NEW YORK TOC 2012 DRAMAS START IN 2ND ROUND: MARWAN EL SHORBAGY vs. TOM RICHARDS

The J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions has always been producing thrilling matches throughout its 16 year history. This year, already in the second round there were high quality games. For example between mighty Amr Shabana and the "Charlie Chaplin" of squash, speedy Miguel Angel Rodriguez, 3:2 (unfortunately too late for me to watch live but according to reports very entertaining). Or Mohamed El Shorbagy beeting Cameron Pilley with the same score. But the most noticeable one was Mohamed's younger brother, Marwan El Shorbagy against Tom Richards (they both feature in our up-and-coming players of 2011 post). Marwan came through the qualifications where he already had to beat good players (Martin Knight world #39 and Adrian Waller #59). Then in the first round he beats the legendary Boudhist Monk Tiger that is Thierry Lincou. Only a few months ago, Marwan lost to Lincou simply and quickly 3:0. Now he beats him 3:1 in 46 mins. Very impressing. Both the fact of beating Lincou and the speed of the learning curve. Then yesterday he has to play up-and-coming Tom Richards, fit and fresh from his quick and easy first round match against Max Lee. And it turned out to be a drama. Five games of high quality squash. First, just to Tom. Second to Marwan, with 9 consecutive points after being 2:4 down (the below video shows the last few rallies of that game, have a special look at the boast at 1:08, the cross drop nick at 1:39 and the kill into the nick at 1:57). Third again to Tom. Forth again to Marwan. At this stage the 18 year old ran already on empty, he seemed half-dead. And this is why it was so impressing: this young lad played so intelligently at this stage. He slowed it down with ultra high backhand drives, he kept it straight with quality for a while in each rally, just enough time to have a breather that allowed him to get to the balls once Richards decided to go short. And in the front little El Shorbagy is very inventive (without over-complicating the deception). I don't want to make this post too long, so I conclude here: I don't think Marwan has much left to resist Daryl Selby's steadiness in tonight's quarter final, but I do belive he has a very bright future in squash. If I said a few times that his older brother might succeed Karim Darwish (style-wise, in terms of how he hits the ball), then I might be tempted to say now that Marwan might become the successor of Amr Shabana (again, style-wise, in terms of shot-selection, playing intelligence). Anyway, some intriguing stories to come from the Egyptian brothers in the following years, am pretty convinced. Stay tuned!

 

CROSS DROP FLICK by MOHAMMED ABBAS

It's a shame, but after more than seventy posts in this squash video blog, this is just the first time to feature Mohammed Abbas. What a beautiful player he is though, such a fluent striker, hits the ball like 'knife on butter', has a deception second to none and reads the game so well... and still, never made it beyond world #13. I shall have maybe entitled this post "The greatest ever non-great players I.", and have opened a series about players hardly known by the masses due to the lack of great results and high rankings on PSA level, but highly appreciated by the fellow pros. The prototype of this 'type' could be Marcus Berrett; few know who he is, but just ask the kinds of Nick Matthew, Lee Beachill, Alex Gough, Ong Beng Hee, Stewart Boswell or many other pros who used to play him in Yorkshire, they will all confirm the great respect they have and tell you that it was pretty tough to get a game off him on his home-court.Getting back to the rally: they both tried to keep the ball as much as possible on the backhand side, avoiding completely to go short on the forehand side. Therefore it became a 'rhythm' rally, and it was exactly the applied rhythm that was broken at the right time by Abbas with this funny cross flick. If I have seen it right, even Palmer was expressing his appreciation with a brief clap.

FADING THE BALL INTO THE SIDE-WALL: GREGORY GAULTIER vs. JONATHON POWER

Here we have a nice example of the faded kill into the side-wall: Jonathon Power's serve bounces off loosish both the side- and the backwall, the ball is also high enough to hit it in a straight line downwards just above the tin, but the distance is too far to hit the ball with full pace, as as a consequence it would risk to rebounce farer off the frontwall and also higher off the ground (and make it easier to return for the opponent), therefore Gregory Gaultier is opting for the reduced-paced sliced kill fading it towards the sidewall. Interesting to observe how many times Power and Gaultier look to fade the ball into the sidewall with different kinds of shots, not only the kill. These two know maybe better than any other player that hitting the ball tight on this level is not enough, it also has to fade with the right speed and at the right spot into the sidewall.

THREE NICKS ON THREE DIFFERENT SHOTS IN A ROW: JULIEN ILLINGWORTH

After a couple of badly chosen cross-drops shown in this blog in the last couple of weeks, let's get back to a successful one, executed by Ramy Ashour. Nevertheless, I am above all referring to this rally for another special reason: Julian Illingworth managed to hit three nicks in a row with three different type of shots: the first at 0:12, a defensive slow-high boast from the right back corner - his only chance to stay alive was finding the nick; the second, at 0:14, an over-head volley smash into the front right-hand corner nick, and at last, at 0:17, a backhand drop into the nick - what a demonstration of exceptional skills, and still not enough to win the point against Ramy Ashour!

