International Squash Magazine – April 2020

INTERNATIONAL

APRIL | 2020

ISSN 2042-7611

UK £3.00 | € 4.50 | USA $ 5.50

MAGAZINE

JAMES WILLSTROP

WINS FOURTH BRITISH

NATIONAL TITLE

PSA TOUR SUSPENDED

DUE TO COVID-19

LAURA MASSARO

AWARDED MBE

INTERNATIONAL SQUASH MAGAZINE

www.isportgroup.com/InternationalSquashMagazine

PSA TOUR SUSPENDED

PSATOURSUSPENDED

DUETOCOVID-19

Due to the escalating health and safety issues arising from the global

outbreak of COVID-19, the Professional Squash Association (PSA) has

confirmed that all PSA World Tour and PSA Challenger Tour events taking

place up to and including the week commencing April 27 will not take place

during this period.

This was an incredibly difficult decision to make as we

know that this will have an impact on our players and PSA

Tour promoters

PSA CHIEF EXECUTIVE ALEX GOUGH

The decision which affects thirty three events followed the

World Health Organisation’s declaration that COVID-19 is a

global pandemic, the 30-day travel restriction announced by the

United States for foreign nationals from 26 European countries

and the numerous local government orders on restrictions, bans

or cancellations of public gatherings or events.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision to make as we know

that this will have an impact on our players and PSA Tour

promoters,” said PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough.

“However, given the circumstances and the risks involved in

international travel in the wake of this global pandemic, we felt

that this was the only appropriate action in order to protect

the health and wellbeing of all players, promoters, spectators,

staff and the wider squash community.

“We will continue to monitor any updates in the directives

of government health authorities and will work closely

with tournament organisers in order to reschedule their

tournaments for later in the year where possible.”

INTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE April 2020 | 03


PSAWORLDTOUR.COM/TV

EUROSPORTPLAYER.COM

ISSN 2042-7611

CONTENTS

INTERNATIONAL

JAMES WILLSTROP

WINS FOURTH BRITISH

NATIONAL TITLE

PSA TOUR SUSPENDED

DUE TO COVID-19

LAURA MASSARO

AWARDED MBE

Front Cover

2020 British National Champion,

James Willstrop.


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APRIL | 2020



UK £3.00 | € 4.50 | USA $ 5.50

MAGAZINE

Acknowledgements:

Professional Squash Association

www.squashsite.com

Howard Harding, World Squash Federation

World Media Director

internationalSPORTgroup Limited

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CONTENTS

PSA TOUR SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19

03 DUE TO THE ESCALATING HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES ARISING FROM THE GLOBAL

OUTBREAK OF COVID-19, THE PROFESSIONAL SQUASH ASSOCIATION (PSA) HAS CONFIRMED

THAT ALL PSA WORLD TOUR AND PSA CHALLENGER TOUR EVENTS TAKING PLACE UP TO AND

INCLUDING THE WEEK COMMENCING APRIL 27 WILL NOT TAKE PLACE DURING THIS PERIOD

MOHAMED ELSHORBAGY BEATS ALI FARAG TO LIFT 2ND

CANARY WHARF TITLE

06 EGYPT’S MOHAMED ELSHORBAGY CLAIMED THE ST. JAMES’S PLACE CANARY WHARF

CLASSIC TITLE FOR THE SECOND TIME IN HIS CAREER AFTER HE PREVAILED IN A THRILLING

FINAL AGAINST COMPATRIOT ALI FARAG AT THE SPECTACULAR EAST WINTERGARDEN IN

LONDON

ALI FARAG & NOUR EL SHERBINI CROWNED WINDY CITY

CHAMPIONS

08 EGYPTIAN DUO ALI FARAG AND NOUR EL SHERBINI WERE CROWNED CHAMPIONS OF

THE 2020 WINDY CITY OPEN PRESENTED BY THE WALTER FAMILY AFTER THEY ACHIEVED

VICTORIES OVER PAUL COLL AND RANEEM EL WELILY, RESPECTIVELY, IN THE UNIVERSITY

CLUB OF CHICAGO’S STUNNING CATHEDRAL HALL

JAMES WILLSTROP & SARAH-JANE PERRY CROWNED BRITISH

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

11 JAMES WILLSTROP AND SARAH-JANE PERRY PREVAILED ON FINALS DAY AT THE AJ BELL

BRITISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AFTER OVERCOMING CHALLENGES FROM JOEL MAKIN

AND SURPRISE FINALIST JASMINE HUTTON RESPECTIVELY TO TAKE THE PRESTIGIOUS TITLES

AT THE DAVID ROSS SPORTS VILLAGE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

