2012 CANARY WHARF SQUASH CLASSIC IS COMING: 19-23 MARCH

I personally believe that next to the Tournament of Champions at Grand Central Station New York, the Canary Wharf Classic in London provides  the best overall settings on the tour. First of all, you have a full house from the very beginning (so different to most other main tournaments), secondly, the viewers area is set up close (very close) to the glass court; players visibly enjoy this and it creates a great atmosphere also for television coverages. Thirdly, the VIP gallery provides a fantastic, almost bird-view perspective to the lucky-ones (am afraid tickets are already sold out for this area). And not at last, the whole event is so smoothly organized by deeply engaged squash professionals (Peter Nicol, Tim Garner, Alan Thatcher just to mention the main ones). Now to the history. Probably the most remembered match of the tournament is the famous semi-final between Matthew and Willstrop, but I would like to remind you another one. One, that in my eyes is probably even bigger (maybe also for personal reasons, as I was there in the first row, and it was my first time to see a squash tournament, in fact I received the ticket as a birthday present). I am talking about the 2007 final between Willstrop and John White. Beyond the personal things, I continue believing that this match must have been one of the all time greatest. I was a total beginner at that time, but it was this match that showed me that squash can be played in hilarious ways, using all four corners and that if you want, there is a way to avoid interference almost completely (and you know that these two are really big blocks). If you are in a hurry you can wind forward to 0:35 where the rallies start, it is the third game of the match at one each. All the rallies shown are hilarious, but please don't not miss in any circumstance those at 3:1 (1:00) and at 8:4 to White (4:05), both examples of "four-corner-squash" at its maximum. The one at 8:4 was also crucial as it would have brought White to 9:4 and if he hadn't wasted that much energy to grab that game (13:11) I think he would have had a good chance to win the match (remind you he has had at that stage of the tournament already three five gamers behind him, and the one against Thierry Lincou in the semi-finals was a classic for itself). Anyway, if you couldn't get yourself a ticket, you can still follow the event live with squashtv. And I will come back soon with the conclusion of the below Willstrop-White match. 

WATCH OUT FOR THIS BOY: MOHAMED ABOUELGHAR

Okay, here we have a few players I haven't had the opportunity to talk about yet. First on is flying Tarek Momen against Mohamed Abouelghar. I have already expressed a few times my admiration towards Tarek Momen (however, soon the results will have to be more consistent, otherwise he could become one of the greatest talents ever not to really make it. Let's hope he proves his points this year). His opponent, 19 year old Mohamed Abouelghar (in red shirt), is another stellar prodigy from Cairo. Watch his shots, hardly any back- and afterswing, his court coverage (both with the foot - to defend - and the eye - to attack!), so smooth and compact that I can't help but thinking of a certain Amr Shabana. By the way when I had the luck to bump into Abouelghar in the Queens Club in January he confirmed me that he mostly trains with Shabana form the big guns. And on top of all, he's got also what this highlight can not show: mental discipline. If this guy will not waste his talent in some way, then watch out for interesting things to happen. Next match is between good old Olli Tuominen - you probably remember our praise of him - against the biggest block on the tour, Omaar Mosaad (in black). It must be a nightmare to be on court with Mosaad unless you are a lot better or a lot smaller to get around him under his armpit. Mosaad is still young (24) and he's been in the top20 for nearly two years, I am curious to see how far he could go. He is probably the hardest hitter on the tour, he's got also great touch and is moving the court around pretty decently for being slightly oversize for this sport. Anything can happen yet with him, however the next two years will show if we shall whether expect him in the top5 or rather top10. Next on, I don't have to introduce Hisham Ashour (in red shirt), last month he achieved carrier high world #11 (grrr, still no top10!) Unfortunately Hisham seems to have gained some extra weight again, you can see it so clearly with him as not only does his upper body become really big, but also his movement becomes totally different compared to his slim times. His opponent, Mohd Ali Anwar Reda, another Egyptian youngster in the top30, is a highly skilled player, but I have seen a few times lack of mental strength in his matches. Last up is Amr Shabana against Cameron Pilley. Pilley (in blue shirt) is another famous hard hitter (you know what he did to his brother, don't you) and a very relaxed guy too. Why hasn't he achieved top10 so far? He probably lacks exactly that tiger-kind concentration that the really big ones have (and that Abouelghar seems to have too!)

