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00:00Satsang with Mooji
00:30Hello and welcome to the Windy City Open 2026, presented by the Walter family.
00:37We are on to day four here at this platinum level event on the PSA Squash Tour,
00:41part one of the split quarterfinals coming up later.
00:44Well, I'm Vanessa Atkinson and joining me in the studio, Joey Barrington and Paul Johnson.
00:49PJ, you've been coming to Chicago for quite a few years now and it's played a big role, hasn't it, on the Squash Tour,
00:55this event and also quite a few world championships as well.
00:58Yeah, I mean, the Squash in the North America area has been, it's just grown from strength to strength.
01:02I actually won this event back in 1998, I'll get that in quickly, didn't win many, but no successful hunting ground for me.
01:09But it's one of those venues, I mean, obviously it's iconic with the stained glass windows
01:13and it's so intimate and tight in here that the fans get a real feel of how the action is so dynamic and explosive.
01:20And the players love coming here because they get so well looked after.
01:23So apart from the weather, it ticks absolutely every box for me.
01:26And Joey, into the sort of nitty gritty of this event now and quite a few big upsets already.
01:31Yeah, it is. I mean, it's a busy time for the tournaments in North America with the TOC,
01:35but we've got smaller tournaments that are running alongside as well.
01:38So, I mean, these players are straight in it after the break, after the new year
01:42and throwing up a few things to talk about, that's for sure.
01:46So, four quarterfinals coming up later on.
01:49Let's have a look at the line-up.
01:51So, kicking things off, Siva Sangari Subramaniam of Malaysia taking on the warrior princess Noor El Shabini.
01:57That's followed by Marwan El Shabaghi, the number six seed from England.
02:00He's up against Gregoire Marsh, the Frenchman.
02:03Hanya El Hamami, the world number one.
02:04She's up against Tinnahilis of Belgium.
02:06And then in the last match, Mustafa Isal, the world number one on the men's side,
02:10taking on the Englishman Jonah Bryant.
02:12So, if we start off with that last match, Joey,
02:16one player that has got a lot of mileage in his legs coming into this quarterfinal
02:21is young Jonah Bryant.
02:22He's earned his place.
02:23He certainly has.
02:24I mean, he's been doing incredibly well on the PSA squash tour,
02:27but the match with Joel Macon coming back from 2-0 down
02:31and he was down in the third as well was something pretty special.
02:34I like the way that, at the end, he was very respectful towards Joel.
02:39Joel was struggling with a knee issue that he has had since Hong Kong.
02:43But I spoke to Joel after that one and he said, you know,
02:46I was throwing absolutely everything at him.
02:48And if I could have sneaked it through, love,
02:49then it would have been obviously a different story.
02:51But he was really impressed by the way that Jonah Bryant
02:54was able to physically and mentally keep going.
02:56He'd also had that big battle on the upstairs courts
02:59against Curtis Malik, which was a five-gamer.
03:02But it's great to see an English player, PJ,
03:04who's backing up those physical encounters as well in these big events.
03:07Yeah, we got a glimpse of it in Qatar, didn't we,
03:09when he took down Zachariah in that mammoth eight-a-minute match there,
03:12then had to go on and play Tamimi.
03:14Tamimi obviously had the horrendous Achilles rupture.
03:17Unfortunately, he didn't have much to offer against Cole
03:19in that last round there.
03:21But it's great to see some quality coming out of England again,
03:24obviously with Curtis and now Jonah.
03:26As I said in the interview,
03:27the way he conducts himself both on and off the court
03:30is that he's got a very wise head on young shoulders.
03:33And I think it's a very, very bright future head.
03:35Absolutely.
03:36Well, he has taken two games actually against this opponent.
03:40And it's been a while since anyone's done that against Mustafa Sal.
03:43He's got significantly less mileage in his legs
03:46coming into this quarterfinal.
03:48I'll have a look at that graphic.
03:49It's pretty impressive.
03:51Yeah, I mean, it is.
03:52And when you're talking about this,
03:53he played Jonah Bryant in Hong Kong
03:56and he absolutely ripped through him in that encounter,
03:59savagely through love.
04:00Jonah barely, you know, got any points against him.
04:02It was a real kind of wake-up call
04:04after they played at the British Open
04:06where you just said, Vanessa,
04:07he took the two games against Mustafa Sal.
04:09But, you know, this is...
04:11It's a sign of Sal improving his game 100%.
04:14He's got fitter.
04:15His quality of squash has got better.
04:17But it's also worrying when you think of the other players
04:20that are meant to be challenging him.
04:22And Joel Makin,
04:23whose body's breaking down a bit at the moment,
04:25and also Diego Ilias,
04:27who is really the one, PJ, that caused the problems.
04:30He had the good stat head-to-head with him.
04:32And it is worrying, isn't it?
04:33Because that is a complete...
04:34I mean, that's basically like Jahangir in the mid-80s.
04:37Well, just to put that into a little bit of context as well,
04:39if we look at one of the game's greats of recent years,
04:41you've got Ali Farag.
