Hello Everyone
It’s Annabelle again.
I’m currently sitting in my seat on the plane flying back to England from Cairo and despite being tired, I thought I would take the opportunity to tell you all a bit about the amazing four days I have just spent watching the Egyptian Open Squash Diamond Event.
Before I start, I would like to say a personal thank you to Amr Mansi, CEO of ievents and the organiser of this incredible tournament for inviting me to come and watch and report on the tournament.
It was incredibly kind of you and also a big shout out to Ahmed Nazir, Amr’s right hand man on the ground who helped make everything run so smoothly for my dad and me (and for everyone else too).
Squash of course but….
For this tournament review, funnily enough, I don’t want to talk too much about the actual squash matches that I saw. I’ll just say that being a Diamond event with all the best players present, the squash itself was unbelievable.
From the huge shock of Paul Coll, WR 3, losing to Adam Hawall who is currently outside the top 200 in the second round to Hania El Hammany’s stunning performance to beat Noran Gohar 3/0 in the semi-finals, watching these incredible athletes compete was just so thrilling.
If you’re interested in the individual matches, then Fram has done her usual amazingly detailed reporting for you to enjoy here on the event official site.
Instead, I wanted to tell you about what in my opinion made the tournament totally unique. So here we go….!
We stayed in one of the two Hyatt hotels that are opposite each other in Giza on the Western edge of Cairo not far from the squash venue. Both hotels were very different but lovely and as usual it was great fun sitting down to breakfast with Fram and being able to chat to the players.
‘On the Bus’
One of the highlights of the week for me, strangely enough, was taking the PSA bus from the hotel to the venue and back again.
On that bus, I could see players zoning in on the way to important matches and players managing to be kind and ok to talk despite suffering disappointing losses.
I met so many cool people from “behind the scenes” at the PSA and I really enjoyed chatting to the SquashTV crew – especially Joey and Michael!
[Don’t worry though guys, Fram’s taught me enough I know the difference between on and off the record with private conversations!]
It was half an hour each way, and the bus back was often past midnight. And it made me realise that the professional squash tour is surprisingly massive but at its heart it feels a bit like a big family with everyone working towards a common goal – making the sport we all love shine.
The Mighty Pyramids
But let’s not avoid the elephant in the room any longer. There’s a reason why this tournament is so special – or should I say three reasons. And they are pretty massive reasons. I am, of course, talking about the Pyramids of Giza!
On Friday, we went on a tour, thanks to Samah Hanafi, a referee friend of Fram. First to the pyramids themselves and it was absolutely fascinating.
I got to go deep inside one of the structures (it was a lot easier for me than for James Willstrop who came with us as the ceiling was very low and he’s about a foot taller than me!).
Just standing next to these massive creations from more than 4,000 years ago felt captivating. It really is the strangest thing but it’s like history has come alive.
And then we went to the totally insane new Grand Egyptian Museum, which officially opens on the 1st of November, but you can still visit now.
I know what you’re thinking – museum – ugghh boring compared to watching squash. And to be honest I was expecting to feel the same. Except I didn’t.
The building itself is a masterpiece, and the way it has been designed cleverly brings all the ancient artefacts to life. Everything inside is so well curated and whilst it’s obviously very educational, it’s also very beautiful and very enjoyable. Absolutely go to Cairo to watch the squash, but whatever you do don’t miss that museum. It truly is remarkable.
In between watching squash sessions, I also visited the old parts of Cairo with my dad and wandered through the bazaar. Which was bizarre indeed, as quite a few times Egyptian girls would come up and ask to take selfies with me – I think because of my wavy blonde hair!
For just a moment I could imagine what it must be like to be Amina Orfi or one of the other recognisable Egyptian players walking through this squash besotted city! But I felt totally safe and everyone we met was so welcoming and friendly.
We visited a beautiful mosque and an old boarding school and drank tea in a 300-year-old tea house.
Other than the fact that the roads and the way people drive is fairly insane, Cairo is a really wonderful city to visit.
Back to Squash
So back to the tournament itself.
It is just so crazy that Mansi’s team managed to build an entire squash amphitheatre and drop it 300m away from the last existing wonder of the ancient world – the Great Pyramid of Giza. There’s no power, no plumbing. Everything has to be created from scratch – I think they used solar power. And I have no idea how they got wifi out there – 4G/5G in Egypt isn’t exactly the fastest! But somehow they did it. And it works – it truly is sensational.
