Fram’s Thoughts

During Optasia event in London, I was sitting next to a lovely gentleman, Ian Bullough, a true squash passionate, close friend to Optasia main Sponsor, Bassim Haidar.

And who do I meet in Gouna? That same charming man, accompanied by his daughter, Annabelle, 11 years old, who has a very good eye for squash, and an excellent pen as well – she might be my successor, just you wait.

Remember when reading her article, that this young lady is only 11, and I hope you’ll love it as much as I did.

When Annabelle went to Gouna, and LOVED IT!

Hello everyone,

My name is Annabelle. I’m coming up to 12 years old, and I’m a beginner-level squash player, but a squash superfan based in the UK.

I’ve watched lots of great squash in England and have even been lucky enough to get to know quite a few of the professional players through my club at St George’s Hill in Surrey and meeting them at tournaments. They are all so lovely and are always willing to spare some time to say hi!

I’ve just got back from the most amazing week in El Gouna, Egypt, with my Dad and I’m still buzzing.

“COME TO GOUNA!”

If you like watching squash then i think you’ve got to put this tournament at No 1 on your bucket list. Why?

Firstly, because Egypt is the powerhouse of World Squash at the moment, so watching a tournament there is super cool. You can really tell how passionate they are about the sport.

Secondly, the venue is incredible. The glass court is in this stunning open-air stadium with really unique architecture. The matches are played at night (but it’s still warm enough to wear a dress even though it’s outdoors), and the lights and music make it feel like a party.

It’s a “Platinum” level event so all the biggest players are showing off their skills on court and the matches are so, so exciting to watch. And even better, tickets are free – which is so awesome so you can watch as much as you like all week without worrying about the cost.

Thirdly, did I mention you are watching squash in Egypt?!

El Gouna, what’s not to like?

So you have an amazing holiday at the same time. El Gouna is fab – guaranteed sunshine, loads of hotels and so much to do during the day and it’s really clean and safe. I saw dolphins, went snorkelling, played Padel, ate out at great restaurants in the very vibey Marina, went go-karting, amongst lots of other fun things. There was no time to be bored at all.

Honestly guys, start pestering your parents now to take you there in April 2026 – I promise you will have the best time.

Incredible Squash all week!

As for this year’s tournament, the action on court was incredible right from the start.

The early rounds, split between the excellent El Gouna Squash Club and the glass court saw most of the seeds get through, but a few shocks too. Seeing Mohamed Zacharia, who’s only 17, beat world No 6 Tarek Momen who has 20 years more experience was a huge highlight.

I also got to see two of the best matches I’ve ever seen, and on the same night!

The semi-final between Hania El Hammany vs Nouran Gohar was truly epic. It was a brutal battle with amazing squash in which Gohar came back from match ball down to win in five and would have made a great final at any event.

Immediately after that we saw the incredibly talented Amina Orfi (17) down the warrior princess and 7 time world champion Nour El Sherbini. I was sitting to the side in this match and I knew how hard Amina hits the ball but hadn’t realised how fast she is. Her movement was incredible and you could really see her flying around the court from where I was sitting. She’s only 6 years older than me! She’s so inspiring and I got to chat to her afterwards and she’s super lovely too.

Gohar was a bit too experienced for her in the final and she not unexpectedly managed to win 3-1 but I don’t know how much longer she will be able to hold Amina off!

As for the Men, the final was the story of an epic comeback by Mostafa Asal. At 2/0 7-4 down I thought it was all over, but it was just beginning…