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00:00G'day Brisbane. Get ready for the Squash Australian Open.
00:04Join us for an exciting showcase of skill and drama right here in our beautiful city.
00:45Good afternoon. Welcome along to the Squash Australian Open 2026.
00:49It's a gold event on the PSA Squash Tour here for the 10th and the 15th of March.
00:54I'm ready to get things underway. A glorious day here. Just gone 1.30 local time.
00:59We're just going to be going into a few of the ins and outs of the season so far.
01:02So plenty to look forward to and a lot to remind you about as well.
01:06The beginning of the season obviously started. It's a 10-month season.
01:09We're seven months into that 10-month season now and 2026 got off to an absolute flyer.
01:15Let's remind you of what happened in those platinum events.
01:22Welcome everybody and Happy New Year.
01:24We're welcome to the 2026 Sprott Tournament of Champions presented by Crowdstreet.
01:35Yeah, this was unbelievable from Timmy Brownell. He really held his medal.
01:41Anahat Singh with a two-love lead against the world number seven.
01:46That was a really, really tricky match for Watanabe to navigate.
01:51Mohamed El-Shabaghi has come back for two games to knock down.
01:57This is massive for Sima Cesare-Shabamani, reaching the first quarter-final at the TOC.
02:05It's not my biggest win, but prepare close the win to my heart.
02:11El Hamami putting all her fans through the ringer with that one.
02:16She's now got a championship ball out of nowhere.
02:20Oh, she's done it! I didn't believe it!
02:25Well, it's been two years since we had this event.
02:29So 2024 was the last Windy City Open.
02:31And a quick turnaround now back in Chicago.
02:34Great to be back here.
02:35This is a venue that's seen a lot of great squash over the years.
02:38Yeah, I like the way they've done the kind of back-to-back, platinum to platinum.
02:43He's done it.
02:43Greywell Marsh has done it.
02:45I cannot believe he's got a massive upset here.
02:47And that's the call.
02:48Oh, what an excellent affair.
02:50What an excellent affair.
02:51The 20-year-old who's gone through the ringer there.
02:55Okay, you can never write off Noor El Shabini.
02:5820 wins in a row here in Chicago.
03:05It's a three-leg victory.
03:06Another clean sweep from Mustafa Asaj to Asaj.
03:10This fight.
03:11And this is the ultimate hunting ground for Noor El Shabini.
03:17So plenty to unpack from those platinum events at the beginning of 2026.
03:21Lisa Aitken and Paul Hornsby joining us here in the studio in Australia.
03:25Let's cast our mind back to those.
03:27What are the standout moments for you from the TOC and from the Windy City Open, Lisa?
03:31Yeah, two absolute crackers to start the year, isn't it?
03:33In the middle of the season when we head over for the American Swing on the Tour.
03:37A couple of standout moments in the women's for me.
03:39You had Fares Abelkir taking down Amina Orfi.
03:42They're rivals from the junior era, still fairly young.
03:45But that was a big win.
03:45A big moment, I think, for her in terms of her confidence.
03:48And then you can't not talk about the comebacks, the continual comebacks of Hania El Hamami.
03:53I mean, the deficit that she faced against Weaver, who's just not quite able to get it over the line
03:59again.
04:00And that massive match with Shabini and Hania in the semi-final.
04:04There was lots.
04:05There was lots to talk about.
04:06But yeah, another brilliant tournament, another great start to the year.
04:09But the big names always been there in the final.
04:11Paul, no big names here at the Australian Open.
04:14But what would you like to talk about from those two Platinums?
04:17What stood out for you?
04:18I think it's difficult to not look past Mustafar Asal and the squash that he's playing.
04:22It's just on a completely different level to what we've seen in recent years.
04:25I mean, it comes with controversies.
04:27Always a bit of controversy when Mustafar Asal's in the house.
04:31But to just be sailing through tournaments without dropping games, it's just absolutely incredible.
04:35And the other thing about that is, of course, the closeness of those two tournaments going back to back.