04:43His best-ever season, the 2023-24 season,
04:46from the start in September
04:48through to the end of the Tournament of Champions,
04:50Ali played 29 matches.
04:52And within those 29 matches,
04:54he'd lost 21 games.
04:56Mustafa Asal, he's on a similar run here
04:58to the end of Tournament of Champions.
05:00He's only lost six games, playing 28 matches.
05:02So that dominance that we're seeing,
05:04he actually surpasses Ali Farag.
05:06So you're now talking he's in the realms of Jahangir and Janshir,
05:09which is pretty elite.
05:11I think you made a good point there, though.
05:12If you look at the players that have done well against Asal,
05:14we've got one that's retired,
05:16we've got a couple that are sort of semi-injured.
05:19And then, you know, who's left?
05:20Paul Cole, who's probably of those players
05:23has got the least good record against Mustafa Asal.
05:25So when everyone's fit,
05:26will we see it sort of slightly differently?
05:28Well, I mean, I hope so.
05:30I hope so.
05:31The way he's playing,
05:33we're so impressed with the physicality.
05:35And, you know, he took his top off in celebration at the TOC.
05:38But being serious, that's the best I've seen is upper body physique.
05:41He's got those amazing legs on him,
05:43but his upper body looks like he'd really trained it properly.
05:45And then you put in his squash as well.
05:47So, I mean, he is playing his best squash,
05:49but they need to go with him.
05:51And dominance in a sport is amazing to appreciate,
05:54but you want competition and he needs competition.
05:58And, Kat, could Bryant be the first player in a while to take that game?
06:01Or do you think those two previous matches will hamper his efforts?
06:05Unfortunately, I just feel that this could be reminiscent
06:07of that Qatar Classic effort from him.
06:11To 80 minutes and then 101 minutes against Joel Makin,
06:15mentally and physically,
06:16to come up against somebody who's in the form that a sail's in as well,
06:19which makes that job even harder.
06:21I can only see an a sail victory, to be honest.
06:24But give it a couple of years,
06:25and I think then we'll start to see your Zacharias
06:27and your Bryant's really starting to challenge Mustafa.
06:29But at the moment, it's a bit of a one-horse race.
06:32OK, well, on the women's side,
06:33in the third match, we have world number one,
06:35Hanya El-Hamami.
06:36She's up against Tinnahilis.
06:38Hamami, obviously, in the form of her life.
06:41Four huge major titles already this season,
06:44and she's been also making a habit
06:46of some pretty impressive comebacks as well, Joey.
06:49Yeah, I mean, she just goes into this different realm now.
06:51With these pictures that we've seen
06:53a couple of days ago against Sabrina Sobey,
06:55she just kind of relaxed.
06:57She wasn't celebrating when she was coming back
06:59through the points, which we've seen in the past
07:01where she does that amazing scream,
07:03and she just gets on with it,
07:04and then the quality gets better and better.
07:06It's like she truly believes that she won't lose that point.
07:08I mean, it's a staggering psyche to have,
07:11and she's backed it up from TOC as well.
07:13So you add that to the athletic package
07:16and the technical package that's going on,
07:18you've got the complete player,
07:19and something special is going to have to happen
07:22to topple her from this event.
07:24And how much are we crediting this,
07:26the comebacks, but also generally the form,
07:28to the sort of improved mental state of Hamami?
07:31She seems calm, composed, coming back from deficits.
07:35There's no sort of panic.
07:36How many times have we seen this, though,
07:38when somebody like Hamami actually achieves
07:40that goal of world number one?
07:42It's like the shackles are off.
07:43There's almost so much doubt, maybe in her own mind,
07:47that everybody always said how she was capable,
07:49but she hadn't actually achieved it,
07:51and now that she's actually done that,
07:52I feel like she's actually starting to own
07:53that world number one position.
07:55The comeback at the Tournament of Champions,
07:589-3 down in the fifth to Olivia Weaver,
08:01probably played the best eight points
08:03of the entire tournament from 9-3 down,
08:06and then she's gone off here,
08:08and now that confidence that she's taking,
08:10we're starting to see that it's becoming
08:11very, very apparent.
08:13So it's encouraging because she's becoming
08:15a much more complete player.
08:16Well, she had Kareem Darwish with her
08:17at the Tournament of Champions.
08:19Now she's got Laura Massaro.
08:20They were on court practising just a little bit earlier,
08:22and how much of an effect has that had
08:24on her as a whole, as a full player?
08:27Didn't take very long,
08:28because I think it was literally just a case of
08:30as soon as Laura had retired, I think,
08:32and Mammy got on the phone
08:34and wanted to have some guidance
08:36and some help from Laura Massaro.
08:38Obviously, we know Laura is a big advocate
08:40for the mental side of the game
08:41with her husband, Danny Massaro,
08:43and I think collectively a team effort
08:45between the three of them,
08:46it's now obviously a very successful relationship.
08:48And seems to be having just quite a lot of fun as well.
08:50It looks very relaxed, doesn't it?
