Pharaohs' curses and blessings

By Eman Abdel-Moeti

The glass court in its new spot on the Pyramids plateau Photo: Hossam Diab

For the thousands of spectators who have been following the nail-biting squash matches in the glass court at the foot of the Giza Pyramids, surprise has been the catch word.

For the Egyptian players, it is as if the curse of the Pharaohs has been turned on their opponents. The first and second rounds brought several upsets which seem to working in favour of Egypt's no. 1 player, Ahmed Barada, and the experienced Amir Wagih.

The first victim of the curse appears to have been Pakistani Jansher Khan, who pulled out at the last minute due to a groin injury. Khan's pull-out spared David Evans of Wales the agony of playing in the qualifications for the main draw. Evans made the best of the opportunity, defeating Simon Parke of England 3-1 in the first round. Parke, ranked no. 5 in the world, protested Nasser Zahran's refereeing, although he later admitted to Al-Ahram Weekly that Evans had played a better game. "I tend to do more work in my game than Evans, but I had been playing doubles the whole of last week in the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia, which tired me out," he said. "Evans beat me 3-2 in the Commonwealth Games, so I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But I hope I will bounce back to my position by the end of October after the US Open."

World No. 9, Australian Anthony Hill, also succumbed to the curse, losing 3-0 to Egypt's Wagih, ranked No. 20 in the world. The Egyptian, who beat Hill 15-12,17-16 and 15-7, could not, however, overcome another Australian, Byron Davis, losing 3-1 in the second round. Wagih won the first game 17-14 and almost took the second, which was tied at 16-16 before Davis won the last point. The Egyptian offered little resistance in the next two games.

But perhaps no player was hit by the Pharaohs' curse as hard as World no. 3, Canadian Jonathon Power. The winner of last month's Hong Kong Open and silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games pulled a hamstring during his first-round match against Stefan Castelyen of Belgium and was forced to retire in the third game. Castelyen was defeated by Australian Dan Jenson 3-1 in the second round.

With Power's premature elimination, Barada, no. 5 in the world rankings, should have no difficulty in reaching the final, if he beats World no. 3, Australian Rodney Eyles in the quarter-finals. Eyles, who was out of luck in the first two Al-Ahram Championships, this time round moved swiftly to the second round after beating John White of Scotland 3-0. He went on to beat Australian John Williams 3-2 in the second round.

This is the third time Eyles has been pitted against Barada in the quarter-finals of the Al-Ahram tournament. The Australian hopes that his pre-tournament exhibition match with Wagih will produce dividends. "I am glad I had a good game in the exhibition match," Eyles said. "My aim was to gain support from the crowd and show them good squash, which they appreciated regardless of the result."

Amir Wagih's only victory photo:Mohamed Mossad

Wagih won the match, but Eyles indeed won the hearts of many Egyptian spectators.

Among the biggest upsets of the preliminary rounds, was the 3-0 defeat of world no. 6 Alex Gough of Wales at the hands of world no. 33, Englishman Tim Garner.

If there was such a thing as a "best match" award, the meeting of Scotland's Peter Nicol and Egypt's Omar El-Brollossy would be a top contender. The world's top player and number 29 put up a spectacular performance that lasted for an hour and seven minutes. Unlike many others before them, both players raised no single objection with the refereeing in a match that should be dubbed the "Gentleman's Game."

Nicol eventually beat El-Brollossy 3-1 (15-12, 9-15, 15-11, 15-9). "I didn't expect it to be such a tough match," Nicol said after the match. "I was in control in the first game and I thought I could finish it off quickly, but then he stepped forward and put more strength and control. I had to push further."

For his part, El-Brollossy, who, due to academic engagements, had only played in the Singapore Open this year, said he was unlucky to be pitted against the world's top player in the first round. "But I thought I would give the game my best anyway," he said. "It was not only one of the best matches I've ever played, it was also the toughest. But I think I did well. I kept him on court for over an hour which tired him out. My standard and performance matched his until the last game."

Meanwhile, in the women's Heliopolis Open which ended on Sunday, Michelle Martin of Australia won the title after beating compatriot Liz Irving 3-1. Both went on to play in the Al-Ahram Women's International.

The Al-Ahram Championship, with a total of $175,000 in prize money, now attracts all the world's leading squash players. The men's and women's finals will be held on Friday.

Related:

Barrada win