04:41It makes it even more impressive, really.
04:43Do we like that?
04:43Do we like that we've stacked the beginning of 2026 with two Platinums?
04:47Yeah, I do.
04:48I think it then becomes...
04:49To the players?
04:50Well, probably.
04:51If you're playing well and you've got that momentum, you kind of don't want that to end.
04:54You don't want there to be too long a gap if you're playing really well and you're getting the wins.
04:57It then becomes a bit about last man standing, doesn't it?
05:00Because we then went to Houston for the Texas Open where we saw some of the older players.
05:05Now, the older players in the men's draw is something that we talk about quite a lot.
05:09We're needing these youngsters to come through and push these top players that are now in their 30s, their mid
05:14-30s.
05:15And we saw that.
05:16We did see that in Texas, didn't we?
05:17Where the older players, Kareem Abdel-Gawad, Mohamed El-Shabagi actually went down early into the draw.
05:24Yeah, and what else would you take away from those two Platinums and actually the structure of this season as
05:30a whole?
05:31I mean, next season's a whole different ballgame because we've got Olympic qualifiers and things to look forward to.
05:35But as far as this season goes and the flow of this season for the players?
05:39Yeah, yeah.
05:39Just coming back to the momentum thing, I think that is huge.
05:43Which is obviously a bit of a balancing point between riding the crest of the wave and the winning becoming
05:50a habit, as we often talk about as coaches and commentators.
05:54But there's also the physical demands on it as well, and you've got the travel thrown in there.
05:59Noor El-Shabini, just coming back to your original question, she's just a gift that keeps on giving, isn't she?
06:05I mean, you've got to be probably most people's favourite female player, potentially of all time.
06:11I mean, to have such a gifted squash brain and squash hands, it's a real treat, long way to continue.
06:17What's she done to sort of find that form again, that revitalised Shabini that we've all been craving?
06:22Play. Literally get the matches under her belt. She spoke a lot about not having a summer.
06:27We see all these players take massive time during the summer to not holiday, not rest, but to get the
06:33work in.
06:34They don't really get that with the season being so packed. A lot of physical work goes in there, a
06:38lot of refinement to the technique goes in there.
06:41And they hit the season running. They're fresh, they're fit, they're strong. She didn't do that.
06:45She decided to take time away from the game, away from the gym, and almost use the start of the
06:51season to work her way in, get the matches under her belt.
06:54And then it was always a matter of time before it was then going to come and she was going
06:57to hit the ground.
06:58Do tournaments like the New Zealand Open, where I know you guys have been, and the Australian Open, do they
07:02suffer from not having those top tier players?
07:04I know the likes of Paul Cole will be here last week and this week, but no Shabini, no Nooran
07:10Gohal.
07:10Obviously she's away getting ready to have her first child and no Hania Elhamami.
07:15So are we missing some of those big names in both the men and the women's draw?
07:18Well, I mean, the New Zealand Open, it was a silver level event.
07:21So to have somebody like Paul Cole, who's obviously always going to play in his back garden, wasn't he?
07:26But yeah, I mean, it was a shame.
07:28I'm sure that the squash New Zealand public would have loved to see an Asal or a Diego there to
07:33test him on home turf.
07:35But, you know, he sort of cantered to the victory last week, which was pretty, pretty well received.
07:39Anything to add on that one briefly?
07:41Yeah, it just shows like how many tournaments there are on the calendar.
07:45You know, we're not seeing this season anyway, the top players, Hania Elhamami, Noor Elshabini play every gold event.
07:51Yeah.
07:51So if you are going to miss one, you're probably, unfortunately for Australian squash, you're probably going to miss this
07:56one because the travel is so significant.
07:58So, yeah, they've chosen to stay at home.
07:59I think at this time in the season, given how much they've played, it's a smart choice.
08:04Great opportunity for the other players, though, I guess, at the same time, we'll get into some of that.
08:07And we want to talk about the controversy at the Windy City Open.
08:11And let's have a look at this.