08:51Yeah, I mean, she's smiling away there.
08:53I mean, Danny's been working with her
08:54for quite some years on the psychological side,
08:56so bringing Laura in,
08:58and like we said with Kareem Darwish,
08:59she's got a nice team, Vanessa.
09:01She's got a nice team around her.
09:03Fantastic.
09:04Well, she's up against Tina Gillis,
09:06who had a pretty impressive comeback herself
09:09against Anahat Singh in round two.
09:11Two love down,
09:12and it wasn't looking good at all
09:13for the Belgian player.
09:14No, it was warning signs again,
09:16having lost that three love in Canada.
09:19It was nervy times,
09:20but all credit to her.
09:21This was a big, big turning point for her
09:23to be able to fight back the way she did.
09:26You know, she's a quality player.
09:27She's in that mix of that top 10 area
09:30and looking to push on,
09:31and she's had some very consistent performances.
09:34She struggled against the very top three,
09:36as we know,
09:37but the pressure with coming on with Anahat Singh,
09:40with her form in Washington,
09:42and also playing a 3-2 against Watanabe at TOC,
09:46I mean, all eyes were on Tina Gillis.
09:47She would have had a very poor sleep
09:49the night before this.
09:50She'd have been worrying about that match.
09:51But how much will that help her?
09:52The fact that she's too love down,
09:54she's managed to sort of turn that around.
09:56Even though she maybe didn't play her best squash,
09:58maybe in the last couple of games,
10:00that's a big confidence boost in it,
10:01to be able to win a match from that position.
10:03Yeah, 100%.
10:04And as Joey alluded to there,
10:06she's playing against somebody
10:07who clearly through the entire match
10:08didn't look comfortable at all.
10:10She had no kind of game plan
10:11that she felt was working.
10:13The skill set of Singh is obviously quite apparent.
10:16There was no flow or rhythm to the style of play,
10:20but once she kind of figured that out,
10:22once she got into Singh physically,
10:24then it was a little bit of a different story,
10:26and you could almost see the shoulders relax a little bit
10:28and started to play with a bit more freedom.
10:29And back to her old ways,
10:31we know how good and dangerous she can be
10:32taking the ball in,
10:33and it was a little bit more like Gillis of old.
10:35Yeah, there's a bit of a fear factor,
10:37isn't there, with Anahat Singh?
10:38She seems to be having this sort of psychological effect
10:41on the top players that they seem a bit scared of her.
10:43Yeah, I mean, she's an unusual player
10:46because she's very instinctive.
10:47She's coached by Stefan Galifi,
10:49who you know and we all know was incredibly talented
10:52and really kind of had a sixth sense with the game,
10:55and she's got a way of playing it at the moment.
10:56They will work her out,
10:58and she'll have to adapt on that.
10:59Her physicality will get better,
11:01which is really impressive anyway at the moment
11:03because she's a very slight build.
11:05But it's another one to the mix
11:07and another country.
11:09You know, Indian squash has had a very good history
11:11in the women's as well as the men's,
11:13and she's going to be a bit of a superstar
11:15and already is.
11:17But going back to Tina Gillis there,
11:19to play the way she did,
11:20where it wasn't her best squash,
11:22but got through,
11:23as PJ said,
11:24the old shackles are off
11:25and she can hopefully unleash herself
11:27and actually get a big result in this event.
11:30Which she hasn't done.
11:32I mean, she's been very consistent
11:34making it through to sort of quarterfinals,
11:36the old semifinal,
11:37but can she beat Hanyar al-Hamami,
11:39the best player in the world,
11:40arguably at the minute?
11:40It's a similar issue that we had with Jonah Bryant.
11:43I think he's coming in here,
11:44he's going to be dented physically.
11:45I think that's going to be the same for Gillis.
11:47That was a very tough encounter mentally as well.
11:50And then she's coming up against Hamami,
11:53who's arguably the best form of her life.
11:55Yeah, you can't.
11:56I mean, honestly,
11:57Hanyar al-Hamami is in the best form of her life.
11:59No doubt about that.
12:00So I don't want to, you know,
12:01Tina Gillis, we're building her up
12:02and then to bring her down,
12:03but it's going to be brutal for her.
12:05I think Hanyar's going to be quite ruthless,
12:08you know, with this encounter.
12:09Well, before we discuss the next two quarterfinals,
12:12we're going to circle back
12:13to the Olympic qualification system
12:16that was announced just a few days ago.
12:17We'll try to give you an idea
12:19of what the eventual draw might look like.
12:21We've had someone much cleverer
12:23than any of us put together a hypothetical.
12:26So there's the top 50
12:28and all the different flags.
12:30Quite a few GB flags there.
12:32Lots of Egyptian flags, of course.
12:34Actually, only nine separate flags
12:36in the current top 50 in the world.
12:37This is on the women's side.
12:40So to reduce that down,
12:42the first means of qualification
12:44for any player
12:45is those five continental games.
12:47So they're in order
12:49in which they will take place.
