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Optasia Championship 2023 |
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$108.500 Men's Optasia Championship 2023, The Wimbledon Club,
London, England
(also known as Channel VAS Championship)
PSA World Tour Gold |
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Optasia Championship 2023
Men's Draw
21 - 26 Mar
London, England, $108.5k |
ROUND TWO
22-23
Mar |
QUARTERS
24
Mar |
SEMIS
25
Mar |
FINAL
26 Mar |
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[2] Diego Elias (PER)
7-11, 11-5, 12-10, 4-0 ret. (54m)
[9/16] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) |
Karim Abdel Gawad
16-14, 7-11, 12-10,
11-8 (65m)
Eain Yow Ng |
Karim Abdel Gawad
11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (42m)
Baptiste Masotti |
Karim Abdel Gawad
11-4, 11-7, 11-3 (34m)
Youssef Soliman
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[6] Victor Crouin (FRA)
6-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-6 (56m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) |
[7] Joel Makin (WAL)
11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (43m)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) |
Joel Makin
12-10, 11-7, 11-8 (52m)
Baptiste Masotti |
[4] Mohamed Elshorbagy
(EGY)
6-11, 11-6, 11-2, 9-11, 11-5 (46m)
[9/16] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) |
[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG)
11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9 (46m)
[WC] Charlie Lee (ENG) |
Charlie Lee
11-4, 11-9, 11-3 (43m)
Youssef Soliman |
Youssef Soliman
6-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-4 (73m)
Mazen Hesham
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[8] Youssef Soliman (EGY)
6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-3 (45m)
[9/16] Nicolas Müller (SUI) |
[5] Mazen Hesham (EGY)
11-3, 11-8, 11-7 (40m)
[9/16] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) |
Mazen Hesham
11-5, 11-7, 9-11, 1-11, 12-10 (66m)
Ali Farag |
[9/16] Grégoire Marche (FRA)
4-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4, 11-4 (55m)
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) |
[2] Diego Elias (PER) bye
[9/16] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 11-6, 11-7, 11-7
(32m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt [9/16] Patrick Rooney (ENG) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 (42m)
[6] Victor Crouin (FRA) bye
[7] Joel Makin (WAL) bye
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 6-11, 11-7, 11-8,
11-6 (56m)
[9/16] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 10-12, 2-11, 11-7,
14-12, 11-3 (65m)
[4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bye
[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bye
[WC] Charlie Lee (ENG) bt [9/16] Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-9, 11-8, 11-7
(43m)
[9/16] Nicolas Müller (SUI) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 11-8, 12-10, 11-3
(42m)
[8] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bye
[5] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bye
[9/16] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) 11-4, 11-9,
7-11, 11-2 (45m)
[9/16] Grégoire Marche (FRA) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 12-10, 13-11, 6-11,
11-2 (49m)
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bye |
Final
Karim Abdel Gawad Wins All-Egyptian Battle To Claim
Optasia Championships Title
2016 World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad has captured his first PSA World
Tour title since March last year as he claimed the Optasia Championships
2023 title, beating compatriot and World No.12 Youssef Soliman in a
straight-game final.
The former World No.1 was featuring in just his third tournament since
returning to the PSA World Tour after recovering from an injury, but
showed no signs of struggle as he settled into a devastating rhythm
early on in the Gold event final.
In typical Gawad style, the unseeded Egyptian started to attack the
front corners immediately, to test the movement of Soliman and ask
questions of his compatriot after a tough week of squash for the World
No.12. Gawad’s severe drop shots and kills were proving hard for Soliman
to cope with as the older Egyptian took the opening two games in no time
at all to place on hand on the trophy.
Soliman’s resistance was fading in the third game as the pressure from
Gawad was unrelenting. The World No.12 was being forced into the front
corners time and time again and despite his powerful and smooth
movement, he wasn’t able to negate the skill of Gawad. Seven
championships balls presented themselves for Gawad, who only needed one
to secure the Gold event title - a first title since March 2022.
“A year ago I didn’t have a chance to be on court, I didn’t think I’d be
on court again,” said Gawad after the win.
“My only wish was to take every advantage I could, train as hard as I
could and play every tournament I could. I learnt a lot from my injury,
I'm really happy and grateful to have another chance to be on court in
front of an amazing crowd and doing what I love the most in my life.