WEEKEND BAGATELLE XVI.: LET THE GOOD OLD TIMES ROLL - 2003 TOC HIGHLIGHTS

Probably many of you have already seen this video, as it has over 135.000 views on youtube. But TOC videos are always fun and there are a few things to observe. The first three rallies feature three great Australian players and it is interesting to observe the differences in their movement; John White has always been famous for hardly bending his bust, and not even much his knees when hitting the ball. In opposition, observe the extreme asymmetric bending that Anthony Ricketts is investing in almost all of his shots (and savor that beautifully ponded deep forehand dying volley that made him win the rally against Peter Nicol at 1:47). Bending-wise in between the previous two is David Palmer, who prefers keeping a relatively upright bust position countering it with well bended knees as he hits the ball. Jonathon Power is again someone who does not bend much the upper body if not necessary whilst Thierry Lincou engages his upper body almost as much as Ricketts. Lincou's seemingly rigid, square composure comes best to light in the last rally against Peter Nicol, who is more fluid and bouncy (and who generates hilarious racket-head speed due to an interesting extra-squeeze in his backswing). It's a great contrast to watch. And I also loved how Alan Thatcher, the commentator, expresses sincere amazement after the end of the last rally. Great rally also between the two ladies. To cut it short, great little compilation for the weekend.

EGYPTIAN BLITZKRIEG: AMR SHABANA vs. HISHAM ASHOUR

Even though it doesn't look like it, this video shows the highlights of a $50.000 tournament final (the 2012 Comfort Inn Open, back in January). Played on a traditional cement-wall court it gives you an idea how these guys might train back in their home clubs in Cairo; because indeed it looks - not like an exhibition - but rather like a well-spirited training-match, very fair, but without any deliberate and funny feedings, they just go for it, and it looks to me that the audacious geometrical solutions make them win more points than lose. I am personally a fan of the patient, steady, "up-and-down the wall squash", but when I see a highlight-compilation like this, it projects somehow a wider smile on my face. Thank you Shabana and Hisham for having had spent all those times alone on the court experiencing the angles! May the God of geometry be with you for long.

THE SCRAPE-OFF DROP: NICK MATTHEW vs. RAMY ASHOUR

If you have been following and reading this blog for a while, you will for sure have noticed that the author is a firm believer of the compact backswing. In squash you have often little time and a contained amount of free space to execute your shot. Hence the need of a reduced backswing. In fact, I have understood last week, with the return to action of Ramy Ashour at the North American Open, in what his technique is really different to the rest of the field; he has a pretty flowing swing when time and space allow it, but he is the only player to use on a constant base the "no-swing at all". If you hit a loose cross-court kill, most players will still raise their racket to prepare for their shot with a decent backswing; Ramy in opposition will not raise his racket at all, he will just block your shot at his feet, basically hardly moving his racket (no backswing/no swing). Unfortunately there is no video available about his 2012  NAO matches on youtube (except the final where Willstrop neutralized him as nobody ever before), therefore I have picked an old match where his opponent, Nick Matthew demonstrates the no-backswing drop-shot twice: first at 0:29 and lastly at the winning counter-drop at 0:47 in the replay. It's not exactly the one that Ramy does, as he does it mostly to reply to kills, whereas the below two examples show counter-drops whit basically no time even to try to execute a decent traditional backswing. But still, it's two great examples how to get under the ball when you have to go for the "scrape-off" counter-drop: on both sides it's a minimal reverse slice that Matthew employs to navigate the ball just over the tin.

SO WHO ARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGLISH SQUASH?