UNSQUASHABLE UNVEIL JAMES WILLSTROP EXPERIENCE

14 AS PART OF ITS RECENTLY LAUNCHED ACADEMY PROGRAMME, UNSQUASHABLE HAVE

UNVEILED A PIONEERING JAMES WILLSTROP EXPERIENCE WHICH HAS BEEN DESIGNED

TO PROVIDE AN INSPIRING AND UNFORGETTABLE SQUASH EXPERIENCE BY ALLOWING

PARTICIPANTS TO ACCESS THE UNIQUE PHILOSOPHY, APPROACH AND INSIGHTS FROM ONE

OF ITS LEADING PLAYERS

THE BIG PICTURE: LAURA MASSARO AWARDED MBE

16 FORMER WORLD CHAMPION LAURA MASSARO HAS BEEN AWARDED AN MBE FOR SERVICES

TO SQUASH IN HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN’S NEW YEAR’S HONOURS LIST. THE THIRTY-SIX-

YEAR-OLD IS GREAT BRITAIN’S MOST SUCCESSFUL EVER FEMALE SQUASH PLAYER, HAVING

BEEN RANKED WORLD NO.1, CROWNED WORLD CHAMPION IN 2013 AND HAVING WON TWO

BRITISH OPEN TITLES, MOST RECENTLY IN 2017, AND THREE COMMONWEALTH GAMES SILVER

MEDALS FOR ENGLAND

HANIA EL HAMMAMY CROWNED BLACK BALL OPEN CHAMPION

19 HANIA EL HAMMAMY DEFIED THE ODDS TO BE CROWNED THE 2020 CIB WOMEN’S BLACK

BALL OPEN CHAMPION AFTER BEATING FOUR-TIME WORLD CHAMPION NOUR EL SHERBINI IN

THE FINAL IN CAIRO, EGYPT, TO LIFT HER MAIDEN PSA PLATINUM TITLE

COACHING & INSTRUCTION: DEVELOPING JUNIORS

20 ENGLAND SQUASH NATIONAL COACH AND DUNLOP AMBASSADOR DAVID CAMPION

EXPLAINS WHY THE TACTICAL ELEMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PLAYER ARE AS EVERY

BIT AS IMPORTANT AS THEIR TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT

TAREK MOMEN WINS TROILUS CANADA CUP

23 WORLD CHAMPION TAREK MOMEN MADE IT BACK-TO-BACK WINS OVER PAUL COLL TO

CAPTURE THE TROILUS GOLD CANADA CUP IN TORONTO. THE EGYPTIAN OVERCAME THE KIWI

IN STRAIGHT GAMES TO WIN THE PSA MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN QATAR IN NOVEMBER

AND REPEATED THE FEAT IN CANADA TO CLAIM HIS EIGHTH PSA WORLD TOUR TITLE

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PROJECT HERALDS NEW ASB

PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

24 THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SQUASH CENTRE AT THE US UNIVERSITY OF

PENNSYLVANIA INTO A STATE-OF-THE-ART 12-COURT FACILITY WHICH IS THE ENVY OF THE

IVY LEAGUE HAS SIGNALLED A NEW ERA FOR ASB AS THE WORLD’S LEADING SQUASH COURT

MANUFACTURER MOVES INTO ITS SIXTH DECADE OF OPERATION.

ENTREPRENEURS, BUSINESS & SQUASH

27 FILIP MADARIC EXPLAINS WHY SQUASH IS CONNECTED TO SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMEN

AND IS REGARDED AS THE IDEAL ACTIVITY FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND TEAMS ALL OVER THE

WORLD?

WORLD RANKINGS

29 MEN’S & WOMEN’S WORLD RANKINGS AT A GLANCE



CANARY WHARF CLASSIC

MOHAMEDELSHORBAGY

BEATSALIFARAGTOLIFT

2NDCANARYWHARFTITLE

Egypt’s Mohamed ElShorbagy claimed the St. James’s Place Canary

Wharf Classic title for the second time in his career after he prevailed

in a thrilling final against compatriot Ali Farag at the spectacular East

Wintergarden in London.

The pair were meeting on the PSA World Tour for the

20th time in their careers, with ElShorbagy coming

into this meeting in London holding the 11-8 advantage.

However, Farag had won their last meeting - a straight

games victory to lift the FS Investments U.S. Open

Squash Championship in Philadelphia in October.

The 80-minute final was played at frenetic pace with

lengthy, high-quality rallies throughout and although

the first game saw work put into the legs of both

players it was ElShorbagy who claimed the initial

advantage despite looking the more physically tired at

the game’s conclusion.

Farag started the second by pushing further up the

court and trying to raise the tempo further and despite

establishing a comfortable lead, ElShorbagy countered

by saving four game balls, including two outrageous

cross-court winners, before Farag was able to recover

to restore parity in the match.

A run of seven consecutive points in the third

saw ElShorbagy re-establish a one-game lead

and carry the momentum into the fourth game

and to within only three points from the victory

before Farag pushed once again.

The number two seed won four of the next

five points to challenge his rival’s resolve as

ElShorbagy was forced to save three game balls

before eventually winning the tie-break 15-13

to claim a second title at the St. James’s Place

Canary Wharf Classic.

“The longer you play on Tour, you realise

you spend more time with your rival than

your family. Ali is not just a rival for me, he is

someone who really inspires me, and he makes

me want to be a better squash player every

day,” said the two-time champion.

“I have played so many different players from

many different generations, but if I get asked

who is the toughest opponent I have played in

my life, it will be him. It keeps getting harder

every time we play and he keeps bringing

something different to the game. I am really

glad to see him back and it is such pleasure to

be on court with him again.

The longer you play on tour, you realise you

spend more time with your rival than your family.