“It is a great pleasure to be on a court that all the legends have been
on, thanks to the promoter, all the sponsors, all the crowd that came to
watch. Without all these things, the tournament wouldn’t be able to
happen so I'm looking forward to coming back and playing again.
“I was so down, I was very depressed. I lost 7kg of muscle. I want to
thank my wife for taking care of me, my coaches, my physio, my mental
coach, everyone. It was a hard time, luckily I’m back on court and
enjoying every moment here and looking forward to the next one.”
PSA World Tour action heads to Birmingham next for one of the most
prestigious events on the calendar, the 2023 British Open. Action starts
on April 9th from The Edgbaston Priory Club with 96 players looking to
etch their names on the trophy come the end of the tournament. Head to
the PSA World Tour website for more information.
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Semi Finals
Soliman Scores Upset To Set Up All-Egyptian Final
Youssef Soliman
World No.12 Youssef Soliman has upset the seedings at the Optasia
Championships as he claimed a win over World No.9 Mazen Hesham to set up
an all-Egyptian final with former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad at
the PSA World Tour Gold event.
The all-Egyptian clash between Soliman and Hesham opened proceedings at
The Wimbledon Club, with a packed house ready to enjoy the exciting
affair. The players didn’t disappoint as they utilised all four corners
of the court with ease to push each other to the physical limits. Hesham
earned himself a 2-1 lead by showcasing his amazing skills in the front
two corners and looked sharp and focused heading into the fourth game.
Soliman stayed strong however and started to negate Hesham’s attacks
with his smooth and powerful movement. The No.8 seed started to create
more opportunities to drag Hesham into the front two corners and reaped
the rewards as the higher seed started to tire. After levelling the
match at 2-2, Soliman established a healthy lead in the fifth game and
motored through to victory, winning 11-4.
“My leg is completely gone! When you play with Mazen [Hesham], he will
make you feel done. You just have to pick up, I did well to contain him
at times but at other stages he was up and he was going for it,” Soliman
explained.
“The court was too big for me and I couldn’t read him. He is magic and
he is so hard to read. I am definitely glad to be through, and it was a
big opportunity for the four of us as the top four seeds were all out of
the tournament. We all knew.. And I am so happy with the way I handled
my nerves in the fifth and even when I was 2-1 down. Thank you to the
crowd, you have been amazing
“When you play in front of a crowd like this, you want to play good
squash. Sometimes it was a bit random, but every single time I play in
London, it is amazing, with a good crowd, always behind us, so thank
you!”
Soliman’s opponent will be compatriot and former World Champion Karim
Abdel Gawad, who needed just three games to defeat France’s Baptiste
Masotti and claim a place in his first final since returning from
injury.
Karim Abdel Gawad
Masotti had claimed impressive victories over seeded duo Marwan
ElShorbagy and Joel Makin to take his place in the semi-finals but came
up against a fit and firing Karim Abdel Gawad who was determined to
progress.
The Egyptian’s front-court skills are well renowned and were in full
flow in the second semi-final of the night. The 2016 World Champion
managed to move Masotti into all four corners consistently to always ask
questions of the Frenchman's physicality and endurance after a tough
week of squash. Gawad managed to play the big points better at the
latter stages of each game as he took the 42-minute match 11-8, 11-7,
11-8 to reach his first final since March last year.
“I played Baptiste two or three years ago in Chicago and there is a huge
difference in the way he plays. I am so happy for him, the way he has
improved in the last couple of years,” Gawad said after the victory.
“He is playing beautiful shots and he has matured at the same time so
all credit to him and I wish him luck in the next few tournaments. He is
doing really well and I think that he is breaking into the top ten soon.
“It is great, and I am now in a new experience ,I have never been out of
the court for a year. This is a new experience and I am still learning.
I am happy to be back into a final again, I haven’t been in one for a
while now so to be back from injury and in the finals is great! I am
still hoping to win the tournament tomorrow, of course.
“We [he and Youssef Soliman] played last March in the final in Pakistan,
it is always a tough match against him. He is playing well, almost
breaking the top ten, so it will be a great match tomorrow and I am
looking forward to it.”
The final of the Optasia Championships commences at 16:15, live on SQUASHTV.
