[11] Victor Crouin (FRA) 3-1 [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (ENG) 11-8, 13-15, 11-6, 11-8 (60m)
Thanks to SquashInfo for the stats, as usual
Victor wasn’t the favourite for that one, especially in Egypt. But I was surprised how little the crowd was for the match, only three supporters for Marwan, and that included his coach, Ahmed Effat.
Every time I see Marwan play, I am amazed by the accuracy of his squash, how well he reads the game and how clever he is with the mental side of squash, how incredibly clever how or when he talks to the other player, the ref, himself. It’s a lesson every time, and players should study him, I feel.
The games are not that long, strangely enough, on the traditional court, it can last a bit longer than on the glass. The pace was ridiculously high, but the rallies, except for a few, were pretty short and intense to the four corners. The retrieving was impressive as well, and Marwan managed some beautiful holds as well.
First game is close the whole way, up to 8/8, but the Frenchman closes it 11/8 in 15m.
The second is probably where Marwan wasted the most energy, both mental – chatting a lot – and physical. He saved 3 game balls, he offered two tins to his opponent at 9/8, 10/9, and finally clinches it 15/13. 16m game, very high quality, hardly any errors from either.
The third starts with two strokes against the Egyptian, 2/0, then 3/3, 5/5, 6/6. Marwan looks tired at that point, a very tired unforced error. He won’t score another point in the game, 11/6 Victor, 11m.
The last game is closer the whole way, but with the Frenchman just a couple of points ahead, up to 6/6, 7/7. A big vocal push from the Dad, Manu at that point, ‘allez, c’est maintenant”, “it’s now”, seems to work. 10/7 match ball, saved by a stunning winner but Marwan cannot saved the next one, 11/8 in 12m.
Victor
“I have played Marwan so many times now, I know what to do – but sometimes you get on court and you get chopped by Marwan when he’s really on top form.
Sometimes you get on court and it’s a bit more balanced, and if you somehow crank something in the head, then you can have a shot at him, but sometimes he’s just flawless, so it’s just trying to break his rhythm, because he’s playing at such a fast pace. He’s such an accurate player in particular in the back corners.
“I had my strategy, but it’s never easy for me to stick to it. Definitely helped me to have my dad in my corner, just to make sure I had the strategy in place, and he could repeat it in between games and do adjustments to change my strategy if needed. Super happy to go through.
The goal is top 8 for the near future. So reaching top 10 is a good step but I don’t want to stop there. There is a big opportunity to make it to the semis, or even further.
I’ve been waiting for so long to compete in the event, since Tuesday, because of Baptiste injury. So I just wanted to go out there and do something good in terms of squash, and getting to the Pyramids is huge.
Last time I made it there was in 2019, I was still a boy! I am super happy to get there, and it’s one of the things my father really wanted to do. And now, I’m going to be able to play on there, with him in my corner, it’s going to be a great moment, and I’m looking forward to a big battle.
