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TODAY at the Grasshopper Cup -
Sun 27th Apr, THE FINAL |
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Final - Shabana takes it in all-Egyptian final
... [3] Amr Shabana (Egy)
3-2 [6] Tarek Momen (Egy)
11/6, 11/9, 4/11, 8/11, 11/8 (79m
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Fram reports from Zurich,
photos by Helen Ree
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I'm happy with my performance today. Of course I'm a bit
disappointed for being unlucky with my strings on match ball.
But I guess this is karma because yesterday I had a lucky shot
on match ball.
There are so many positive things I can take from this event.
I’ve seen myself mature on this tournament somehow. Before when
I had one tough match the next morning I couldn’t move. And I
realise now it was in my head, because I haven’t done any
specific fitness training and yet, I was able to play three
tough matches this time.
Not many know that for now 10 days, I have started working with
a sport psychologist. I used to work with him years ago, but he
moved away from Egypt. But now I’m back working with him, and he
has a way to push me. And that’s what I needed. So I really want
to thank him, Mohamed El Araby
Oups, I wanted to thank another person, but I now forgot!!!
Of course, I need to thank my coaches, Mohamed Abbas who is
working with me now, my fitness coach Tamer Abdel Aziz, and of
course my parents, and my fiancée Raneem, for always being there
for me.
I’m proud of what I’ve achieved this week, and hopefully, I can
build up on this event. But I want to congratulate Shabana for
wining this title. He is such a fair player, and if there were a
few debates with the refs, but it turned up just fine, so I’m
truly happy with the whole tournament.
Also, thanks to the sponsors of this tournament, and of course
the organisers, and to the crowd who turned up from the start of
the event, and has been amazing. So thanks to everybody involved
for organising such a successful tournament, I hope I’ll be back
next year, and that the event is going to grow better and better…
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TAREK NO FLUKE
Oh. My. God.
 Well,
did a lot of you out there reading this expected young Tarek to
take Shabs to 8/8 in the 5th??? Be honest.
After the two matches he had against Daryl – with the mental
significance it had re: the World Teams back in June 2013 – then
yesterday, huge 93m against James, crowd favourite and seed 1??
I certainly didn’t.
And especially not after Shabana took the first game 11/6 in
10m, a superb Shabana-like squash display. I started to have
doubts though when I saw how Tarek was digging in mentally in
the second and managed to come back to 4/4 from 4/0 down. I was
ah... If Tarek can find mental resources and reasons to come
back there, it could mean trouble for the 4 times World
Champions.
Was I spot on.
The rest of the second game was nip and tuck, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7,
8/8, 9/9, with Shabana still attacking beautifully and Tarek
counterdropping at will. But when the Godfather took the 2nd in
17m 11/9, we thought, ok, game over.
Pffffff. Tarek takes the next one in 7m, Shabana visibly tired,
making 5 unforced errors (whereas he did 1 a game up to now).
And 1 error in three games for Tarek. Amazing when you know the
“Old” Tarek.
The fourth has a lot of subtext. Shabs starts very well, 3/0,
but again, Tarek comes back to 3/3. Shabs makes 4 tins in no
time, as he is trying to cut corners, and finishing it quickly.
And he is tired. But suddenly, I can’t explain how I know this,
it’s like it’s printed on his body language. Shabana is
thinking, OK, I thought he would let go and that I could get
this game/match easy, but I won’t. So or I let go, or I have to
work very hard for it. Every point will be a battle from now on.
I know this, and I accept the battle. Yes, I accept the
challenge.
 And
from that point on, we had a stupendous match. Each rally is
breathtaking. On one side, the challenger, in a zone, truly,
making hardly any errors, finding winners, long volley drop
shots, retrievals, counterdrop/attacks you play when you are top
2, top 3. With that consistency I mean. Rally after rally after
rally.
And on the other side, the Legend, that won it all, that knows
the drill, got the shots, the mental determination, and the will
to prove that he is not only a Legend, but a today winner.