You can follow the event and buy tickets via the official tournament
website here. For
wonderful hospitality packages contact Stacey Ross at The Wimbledon Club
on director@twcsquash.co.uk.
For more information on the event follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & TikTok.
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Quarter Finals
More Seeds Fall As The Optasia Championships
Semi-Finalists Are Decided In Wimbledon
Mazen Hesham
All of the top four seeds at the Optasia Championships have now been
eliminated from the competition as the last remaining seed Ali Farag was
defeated by compatriot and World No.9 Mazen Hesham on quarter finals
night at the Gold level event.
Hesham had lost the last ten encounters with World Champion Farag but
confidently established a 2-0 lead after producing incredible squash to
find winners in all four corners of the court and completely control the
defending champion.
In true champion style, Farag responded by taking a close third game
11-9 and then steamrolling Hesham in the fourth game to set up an
exciting climax to the contest. As the score reached the latter stages,
Hesham saved the first match ball of the clash at 10-9 and then earned
his own chance to end the contest two points later. The Malaysian Open
champion fired a ball past Farag to claim the game 12-10 and a place in
the semi-finals.
“I haven’t beaten Ali in so long. I think I had beaten him and then got
injured, and then after this, he was killing everybody, back when Ali
had been dominating the tour,” Hesham said.
“I’ve known him and [Mohamed] ElShorbagy, for so long now. So, to get a
win over one of these guys is still a very, very happy moment for me.
Obviously, I always expect more from myself, I want to beat these guys
and where I want to take it step by step.
“I’m happy with the win today, I’m happy with how I fought today after
losing two games in the third and the fourth. Ali, I think was very,
very smart. In the fourth, he caught me by surprise. Lob and drop, lob
and drop. I was 6-0 down. I think I did the right thing, to just let
this game go and fight hard in the fifth. And it worked, as I said, I’m
really happy to get the win over him.
“I wish him the best for the rest of this season. I think he’s getting
better and better every tournament. So it’s good to have him back.”
The next highest seed behind Farag and Hesham was Wales’ No.7 seed Joel
Makin, who fell to a superb performance from France’s Baptiste Masotti.
The Frenchman had beaten No.4 seed Marwan ElShorbagy for the second time
in a week in the previous round and backed that performance up to
overcome the in-form Makin in a tactical three-game battle.
Masotti will be featuring in his first Gold event semi-final tomorrow
night as he takes on former World Champion and World No.1 Karim Abdel
Gawad.
Karim Abdel Gawad
The Egyptian recently returned to World Tour action after recovering
from a heel injury, and showed his fighting qualities to overcome a
spirited effort from Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng to progress to the final
four. Yow levelled the score to 1-1 after losing a brutal first game
16-14 but couldn’t sustain the quality to the front corners which
allowed Gawad to move in front and close out the contest in four games.
Fellow Egyptian Youssef Soliman completes the semi-final line-up as he
beat giant-killer and event wildcard Charlie Lee in straight games. The
World No.12 used his greater experience of World Tour events to remain
composed despite the home support for Lee and constantly pile the
pressure onto the Englishman.
Despite a competitive second game for Lee, Soliman was able to take the
match in three games and book his place in his first ever Gold
semi-final, where he will face compatriot Mazen Hesham for the second
time this season, with the head to head poised at 1-1.
The Optasia Championships continues tomorrow with semi-final action
commencing from 16:00, live on
SQUASHTV.
You can follow the event and buy tickets via the official tournament
website here. For
wonderful hospitality packages contact Stacey Ross at The Wimbledon Club
on director@twcsquash.co.uk.
For more information on the event follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & TikTok.
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Round 2 Bottom Half
Wildcard Charlie Lee Halts ElShorbagy’s Return to
World No.1 As He Gatecrashes Optasia Quarter Finals
World No.58 and event wildcard Charlie Lee built on his impressive round
one win at the Optasia Championships as he defeated compatriot and World
No.1-chasing Mohamed Elshorbagy in four games to advance to the Gold
event quarter finals.
ElShorbagy looked to be carrying a slight injury throughout the contest
which Lee took full advantage of as he remained focused and sharp,
moving ElShorbagy into all four corners and utilising his front court
skill set to turn the screw on the former World Champion. After securing
a 2-1 lead, Lee reached 9-3 in the fourth game and despite a comeback
from the No.3 seed, Lee closed the game out 11-9 to claim the biggest
win of his career to date.