Ali is not just a rival for me, he is someone who

really inspires me, and he makes me want to be a

better squash player every day

MOHAMED ELSHORBAGY

06 | April 2020 INTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE


CANARY WHARF CLASSIC

St. James’s Place Canary Wharf Classic, London

Final:

[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt

[2] Ali Farag (EGY)

11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 15-13



WINDY CITY OPEN

ALIFARAG&NOURELSHERBINI

CROWNEDWINDYCITYCHAMPIONS

Egyptian duo Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini were crowned

champions of the 2020 the 2020 Windy City Open presented by

the Walter Family after they achieved victories over Paul Coll

and Raneem El Welily, respectively, in the University Club of

Chicago’s stunning Cathedral Hall.

Farag completed an astonishing comeback from

two games down against Coll as he captured his

first Windy City Open title courtesy of a 12-14

9-11 11-7 11-6 11-1 victory which sees him extend

his winning streak over Coll to 12 matches. The

win also made it back-to-back titles in Chicago

after winning the 2018-19 PSA Men’s World

Championship in the city last season.

Coll had ended a five-match losing streak to

World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy and a threematch

winless run against former World No.1

Karim Abdel Gawad enroute to the final, and

shot out of the starting blocks to take a onegame

lead, while he held firm to take the second

after initially squandering a 7-3 advantage.

But Farag’s resurgence in that second game

looked to drain Coll’s energy and confidence,

and the Kiwi never looked quite the same player

over the course of the next three games as

Farag absorbed everything his opponent threw

at him and slowly took control of the encounter.

For Farag, it’s a first PSA World Tour title

since the U.S. Open back in October 2019 and

represents his first title win following the death

of his nephew shortly after the 2019-20 PSA

Men’s World Championship in November.

“I was telling Nour [wife, El Tayeb] after the

second that I still had it in me to win the last

three games,” said Farag after claiming his 19th

career PSA title.

“I could have been the one that was 2-0 up but

all credit to Paul, after beating Mohamed and

Karim and I was out of it after the second. I

tried to hang in there and at least if I didn’t win

it then I had put some work into his legs. It has

been a great week for myself and I could not

be prouder”.

El Sherbini matched Farag in both making it

successive title wins in Chicago after a thrilling

five game victory as she followed up her

title win at the 2018-19 PSA Women’s World

Championship with victory over compatriot El

Welily.

El Sherbini was a losing finalist to El Welily in

the 2016 and 2017 finals but got her revenge

over the three-time winner in a week which saw

her brave both illness and a persistent knee

injury to win this tournament for the first time.



WINDY CITY OPEN

El Sherbini has shown a remarkable ability to win titles

despite not being at her best physically, as evidenced by her

World Championship win over El Welily in front of the iconic

Great Pyramid of Giza back in November, which was her first

tournament back after undergoing knee surgery.

El Sherbini made it 12-12 in the head-to-head record against the

world’s leading female player to win 11-8 8-11 11-8 6-11 11-9 in 59

minutes.

“Finally, I got to win this tournament,” said El Sherbini after

winning her 21st PSA World Tour title.

“Every year I try very hard and I think Raneem is the favourite

here. She has won it three times before and she plays her best

here, but I am glad it was my turn this time. This is one of the

few tournaments I had not won so it was very important for

me to win this title.

“I am really grateful that the tournament is over because I

have been suffering the whole week [with illness], and it was

very hard for me physically and mentally to prepare for every

match and try to be fit and ready. I wasn’t feeling very well,

and I was dealing with a lot, but I am really glad that I made it

to the last day and that I kept digging in until the last point in

the match.”

2020 Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family

Men’s Final:

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [5] Paul Coll (NZL)

12-14, 9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-1

Women’s Final:

[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [1] Raneem El Welily (EGY)

11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9



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AJ BELL BRITISH NATIONAL

CHAMPIONSHIPS

JAMESWILLSTROP&

SARAH-JANEPERRY

CROWNEDBRITISHNATIONALCHAMPIONS

James Willstrop and Sarah-Jane Perry prevailed on finals day at the AJ

Bell British National Championships after overcoming challenges from Joel

Makin and surprise finalist Jasmine Hutton respectively to take the prestigious

titles at the David Ross Sports Village at the University of Nottingham.

Defending champion Willstrop saved

eight game balls to successfully defend

his crown in style by stunning favourite

Joel Makin to claim a fourth title,

whilst women’s top seed Sarah-Jane

Perry secured her second trophy after

squeezing past Jasmine Hutton in

straight games.

Second seed Willstrop battled hard to

overcome Makin 12-10 0-11 12-10 14-12 in a

gripping 76-minute encounter to ensure

a successful title defence. Despite a

losing 3-2 head-to-head record against

his Welsh rival, the 36-year old English

No.1 showed no signs of fatigue after a

challenging route to his 11th final but it

was the 25-year-old top seed who started

the brighter of the two.

Makin raced to a 10-4 lead in the opening

game before Willstrop somehow reeled

off eight straight points to clinch the

tie-break in 19 minutes. The Welshman

responded with faultless precision to




CHAMPIONSHIPS

The British Nationals has prestige and history.

Some of the greats have played it and to play and

compete with someone like Joel who’s one of the

top players at the moment is great.

JAMES WILLSTROP




CHAMPIONSHIPS

Jasmine came out with no signs of nerves

and played some really fearless squash…She is

definitely pushing in that crop of young players

SARAH-JANE PERRY

won 11 consecutive points to level match

and continued to show his class in the third,

coming back from 6-1 down to 8-8.

