Ramy Ashour may be one of the world’s best squash players, but he needs a little practice on post-championship trophy presentations. Moments after third-seeded Ashour outlasted No. 9 Nick Matthew in five grueling games to win the Davenport North American Open title yesterday, a standing-room-only crowd at the University of Richmond’s Millhiser Gymnasium rose in anticipation of the 21-year-old Egyptian coming forth to claim his spoils.

One year after he squandered a 2-1 lead in a five-game quarterfinal loss to friend and Egyptian countryman Karim Darwish at the 2008 Davenport North American Open squash championships, Ramy Ashour found himself in a similar predicament against the same opponent. This time, with a berth in the final at stake, Ashour steadied himself and rallied from a 6-2 deficit in the deciding game to claim an exhausting 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7 victory over top-seeded Darwish last night at the University of Richmond’s Millhiser Gymnasium.