U.S. Open Squash

Article by Kristi Maroc

Squash champion Amr Shabana, arguably one of the greatest players of all time, is back in the United States and ready to defend his U.S. Open title this week in Philadelphia.

The Egyptian is a four-time PSA World Champion – the absolute pinnacle of squash achievement – and also reigned as world #1 for a 33 month unbroken stint between 2006 and 2009.  That run secured his position among the five longest-standing world number ones of all time – squash legends Jahsher Khan and Jahangir Khan from Pakistan, England’s Peter Nicol and Australian Geoff Hunt.

“Being world number one was actually the easiest period I spent on the world tour since I joined in 1995.  I cherish the achievement just as much as winning the World Open title, as I proved myself as the best player on tour for 3 years straight without dropping pace,” says Amr.

In the history of the game there are also only three other players who have ever been World Champion four times or more – Jansher Khan, Jahangir Khan and Geoff Hunt.  To win the World Tour once is a huge feat – to win it more than once is an exceptional, and almost unheard of, accomplishment.

“Being a four times World Champion is a reality that I never dreamed of achieving, but I realize it is also a huge responsibility that I have to take care of and maintain whether inside or outside the squash court,” says Amr.

Amr has a host of other prestigious titles to his name – the Hong Kong Open, Malaysian Open, Tournament of Champions, Mexico Open, Canadian Classic, Saudi International Open, Qatar Classic, and Kuwait Open to name a few.  When asked which tournament is his favorite, he laughs.

“My favorite tournaments are the ones I’ve won!”

Amr was the champion of the U.S. Open last year, and also won the title in 2009.  In last year’s final, he beat world #2 Nick Matthew to win the title.

“The experience was really good for me last year.  Philly is a great city and it felt great winning the event.  At that time in my career I was struggling with injuries and lack of form, so to have it all happen in a big one like the U.S. Open was awesome,” he says.

“The atmosphere was great, the venue gets better each time, and the crowd really gets behind the players.  Without a great atmosphere you don’t really have a tournament.”

Amr says he has been training hard, ready to defend his U.S. Open title once again this year.

“Winning in the USA is awesome.  To have achieved so much here is a blessing that I cherish, and winning the U.S. Open as well as the Tournament of Champions here twice each are great memories for me.

“I like playing in the U.S. as I always feel the excitement of the people, whether off or on court.  I get nothing but love from people around here, so it’s easy to perform my best.”

Amr bases himself between the USA and his home country of Egypt, and also often spends time in Canada.

“People might think it’s strange, but we squash players are used to traveling around the world many times over each year…so having a few places that I could call a first, second and third home comes very naturally to me,” he says.

Many professional players say that Amr is one of the nicest, most genuine and honest players on tour.  When asked about his wholesome reputation, Amr laughs:

“I think they should watch what they say, as right now I will not hesitate to knock them out of a tournament!

“Actually I really appreciate the respect I get from my peers – in my opinion squash players are the greatest athletes on this earth, period.”

As one of the oldest players on tour, Amr still going strong despite some physical setbacks in recent years.  In January this year, he won the World Series Final, beating world #1 James Willstrop in the semifinal, and world #3 Greg Gaultier in the final – proving he’s not yet anywhere near being a fading contender.

“The past three years for me have been the hardest – trying to work myself out of knee, wrist and back injuries.  It has taught me everything I need to know about my body and my squash game,” he says.

“I feel if I put in a decent amount of physio and training, hopefully I can extend my career a few more matches.”

Amr has become a legend in the squash world, both through his exceptional playing record as well as his sincerity, friendliness and integrity.  He is admired by many of his fellow players, particularly the younger players, as well as fans worldwide.

“As one of the older players on tour, I’d say to the young players coming up: train hard, never look back, trust at the end of the day only those closest to you, and remember that you’re not done until you yourself decide.”

Article by Kristi Maroc

It’s not often that any squash player walks off the court after a three-love loss bursting with happiness and excitement, but that was the case recently for Egyptian youngster Nour El Sherbini.

And why wouldn’t it be? At just 16 years old, Nour just became the world’s youngest ever player to compete in the final of the esteemed British Open, one of the world’s oldest and well-known squash tournaments.

She is also the first Egyptian female ever to make the final of the event.

Her joy was evident right after her match at London’s O2 Arena in May.

“It’s unbelievable for me to reach the finals, and even though I lost and came second, it has been an amazing week for me,” Nour says.

“I played a lot of players and I had a lot of experience here. So I’m very happy,” she grins.

Nour is riding on a high at the moment. Her recent success at the British Open has just earned her an incredible eight-place leap in the women’s international squash rankings. In the June rankings she jumped to number seven in the world, which is her first time in the world’s top ten…a place she is likely to become very familiar with.

On top of it all, Nour’s new position has broken another world record – she is the youngest ever player to reach the top ten rankings.

These recent landmark feats aren’t the first instances of Nour making squash history. In 2009 she became the youngest world champion in squash ever when she won the World Junior Squash Championships in the under 19 division. She was just 13.

There is no doubt that this energetic teenager has an amazing career ahead of her. Having started playing at the age of 6 (which just ten years ago!), Nour has quickly risen through the ranks to become the world’s top junior female player.

With a risky and unpredictable attacking style, very much the type that Egyptian squash has become famous for, Nour is a spectacle on the court.

“Anything that gets in my mind I play it. I don’t think a lot in the game. Every point I play, I have my shots and I just play them,” she says.

Nour is managed by her brother Omar el Sherbini, who she says inspired her and taught her to play in the first place. Her ambition is to be world number one, a goal that doesn’t seem too far-fetched, given her incredible successes already at such a young age.

“Everywhere I go I learn something new. I get something that teaches me in squash or in my life, which has helped me a lot.

“I’d like to be someone like Nicol David. I hope I can,” she says.

“Nicol is so good. She’s so tough on the court and it’s very difficult to play her.”

During the British Open, Nour managed to beat three higher seeded players to reach the final against Nicol David – including fellow Egyptian and good friend Raneem el Weleily, who is currently ranked world #4.

“Me and Raneem are friends, we are staying in the same room here [at the British Open], we are spending a lot of time together – so it is very difficult to play each other.

“Raneem is very talented, she has a lot of skills, so in our game I think I was just enjoying it. I was playing good drops and playing my game.

“It wasn’t her day, she was playing a lot of errors, and it was my day, so I’m happy,” says Nour.

As well as regularly traveling on the professional squash circuit, Nour trains five or six days a week for three hours a day, two hours of squash and one hour of fitness…all while still studying at high school.

“It is difficult for me – I train a lot and I travel a lot, so for school I have to study very hard to pass my exams.”

Nour says that she will definitely be playing the 2012 Delaware Investments U.S. Open as long as she doesn’t have any conflicting school exams.

It’ll be her first time ever playing in the U.S. Open. But with her track record, the world’s top female players will know not to assume anything.

Nour’s solid run of record breaking squash means it is anyone’s guess as to what the teenager will bring to the table in October.