However, energy spent in conversation with

the officials gave Willstrop some crucial

thinking time as he saved a game ball with his

signature backhand drop shot before winning

another tie-break in 22 minutes.

The heat turned up in the fourth and a

despairing Makin dive at 9-9 to deny a

Willstrop championship ball only adding to

the drama. Makin twice extended the match,

forcing the defending champion into saving

a game ball of his own but the Englishman

proved too clinical third time around.

“To sneak in there at the end against one of

the top players in world, I’m not sure how I

was able to do it really,” said Willstrop. “The

British Nationals has prestige and history.

Some of the greats have played it and to play

and compete with someone like Joel who’s

one of the top players at the moment is great.

“He’s incredibly hard to break down. The

bagel in the second sums it up. That’s how

hard it is to win a rally. He goes for everything

and once I got 6-nil behind it seemed

impossible.

“I came back though and it’s great to be able

to compete at that level and win. It’s special

anytime to win the Nationals but especially

against a field like this!”

2015 champion and World No.7 Perry had

experience, a higher ranking and a superior

head to head over finalist Hutton, ranked

48th in the world who made the final after

two straight withdrawals.

Perry’s imposing court presence and calm

head on the tight points proved too much for

the 2019 British U23 Open winner.

Hutton had a chance at 9-9 to earn a game

ball, instead trying too much with a simple

shot as Perry took the gift and promptly

wrapped up the first game.

Hutton overcame a patchy start to the

second to bring it back to 8-8 but Perry

bagged two more game balls, the 29-year-old

all over the second opportunity for another

11-minute game.

Hutton benefitted from two overrules in

her favour in the third to lead 7-6 but three

straight points from Perry, swiftly followed by

some stunning Hutton winners and then costly

errors, summed up the athletic youngster’s

final as Perry prevailed in 35 minutes, winning

11-9, 11-9, 11-9.

“I’m really pleased to win a second National

title because I’ve been stuck on one for a little

while,” said Perry. “Jasmine played fantastic.

She came out with no signs of nerves and

played some really fearless squash. She

has improved so much in the past six, 12,

18 months. She is definitely pushing in that

crop of young players trying to challenge the

slightly older guard like myself. I am sure she

will have many more finals.”

AJ Bell British National Championships

David Ross Sports Village, University of Nottingham

Mens’s Final:

[2] James Willstrop bt [1] Joel Makin

12-10, 0-11, 12-10, 14-12

Women’s Final:

[1] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [5/8] Jasmine Hutton (ENG)

11-9, 11-9, 11-9



UNSQUASHABLE

JAMES WILLSTROP

VENUE: THE EDGBASTON PRIORY CLUB

DATE: 28TH MARCH 2020

The UNSQUASHABLE JAMES WILLSTROP EXPERIENCE

offers players of all ages & standards an unforgettable opportunity

to meet & learn from the unique approach & philosophy of one of

the most admired & respected players of his generation

UNSQUASHABLE

JAMES WILLSTROP EXPERIENCE

UNSQUASHABLEUNVEIL

JAMESWILLSTROPEXPERIENCE

As part of its recently launched academy

programme, UNSQUASHABLE have unveiled

a pioneering James Willstrop Experience

which has been designed to provide an

inspiring and unforgettable squash experience

by allowing participants to access the unique

philosophy, approach and insights from one

of its leading players.

The UNSQUASHABLE Academy will

offer players of all standards the

highest levels of squash tuition,

instruction and training from its

leading brand ambassadors, with the

inaugural James Willstrop Experience

offering players one-on-one and

group instruction.

“As well as striving to offer the best

squash equipment engineered from

insights and feedback from our leading

players, our aim at UNSQUASHABLE

is to establish a unique position within

the sport,” announced Jahangir

Khan, the record 10-time British Open

Champion and UNSQUASHABLE Brand

Ambassador who used the iconic brand

throughout his record breaking career.

“We aspire to not only reach out to

existing players but inspire future

generations through experiences and

a level of access to our players and

coaches that has previously only been

available to a privileged few.

“James Willstrop remains one of the

most exciting players competing on

the PSA World Tour and the James

Willstrop Experience will be based

around his own unique philosophies

which we hope will inspire players

as well as offering an unforgettable

experience,” added the former

World No.1 who was unbeaten in 555

consecutive matches over 5 years and

8 months – the longest winning streak

of any sportsman.

Places on the James Willstrop Training, to be hosted on the

28th March at The Edgbaston Club in Birmingham, can

be booked online at www.unsquashable.com or for further

information email marketing@isportgroup.com



THE BIG PICTURE:

LAURA MASSARO AWARDED MBE



THE BIG PICTURE:

LAURA MASSARO AWARDED MBE

LAURAMASSARO

AWARDEDMBE

Former World Champion Laura Massaro has been

awarded an MBE for Services to Squash in

Her Majesty the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.

The thirty-six-year-old is Great Britain’s most successful ever female squash player, having

been ranked World No.1, crowned World Champion in 2013 and winnig two British Open titles,

most recently in 2017, and three Commonwealth Games Silver Medals for England.

In an illustrious career Massaro won a total of 23 PSA World Tour titles, including two World

Series Finals crowns in 2016 and 2017, before retiring from professional squash in May 2019 to

focus on coaching and encouraging more women and girls to play squash.