I recognised a lot of the team from El Gouna and they are all so good at what they do it’s like a well oiled machine. And the upshot – you take your seats (free again – what an absolutely brilliant idea) having walked through the “Squash village” with its food and sponsors areas and there in front of you is a gorgeous blue glass court and right behind it are the Pyramids themselves, making the most magical backdrop you can imagine.
It’s a sight I won’t ever forget.
Fram had told me before I came that the Pyramids had a unique energy, and I hadn’t absolutely believed her – right up until I sat down and saw them for myself.
Honestly, it’s unbelievable. You must come and see it for yourself. Watching outstanding squash anywhere is a joy. But when the venue “sings” like this one does, it elevates the experience to a whole new level.
And I love watching squash in Egypt with an Egyptian crowd. We are very lucky to have some incredible venues in the UK too – including the Ally Pally a couple of weeks ago for the London Classic presented by Bassim Haidar which was awesome.
But I love the positivity of the Egyptian crowd. Ok, they may mainly cheer for Egyptian players, but I guess that’s no different than going to watch England play football at Wembley. In general, though, the atmosphere at this event was superb and genuinely joyous.
Hania on a Cloud
Watching Hania win both her semi and finals with such style was a thrill. I had sat next to her mum a few times and she is so lovely and was so nervous – unlike Hania herself who except for a loss of concentration in the 3rd game of the final, looked in absolutely sensational form. Gohar and Orfi had no answers for her brilliant ball control and explosive movement.
And talking of sensational, I’m also awarding this tournament’s best outfit to Hania for the stunning red-purple dress with cut-outs she wore for her semi-final against Gohar. It was a slam dunk winner.
Amina Orfi has had a wonderful start to the season, winning her first gold event in London and reaching her first Platinum final here. I’m such a fan of hers too. I can’t wait for the next match between them.
With these two girls on fire and knowing that Gohar and Sherbini will want to fight back hard straight away, the women’s game is in a brilliant place.
And what about the men’s game?
That’s a lot more complicated, isn’t it?
Before we start on the pros, unfortunately, I had to watch my dad play a match with Rob Ellis, the PSA photographer, at the Palm Hills Club this afternoon. And whilst my dad managed to secure a hard-fought victory, the standard on display at that match definitely doesn’t warrant any reporting – sorry Dad!
But returning to the men’s game, the final between Diego and Mostafa seems to have become the major talking point of the tournament.
I haven’t been able to watch it back on SquashTV yet so I haven’t heard what the commentators had to say. I’ll definitely try to find time for that tomorrow. But having been right up close to the action live, I have a few thoughts I would like to share in case anyone is interested.
Firstly, Mostafa is so lovely to me off the court – it is so obvious why all the kids love him in Egypt. He loses with grace and is always smiling and makes time for everyone.
And btw, I’m very aware that I am no expert when it comes to the rules and ethics of squash. For me, having been there to watch it live, Mostafa seemed to manage to win somehow, despite giving away more points to decisions against him than Diego’s winners or his own errors. The match was very stop-start and not great to watch, especially after the second game.
As a squash fan, I just want to see awesome live squash and worthy winners in great venues with a good atmosphere. (And I know how lucky I am to get to do so quite regularly). And I am worried about how the atmosphere will be with a match like that final in the UK or even America. I have a feeling it will be horrible with the crowd jeering and booing.
I think Mostafa was fortunate that the match yesterday was in Egypt…
With good movement, he can still win consistently, as no one can argue his talent isn’t truly amazing. At 24 his career is only really at the beginning. It feels like he is at a vital crossroads right now. I so hope he chooses to go the right way.
Last Words…
How then to sum up my week at the Egyptian Open? Let me see…..
Wall to wall sunshine, an iconic and historic venue (the PR person who came up with the banner “History watches Legends play” deserves a raise!), great hotels, beautiful city, fascinating museums, cool shopping, fab food, amazing atmosphere and to top it all off – sensational squash.
If El Gouna is the perfect beach holiday for a squash lover, I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Cairo and the Egyptian Open as the perfect city break for the same squash lover to enjoy.
Which to choose…? Simple answer is do both at some stage if you can because they are trips that will give you lifelong memories to enjoy.
As for me, live squash now becomes a bit of a desert for a while until the brilliant Optasia tournament in the UK comes around in March….. unless I can somehow find a way to convince my dad that it’s life over for me unless I can attend the TOC in New York in January. That’s No 1 on my bucket list now….
I’m not hopeful but you never know….. if I somehow pull that off I’ll report back if Fram lets me!
[Fram says OF COURSE I’ll let you]