Speaking after the win, Lee said: “Mo probably wasn’t at his full
potential today but I’m very happy with the win. He’s a legend of the
sport and I have so much admiration for him and have looked up to him my
whole career. He’s probably my first squash idol. To get the win here is
really surreal. That’s all, really!
“It nearly didn’t happen at the end. 9-3 to 10-9 was a little shaky. He
went into that unstoppable mode and the ball died off a little bit. But
I was really happy to protect the lead and get the win in the end. I
think that’s a testament to the work I’ve been doing for a long time. It
all pays off. What an evening!”
Lee’s result was the only upset of the night as Egyptian trio Ali Farag,
Youssef Soliman and Mazen Hesham all booked their places in the last
eight.
The Optasia Championships continues tomorrow with quarter final action
commencing from 17:00, live on
SQUASHTV.
You can follow the event and buy tickets via the official tournament
website here. For
wonderful hospitality packages contact Stacey Ross at The Wimbledon Club
on director@twcsquash.co.uk.
For more information on the event follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & TikTok.
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Round 2 Top Half
Former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad Defeats World
No.2 Elias To Reach Optasia Quarters
Karim Abdel Gawad
2016 World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad is through to his first Gold event
quarter final of the season after World No.1-chasing Diego Elias was
forced to retire injured in the fourth game of their entertaining
encounter at the Optasia Championships 2023.
After losing the opening game, Karim Abdel Gawad found his rhythm in
front of an adoring crowd at The Wimbledon Club and treated them to
unbelievable shots at the front and perfect weight of shot to the back
corners to take the following two games and give himself a 2-1 lead
against the World No.2.
The score reached 4-0 to the Egyptian in game four but it was brought to
a halt as an injury to Elias’ leg proved too much for the Peruvian who
forfeited the match.
“Of course, I wish him all the best with the recovery. Diego has been
playing unbelievable squash for the last couple of years,” Gawad said.
“He has been improving every month and he is now the World No.2. Any
time soon, I think he will be World No.1. I wish him the best for the
recovery. At the beginning, I saw the physio going to him between each
game but even with the injury, he was still moving very, very well.
“He is a very dangerous player on court. He is a great player on court
and a great person off it, so first of all, the best to him for the
recovery.”
Eain Yow Ng
Gawad is now through to face another surprise quarter finalist in the
form of Eain Yow Ng. The Malaysian No.1 built on his victory over
England’s Patrick Rooney yesterday and defeated World No.8 Victor Crouin
in four games to take his place in only his second Gold event quarter
final.
The Optasia Championships continues tomorrow with bottom-half second
round action commencing from 17:00, live on
SQUASHTV.
You can follow the event and buy tickets via the official tournament
website
here.
For wonderful hospitality packages contact Stacey Ross at The Wimbledon
Club on
director@twcsquash.co.uk.
For more information on the event follow
on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram
&
TikTok.
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Round 1
Wildcard Charlie Lee Scores Round One Upset As Optasia
Championships Gets Underway
Charlie Lee
Event wildcard and World No.58 Charlie Lee scored a superb victory on
day one of the Optasia Championships 2023 as he overturned a 38-place
ranking gap to defeat Germany’s Raphael Kandra to move into his first
Gold event second round.
After a poor start, Lee managed to shake away the nerves about
performing in front of many friends and family and started to string
together solid, positive rallies to ask serious questions of the German.
Lee clawed back a 7-1 deficit in game one to take the game 11-9 and
carry that momentum into the subsequent games
“It was good after the first six points. My best win, highest profile
win. It is just a nice reward for working hard, it was enjoyable, a good
performance,” Lee explained.
“It is not easy trying to ignore everyone before [the match]. It is not
often you get so many people you love all in one place but it is nice to
perform well in front of everyone. Hopefully I can talk to everyone, but
it is really nice to perform in front of everyone. I haven’t done it
before when I have had the opportunities.
“I have been working hard on it [mental side]. It is something that I
have always wanted to improve, and I am well aware there is no… Often
people think, you go and see an expert and there is something you do in
between points, but it is really just trying to implement things into
everyday life and I have been doing that with the help of a few people
in my team.”