“I am so proud, honoured and thrilled to be awarded an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen`

for Services to Squash,” said Massaro. “The sport has given me so much in my life

already so to be recognised for my success in the year that I retired is such a

special privilege. I really hope that this recognition will help me to inspire lots more

women and girls to pick up a racket and give squash a try.”



MORE THAN BUILDING FOUR WALLS

EXPERIENCE

QUALITY

PASSION

ENGINEERING

DISRUPTION

1976 The first ASB SquashCourt

1978 ASB Pro GlassBackWall

1979 ASB movable wall

1979 ASB rotary GlassBackWall

1981 The healthy ASB SportsFloor

1990 ASB GameCourt

1991 ASB SquashCourt System 100

1995 ASB RainbowCourts

1998 ASB ShowGlassCourt

2000 ASB SensitiveTin

2001 ASB TopSquash

2006 ASB GlassFloor

2007 First Glass Court on a cruise ship

2009 ASB ShowGlassCourt (upgrade: glass fins replace metal poles)

2011 ASB RefereeSystem and ASB TopSquash (screens)

2011 ASB ShowGlassCourt/upgrade: bigger panels, TV visibility

2012 ASB TVO Floor (TV optimised)

2013 ASB ShowGlassCourt / upgrade: LED (out, service and tin) lines

2014 ASB System 100/L (floor runs under wall)

2014 ASB Permanent GlassCourt

2015 ASB EventGameCourt

2015 ASB PublicSquashCourt

2016 ASB LumiFlex (full LED video sports floor)

2017 ASB TPoint (the revolutionary squash hub)

WWW.AS B S Q U A S H .C O M

HANIA EL HAMMAMY CROWNED

BLACK BALL OPEN CHAMPION

HANIAELHAMMAMY

CROWNEDBLACKBALLOPENCHAMPION

19-year-old Hania El Hammamy defied the odds to be crowned the 2020 CIB

Women’s Black Ball Open champion after beating four-time World Champion

Nour El Sherbini in the final in Cairo, Egypt, to lift her maiden PSA Platinum title.

El Hammamy had already enjoyed an

impressive week on home soil by taking

out three higher seeded players, Camille

Serme of France, USA’s Amanda Sobhy and

England’s Sarah-Jane Perry, en-route to the

final, and further reinforced her place at the

top of the women’s game with a formidable

performance against El Sherbini in a thrilling

five-game battle.

El Hammamy and El Sherbini have met

three times before with former World No.1

El Sherbini claiming comfortable victories

each time. However, she came up against an

entirely different prospect in the Black Ball

Open final as El Hammamy showed how far

she has come with a mature performance on

one of squash’s biggest stages to hold off a

resilient El Sherbini, who twice came back

from a game down.

The reigning World Junior Champion

capitalised on a slow start from her

compatriot, however El Sherbini fought back

to win the second & fourth games to level

the scores.

In a tense deciding game, El Hammamy

held her nerve at the crucial moment to

save championship ball from the grips of

El Sherbini and then convert her own at

the second time of asking on the tie-break

to seal her maiden PSA Platinum title and

automatically qualify for the season-ending

CIB PSA World Tour Finals scheduled for June.

“I’m out of words,” said El Hammamy. “I’m

living a fairytale. This morning, I was just

hoping to play a good match, not like in the

Worlds, after beating Camille [Serme] where I

just didn’t show up. I just wanted to enjoy my

first ever Platinum final and prove to myself

I’m not too far away from the top girls.

“I think I’ve played the toughest matches

of my career this week. I’ve put in a lot of

effort to win this title. I’m really proud of

what I’ve done and hopefully I can keep

going and keep making the same effort. I

worked on my weaknesses, I improved my

physical and squash game and I’m really

pleased to be beating the top players now.

“I’ve played against Nour a few times and

they were all straight-games. I kept learning

from each match and playing against a fourtime

World Champion is not easy at all, she’s

a fighter and a champion, I’m so happy to

beat her today.”

2020 CIB Women’s Black Ball

Squash Open, Cairo, Egypt

Final:

[9] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)

bt [4] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

11-6, 9-11, 12-10, 8-11, 13-11



COACHING & INSTRUCTION:

DEVELOPING JUNIORS

DEVELOPINGJUNIORS

By David Campion

England Squash National Coach

& Dunlop Ambassador

Coaching is an art form and you could argue that it is even more

challenging in an open skill sport such as squash, where playing

requires not only physical motor skills but cognitive skills such as

problem-solving and decision-making.

England National Coach David Campion

explains why the tactical elements

and development of a player is every

bit as important as their technical

development.

The research will tell you that you

don’t really need to specialise early

to be Word Class, perhaps that is

the case in closed-skill sports such

as rowing or cycling, but in a highly

skilled racket sport such as squash, it`s

not impossible, just less likely. In any

case, those that did start later and do

`make it`, I suspect were learning their

physical motor and cognitive skills in

other sports from an early age.

So, where does it all start?

The great players of today all came from

somewhere and for the most part it

starts in their local club, simply because

one of their parents played or a school

friend introduced them to the game.

Developing successful juniors starts in

the clubs and counties where your coach

or volunteers can provide the type of

environment that offers 3 simple things:

Frequency

A lot of clubs focus solely on their

Saturday morning junior club and don’t

provide much of a structure for weekday

after school sessions. Yes, they may

have great numbers on a Saturday

morning where the kids get to play

for one hour, but who gets any better

on one hour per week? Add weekday

sessions for those that want to progress

from the Saturday morning session.

