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.
There was only one problem: Ashour was nowhere to be found. An uncomfortable murmur spread through the crowd as tournament officials exchanged concerned looks and tried in vain to locate the champion.
Finally, as the celebration was about to break up without him, a grinning Ashour materialized and issued an apology. He thought the trophy presentation was going to be held at the champion's dinner last night, not immediately after the conclusion of the match.
It was an honest mistake by a player who hadn't reached a tournament final since winning the World Open championship in October. Ashour could've taken a lesson in protocol from Matthew, an Englishman who now has advanced to the final round of his past four events.
"I'm really happy winning this match. I think I'm back on track and have my confidence back," Ashour said after earning the $15,000 first prize.
It didn't come easily. Matthew dropped the first two games 11-8 and 13-11, then stormed back to take the next two (12-10, 11-5) and force the match into a decisive fifth game.
"The one thing I can pretty much guarantee, whether I play my best or not, is I'm never going to say die," Matthew said. "I give 110 percent every time I'm on the court and if that's not good enough, I can hold my head up high and know I gave it my best shot."
After Ashour won the first two games, Matthew said, "I just said if he's going to win, he's going to have to do it in five because I'm not going down without a big fight."
On three separate occasions in the final game, Ashour built a two-point lead and had a chance to stretch it into more comfortable territory. Each time, Matthew battled back to tie it. But after forging a final deadlock at 8-all, Matthew fell behind again with an errant backhand and Ashour won the next two points to clinch the title.
"The fifth game in a pressure final like that is always a toss of the coin," Matthew said. "In the end it came down to a few points, but that's the beauty of the game."
The victory was sweet redemption for Ashour, who was the No. 1 seed here last year before losing in the quarterfinals to countryman Karim Darwish. After winning the final point, he celebrated by tossing his racket aside and dropping to his knees to plant a kiss on the wood floor.
"After that match I was so disappointed because I was expected to win. I promised the fans that I was going to come back this year and win the tournament," Ashour said. "It felt good to keep my promise."
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