12:51And we've imagined
12:52a Malaysian player winning the Asian games.
12:55You can see there each player
12:56turning gold as they win their event.
12:59An Egyptian player winning the African games.
13:01Belgian player for the European games.
13:03A US winner for the Pan Am games,
13:05which gives them their guaranteed host spot.
13:07And then a New Zealand player
13:09for the Pacific games.
13:11Now that player would have to make it
13:12into the top 50
13:13to secure that spot.
13:16And next we have the two nations
13:18with the highest ranked two players,
13:20which is in this case,
13:21Egypt and the US.
13:23So they also turn gold.
13:27And then there's,
13:28this is where we get
13:29the first sort of big loss of players.
13:31So all other players
13:32from those countries
13:33already represented effectively
13:35out of the running at that point.
13:37And you can see there was a massive
13:38cull of the Egyptian flags,
13:39especially as those players
13:41lose their chance.
13:42And then we have the places
13:43available based on ranking,
13:45which goes to flags
13:46that are not yet represented already.
13:48Again, any other player
13:49from those nations
13:50loses their eligibility.
13:53So there's our first 14 flags.
13:54Those two last places again
13:56would have to make top 50.
13:59The next place goes to
14:00the universality place,
14:02which is nominated by any NOC
14:04that fulfills the criteria
14:05and selected by a tripartite commission.
14:08So that's the 15th place
14:10in the 16 draw.
14:12And then lastly,
14:13that 24 draw event
14:15right at the last hurdle,
14:16which is made up of 24 separate flags
14:19not yet represented.
14:20So that really opens things up
14:22a real opportunity
14:23for those players
14:24from less established countries
14:25to try to nab that last spot
14:27in the draw.
14:30So one of those flags
14:31will take that 16th place.
14:33So there you have it,
14:35the final 16 draw.
14:36As I said,
14:36this is a hypothetical,
14:37of course.
14:38There's still more than
14:39two years to go
14:40before we'll see
14:42who will eventually
14:43make it through to LA28.
14:44Lisa has joined us
14:46in the studio.
14:47Perfect timing.
14:48Can't wait for this.
14:50Well, as a player,
14:50I mean,
14:51you'll be keeping
14:51a keen eye on things.
14:52So, you know,
14:53watching that,
14:54what do you make of it?
14:55What are your thoughts on that?
14:57Well, initially,
14:57actually,
14:58just the way the graphic
14:58was laid out there,
15:00what it does look like
15:01is complete Olympic representation.
15:04And it could be any sport,
15:05right?
15:06We're not used to seeing
15:07squash looking like that.
15:08There's lots of flags
15:09and we talk a lot about
15:11we've got so much depth
15:12with Egypt,
15:14of course,
15:14but America,
15:15the GB flags in there,
15:17also Hong Kong as well.
15:18And when you see them
15:19all disappear,
15:21all of a sudden,
15:21the depth that we talk about
15:22that's so good
15:24for certain countries
15:25doesn't even matter.
15:26As a player myself,
15:28it's from GB.
15:30It's going to be
15:31very difficult.
15:33The one thing
15:34I think I would change
15:34and you would probably
15:35agree with me on this
15:37is I would make three
15:39of the nations
15:41with a second player
15:42instead of the
15:43universality spot.
15:45And I think we could
15:46probably,
15:47not that that can happen,
15:48of course,
15:48but...
15:49No, that could happen
15:49because that universality spot,
15:51they have to still have
15:52a certain ranking
15:54to be able to take that spot,
15:55which is going to be
15:56very, very difficult
15:57because the countries
15:58that fulfill that criteria
15:59is not a huge amount
16:00and are not,
16:01nowhere near top 100,
16:02I don't think,
16:03as it is.
16:03So that could happen.
16:04That would be the only thing
16:05I would change.
16:05Then you're asking another,
16:06because you're seeing
16:07a lot of nations there
16:08that have a lot of depth
16:09within the top 50.
16:10So it would just give
16:11another nation,
16:12I guess,
16:12to bring high quality in.
16:14Joey?
16:15It's an adaptation
16:16that's happened
16:17because originally
16:18we thought it was
16:18going to be a 32 draw.
16:20It's very rare
16:20you see a 16 draw
16:21on the squash tour,
16:23so that limits everything.
16:25For me,
16:25I'd like to see
16:26the best players
16:26in the world,
16:27but then when we compare
16:28other Olympic sports,
16:29so athletics,
16:30which is a primary sport,
16:32US trials,
16:33top three in each event
16:34go through in the US trials,
16:36but you're looking
16:36at the best sprinters
16:37in the world.
16:38So you've got somebody
16:38that comes fourth or fifth
16:40that's probably ranked
16:41in the top 10
16:41in the 100 metres,
16:43but then doesn't go
16:44to the Olympics.
16:45So you see it
16:46in other sports,
16:46and yes,
16:47I do get the whole
16:48universality,
16:50but from us
16:50having our first chance there,
16:52I want to see
16:52the best squash players
16:53in the world playing,
16:54and if there's any
16:55light matches,
16:55which I hope there isn't
16:56in the first round,
16:57it's not a great
16:58representation of the game.