Fun

All future champions initially go through

a ‘romance’ phase early in their careers,

meaning that they seem to fall in

love with their sport and therefore

become very passionate about their

performance. The first coach is critical

to the climate to hook the player into

the sport.

Environment

Create an environment that is fun, has

structure, has frequency of sessions

with high numbers of players and still

manages to be affordable for parents

regardless of their situation.

To get frequency it needs to be

affordable. For the cost of one individual

lesson of an hour per week you could

perhaps have four group sessions that

gives you four or five hours of hitting

whilst learning decision making i.e. shot

selection, height, pace, direction along

with the physical motor skills. You are

firing up your neural pathways at a

far faster rate simply because you are

playing more! Add in a coach who knows

how to set up the practises and games

that will enhance this and the rate of

development is even faster. A lot like

dialup vs. fibre broadband.

I`m not dismissing the case for

individual coaching, it plays a vital

role of course, but in the early years

if you want to develop young players,

they need to hit lots of balls whilst

developing their cognitive skills. No

need to isolate too much at this stage.

Build their skills within the practises.

Just make sure their grip is `within a

range` that allows them to execute the

variety of shots that the practices and

conditions demand. Once the grip is in

place the rest should follow, overlook

that and it will be detrimental to their

development.

The current top 10 men and women in

squash all have very good technique, all

very different as well, so who is to say

what correct technique is? One thing

they do better than everyone else, is

they play the right shot at the right

time; they are matching their cognitive

skills with their physical motor skills

(technique). Quite simply its `game

intelligence`.

How can we learn ‘Game

intelligence’?

There is no absolute fact about anything

as all top sportspeople achieve great

things in their own personal way,

however if you can mimic the range of

variations that you will experience in a

match, you shouldn’t go too far wrong.

You can simply set up a practise or

condition game which forces a player

to land the ball in a particular area of

the court i.e. within the confines of

the width of the service box, or above

the cut line to force them to hit high

for example. This will force technical

adaptations that the learner must solve

without you telling them what to do.

This self-guided discovery provides them

with intrinsic feedback, meaning they

can repeat it if they did it well - they

know how it felt. If you give them a few

options within the game or the practise

and they are up against an opponent,

as opposed to you feeding, you are

bringing in decision making based on

their opponents position or type of shot

they have just hit. It brings in a whole

new dimension without isolating just the

technical execution of the shot.

Make sure you build the foundations

first with simple practices that will

20 | April 2020 IINTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE


COACHING & INSTRUCTION:

DEVELOPING JUNIORS

develop their ball control and footwork/

positioning, so that when you start

on the condition games, they have

the control to play them. Set them up

in channels where they learn to play

straight, 5 players per court is easily

manageable with limitations on courts.

As the coach you simply set up these

condition games and guide them

through, allowing them to fail and probe

them to work it out, giving guidance and

praise so they know when they have

done something well.

Games are fun so you will get their

engagement, they are hitting plenty of

balls and will get better which provides

a sensation of `I want to come back and

do this again`. The added bonus is an

interactive social environment as they

mix in with other children of varying

ages and abilities.

Finally, all children like to get better

at something, if they are improving,

they will be inspired by that and they

will keep coming back. Lots of children

playing the game often is what we all

want isn’t it?

David Campion is a Dunlop brand

ambassador and sponsored coach



TAREK MOMEN WINS

TROILUS CANADA CUP

TAREKMOMEN

WINSTROILUSCANADACUP

World Champion Tarek Momen made it back-to-back wins over Paul

Coll to capture the Troilus Gold Canada Cup in Toronto. The Egyptian

overcame the Kiwi in straight games to win the PSA Men’s World

Championship in Qatar in November and repeated the feat in Canada to

claim his eighth PSA World Tour title.

A rematch of the PSA Men’s World

Championship final was eagerly

anticipated after both players showed

impressive form through the earlier

rounds.

Whilst Coll recorded straight game

victories over Nicolas Mueller, Daryl

Selby and Mathieu Castagnet during his

earlier matches, Momen navigated past

Greg Lobban and Cesar Salazar without

dropping a game before being extended

to five games by Diego Elias in a tight

semi-final.

However, showing no signs of fatigue

from his gruelling semi-final, Momen

claimed his second PSA World Tour title

win of the season, and his first in 2020

after losing out to Mohamed ElShorbagy

in the final of January’s J.P. Morgan

Tournament of Champions, by defeating

Coll 15-13 11-5 11-8 in 53 minutes.

Troilus Canada Cup,

Toronto

Final:

[1] Tarek Momen (Egy) bt

[2] Paul Coll (Nzl)

15-13, 11-5, 11-8



ASB SQUASH COURTS:

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

UNIVERSITYOFPENNSYLVANIA

PROJECTHERALDSNEWASB

PARTNERSHIPPROGRAMME

The transformation of the squash centre at the US University of

Pennsylvania into a state-of-the-art 12-court facility which is the envy

of the Ivy League has signalled a new era for ASB as the world’s leading

squash court manufacturer moves into its sixth decade of operation.

It was back in 1997 that the German company was first selected

to install 10 squash courts at the University’s Ringe Squash

Center in Philadelphia. A couple of years ago, by now with

successful men’s and women’s teams, Penn felt the need to

improve their facility and include show glass courts for a better

viewer and user experience.