Aside from Lee, the only other upset of the day came from Malaysia’s
Eain Yow Ng, who scored a win over England’s Patrick Rooney to join the
other higher ranked players in the second round.
The Optasia Championships continues tomorrow with top-half second round
action commencing from 17:00, live on
SQUASHTV.
You can follow the event and buy tickets via the official tournament
website
here
For wonderful hospitality packages contact Stacey Ross at The Wimbledon
Club on
director@twcsquash.co.uk.
For more information on the event follow
on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram
&
TikTok. |
Previews
Another Battle for World No.1 and Reigning Champ Returns
The Optasia Championships return today, when the first round of action
kicks off at the Wimbledon Club, London.
You can be there to see some of the world’s best players in action, with
tickets available to buy for the event here.
Headlining the draw are last year’s finalist, Egypt’s reigning World
Champion Ali Farag and Peruvian World No.2 Diego Elias, with the pair
seeded to repeat the thrilling final they played last year.
Current World No.5 Farag put in one of the all-time tough performances
at last year’s final when he battled through a pre-match injury to beat
Elias and lift the title, and will be hoping to be back to his best
following recurring injury issues this season.
Elias, meanwhile, will become the first South American to reach World
No.1 if he lifts the trophy this time and will be eager to avenge last
year’s final and bounce back from a last 16 exit in last week’s Canary
Wharf Classic.
England No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy
England No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy in action last week against defending
Optasia Champion Ali Farag
For the home fans, there are five British players to root for. Local
favourite Mohamed ElShorbagy leads the England contingent, with the
World No.3 seeded fourth in the draw and receiving a bye through to the
next round.
Providing ‘the Beast’ with extra motivation will be the knowledge that,
like Elias, an Optasia title would see him return to World No.1. With
World No.1 Asal suspended and World No.4 Paul Coll absent, ElShorbagy
will no doubt be hungry to get stuck in once he enters in the second
round.
Joining ElShorbagy are compatriots Patrick Rooney, Adrian Waller and
wildcard Charlie Lee, while Wales’ Joel Makin – who is back inside the
top 10 after reaching the final of the Canary Wharf Classic – and
Scotland’s World No.27 Greg Lobban also feature.
All of the action from the Optasia Championships will be shown live on
SQUASHTV
from 13:00 (GMT).
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Preview by Danny Lee: Event Organiser
There are only a few days to go before this year’s Optasia Championship
at The Wimbledon Club and once again the excitement is building for what
promises to be our most intriguing event yet.
Fittingly for SW19 , Wimbledon’s second biggest sports event is staged
on a tennis court , one covered in black carpet, with a bar, a TV
studio, a large grandstand, and an all glass squash court on it.
We know plenty of things already about the cast of characters who will
assemble just a stone’s throw from the All England Lawn Tennis Club Club
where tennis history is made year after year.
Mostapha Asal the wonder kid is world number 1 at the age of 21 and he’s
a “ marmite” character who divides opinion.
Mostafa is an amazing player and as promoter I hope he lets his squash
do the talking.
I haven’t seen him play live so I have no firm opinion on whether he’s
victim or aggressor. I know that he can really play and to have him
competing here is an enthralling prospect.
There are three pretenders literally breathing fire down Mostafa’s neck
and hoping to make Wimbledon history of their own.
Last year’s champion , the likeable, eloquent Egyptian Ali Farag happily
back from injury , himself no stranger to a softer type of controversy
as he drew global attention, with support for Palestine in his victory
speech which went viral. A top sportsman using his influence to sway
political opinion on human rights issues , whatever next ?!
Ali’s supreme movement and court craft make him a delight to watch and
he carries his World Champion status fittingly as one of squash’s finest
ambassadors.
Diego Elias, the best player to come out of South America, has shifted
his play up a level and is in a rich vein of form having, with Mohamed
El Shorbagy , participated in a free flowing squash extravaganza at the
Black Ball Championships, which restored the cognoscenti’s faith in our
beautiful, but recently tarnished, game. Diego inches ever closer to the
summit of the world squash rankings , jostling with Ali and Mohamed,
hoping to plant his Peruvian flag on the top.