17:00We have Commonwealth Games,
17:00which I've commentated
17:01on previously,
17:02and some of the early rounds,
17:03it's really silly.
17:05They shouldn't be playing,
17:06really.
17:07But that's the difficult
17:08balance, isn't it,
17:09especially with a 16 draw,
17:10to have that inclusivity,
17:11which is such a big part
17:12of the Olympic Games.
17:13Is it fair to compare
17:15the Olympic Games
17:15to a big PSA event?
17:17No, I mean,
17:18it is,
17:19and again,
17:20we're restricted
17:20because it was limited
17:21to 16,
17:22so what they've done here
17:23is the best possible outcome.
17:26It's been really hard.
17:27They've worked on months
17:28and months
17:28to try and make sure
17:29this is...
17:30What we do have
17:31is a couple of years
17:32build-up to the Olympics
17:33where we are literally
17:34going to be watching
17:34those Continental Games
17:36and all the different events.
17:37Hopefully it's going to be
17:38on Squash TV
17:38and we can be commentating
17:40on them
17:40because they're going
17:40to be mega exciting.
17:42The African Games
17:42is really limited
17:43because only three Egyptians
17:44can play in the African Games,
17:46so that's tough for them.
17:47Again,
17:48we're the dominating country
17:49in both the men's
17:50and women's
17:50on the PSA Squash Tour.
17:51But it kind of starts now,
17:52doesn't it?
17:53I mean,
17:53every event has that extra
17:54bit of impetus
17:55because all the players
17:56are thinking,
17:57I need to get my ranking up,
17:58especially players
17:58from the sort of
18:00less established nations
18:01where there's only
18:01one or two
18:02sort of inside the top 50.
18:04Every tournament now matters
18:05even more.
18:06Exactly.
18:07Big gap
18:07with the Pacific Games
18:08in particular.
18:09You're looking at
18:09the top-ranked player
18:10currently being 65.
18:12So that position
18:12isn't even guaranteed
18:13to go to somebody.
18:14They have to make sure
18:15that their ranking
18:16is inside the top 50.
18:18So I think for players,
18:19and you're asking me as well,
18:20that would be the first thing
18:21that I would look at.
18:22Am I inside the top 50?
18:23If not,
18:24how am I going to be able
18:25to get there by 2022?
18:27Can you play for Fiji?
18:29I'm going to try my best
18:30to not play for Fiji.
18:32No, I quite like the Union Jacks.
18:33But those federations,
18:35there's a massive motivation
18:36for them to get behind
18:37those players.
18:38You know,
18:38and funding is a huge issue,
18:40even for some players
18:41inside the top 50.
18:42If they get a little bit
18:43of money behind them
18:44and they can play
18:44sort of better events
18:46further away
18:46that gives them points,
18:47that's going to make
18:48a huge difference
18:49to those players.
18:49Yeah, I mean,
18:50everything counts,
18:51as you say.
18:52So being at this event
18:53here in Chicago,
18:54you can see the intensity
18:55of the players,
18:56this is all building.
18:58It's not like we're just playing
18:59and then suddenly
19:00a couple of months
19:00before the Olympics
19:01we see what's going to happen.
19:03So we're very lucky
19:04in having that with squash,
19:05that we've got this drama
19:06and all these evolving stories
19:08that we can literally,
19:09we're starting from now.
19:10Big emphasis on the
19:11continental games,
19:12though, isn't it?
19:13Like,
19:13after you're inside
19:14the top 50,
19:15it's all eyes on that,
19:16really.
19:17And you mentioned it there,
19:18they're actually starting
19:19to happen quite soon.
19:20We've got the Asian games
19:21coming in August this year,
19:23which is crazy,
19:24considering that the Olympics
19:25isn't actually until 2020.
19:27So you've got an opportunity
19:28for two players
19:29to secure that place
19:30miles ahead.
19:31It's quite funny,
19:32Gregory Gaultier was,
19:33I was in the sauna with him,
19:34which is,
19:35he lost his voice
19:35a little bit as well,
19:36but he was talking
19:37to Gouad.
19:38What's going on in there?
19:38And he said,
19:39he said to Gouad,
19:42he said,
19:42well,
19:42if you win the,
19:43if you win the African games,
19:44then you can just eat cookies
19:45until the Olympics,
19:47which is,
19:47but you've got to stay
19:48inside the top 50,
19:49but you know,
19:50you can relax a little bit,
19:51which would help.
19:52I mean,
19:52there'd be an advantage
19:53for the Asian games
19:54and the African games.
19:55They're coming before
19:56the other games.
19:57And just last point to make,
19:58you mentioned the fact
19:59that it's not going to be
20:00as strong as a PSA event,
20:02as a big PSA event,
20:03but eventually,
20:04you know,
20:04the best player in the world
20:05is going to come out on top.