CROSS DROP VII. : AMR SHABANA

As we said earlier, the cross-drop is favoured in situations where you hardly get to the ball in the front and flip the wrist in the last second. On the other hand, when there is time to chose a shot (and also to your opponent to read/guess what you are going to do), then you will hold/retard your deceptive straight drop as long as possible, and again, flick the wrist in the last moment, as Amr Shabana does it here against James Willstrop below.

CROSS DROP VI. : GREGORY GAULTIER

It's interesting, basically it helps you to play the cross-drop if you are late on the ball, like it can be seen in this rally too between Gregory Gaultier and Karim Darwish.

CROSS DROP V. : KARIM DARWISH

Sorry people, another cross-court drop, this time by Karim Darwish. At the beginning of the rally there is a first attempt by Ramy Ashour from the right service box, it would have had to find the nick to make it a winner from that position, but it was still good enough to oblige his opponent to make a tough stretch to get to the ball. Darwish's cross drop, on the other hand, was tempted from much closer to the front-wall, therefore the ball arrived to the side-wall a lot quicker, so it doesn't even had to end perfectly in the nick to become a winner. Great shot.

CROSS DROP IV. : DARYL SELBY

My apologies, it must become boring slowly, I promise this is the last 'cross-court drop' post for a while. Here we have Daryl Selby against Laurens Jan Anjema at the semi-finals of the Dutch Open in 2009, first game. You don't have to watch the whole video, it wasn't an outstanding game (mainly Anjema looked like half asleep), just wind forward to 7:20 where Selby serves for the game at the score of 10:2 and watch a couple of times how Selby fakes the straight drop to then hit a mid-court cross drop. Nice one, but bear in mind: you should tempt this shot :1) only once, maximum twice in a match, 2) rather towards the end of the games (with your opponents legs already shakier) 3) rather at the end of a long rally that has had a couple of drives from your side (so that your opponent keeps expecting the straight shot). NO LET!

CROSS DROP III. : PETER BARKER

Peter Barker would be one of the last players to fool around with a 'stupid shot' like the cross-court drop. Funnily when there's no other option, even he can do it, straight into the nick! I can understand Gregory Gaultier did not want to believe it. Come on folks, next time you find yourself on court, everybody has to hit at least one like this in a match. NO LET!

CROSS DROP II. : RAMY ASHOUR

You must have a certain sense of superiority towards your opponent to play a cross-court drop into the nick. Ramy Ashour in general is a shot-maker, or better: almost a 'shot-painter', so beautiful (and sometimes surreal) are the lines that he is 'drawing' with the ball. And when he gets to play slightly lower ranked players like for instance Alister Walker, his level of relaxation and confidence gets to its natural peak, and then he creates those lines almost with insolence. NO LET!

CROSS DROP I. : JAMES WILLSTROP

Very few people play this shot, I wonder why, as it is pretty efficient once you deceive the straight drop and then flick the wrist at the last split of the second. Works also from the back, when the ball bounces far off the backwall. NO LET!

CANARY WHARF 2010 - MATTHEW vs. WILLSTROP: BEST EVER SQUASH MATCH?

Maestro Marcus Berrett (current captain of the Italian national squash team) says that the Matthew-Willstrop semifinal at the 2010 Canary Wharf was the greatest squash match he has ever seen. In my eyes it was for sure a dramatic, extremely tight match played at an outrageous rhythm coupled with outstanding precision, very accurate shot selection and above all, incredible retrieving and recovering; with constant changes of domination within one rally; the third set itself (20:18) could be used in schoolbooks to demonstrate how to remain focused and how to turn defence into offence through perfect movement patterns and timing. But: I was missing some creativity, some artistry (which maybe is asking too much at such rhythm and speed though). There was, for example, not a single cross-court drop shot from the back (one of Ramy's trademark shots); there was not a single low cross-court kill into the nick from the back (the way Shabana or Gaultier do it frequently); if I was counting right, there were altogether 2 service returns into the nick (Shabana, Ramy and Darwish play 2-3 per game in average, basically at any loose service); the volley drops (the ones where you look to take off the pace of the shot with an extreme soft touch) in general were maybe a fraction less gentle compared to David Palmer's. I am talking obviously about things that make the game spectacular, enjoyable even for the outsiders. Don't take me wrong, of course Matthew and Willstrop are both a world class act and it was definitely a match with a lots of initiatives to go short (no other way to be a top5 player today), but still, all in all, I missed the above mentioned variations a bit - even if the rally below in the video contradicts me (one of the very few cross drops from the front in the match). So this is why I do not agree totally to call it the greatest ever squash match; I would though agree to call it the greatest ever squash battle, because it was so incredibly fast and physical, and still so precise and accurate. YES LET!