/10..
The former World Number 1 finally takes it 141/12 on his 3rd
game ball, having saved on at 11/10. Length, 13m, a very long
time for both of their style of squash!!!
Second, Shabs is not happy with himself, and in 5 minutes,
finished it off, 11/4.
 Third
is a bit better for the young contender, that realises that he
has not much to lose after all. He leads 5/2, but Shabana
doesn’t wish to stay too long on the court. 5/5 rather quickly,
nice lengthy rallies and lines from front to back, side to side,
7/7, 8/8. Experience and hunger talks at the end of the game,
11/8. The game has lasted 9m…
Shabana always has troubles playing his sparring partners
(remember Abbas in the world open in 2006), and Abou needs to
stop respecting his elders…. I remember him qualifying for Qatar
a few months ago, and then not really playing in the first round
against Karim Abdel Gawad. As if he was just happy to be there..
But a good refreshing match after the previous one, let me tell
you.
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It was tough to
play him, it was hard to switch from training to mentally beat
him. He is a World Junior Runner Up, he’s got such a great
future ahead of him. And hopefully, next time we play together,
he’ll give the audience a good run for their money! He is such a
polite guy, on and off court, very fair, and hopefully one day,
he’ll be at the top of the game.
Yes, there was a lot of contact in the previous game, but you
know, squash is a sport of contact. And sometimes, nobody’s
fault, but there is no way around it. So it’s up to the players
to play their best, and up to the referees to untangle them.
I have a lot of respect for Borja, the man was out of the game
for a year and a half for broken knee tendons, and now he is
back, and WR 5. So tomorrow I’ll have to bring on my A game for
a chance to win. And although I’m very happy he is back, I’m
here to win…
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I had a bit of
practice on the court, and I can truly say that on myfirst
match, it was the ball that was bouncy and weird, it was not the
court. And today, I felt much more comfortable.
This win is very special for me. The last time we played, I
lost, it was in the World Team event in June 2013, and that was
the decider. So it was very important for me to prove that no, I
was not the wrong choice for the match.
I heard so many negative comments, about the fact that the coach
shouldn’t have picked me. Today, I proved that it was just a
question of who was better on the day. Last time, it was Daryl.
Today, I was. So, very crucial for me.
Yes, I’m getting married to Raneem in June. And yes, I have got
to do something for the ranking, she is number 3, I’m number 12,
she is kicking my a….
Today, I don’t think I’ve been as patient as I was ever. I stuck
to my plan, although he was coming up with ridiculous winners
and gets. I lost the game, but I kept to my game plan. And I
just hope that I’ll stick to it for the next match, the next
tournament, and the whole of next year as well!
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[6]
Tarek Momen (Egy)
3-1 [4] Daryl Selby (Eng)
11/3, 11/4,
12/14, 11/5 (61m)
DARYL, ONE FOR THE CROWD –
TAREK, ONE FOR EGYPT
 Yes,
on the PSA heads to heads, the most important data was not
listed (logically, as it was not a PSA even, but the WSF World
Team 2013). Tarek was asked to play the decider against Daryl
(for memory, Ramy won against Nick, and Karim lost against James
– the reverse of the previous Team event in Paderborn, where
Karim beat James for the decider). And lost the match.
The conditions were not favourable to Tarek it has got to be
stressed. The court was not hot, it was BOILING. And Daryl had
maybe more experience of that kind of stress. A few people
thought that Mosaad would have been a better choice.
So, needless to say that Tarek got on there racquet between the
teeth. As for Daryl, I was a bit surprised with the errors he
did in the first game. Quite uncharacteristic I have to stress,
4, and one only for Tarek. Again, the world in reverse.
 That
would led me believe that physically, the Englishman was not at
his best. I haven’t had a chance to ask him, I didn’t find him
at the end of the match, but I feel that maybe his back has been
playing up, and he didn’t have the chance to train since El
Gouna. Only a theory.
Nevertheless, Tarek played superbly in the first two games, 12
and 10 for 11/3, 11/4. Like he said it himself, Tarek was very
patient. And the third started on the same vein, 6/2 for Tarek,
7/5, but out of nowhere, Daryl started to find some incredible
redrops, then volley drop shots that truly took the Egyptian on
the back foot. Back at 8/8, the crowd started to step in, and
played its part – Daryl plays for the Swiss League and is a very
popular character here. And when the Englishman saved his first
match ball, the crowd just supported him as loudly as they
supported Niki on the first night.
And like the Swiss, Daryl fed from it, dug in their energy to
give them the match they deserved/wanted to see. And saved
another match ball to finally take the game 14/12 on his second
game ball after 21m of an impressive game! |
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[1]
James
Willstrop
(Eng) 3-0 [5] Simon Rosner (Ger)
11/8, 11/8, 11/6 (60m)
FIREWORKS AND SHOOT OUT….
 Beautiful
end of the evening I have to say. They both worked extremely
hard, James picked up unbelievable shots, truly winners that
“miraculously” not only were saved but came back as threats or
winners themselves!
I was thinking that James was doing a heck of a lot of work on
there in the first and second, until I realise that Simon was
too!!!! Basically, I felt today they were playing the same style
of squash, James was maybe a bit more economical in his
movement, and maybe just a fraction better than the German at
it.
 The
third was superb, although the score doesn’t seem to tell the
story. Simon, dead from the Zombie films, kept on coming back,
digging in.
The funniest moment I think was at 2/1 in that thid, where Simon
was clearly out of breathe and about collapse, and just asked
James “so James, what do you think of the court, should we have
it cleaned???”. James, absolutely not fooled, went along with
it, both smiled and it was a truly nice moment…
But tonight, James was that much fitter, and Simon is close,
again, like he always is, but he still lacks that bit of fitness
when he plays the top 5 guys. But he is improving soooo much.
Soon, very soon…. |
I think things went kindly for me
today, not sure if it was a lucky day really, we both had a few
lucky shots, but yes, it felt good on there today.
It's been a long day, but it was worth the wait because the
crowd was great to play in front of – and the atmosphere was
exciting even though it.
It's not always easy to hold your concentration when you're
thinking about the match all day but I think we both played some
quality squash.
When I played that shot behind the back, yes, I smiled… I don’t
smile a lot, I’m not as at my ease with the crowd like some
others players, like Greg Gaultier can be. But we do practice
every day, and when you play a shot like that, and you get a
warm response from the crowd, it’s a special moment, so yes,
that felt really good.
And no, I’m not going to play the guitar in front of the crowd
of Zurich… I’m not good enough for that, Vanessa is building me
up…
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