20:06Yeah,
20:07I think you're going to see
20:08the medal position
20:08certainly be represented
20:10by those best players
20:11in the world.
20:12I think inside the top five,
20:14definitely inside the top 10
20:15in the world,
20:16and that's ultimately
20:17what you want for the sport.
20:18And representation
20:19putting on a good show,
20:21in particularly those,
20:22those medal matches
20:23to give us a chance
20:24to extend our Olympic campaign.
20:26Well,
20:27back to the here and now
20:28and the Windy City Open
20:29quarterfinals.
20:30We've got two more
20:31quarterfinals to go through.
20:33And in the second match,
20:34we've got Gregoire Marsh.
20:36He had the big upset
20:38against Diego Aless.
20:39He's taking on
20:39Marwan El-Shabagi.
20:40And this was,
20:41this was the biggest upset
20:42of the tournament so far.
20:43Yeah,
20:43it was unbelievable.
20:44I mean,
20:44Gregoire played so well
20:45in the previous tournament
20:46at TOC.
20:47And we thought,
20:48is it going to be
20:48another scenario
20:49where Gregoire loses 3-2,
20:51you know,
20:52and the disappointment there.
20:53But Diego was in and out
20:55of trying for the first two games.
20:57Then he certainly did start trying
20:58and Gregoire responded.
21:00I mean,
21:00at 35 years of age,
21:02he's playing the best squash
21:03of his career.
21:03Even though he's not ranked
21:04at number 11 in the world,
21:05he's playing his best squash
21:06of his career at the moment.
21:07Yeah,
21:0835 years old,
21:08very experienced,
21:09but he had to also physically
21:11back that win up again.
21:12That was round one.
21:13Yeah,
21:13he did,
21:14absolutely.
21:14But I think no better match
21:16than having someone
21:17that's not inside the top 10.
21:18He was a wild card
21:19for this event,
21:20Matthias Knudsen.
21:21And it was quite an entertaining
21:22battle between the two,
21:23but it kind of just took
21:24the pressure off Marsh
21:25a little bit,
21:26given the difference
21:27in their ranking there.
21:28And it's opened up
21:29a huge opportunity
21:30for a semi-final spot
21:31for both players,
21:32you know,
21:33for Marsh
21:33and Marwan El-Shabagi,
21:35because it is that
21:36really open section
21:37of the draw now
21:37with Elias out.
21:38Well,
21:38Marwan lost in the first round
21:39to Timmy Brunel in TOC,
21:41so he needs some
21:42decent points for this.
21:43And he has got
21:43a great history here
21:45in Chicago.
21:46He loves playing
21:47in this event
21:48and does very well,
21:49so he's kind of on cue
21:50to probably push through
21:51into the semi-finals
21:53of this event.
21:54He's obviously the likely
21:55favourite,
21:55being the highest seed.
21:56Yeah,
21:57favourite on paper.
21:57And he has had
21:58quite a bit of success
21:59here in Chicago.
22:01He was the runner-up
22:02in 2017
22:02and in 2018.
22:04This is his quarter-final
22:05against Simon Rosnett
22:06in 2018.
22:08Went on to make
22:09the final,
22:09Joey.
22:10Yeah,
22:10this was a big push
22:11for him,
22:11these events.
22:12To get to that
22:13eventual ranking
22:14of world number three,
22:15you've got to remember
22:16he was also a world
22:17championship finalist,
22:18losing out to his brother.
22:19Another massive win
22:20against Ali Farag.
22:21He was a bit of a bogeyman
22:22for Farag
22:23when they used to play.
22:24He really got under
22:25his skin.
22:26And so this is a great
22:27hunting ground
22:28in Chicago
22:28for Marwan El-Shabagi.
22:30And he's going
22:31to capitalise.
22:32I mean,
22:32I feel that he's got
22:34the best chance
22:35out of a lot of the players
22:36to go into,
22:36well,
22:37take out Mustafa Sal
22:38to go into the semi-finals.
22:39And how much does that
22:40previous sort of success
22:42count coming into events?
22:43We'll talk about it
22:43a little bit later
22:44with Nor El-Shabini.
22:45But is it almost like
22:46a psychological effect
22:48that also has an effect
22:49on your opponents?
22:50They know that you've got
22:51a good record here.
22:52Yeah,
22:52I don't think his opponent
22:53will be thinking
22:53anything about that.
22:54But for him,
22:55certainly happy memories.
22:56I mean,
22:56it's a very familiar place
22:58for the players here
22:58on the tour now.
23:00But I think more importantly,
23:02he has to make sure
23:02that he's making the most
23:03of this for his ranking.
23:05But we were talking earlier
23:06about how he's been
23:06very selective
23:07and calculated
23:08with the tournaments
23:09that he's played
23:09this season.
23:10He's not played
23:10every platinum event.
23:11He's chosen to play
23:12some golds and silvers
23:14and he's done very well
23:15in them.
23:15He's won a gold event.
23:17So it's very important
23:18that when he is entering
23:19these platinum events
23:21that he's making the most
23:22of those points available.