08:12This was the moment the men's final concluded.
08:15This is championship ball between Asal and Cole and plenty to unpack here.
08:19Yeah, for me, this pick up here, obviously, this is how the match ended.
08:24There's quite a heavy appeal here from Paul Cole, as you would expect.
08:28The pick up from Asal didn't look clean.
08:31There's an opportunity, of course, for the match referee to use his teammate in the VR and just check that.
08:36And I think if there's any point in a match that you're going to do that, do it on championship
08:41ball.
08:42You can see here, as we use the slow-mo, it's really difficult to tell.
08:47Now, we've got the technology.
08:48Is it that difficult to tell for the match referee in real time?
08:52And why aren't we going to the technology?
08:54Well, he's got it wrong there.
08:55Jason Foster, unfortunately for him, is at the centre of refereeing controversy once again.
09:01I mean, he's got it wrong twice, really.
09:03He's got it wrong for, you know, the call was wrong.
09:06And he's also got it wrong for not throwing that to the video referee.
09:09Why would they not go to the video referee?
09:10I think that's what a lot of people are frustrated about.
09:13And certainly, Paul Cole, you know, why aren't we using it?
09:17Where does the fault lie?
09:18And how do we make sure mistakes like that don't happen?
09:20You've got to use it.
09:21We've got the technology.
09:22We've got the ability to really slow the game down, to slow every frame down.
09:28And you can actually see over and over again.
09:32They can also take as long as they need, OK?
09:34There's no time limit on how long we're going to the VR from.
09:38Obviously, you want to have continual play, but it's there and it's there to use.
09:41And there is also communication between the TV production crew and the VR.
09:46And it's just utilising that.
09:48It has to be done every single time.
09:49If it's there, use it.
09:50And that opportunity there, the frustration from Paul Cole, rightly so.
09:54Well, I'll tell you what, it's a huge moment.
09:56I mean, obviously, Paul Cole is going to be unbelievably frustrated by that,
10:00even more so now he's seeing it again.
10:01I'll tell you who else would be frustrated is the people who are watching it.
10:04They would want to see that instantly, straight away again.
10:07They would want to see that.
10:08I mean, all other sports, you would see replays, wouldn't you?
10:11So what's the solution?
10:13It's all very well sort of pointing out the mistakes and the errors,
10:15but what is the solution? Where does it lie?
10:19You've got to learn from it.
10:20I mean, that for me is a moment that has to be watched back over and over again.
10:25What would you have done differently?
10:26Now, I know that the referees are great at that.
10:28They meet every morning.
10:29They go through the play from the day before and they review every event as well.
10:34That will be definitely looked at.
10:36And I hope for the game's sake, for the player's sake, that we're never in that situation again.
10:41I mean, it's a final of a platinum event.
10:43There's a lot on the line.
10:44There's a lot of points.
10:45There's a lot of money.
10:45And I know the score line was 2-love, 10-7 to Mustafa, Sal.
10:49But stranger things have happened.
10:51We're not learning, though, are we, Paul?
10:53It keeps happening time and time again.
10:55Viewers are getting frustrated.
10:56Squash fans are getting frustrated.
10:57Players are getting frustrated.
10:59Yeah, I mean, obviously, there's nothing to say that Paul would have gone on to win the match.
11:03But he's obviously fighting for his, he's hanging on by a thread there.
11:07His three match balls down is, you know, it was a sort of a bit of a rollercoaster
11:11for a match from start to finish.
11:13But it will be absolutely fuming about that.
11:15And let's get into that as well, though.
11:17No, you can't blame him, because it wasn't a clean match.
11:20It was a filthy final.
11:22I just want to say one more thing on that.
11:23You're asking what can we learn and what can we do better in the future.
11:25I think we need to keep leaning into technology.
11:28You know, we're seeing that across other sports.
11:30Football, they've got the VAR.
11:32And we need to probably rely on AI and exploring all of those options.
11:36It's not that tough a call, though, is it, really?
