J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions 2020 Program

RAM Scoring Graduates to Grand Central
Written by Rob Dinerman
The inaugural Ramy Ashour Invitational, held on the afternoon and
early evening of May 19, 2019 at the City View Racquet Club in Long
Island City and headlined by the unveiling and competitive debut of
the revolutionary RAM scoring system, was an unqualified success.
The brainchild of Ashour himself, who recently retired from the PSA
pro squash circuit after a glittering career highlighted by one British
Open, three Tournament of Champions crowns and three World
Open championships, and co-founder (and 2017 Intercollegiate
Individuals winner) Osama Khalifa, the RAM system features the
introduction of a three-minute time clock for each game, with the
clock only running while the points are being played, then stopping
until the serve begins the next point. When an exchange ends in
a let call, the time that that exchange expended is put back on the
clock. Further, any point that lasts longer than sixty seconds will be
stopped, the time put back on the clock and the point replayed. The
time clock is placed right at the front-wall tin (or on surrounding
video screens), enabling both players as well as the spectators to see
how much time is left before the time expires.
An important added element in the scoring is that if one player is
ahead when time has run out, in order to clinch the game he/she still
has to win one more point before the trailing player is able to tie the
score. Therefore, no matter how big a deficit the trailing player faces
when the three minutes runs out, he/she still has a chance to win the
game by scoring enough consecutive points to tie the score, thereby
creating a sudden-death situation in which whoever wins the next
point wins the game. Matches played under the aegis of the
RAM system, as is the case with all current official tournament play,
are best three out of five games.
Presented to an intrigued and full gallery at City View Racquet
Club, the inaugural Ramy Ashour Invitational consisted of a wildly
entertaining exhibition between Ramy Ashour and his elder brother
and former World No. 11 Hisham Ashour, followed by a 4-player
mini-tournament. The field consisted of a pair of PSA veterans,
namely former PSA No. 9 Laurens Jan Anjema and six-time Swedish
national champion Rasmus Hult, and a pair of top-tier collegians in
Ashley Davies (University of Rochester) and Spencer Lovejoy (Yale).
Anjema defeated Hult for the championship.
One noteworthy consideration of the entire experience is the fact
that Ashour, Khalifa and Co., with this first highly praiseworthy
RAM scoring system event now under their belt, plan to build on the
momentum they have generated. The match play at the CitySquash
debut was noticeably more dynamic with the scoring system they
are introducing, and it was clear that the players were aware of the
dwindling time remaining as the seconds ticked down at the end of
each game, with some of the best action occurring after time had
expired as players attempted, in at least one case successfully, to
rescue games from the brink.
The next step is this week’s debut of the RAM Champions Challenge
at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions on the glass court in
Grand Central Terminal between Ashour himself and fellow World
Champion Nick Matthew of England. It is exceedingly rare, perhaps
even unprecedented, for a pro event to have been trialed with a new
scoring system, and of course in this case, the impact is that much
greater with a revered figure like Ramy Ashour at the helm. Everyone
will savor the intriguing possibilities that await.