Mohamed may have thought that his star was waning but wisely sought the
counsel of another recent world champion, Greg Gaultier. The partnership
has proved to be invigorating for Mohamed who has regained both his
passion for matches and his winning formula.
The Canary Wharf tournament which proceeds the Optasia will no doubt
also influence this enticing four horse race for the number one spot. A
race that looks set to run a while yet but as I write there’s just a
short head between the contenders.
The intrigue and suspense comes of course from what we don’t yet know
and such is the depth of the PSA world tour that there are a host of
characters, themselves masters of the game, who are lurking, ready to
pounce on just the slightest show of weakness from any of the glittering
top four.
Marwan El Shorbagy has the squash intelligence and pedigree to hijack
the ambitions of those even more loftily perched. He’s in fine form too
but has he quite got the physicality to win four brutal matches in
successive days ? Like his brother he is forging a strong pupil /coach
allegiance with an ex world champion , exquisite shot maker and Khan
conqueror Rodney Martin.
The mere mention of the word “physicality“ conjures up images of Joel
Makin’s brutal capacity to tolerate and absorb intense pressure.
Wimbledon club member and former World number 2 Peter Marshall now 51,
is rumoured to have fallen off a treadmill at the club recently.
Obviously wounded but shunning assistance “ Marsh” jumped back on and
pounded even harder!
Joel, in addition to his “Marshall like” hardness, has worked tirelessly
improving his attacking game and is now a match for what the very best
can throw at him.
A Harvard graduate like Ali Farag, Amanda Sohby and Gina Kennedy before
him Victor Crouin has quietly slipped up the rankings to a career high
of number 7. He won a couple of weeks ago in Washington and is another
man “en forme “ leading the charge of a talented French quartet of
sqwashbuckling musketeers breezing into town with the ghosts of their
racket wielding forbearers, Jean Borotra, René Lacoste, Henri Cochet and
Jacques Brugnon performing magic across the road on Centre Court a
century ago, watching over them.
Mazen Hesham has been a major highlight of previous Optasia ( Channel
VAS) tournaments. With shotmaking as flamboyant as his former
“corkscrew” hairstyle, Mazen captures the hearts of audiences worldwide.
He has the necessary grit too to take him to a potentially breakthrough
title win.
One of three World Champions and four World number 1’s in the draw Karim
Abdul Gawad , had the lines of pain etched on his cherubic features,
when he suffered an injury which kept him out of squash for eight months
, a period of convalescence and intense rehabilitation with only a 50%
chance of him returning to the big stage.
The fans flocking to Wimbledon will delight once again at his majestic
skills and if he can get past Raphael Kandra, a Wednesday encounter with
Mostafa really whets the appetite for a battle royale.
Tuesday’s first round which runs from 1pm until closing time , provides
the best value ticket in town at £20 for eight matches.
In addition to the aforementioned Gawad v Kandra clash at 6.30pm ,
locals will flock to watch the late blossoming talent of Surrey’s
Charlie Lee pitching his skills against Qatar’s entertaining Abdulla Al-Tamimi
at 7.30pm.
England’s Patrick Rooney who flies the home flag with Charlie and
Mohamed, clashes with former World Junior Champion Eain Yow Ng at
5.30pm. Two players that attempt to play everything should greatly
entertain.
We welcome another popular veteran of many epic Optasia matches Saurav
Ghosal who plays August Dussourd at 2pm who sneaked into the draw as a
late replacement.
Top Scot Greg Lobhan takes on Yousef Ibrahim, a shot maker, who stands
on the threshold of a breakthrough into the World’s top 10 and they
start the day’s proceedings at 1pm.
Last season’s surprise semi finalist Nicolas Mueller, who enjoyed the
vibe of being so close to where Swiss sporting history was made by Roger
Federer, is challenged by fellow countryman Dimitri Steinmann, who has
hurtled up the rankings this season, at 3pm.
Another Egyptian talent waiting patiently for a top ten spot is Youssef
Soliman who plays charismatic Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais at 4pm.
The evening session will be concluded at 8.30pm by French rivals
Gregoire Marche world number 15 and Baptiste Masotti who will be looking
to upset his higher ranked compatriot.
