Ramy Ashour (left) of Egypt, winner of the PSA World Championship and runner-up Mohammed El Shorbagy also of Egypt pose for a picture along with President of Qatar Squash Federation, Nabeel Ali bin Ali (centre), at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday. RIGHT: Ashour kisses the winner’s trophy.PICTURES BY: SYED OMAR
Doha: Former champion Ramy Ashour of Egypt overcame compatriot and surprise package Mohammed El Shorbagy to regain the PSA World Championship title after a gap of four years.
In the final of the premier PSA World Tour championship at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, the 25-year-old from Cairo registered a 2-11, 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 win.
It was double celebrations for the former world No.1 in Doha.
On Thursday, fifth seed Ashour had been assured of a top seeding in the new PSA rankings which will be announced in January.
Ashour’s win over defending champion Nick Matthew of England in the semi-final on Thursday had paved the way for the Egyptian to be the new world No.1 in 2013.
The Egyptian also ended Matthew’s bid to win a hat-trick of world titles.
Yesterday, Shorbagy the eighth-seeded underdog, who defeated fourth-seeded compatriot Karim Darwish in the quarter-final and James Willstrop in the semi-final, won the first game and bounced back to take the fourth one to tie it at two-game all.
In the fifth and deciding game, the 21-year-old England-based player took the lead at 8-7, but the more experienced Ashour bounced to take control at a crucial stage of the 90-minute encounter to win the decider at 11-8.
Ashour troubled by injuries for most part of last year was delighted with the win.
“I’m so glad I’ve won this tournament, after coming back from injury, this is the best reward I could get,” said Ashour whose first title came in 2008.
“Sure to win it the first time was amazing. But when you win it (again) after a lot of struggle, it means something different, and it feels a lot different. I am proud of myself because I have been through many hard times. I feel like I am a stronger person now,” added Ashour.
Ashour, who is only the second player in history after Pakistan legend Jansher Khan to win both junior and senior world titles, said Shorbagy was an unpredictable player.
“This was an amazing match, with Shorbagy, you never know where the ball is going to go, unless you are reading his mind, which is not easy to achieve. Shorbagy is such an amazing player, and we did Egypt proud tonight. Hopefully, more of the same finals to come” said Ashour.
The match watched by a jam packed appreciative crowd gave the spectators what they had come looking for, a high quality fortune fluctuating tussle between two players of contrasting styles.
The long rallies, the brilliant volleys and video reviews all kept the knowledgeable crowd on their toes.
The world No.6, the youngest player in the world top 25 at 21 years of age, started on a promising note winning the first game at 11-2 in just nine minutes raising hopes of yet another upset.
But Ashour bounced to win the second and third games comfortably at 11-6 and 11-5. The quick fire wins in the two games gave an impression that Ashour had finally had a measure of Shorbagy’s game. But it was not to be.
Like in all-Egyptian where every match goes to the wire, Shorbagy came back guns blazing to win the fourth to tie it at two games all.
In the end, it was Ashour’s brilliance on the volley game which prevailed against Shorbagy’s movement and abilities at the front in the $325,000 tournament.
The PSA World Championship was hosted by Qatar for the third time – having earlier hosted the 1998 and 2004 editions.
The Peninsula
