TAREK MOMEN TOPPLES SIMON ROSNER IN GREAT BATTLE

Quarters: Egypt's Reda vs Pakistan's Atlas Khan . Photo 2006 © e-pics.

Egypt’s Tarek Momen held his nerve to topple German fourth seed Simon Rosner in a rousing quarterfinal at the 14th Prince world junior men’s squash championships on the all-glass court at the Arena Manawatu Stadium.

Rosner’s fighting qualities were evident, and he was close to forcing the match to a fifth game till a couple of shots in to the tin near the end of the fourth ruined it all. When Momen cut a back hand winner in to the sidewall nick it left Roser outstretched on court after a fruitless attempt to keep the rally going, and a loser 9-4 10-8 7-9 10-9 in 83 minutes.

It was comfortably the most exacting of the four quarterfinals, and it left three Egyptians, defending champion and top seed Ramy Asshour, Omar Mossad Abozeid and Momen, and lone Pakistani Aamir Atlas Khan in the semifinals.

The reward for Momen, a five to eight seeding, was a semifinal against the irrepressible Ashour, his training partner, and the third seeded Abozid will be pitted against No. 2 seed Atlas Khan.

Ashour had his first serious match of the tournament, having to stay on court for 42 minutes to subdue Pakistani five to eight seeding Farhan Mehboob 9-3 10-8 9-2. They produced some of the most breathtaking squash seen in New Zealand, and it took all of Ashour’s flair, racket skills, and court savy to snuff out Mehboob.

Twice Mehboob served for the second game, at 8-5 and 8-6, and it was then that Ashbour produced the class that has taken him to No. 20 on the world senior men’s rankings. It left the little, left-handed Mehboob throwing up his arms in exasperation, and though he continued to fight in the third game by now the coltish Ashbour was firmly in control.
Momen, like Ashbour aged 18, does not appear likely to challenge Ashbour in the semifinals. In his own words the first year electronic engineering university student “never beats Ramy”, and judging by his display against Mehboob he is in no mood to be sidetracked from his mission to be the first player to win successive world junior men’s titles.

Quarters: Butt vs Mossad. Photo 2006 © e-pics.

Ashour said he knew Mehboob was quite confident against him by his relaxed attitude on court, which included “smacking balls in to the nick off my serve”.

“Farhan came out firing in the second, and he made me work for it,” Ashour said.
The Pakistanis and Egyptians have been favouring beanie hats in a bid to combat the chilly weather but as Atlas Khan and Momen said they liked the cold court conditions, which enhanced their shotmaking.

Momen repeatedly wrong-footed the tall, heavier Roser in winning the first game of their match, and raced to a 5-0 advantage in the second before Roser started to exhibit the skill that this year won him the European under-19 title.

He had game ball at 8-7 before rattling the tin with a backhand shot. It allowed Momen sufficient breathing space to win it 10-8 for a commanding two game lead.

Undaunted Rosner swept ahead 7-2 in the third, and it was Momen’s turn to look unsure before recovering to level at 7-7, and it was only a mishit forehand that allowed Rosner to win the third 9-7.

Rosner appeared to lose his way a little in the fourth, being too often inclined to go for shots instead of being patient. It allowed Momen to have matchball at 8-6, but Rosner hit a backhand winner while sprawled on the court to make it 8-8, and he hasd game ball at 9-8 when he received a stroke.

It was simply not enough tough as Momen won 10-9 with his second match ball.
The German coach, former Londoner Barry Dodson, said those two tin shots late in the fourth game cost Rosner the match.

“You just can’t afford to play that number of tin shots at such a vital time,” Dodson said. “At that stage of a match you don’t hit points, you create mistakes. At times Simon was unsure how he should be playing.

Abozeid took 47 minutes to head of five to eight seed Yasir Ali Butt 9-4 9-4 10-8 in another semifinal. For much of the time the towering Abozeid was largely unfazed as he steamed through the first two games before the tall, wiry Butt started to ecercise some dominance.
The victor went walkabout for a while in the third as he trailed 7-4 before shaking himself from his lethargy to win it 10-8 with his second match ball.

Atlas Khan was confident of his prospects against Abozeid in the semifinals after disposing of a sluggish Mohamed Reda, of Egypt, a fifth to eight seed, the remaining quarterfinal 9-2 9-4 9-2 in 36 minutes.

“Omar’s not as fit as me, no one’s as fit as me in juniors, and he’s weak at the front of the court,” the 15-year-old Khan said. “I beat him 3-1 in the first round of the world juniors in 2004.

“I like the slow court, it suits me.