I have mentioned recently a few Egyptian youngsters who I believe will constitute the new big generation once Shabana and Darwish are retired. Ramy Ashour is part of both generations as already confirmed as one of the best players ever and still young in age (24), Mohamed El Shorbagy is also a confirmed top player notwithstanding his young age (22) with the potential of becoming in the future world #1. His younger brother Marwan (18) shows incredible qualities too and I believe that Karim Abdel Gawad and Mohamed Abouelghar will both make the top10 if not better in the future. But who will come after the current big English generation? There is Tom Richards coming up the rankings but he's not that young anymore (25) and I rather doubt in his abilities of becoming a top5 player (I however expect him in the top10 sooner or later). Chris Simpson shows recently improvement, but the real breakthrough has not happened yet. One of my personal picks would be Eddie Charlton, each time I see him playing in the flesh I feel like he's got the thing, both classy technique and a daring constructive mindset, but then when I check his rankings I keep seeing him stuck around the top90. So the most promising youngsters must be the two who we see in the below rally, Adrian Waller against Olivier Pett. For being the last rally of a championship, they both show impressive quality and commitment. Waller has beaten Olli Tuominen in the 2010 TOC but couldn't come up with any other big win ever since. Olivier Pett might still be lacking a big win to his name (Ong Beng Hee was sick a few weeks ago when Pett beat him in Chicago) but he starts to beat better ranked players regularly and climbs up the rankings massively. I have seen him playing for the first time two days ago against Gregory Gaultier at the 2012 North American Open, and I was very impressed with his performance. Gaultier can easily make someone look ridicules on court - he has both the ability and tendency of playing cat and mouse with weaker opponents, as he did with Tom Richards at the 2012 Case Swedish Open for example - but Olivier did not look ridicules for a second. I also believe that Pett has the right coach in the person of Tim Vail who is probably one of the most talented players ever to have missed a pro carrier. So, to make it short, my current pick for a bright future is Olivier Pett. We'll see. 

WEEKEND BAGATELLE XV.: FURIOUS, PLAYFUL, CREATIVE AND FAIR

Well, it's Saturday, and normally time for some short and strange bagatelle. However, as Ramy Ashour has been off for so long and as he might return to action in a few days time at the 2012 North American Open (from 20 February live on Squash TV), the below video is just a quick reminder what might await us if he has - this time finally - really recovered from his hamstring injury. Furious, playful, creative and fair. The best thing that could ever have happened to squash:

ABOUT THE AFTERSWING: KARIM DARWISH vs. DARYL SELBY

This is an excellent camera angle to observe the so called follow-through or after-swing. Mostly coaches tell you to continue to draw your line with the racket and finish your swing high in front of you. If you watch Karim Darwish, you'll notice that he is rather doing the opposite : he cuts his follow-through and ends it short and low (except at 0:12 where he is looking to hit a hard straight backhand drive off a lowish ball from the back). To me this short and low version makes sense: most of the times your opponent will be near around you (without creating a 'Stroke' situation) and if you are able to reduce both your back- and after-swing, then you'll be able to prepare your shots rightly in many situations where players with higher/bigger swings will struggle. 

PEAKING AND NON PEAKING

Joey Barrington said whilst commentating the final of the 2012 Case Swedish Open that we are experiencing a specially intriguing period in squash as all the top players are peaking at the same time. Unfortunately this is not totally the case. Nick Matthew and James Willstrop might be better than ever, Gregory Gaultier seems to achieve or probably even exceed his own 2008 level, but you can't say that Amr Shabana is peaking; he was outstanding at the PSA World Series Finals in the Queens Club, but his results in the past 6 months are way to fluctuating for a former 33 months-long world #1. Karim Darwish is stellar years away from his 2008-2010 peak period (a good sample to demonstrate this is the video below, showing him somewhat slow and conservative); in that 2 year span he beat everybody outside the top6 mostly within half an hour and beat regularly all the other top guys (except maybe Willstrop, his dark horse, but they have hardly met those years). And what to say about Ramy Ashour? Is he peaking now? Unfortunately not, he is hassling with his injuries more than ever. However it is true, whilst he has been healthy, he was peaking indeed; many talk about how Nick Matthew dominates James Willstrop (13:0 since the 2009 British Open) but few have realized that in fact Ramy has had a 10:0 record against Gaultier from the 2009 Sky Open until the 2011 PSA World Open when Ramy had to retire due to injury. So my point is, to see who is really peaking these days, we first should see Ramy come back in full shape to the tour and then see if all the other top guys can invent anything against him. I am sure, they will be keen to do so. 