The major question remained: build a new squash centre or

make use of the existing facility? After thorough consideration,

a compromise was found in keeping the building shell

but essentially re-modelling the entire interior. The new

configuration consists of not 10, but 12 squash courts, including

two state-of-the-art ASB ShowGlassCourts, across three levels.

With three ASB System100 courts on the upper level, three ASB

System100 courts on the lower level, plus four ASB System100

courts and two ASB ShowGlassCourts on the main level, the

installation was a highly complex operation. Due to the tight

space inside the building and the various levels, the delivery

had to be split up in several containers on an almost just-in-time

delivery pattern to avoid any waiting time for the various trades

working inside the building.

“The University of Pennsylvania Squash Centre is situated

between two historic American athletic venues,” said the

24 | April 2020 IINTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE


ASB SQUASH COURTS:

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

University’s Director of Squash Jack Wyant. “Franklin Field

(site of the Penn Relays) and the Palestra (home of Big Five

basketball, Penn wrestling and volleyball).

“The $19 million squash court renovation transformed a tired,

dated facility into a modern, sleek, highly functional one capable

of hosting national and international championships.

“The Penn Squash Center features lots of natural light,

team rooms, offices, 12 courts including two 4-wall glass

exhibition courts, a stunning entrance and views of Center City

Philadelphia. It services the needs of the Penn varsity teams,

local, campus recreational play and will host three major US

junior and intercollegiate tournaments in its first six months of

existence.”

The magnitude, significance and ultimately the success of the

project has led ASB to reposition and refine its modus operandi

going forward.

“We are at the beginning of 2020. We have our resolutions,

determinations and goals,” says Zdeněk Klos, Senior CEO, ASB

SQUASH. “Our main goal is to maintain and extend our position

as the leader in quality and volume within the squash court

industry.

“We will reach this goal by pursuing and proactively improving

four principles:

“Firstly, innovation that matters: We are dedicated to further

understanding the needs of our clients and our client’s clients.

We will provide innovation that matters deeply, not something

that is simply new.

“Secondly, we seek to understand before we create:

understanding needs and motivations is a key priority in shaping

the future relations with clients and with each other. Based on

our wealth of knowledge in squash court manufacturing and

the creative processes deeply embedded in ASB’s day-to-day

environment, we develop custom tailored solutions, with our

clients, for each project.

“Thirdly, active and honest involvement: Once engaged, we aim

to become part of the client’s team in realising a joint vision

rather than a supplier waiting to hear from its client, we shape

the process together, proactively.

“Finally, being a real team player,” concluded Klos. “Contractual

arrangements and transparency are the basis of our day-today

business. However, even more so is spoken word and

executed collaboration. Providing reliability and trustworthiness

is a cornerstone of ASB’s philosophy, not only in performing

according to a contract, but also ensuring 100% satisfaction in

executing agreed terms and reacting to change along the way.”

Future ASB projects include the US Squash National Training

Centre, also in Philadelphia, where two ASB ShowGlassCourts

will be sited, together with three ASB System100 courts, with

moveable walls enabling easy conversion to two international

doubles courts.

Furthermore, ASB is masterminding the construction of the

world’s first bank of four TPoint courts. Installation of this

unique high-end outdoor court concept is currently underway in

Tel Aviv, Israel (top 2 pictures left page).



ENTREPRENEURS BUSINESS & SQUASH

ENTREPRENEURS

BUSINESS&SQUASH

By Filip Madaric

Manager and Lead Coach,

Torquay Squash and

Leisure Club

Filip Madaric explains why the sport of

squash is connected to successful businessmen

and regarded as the ideal activity for

entrepreneurs and teams all over the world?

Let’s first see if you recognise any of

these points in business.

TIME ALLOCATION

DEEP FOCUS

SIMPLICITY

HIGH INTENSITY

If you are a business owner, manager,

entrepreneur or have any connections

to working in a team environment, you

will have recognised one of these four

points during your career.

Working in a high-achieving

environment usually entails deep

thought on time allocation.

Every area we work on has a time limit

and a goal. We don’t allow time to go

to waste with minor nuances, such

as small talk, social media exploring

or jumping from task to task before

finishing either. Knowing where we

want to put our focus and how long we

want to spend discussing or thinking

about it is crucial for our success.

Squash, surprisingly enough for many,

has the same trait.

Thirty minutes would be an average

time of one match, jam-packed with

high speed decision making, deep focus

on individual tasks and simplicity to

reach our targets. Is it any wonder we,

the fortunate ones, love it so much and

belong to the successful bunch?

Due to such a short time frame,

we usually dig deep into our mind

to find good focus in achieving set

goals during meetings. A day-to-day

occurrence of good leaders and

businessmen/women. Understanding

what we need to do to achieve our

goals and then focusing on that task as

if nothing else matters.

Having the ability to focus deeply on

certain individual tasks requires a clear

and relaxed mind, exactly what squash

does to us while playing. There is no

way of escaping the brutal conditions

of gladiatorial sport like squash.

To be able to achieve deep focus, we

need to know what to focus on, so

having simple goals that we can reach

is key to reaching our targets, and

to state the obvious, key to hitting a

good shot. This is our tactical brain

speaking. Knowing where we’re going

and what we’re doing with that darned

tiny ball is where a simple image of our

direction plays a crucial role.