23:24Yeah,
23:24definitely.
23:25I mean,
23:25I never had that feeling
23:26of success in a place
23:28but,
23:29you know,
23:30it's chopping and changing.
23:32He's played probably
23:33the system the best.
23:34Yes,
23:35he hasn't always had
23:35the results that he's wanted
23:36but he has chopped
23:37and changed with the system.
23:39Other players have tried
23:40to do it
23:40and it's not quite
23:41worked out for them
23:42and there's still players
23:43in the men's and women's
23:44that are trying to play
23:45lower rank tournaments
23:46and not these platinum's.
23:47I mean,
23:47really,
23:48they should be playing
23:48the platinum's
23:49and I think we'll see
23:50that with the Olympics
23:51that they'll look to
23:52go in the deep end.
23:52I think we'll see
23:53a lot of shift
23:54in what players are going to do
23:55with how they arrange
23:57their calendar year
23:58because we've spoken
23:59about that for a year
24:00or so now
24:00with the heavy scheduling
24:02of the tournaments.
24:03You know,
24:03it's great.
24:03We've got so many
24:04all around the world
24:05and the players
24:05are having to really pick
24:06where they're going to peak,
24:08what they're going to try
24:08and attack,
24:09where they're going to look
24:09to make inroads
24:10or where they're going
24:11to actually step back
24:12and take a little bit
24:13of a rest.
24:14But with the Olympic news now,
24:16I think they're going
24:17to have to go back
24:17to the drawing board,
24:18scrap that one
24:19and come up with
24:20a brand new plan.
24:21Does that approach
24:21work for everyone though
24:22because it adds pressure
24:23as well?
24:24If you can't sort of
24:24calculate your way
24:25through tournaments,
24:26you've got to win matches.
24:27Well,
24:27you know it.
24:28You got to the top
24:28of the tree.
24:29If you start working out
24:31that system in that way,
24:33you're going to limit yourself.
24:35The mentality,
24:36if I was to ask my dad,
24:38what would he,
24:38he would have gone
24:39and played those events
24:40to go and win them.
24:41So would you have done?
24:42It's like booking your flight
24:43for quarterfinals
24:45or something.
24:45You're already struggling
24:47with that.
24:47So,
24:48you know,
24:48the ones that are really
24:49in contention
24:50and really believe it
24:51will just go and play.
24:52They're not going to
24:53chop and change
24:53and see who's in that
24:54draw and what's that.
24:55They just get on with it.
24:56We've seen that the way
24:57these draws work out,
24:58you can have a brutal
24:59first round,
25:00you get through that,
25:01it opens up a bit
25:02of an easier last 16.
25:03So,
25:04it's all these
25:04different variables
25:05but at the end of the day,
25:06it's the ones that believe
25:07in themselves,
25:08back themselves,
25:08that are going to come
25:09out with the goods.
25:10Well,
25:10in terms of this match-up,
25:1112-2 in favour
25:13of Marwan El-Shabaghi.
25:14So,
25:15he hasn't had a huge
25:15amount of success
25:16against the Jackal
25:18but the two wins
25:19were reasonably recent,
25:2120-24
25:22and some really
25:23close battles as well.
25:24I think the last one
25:24went all the way
25:25to the wire
25:25at the China Open.
25:26Yeah,
25:26it did and I think
25:27he's the sort of
25:28player,
25:29Marsh,
25:29that can really upset
25:30the patterns of play
25:32that Marwan El-Shabaghi
25:33likes to play.
25:34He's very structured
25:34in his lines
25:35and his length hitting
25:36and his cross courts,
25:37it's all very measured
25:38and accurate,
25:39isn't it?
25:39And then you've got
25:40the acrobat that flies in
25:41doing all sorts.
25:43But that's the movement.
25:44So,
25:44what you're saying,
25:45I mean,
25:45the movement is what
25:46can trouble Marwan.
25:47The movement of Gregoire
25:48because he's still
25:49electrifyingly quick.
25:51Yeah,
25:51he's got that explosive
25:52movement still somehow.
25:53I mean,
25:53I'm the same age as him.
25:54We went through juniors
25:55and I have no idea
25:55how he's moving like that.
25:57You've got a similar build.
25:59I'm a lot of shit
26:00so I know about that.
26:01You're going to have to
26:01go training with him
26:02and see what he does.
26:03I'll gladly do that.
26:03He plays golf apparently.
26:04Cycling and golfing
26:05sounds fantastic.
26:06But it's exactly that,
26:07isn't it?
26:08He's got that ability
26:08to just upset the patterns
26:10and upset the movement
26:11and is retrieving
26:12an endurance.
26:13It's phenomenal.
26:13Well,
26:14down to the first match
26:15coming up in the women's side
26:17and it is Norel Shabini,
26:19the Warrior Princess
26:20and she's up against
26:21Siva Sangari Subramaniam.
26:23Now,
26:23Subramaniam has had a win
26:25over Norel Shabini.
26:27It was a little while ago
26:28at the London Classic.