We have some extra treats in store for the fans as the mercurial talents
of ex world number 45 Robbie Temple are challenged by Wimbledon’s
assistant pro Jordan Warne on Saturday 25th March at 3pm prior to the
semi finals.
On Sunday 26th March at 3pm a Pro Squash Challenge featuring world
number 10 Gina Kennedy and World number 20 Jasmine Hutton proceeds the
final at 4.15pm.
This is no exhibition and Gina will be keen to keep the title which
helped her spring to prominence in 2021 with wins over Jasmine , Tesni
Evans and Sarah Jane Perry.
Sponsor Bassim Haidar ,who has been improving his own skills with
regular coaching , remains an ardent supporter of squash and the sport
owes him a great debt for his passionate involvement over seven seasons.
Bassim’s enthusiasm has been partly fuelled through witnessing numerous,
breathtaking Optasia battles and seeing the tournament grow into a major
sporting event which remains intimate whilst attaining magnitude and
prestige.
With an enlarged arena built to cope with increasing demand , tickets
and hospitality are still available. Make sure you get yours now from
optasiachampionshiptickets.com/
For wonderful hospitality packages contact Stacey Ross at The Wimbledon
Club on
director@twcsquash.co.uk.
Wimbledon and the squash world awaits the gladiators with stirred
anticipation.
For more information on the event, Where available see the
PSA Live Scores page, or follow
on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram
&
TikTok. Selected
PSA Tour Events will also be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
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PSA Preview
World’s Top Three To Head Up Star-Studded Optasia
Championships Draw
Ali Farag with 2022 Trophy
The Optasia Championships, PSA World Tour Gold event returns to the PSA
calendar next month, with a star-studded line-up featuring the top three
male players in the world set to battle it out for honours at the
Wimbledon Club between March 21-26.
World No.1 Mostafa Asal makes his debut at the Optasia Championships
this year and is due to face the winner of Germany’s Raphael Kandra or
former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad in round two after receiving a
bye in the opening round.
Meanwhile, World No.2 Ali Farag returns to Wimbledon as he bids to
retain his title. The reigning World Champion, who has been sidelined
since October due to injury, will take on the winner of the all-French
battle between Gregoire Marche and Baptiste Masotti in round two.
In-form World No.3 and last year’s runner-up Diego Elias will also
appear this year and although his record against the top two seeds isn’t
the best, having only won four matches against Asal and Farag in 26
attempts, the Peruvian looks to have stepped up his level in recent
months and is well and truly in the hunt for the World No.1 spot. After
receiving a bye in round one, he’ll take on the winner of Youssef
Soliman and Greg Lobban.
Diego Elias and Mostafa Asal on court during the final of
the Hong Kong Squash Open
The top two in the world (above), Mostafa Asal (right) and Diego Elias
(left) will be in action in London
Both ElShorbagy brothers are in the draw again for this year’s event as
the No.4 and No.5 seeds. Mohamed – who won the 2017 edition of this
event – will be looking to recapture the form of the first half of the
season which saw him capture four titles and move back up to the world’s
top three. Marwan has also been in fine form this season and has already
reached five finals, claiming one title.
He will be determined to build on his runner-up finish at the J.P Morgan
Tournament of Champions and make a charge towards the top five places in
the PSA World Rankings. Mohamed will face the winner of event wildcard
Charlie Lee and Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, whereas Marwan will play either
Switzerland’s Nicholas Mueller or Egypt’s Moustafa El Sirty in the last
16.
Fellow top 10 players Mazen Hesham, Fares Dessouky and Victor Crouin
also feature in the event and make up the top eight seeding positions.
Hesham reached the final of the recent Sturbridge Capital Motor City
Open after beating Dessouky in the semi-final.
France’s Crouin has been beaten in the quarter finals of his last four
events and is due to face top seed Mostafa Asal in the last eight in
Wimbledon, a highly anticipated contest due to the nature of their last
encounter and their comments about each other on social media, with Asal
labelling Crouin ‘jealous’ after the latter had criticised Asal’s
conduct on court.
All of the action from the Optasia Championships will be shown live on
SQUASHTV, while fans can purchase tickets to the event here.ith the
Optasia Championships trophy in 2022
For more information on the event, Where available see the
PSA Live Scores page, or follow
on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram
&
TikTok. Selected
PSA Tour Events will also be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
|
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