[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) 3-0 [8] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 11-8, 6-2 rtd (30m)
Fram’s Thoughts in the morning
After that crazy, surreal night, it was past midnight when we stepped on the bus, and by the time I got to writing the last match report, it was 2 pm. It was better for all concerned; I slept on it.
That’s a match I didn’t want to see played on the traditional court. The spectators/coaches were so close to the back wall, adding to the claustrophobic feeling of the circumstances. But when I saw James Willstrop in the stands, I knew that it was going to be ok… the little I knew…
In the 11 first points, 7 strokes were given, 12 decisions overall. That gives you the way it started. Overall, 17 decisions in game one.
Trying to stick to “the directives”, Roy Gingell, the Man in Charge, and who was already in charge of the Tarek/Fares match that ended with a game/match conduct, was trying to reduce the “time wasting” he considered Mostafa was creating. The directives should let the players breath and live just a bit, only saying. Mostafa was officially conduct warned on 6/5 for that reason.
7/5 Mostafa, it’s now Mohamed’s turn to be conduct warned for dissent “I can’t let you dictate the play”.
9/5. A gentleman next to me – who happens to be Egypt No1 fan and a good friend of the Asal family – says something to Mohamed (apparently, he said shut up, according to Mostafa in his aftermatch interview). Mohamed didn’t like that and replied in Arabic.
10/5, game ball for Mostafa. The squash is played at 200m/h, hitting hard and barely touching the backwall. 2 tins from the Egyptian.
Roy at that point “any bad movement, every call will be a stroke, no more tolerance, let’s play squash”.
10/7 game ball saved with a lovely redrop from Mohamed, but he can’t save the last one, he dives trying to get to the ball, but a no let is given, 11/8.
I can hear Mohamed who is raging in the court next door, in English, “I don’t care, I have already achieved everything in the sport”.
The second game sees Mostafa with the same momentum, 3/0. Mohamed finds a winner, and goes, “come on, come on” trying to get back on top.
1-3
During the next rally, he finds himself on the floor. “I stand on the ball” Mostafa admits in his post-match interview, “but I didn’t do anything, and Roy didn’t penalise me, I didn’t do anything”.
As Mostafa goes to help Mohamed up, the Englishman goes “LEAVE ME ALONE”.
In comes Roy again, “Mr Shorbagy, I cannot have you shout and react the way you just did. It’s conduct stroke against you, and please calm down, as you are in grave danger of not finishing this match”.
When he realises that he is the one getting penalised, Mohamed is not the happiest person on the planet.
We finally get back to playing, Mostafa wins the next point but as he passes close to Mohamed, he says something in Arabic to Mohamed, who of course, gets the ref involved immediately, “conduct stroke against Mr Asal”.
“I only said “Respect yourself and respect me,” confesses Mostafa in his postmatch interview.
“I will send the two of you out,” states the ref to close matters at that point.
We are now 2/4.
There is a brief instant when Mohamed stops and looks at the crowd, which is encouraging his opponent. Something in his head clicks, and he seems to shake his head. Then he shakes Mostafa’s hand, conceding the match. Only to realise it’s not the way to finish the match, and he comes back to ask Roy if he can have 3 minutes to see the physio, as there is something wrong with his hamstring.
Roy, who I feel wants to be anywhere else than here, accepts.
After a few minutes of treatment, Mohamed returns and shakes his opponent’s hand for the second time, this time for good.
As I said to the kids watching the match, “guys, this is not squash. Whatever this is, it’s not squash. DO NOT IMITATE WHAT YOU JUST SAW.” And the kids, I hope, will listen.
PSA report
In a bad-tempered conclusion to the last match of the quarter-finals, Egyptian No.3 seed Mostafa Asal moved through to the semi-finals after England’s No.8 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy retired hurt in game two.
In a first game interrupted by decisions and arguments, Asal moved into the lead with an 11-8 win.
Emotions threatened to boil over in game two, with both players handed conduct strokes: ElShorbagy for his reaction to what he perceived to be dangerous play from Asal and Asal for his reaction after winning a hotly contested point against ElShorbagy.
With the score at 6-2 to Asal in game two, there was confusion when ElShorbagy appeared to shake hands with Asal, later clarifying that he was leaving the court to seek physio treatment.
After returning from treatment, the players shook hands again, with the a recurrence of an previous hamstring injury preventing ElShorbagy from continuing.
Mohamed: My only comment is ‘what a disaster of a day’. This is the first tournament of the season, what a disaster of a day.
Mostafa: “It’s an absolute shame it’s going that way at the moment. I didn’t like it at all and I don’t want to win like this.
“Last year, I improved a lot and am playing simple squash, but then it gets intense with Mohamed. I don’t think Mohamed was in good order today, there were lots of things happening, exchanging words.
“I responded like ‘come one!’ but I’m always respectful, always trying to say with respect. I didn’t, like when I got the conduct stroke or something, I screamed, I finished the shot and he was into my face.
“Respect yourself [is what I said to Mohamed] and respect me. This is what I said, and then the exchange that was said.
“When someone exchanges words or does not say anything to you, not responding when I’m saying ‘sorry’ or something about a shot, and he’s not responding, and the show continues.
“This was absolutely not [the old Mostafa]. I didn’t even… even when he fell, I absolutely did nothing. I’m trying to be calm as much as I can. I have proved last season I was very very calm.
There was one shot, I stood on it, but I didn’t even block, I stood on it and Roy [Gingell, match referee] didn’t even give a penalty. He said a little bit, but I would not go to the old Mostafa because I didn’t do anything. I played pure squash and it was really great exchanges but then he suddenly…
“Actually, a second father of mine was there. He’s a big doctor and a big guy, and he said to him, ‘Shut up, shut up’.
I don’t know what happened today, where Mohamed was outside the game or something like this, but I don’t think this would have happened if we were playing on the glass court. But it is what it is. That’s it.