Magic stuff.
But in that fourth, it’s the challenger who is hungrier,
steadier, more lethal/accurate at the front. Only 1 unforced
error in that game, but 6 for Shabana. 11/8 Tarek in 15m.
We are now at 2/2 after 56m of game.
 In the fifth, it’s doesn’t feel good for Shabana, Tarek sublime
and so fast, 3/0. He starts having a few difference of opinion
with the refs (back to the No Let affair, he will get 4 up to
4/4. He is not happy. Shabs digs in, breathing hard, but the
little chats between Tarek and the ref give him little
breathers.. He is happy with that… And if in the other games,
Shabana was ahead and was caught up, in this one, it’s the
reverse, Tarek is up, 3/0, 7/5, 8/6, and it’s the Legend that
comes back, 8/8.
At that point, I lose the plot completely with the calls… What
was called let I would have thought was no let. Then a no let
that I would given a let. I don’t know anymore. Anyway, Shabs up
9/8. One more amazing astonishing rally, Shabs is at the end of
it, truly exhausted, Tarek is having him by the throat, but the
Godfather goes for the most ridiculous winner – “shot of the
tournament” goes Davide Bianchetti sitting next to me – ever!
The crowd goes beserk!!!! Clapping for a good minute that
tremendous rally/ending. What an atmosphere…. Great stuff…
Match ball. A short rally, and as Tarek goes for a winner, his
racquet breaks at string, yes, on match ball, and the ball finds
the tin.
To say that Shabana is relieved is an understatement… Like
yesterday, mektoub. C’était écrit. It was written… |
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 I
want to congratulate Tarek, I have seen him evolve from a young
junior at the Gezira Club and turning into a top ten player. He
had an amazing tournament, he is going to beat everybody soon,
and hopefully, I won’t be there anymore when he does!!!!
As you saw today against Tarek, I was 2/0 up and going smoothly
towards the finishing line – and all of a sudden he came back
with energy and focus and it took every ounce of energy,
concentration and experience to be through in the end. The last
few points could have gone either way, fortunately it was me.
I want to thank Stephan for bringing me here this time, he’s
been trying to get me to Switzerland for two years now, if I had
know it would be that good, I would have come earlier!!!!
What an amazing crowd we had here too, I hope the tournament
gets bigger and bigger, because they truly deserve to see more
and more top players here, so hopefully, the event will keep on
growing.
I need to thank my wife and kids, for keeping faith in me and
accepting to let me go away 6 months of the year, to accept
having a part-time dad/husband. I am doing my best, and thanks
for doing such a great job and for having me…
I know I got a bit lucky this week, playing my opponents who had
gruelling monster matches the day before, but you are never too old or too
good to be a bit lucky. And it’s up to you to seize the
chance/luck when it presents itself.
For the past three years, I have worked very hard, I have done
so much efforts to get ready for tournaments, but nowadays,
everybody trains hard, and it’s much harder for me to get
results nowadays, and it’s not because you are training hard
that you will win matches! So you have to keep doing it, and
working hard.
 As I told you recently, I have had a few conversations with
Jonah Barrington, Geoff Hunt and Jahangir about my retirement,
the fact that I am 34 and that I still want to play, was that
stupid, what did they think, and what did themselves do… And the
three of them told me exactly the same thing: as long as you
feel good and that you have the desire to play, then keep on
playing. Age is of no importance.
So I keep my head down and just keep working, and I don’t think
about my age, and I just keep taking it day by day by day by
day. And look, today, I was up 2/0, and Tarek could have easily
let go, after his killer of a match with James yesterday. But he
didn’t, and it’s only in the last two minutes that things turned
in my favour. It was all about keeping my head down and stay
focused. There are no substitute in squash, it’s an individual
sport, and only you can do the job.
So I don’t care about what people say nowadays. If ME thinks I
have a chance, ME keeps going…
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