Ramy Ashour taking the squash world by storm

A quick glance at the Dunlop Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Rankings reveals that three of the top five players in the world hail from Egypt. And the player at the very top is a young Egyptian, Ramy Ashour, just 23 years of age. But reaching that spot didn’t come easy for Ashour, who had to battle through the longest game of his burgeoning career to attain squash supremacy.

Ashour, born in Cairo, defeated current number-two player Nick Matthew (11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8) in the final of the 2009 Saudi International Squash Tournament on 18 December 2009. The exhausting match, which lasted 110 minutes, helped Ashour reach the number-one ranking for the first time when the list was released the following month.

On this date, Ashour became the youngest player to sit atop the squash world since two young Pakistanis, Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan, did it in the eighties. 

And it turns out it wasn’t the only record the 11-time PSA Tour winner has broken.

In 2004, at the age of 16, Ashour became the youngest player ever to win the Men’s World Junior Squash Championship. He broke another record two years later, when Ashour won the title for a second time, becoming the only repeat winner in the event’s history.

Moreover, not only did Ashour win the individual event in 2006 but he led Egypt to victory in the team event as well. No country had ever occupied the top three spots and claimed the team event in the same year, until Ashour came along.  

Still in 2006, Ashour reached his first final at a major at the Cathay Pacific Swiss Privilege Hong Kong Squash Open, eventually losing out to fellow countryman Amr Shabana. But the experience, forcing him to beat three players in the top-10 just to reach the final, seemed to provide a confidence boost for the young Egyptian, leading to a breakout year for the then-19-year-old.

In January 2007, Ashour broke through with the first major of his career at the Canadian Squash Classic by defeating David Palmer. Just a few months later, Ashour won the richest squash event in the world by avenging his earlier defeat against Amr Shabana to win the Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open. He followed this up with another victory at the Qatar Classic in Doha again against Palmer.

Thanks to his stellar play in 2007, Ashour was invited to take part in the prestigious ATCO Super Series Finals event. With only the top-eight players taking part in the tournament, Ashour could finally feel like he was a part of the elite squash players of the world. And with a quality field in place, Ashour breezed through the competition. The only player who went undefeated in his first three matches, Ashour defeated Frenchman Grégory Gaultier in the final.

With his confidence at an all-time high, Ashour continued his success in 2008, picking up wins at the Tournament of Champions, the Canadian Classic, the Hurghada International Open, and the World Open.

His three victories in 2009 all came against number-two ranked player Nick Matthew of England, culminating in the win that gave Ashour the top spot in the rankings this past December. Squash fans should expect many more dramatic matches between these two players, such as their latest 110-minute five-set marathon.

According to squash legend and writer Malcolm Willstrop, Ashour exhibits an attitude and a skill-set that are truly unique.

"Ramy Ashour is something else – his movement is better than anyone in the game, and allied to his unique racket skills and vision, he lights up the sport. Not only that but his modesty, and engaging smile make him a rare commodity," said Willstrop.