THE IDEAL SQUASH COURT SET UP: WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS / PADERBORN

Squash starts to show well on television as we could see it - latest - at the PSA World Series Finals in the Queens Club in London. Unfortunately, not all the main events are set up that well. The two biggest issues in general are: usage of colors and set up of viewers areas. Concerning colors, I've been saying it for long, the court colors need to be dark in order to see the tiny white ball well. It also makes the matches more spectacular, more dramatic. In Queens we were very close to the perfect color set-up, but the floor was still too light. The other thing is that the sidewall viewers area is often either totally absent or too far away. When you watch the event on a screen, it just makes a difference if you see crowds clapping and cheering in the picture like at the Tournament of Champions in New York or at the Canary Wharf Classic in London or if you see an empty hall like in most other tournaments. Even in Queens the sidewall viewer area was just too far away to enter into the picture. It's also not good for the commercial aspect; imagine a soccer live transmission without crowds. The below video is from Paderborn/Germany showing the last two rallies of the final of 2011 World Team Championships won by Egypt against England (Karim Darwish beating James Willstrop in the deciding match, Darwish's last noticeable win for over a year now). Colors are way too light, mostly the floor, but the spectator area is huge and nicely close to the court. It is a mutual thing - people being closer to the action get more excited and players feeling the crowds so near get more tuned up as well. And it shows great on the screen, transmitting a real social vibe and not just two men chasing a ball in a cage (as detractors happen to talk about it...) 

I would suggest that PSA creates a color-code and a viewer area set up-code for the tournament organizers. I know, what counts most, is the quality of squash, but believe me, how it is served counts a lot as well.

NOTES ON A ONE-SIDED RIVALRY: NICK MATTHEW vs. JAMES WILLSTROP

  It all started at the 2009 British Open. Nick Matthew and James Willstrop met in the final that ended 12:10 to Matthew in the fifth; the two players exchanged some heavy words, Matthew for example asking Willstrop if he had been taught how to block by Malcolm (James' coach/father). 

  Before that match Willstrop had his fair share of wins, ever since he hasn't won a single one of their 12 PSA meetings up to date (the last one at the 2012 TOC Final, as video below). There was one occasion when he got close - one that will surely be remembered for long, some calling it even the greatest match ever - a two-hour five-game semi final at the 2010 Canary Wharf Classic. All the others were rather one sided, at least result-wise for sure. 

  It is rather unusual to have such a head-to-head between two top (very top) players. It must be a mental thing (related to that 2009 BO Final), as we can't say that Matthew would have progressed so much more than Willstrop himself in the last times; in this three-year span Willstrop has beaten several times everybody else (Ramy, Gaultier, Shabana and Darwish) and Matthew has lost a couple of times to players (Peter Barker, Daryl Selby) against whom James keeps winning rather easily and has never lost to (non considering his sole loss to Barker when he was visibly injured, 2011 CW). But it is also a tactical thing. 

  I just can't understand that after all those losses how come Willstrop keeps playing the same way against Matthew, how come he doesn't try to slow down the pace in a radical manner? He keeps hitting the ball mostly hard from the back, and as soon as they are slightly loose, the 'wolf' volleys them; and as the ball was hit hard, James doesn't accord himself to get back to the 'T' in time. Even Ramy Ashour - the only man who can play at an even higher pace than Matthew - employs regularly slow/high balls to break Matthew's rhythm (and vice versa Matthew doing the same to Ramy).

  Another note on the rivalry is that their matches - notwithstanding their personal conflict and the very high standard of squash - do not generate real enthusiasm in the public. As long as commenting/chat was enabled on squashtv, I've seen so many people mocking about "robot 1 having stronger batteries than robot 2..." This is not exactly my point, but fact is that Ramy, Shabana, or Gaultier (even paired with any of the two English men) induct way more emotions and positive reactions from the crowd.

  Last note, regarding the relative high number of 'Lets' that occur in their games; Matthew and some others pretend that Willstrop is slow to clear the ball. I think this does not reflect the truth. James has the best hold in the business; if the opponent plays anything loose James will hold his volley and only execute his shot when the other guy has already committed in a way or in another. Hence most players are so clearly wrong-footed, that even if they bump into Willstrop, they are most likely to receive a 'No Let'. 

  The problem is, that Matthew, on the other hand, can not be wrong-footed easily. Even if he commits as anybody else when James holds his shot, he is so strong and quick to recover and change direction (and subsequently, to bump into Willstrop at times) that he gets his 'Lets' from the referees - am not saying unrightly, am just saying that the interference is not created by Willstrop, but by the player who intercepts the wrong way in these cases. 

  Anyway, it's a complicated story between these two, and as long as Willstrop doesn't change his tactics radically, it will remain somewhat robotic for us, and somewhat painful for him.