26:30It was a best of three
26:31as well
26:31in the quarterfinal.
26:33Went on to beat
26:34Hanyar al-Hamami.
26:35So,
26:35huge breakthrough
26:35but hasn't done that since.
26:37She hasn't done that since
26:38but that was something
26:39pretty special
26:40to get on
26:41and win that gold event
26:42at the London Classic
26:43and the way she won it as well.
26:44She went through
26:45Nayla Gillis
26:46in a marathon battle
26:47and then obviously
26:48Al-Hamami in that final.
26:50She's got the capabilities.
26:52It is the consistency,
26:53isn't it,
26:53Lisa,
26:54with Siva
26:55but she's got the capability.
26:56She's incredibly talented
26:58and she's with
26:59Gregory Gaultier now
27:00and,
27:00you know,
27:01he's got a proven track record
27:03of improving these players
27:04that he has
27:05and he has a big stable of players.
27:06Best thing she could have done
27:07I think
27:08at that time
27:08in her career
27:10getting that breakthrough win
27:11showing what she's capable of.
27:12I mean,
27:12she's got every weapon
27:13and every tool
27:15and the tool belt
27:15to beat everybody
27:17but it was the consistency.
27:19Now,
27:19that's just not
27:19with the squash,
27:20it's mentally as well
27:21and what she's showed us
27:22since moving to Gaultier
27:24is this sheer,
27:26almost robustness.
27:27She's turned more
27:28into like that
27:29killer instinct vibe
27:31and really solidified mentally
27:34and that's what she needs,
27:35I guess,
27:36to make inroads
27:37against the top three players.
27:39Well,
27:39she won't have Gregory Gaultier
27:40in her corner
27:41in this match
27:41because they obviously
27:42share a coach.
27:43No,
27:43no,
27:43and she'll have her partner
27:45Baptiste
27:46who will be advising her
27:47as Baptiste was playing
27:49Mohamed
27:49who was also coached
27:50by Gregory Gaultier
27:51and Siva was advising him
27:53in his match
27:54earlier in the event
27:54with Mohamed
27:55so,
27:56I mean,
27:56it's two training partners
27:57within reason
27:58playing each other.
27:59There'll be a familiarity there
28:00and that could aid Siva
28:02with having that,
28:03being able to have the access
28:04to Noor playing her in practice,
28:06you know,
28:06that breaks that superhero barrier
28:08down a little bit,
28:10Vanessa,
28:10I feel.
28:11What a match to start off
28:12today's play though.
28:13Well,
28:13she's up against Noor El Shabini,
28:15a player with possibly,
28:16well,
28:16what must be the best record
28:18of any player in Chicago ever
28:20so let's have a look at this
28:22very impressive graphic,
28:24shall we?
28:24It's ridiculous.
28:25Honestly,
28:26these graphics are superb
28:27but when you look at the stats
28:28behind them,
28:29I mean,
28:30when you've won
28:31the amount of world championships
28:33that she's won in total
28:34but so many of those
28:35in Chicago,
28:37the association
28:37of the Windy City Open
28:39being basically
28:39at the same club,
28:40yes,
28:40we played at Union Station
28:41for some of those worlds,
28:42we also played here,
28:43I mean,
28:44she's going to own this place.
28:46I mean,
28:46talk about fond memories.
28:47I mean,
28:47how do you have
28:48four world championships?
28:50I was going to say
28:51there must be something in there
28:52but it's definitely not
28:53because it's incredibly dry here
28:54so it's not anything
28:56to do with within the air
28:57but this year against Hamami,
28:59obviously the last time
29:00that she did lose
29:01the Windy City Open,
29:03certainly.
29:03Five-gamer.
29:04Yeah,
29:04Matt Tula Vap as well
29:06so she kind of nearly did win
29:08really in the end,
29:09all credit to Hamami
29:10who looks about 10 years old there
29:12but four world titles
29:14in Chicago,
29:15let's be honest,
29:16they could have been anywhere
29:17in the world,
29:17right?
29:18She's still,
29:1824 matches that she's played
29:21in world championships,
29:22they could have been in Timbuktu
29:23and I think she was still
29:24going to win them
29:25but what it does create
29:26is a very special place
29:27in her heart.
29:29Megan,
29:30do you not take that
29:30into the next tournament
29:32that you play here?
29:32So could it have been anywhere?
29:34Is she not coming to Chicago
29:35with kind of an aura
29:36of being kind of unbeatable here?
29:38Well,
29:38I don't think she even needs
29:39to go through customs,
29:40I think they just let her go
29:41straight off the...
29:42She's the next mayor of Chicago.
29:43Yeah,
29:43she gets picked up by the plane
29:45and she comes down here
29:46but I mean it's staggering
29:47to even just even try
29:49and get your head around
29:49what she's achieved
29:50and this will be a place
29:52that will be in her life forever.
29:54Well,
29:54that's it for our pre-show.
29:55Not long now
29:56until play gets underway
29:57so make sure you switch over
29:58to Squash TV.
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