To lead a meeting, we need to know

our direction, to make a decision, we

need to know where we want to be,

the end goal. As clear as day. If we can

have an end goal in sight, we can move

towards it.

High intensity is just what happens

when all these components fall in

place. It seems as if we are going in

slow motion, seeing all the little wheels

turning exactly how we want them to.

Squash is a picture-perfect example of

high intensity. Each step of the way is

as fast as a bullet if we know where it

takes us. A classic tale of a successful

businessman leading a company to its

successful destination.

Multiple direction short sprints will

keep you flying around the court like

superman, and that little black ball will

bury you in deep focus so hard you

won’t realise you’re having a workout

until you’re back in your changing

room wondering what just happened.

So next time you’re thinking of

getting better results in business,

growing your company, improving

your team’s performance, start with

that first step, think of squash and

join your local club.

Having the ability to focus deeply on certain individual

tasks requires a clear and relaxed mind, exactly what squash

does to us while playing. There is no way of escaping the

brutal conditions of gladiatorial sport like squash



MEN’S PSA WORLD RANKINGS

1 MOHAMED

ELSHORBAGY

EGYPT

Born:

1989

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

11 MOHAMED

ABOUELGHAR

EGYPT

Born:

1993

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

2 ALI

FARAG

EGYPT

Born:

1992

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

12 FARES

DESSOUKY

EGYPT

Born: 1994

Lives:

Alexandria, Egypt

3 TAREK

MOMEN

EGYPT

Born:

1988

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

13 SAURAV

GHOSAL

INDIA

Born:

1986

Lives:

Kolkata, India

4 KARIM ABDEL

GAWAD

EGYPT

Born:

1991

Lives:

Giza, Egypt

14 MAZEN

HESHAM

EGYPT

Born:

1994

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

5 PAUL

COLL

NEW ZEALAND

Born:

1992

Lives: Greymouth,

New Zealand

15 JAMES

WILLSTROP

ENGLAND

Born: 1983

Lives:

Harrogate, England

6 DIEGO

ELIAS

PERU

Born:

1996

Lives:

Lima, Peru

16 GREGOIRE

MARCHE

FRANCE

Born:

1990

Lives: Aix En

Provence, France

7 SIMON

RÖSNERY

GERMANY

Born:

1987

Lives:

Paderborn, Germany

17 OMAR

MOSAAD

EGYPT

Born:

1988

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

8 MARWAN

ELSHORBAGY

EGYPT

Born:

1993

Lives:

Bristol, England

18 MUSTAFA

ASAL

EGYPT

Born:

2001

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

9 MIGUEL

ANGEL

RODRIGUEZ

COLOMBIA

Born:

1985

Lives:

Bogota, Colombia

19 ZAHED

SALEM

EGYPT

Born:

1992

Lives:

Alexandria, Egypt

10 JOEL

MAKIN

WALES

Born: 1994

Lives: Birmingham,

England

20 ADRIAN

WALLER

ENGLAND

Born:

1989

Lives:

Enfield, England

For more information, visit: www.psaworldtour.com



WOMEN’S PSA WORLD RANKINGS

1 RANEEM

EL WELILY

EGYPT

Born:

1989

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

11 ANNIE

AU

HONG KONG

Born:

1989

Lives: Hong Kong

2 NOURAN

GOHAR

EGYPT

Born:

1997

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

12 JOSHNA

CHINAPPA

INDIA

Born:

1986

Lives:

Chennai, India

3 CAMILLE

SERME

FRANCE

Born:

1989

Lives:

Creteil, Paris

13 SALMA

HANY

EGYPT

Born:

1996

Lives:

Alexandria, Egypt

4 NOUR EL

SHERBINI

EGYPT

Born:

1995

Lives:

Alexandria, Egypt

14 ALISON

WATERS

ENGLAND

Born:

1984

Lives: Hertfordshire,

England

5 NOUR EL

TAYEB

EGYPT

Born:

1997

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

15 YATHREB

ADEL

EGYPT

Born:

1996

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

6 JOELLE

KING

NEW ZEALAND

Born:

1988

Lives: Cambridge,

New Zealand

16 OLIVIA

BLATCHFORD

CLYNE

USA

Born:

1993

Lives:

Wilton, USA

7 SARAH-JANE

PERRY

ENGLAND

Born:

1990

Lives:

Kenilworth, England

17 VICTORIA

LUST

ENGLAND

Born:

1989

Lives:

Victoria, Canada

8 AMANDA

SOBHY

USA

Born:

1993

Lives:

Boston, USA

18 NELE

GILIS

BELGIUM

Born:

1996

Lives:

Geel, Belgium

9 TESNI

EVANS

WALES

Born: 1992

Lives: Rhyl, Wales

19 TINNIE

GILIS

BELGIUM

Born:

1997

Lives:

Geel, Belgium

10 HANIA EL

HAMMAMY

EGYPT

Born:

2000

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

20 NADINE

SHAHIN

EGYPT

Born:

1997

Lives:

Cairo, Egypt

For more information, visit: www.psaworldtour.com



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*HIGHEST PSA WORLD TOUR RANKING

DUNLOP PRO PLAYERS MAY PLAY WITH DIFFERENT RACKETS TO THE MODELS SHOWN

DUNLOPSPORTS.COM

International Squash Magazine – April 2020

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