Quarters: Egypt's Reda vs Pakistan's Atlas Khan . Photo 2006 © e-pics.

 

14th World Jr Mens Championships, Results, Quarterfinals:
Championship Quarter Finals
Ramy Ashour [1] (EGY) beat Farhan Mehboob [5/8] (PAK)    9/3 10/8 9/2 [42mins]
Tarek Momen [5/8] (EGY) beat Simon Rösner [4] (GER)    9/4 10/8 7/9 10/9 [83mins]
Omar Mossad [3] (EGY) beat Yasir Butt [5/8] (PAK)    9/4 9/4 10/8 [47mins]
Aamir Atlas Khan [2] (PAK) beat Mohd Ali Anwar Reda [5/8] (EGY)    9/2 9/4 9/2 [36mins]
 
Classic Plate Quarter Finals
Chris Tasker-Grindley(ENG) beat David Canner(USA)    9/3 9/3 9/7 [30mins]
Richard Colburn(RSA) beat Bastiaan Meulenbelt(NED)    9/3 9/4 9/3 [37mins]
Omar Tarek Mahm Aly(EGY) beat Muhd Asyraf Azan [9/16] (MAS)    9/2 9/0 7/9 9/4 [38mins]
Max Lee [9/16] (HKG) beat Trevor McGuinness [17/32] (USA)    9/4 1/9 7/9 9/6 9/3 [57mins]
 
Classic Plate Round 2
Chris Tasker-Grindley(ENG) beat Vikram Malhotra(IND)    9/2 9/2 9/3 [27mins]
David Canner(USA) beat Matthew Nation(NZL)    8/10 10/9 9/1 9/4 [43mins]
Richard Colburn(RSA) beat Benjamin Fischer(SUI)    10/8 9/4 9/0 [35mins]
Bastiaan Meulenbelt(NED) beat Byron Peehi-Floyd(NZL)    9/3 8/9 9/0 9/1 [35mins]
Omar Tarek Mahm Aly(EGY) beat Florian Silbernagl(GER)    9/1 9/4 9/5 [20mins]
Muhd Asyraf Azan [9/16] (MAS) beat Naresh Kumar(IND)    5/9 9/6 9/6 5/9 9/3 [65mins]
Trevor McGuinness [17/32] (USA) beat Yuuta Fukui(JPN)    9/4 9/3 9/3 [18mins]
Max Lee [9/16] (HKG) beat Matt Reece [17/32] (AUS)    10/8 9/5 8/10 10/8 [59mins]
 
Plate Quarter Finals
Zac Alexander(AUS) beat Manek Mathur(IND)    9/4 9/5 9/4 [36mins]
Alex Ingham(ENG) beat Tim Cowell(AUS)    9/0 9/2 9/3 [22mins]
Mark Froot(USA) beat Wian Louwrens(RSA)    9/3 9/1 6/9 6/9 9/1 [55mins]
Jason Cole Niven(RSA) beat Carsten Schoor(GER)    9/2 9/1 9/4 [33mins]
 
Consolation Plate Quarter Final
Fung J Yang(HKG) beat Brad Kemp(AUS)    9/3 9/7 9/4 [29mins]
Cameron Jamieson(NZL) beat Alex Grayson(NZL)    2/9 9/5 2/9 9/1 9/0 [44mins]
Chris O'Kane(IRL) beat Luke Sims(AUS)    9/1 9/3 9/3 [18mins]
Mathew Durda(AUS) beat Aatos Mannroos(FIN)    9/2 9/0 9/2 [31mins]
 
Consolation Plate Round 2
Brad Kemp(AUS) beat Joel Boman(AUS)    9/0 9/1 9/2 [17mins]
Fung J Yang(HKG) beat Tatsuya Shinkubo(JPN)    9/0 9/2 9/0 [23mins]
Cameron Jamieson(NZL) beat Christopher Plimpton(USA)    9/6 2/9 9/6 1/9 9/0 [48mins]
Alex Grayson(NZL) beat Ainsley Gannaway(ZIM)    9/1 9/4 10/8 [35mins]
Chris O'Kane(IRL) beat Luke Gordon(NZL)    9/4 9/0 9/2 [17mins]
Luke Sims(AUS) beat Zardeen Wazir(ZIM)    9/7 9/0 9/0 [21mins]
Aatos Mannroos(FIN) beat Wesley Cusick(AUS)    10/8 2/9 9/0 9/5 [37mins]
Mathew Durda(AUS) beat Ravi Dixit(IND)    9/3 9/3 9/10 2/9 9/3 [53mins]