11:38I mean, we saw that, the distance from the racket, the shadow of the ball.
11:42There's enough there in the video, watching it once, let alone the number of times you
11:47could watch it in a replay.
11:48I mean, Jason Fletcher must have been absolutely, sorry, there is a Jason Fletcher.
11:53Yeah, there is.
11:53He's not a referee.
11:56He must have been 100% certain that that ball was down.
12:00And you saw Paul Cole there pleading with him to have another look.
12:03He's saying you may have got that wrong.
12:06I mean, should there be a rule where somebody out the back should be able to communicate
12:10with Jason Foster and say, no, mate, that's down?
12:16Well, they have that.
12:17They have a constant line of communication with being at these events.
12:22You can see the VR, the headset on, the match referee.
12:25They're in constant communication about decisions.
12:28And that was just one for me that they needed to communicate.
12:30Rely on your teammate.
12:31Should we as broadcasters be showing that and just saying, look, it is definitively
12:36down, but then interrupting the process, if you like, and forcing our opinion on match
12:43referees?
12:44Should we be doing that as a broadcaster at Squash TV?
12:47I think so.
12:48I think show as much as you can.
12:49Show as much as you can.
12:50And I would also actually like to hear the communication between the VR and the ref when
12:55certain situations are coming and you've got the crowd sitting there waiting on the decision,
12:59not sure what's going to happen on the screens.
13:00I would like to hear the dialogue as they do in rugby, for example.
13:03And you can quite clearly see what train of thought they're on, what page they're on,
13:07what they're looking for, what they're not looking for.
13:09They're talking to each other.
13:10I personally would like to hear that come through.
13:15There's absolutely no harm in the viewers being, you know,
13:18being privy to that conversation.
13:20There's other sports do it.
13:21Language as well.
13:22There is no, sorry to interrupt there.
13:23I was going to say about we have clear evidence that shows the ball down.
13:27Yeah, it's it.
13:28And then you show that and you watch that and Jason watches it.
13:32And I don't know who was VR that day, but everyone gets to see it.
13:35How we saw it on TV that day.
13:38Going back to the match itself.
13:39I think it was in the studio.
13:40You mentioned about there was a lot more controversy throughout the match.
13:43There was.
13:43There was two injury breaks for Mustafa Asal at crucial, crucial times in the match.
13:48Paul Cole had an 8-5 lead in the second game.
13:50He was putting so much physical work into Mustafa Asal, wasn't he?
13:54He was breathing heavy.
13:55Cole was pushing up the core.
13:56He was applying the pressure.
13:58And you were thinking, this could be a turn in momentum here.
14:00And then Bumi hit the deck, took the time out.
14:03And it was seven and a half minutes from from the point at which Mustafa Asal hit the deck
14:08to when they had the first shot being played.
14:10It was seven and a half minutes.
14:12Yeah.
14:12Now, the recovery time that Mustafa Asal, how much he would have regrouped and get the systems,
14:16that explosive movement, he'd have had so much time to regain that.
14:20And then later on in the match with the blood flowing out of the knee,
14:23that was another five and a half minute break.
14:25So it was 13 minutes of play that was stopped at pivotal moments for Paul Cole.
14:30Can't do so much about the blood, necessarily.
14:33Well, he could keep himself off the deck.
14:34Yes, OK.
14:35But unnecessary.
14:35So is it cheating if a player is sort of going down and breaking up the momentum, if you like,
14:40because there'll be people out there saying, well, Asal cheated his way through that game,
14:45and that had an impact on the match?
14:47Yeah.
14:48I mean, it's clever by Asal.
14:50We're going to call it cheating.
14:52I mean, it's professional.
14:54It's difficult to accuse somebody of faking an injury.
14:57That's very difficult to do, isn't it?
14:59But certainly he would have been more than aware of how it would have taken the momentum away from Paul.
15:05You know, he's in a rhythm, he's in control, and then all of a sudden nothing for seven minutes.
15:09It's brutal. That's brutal, isn't it?
15:11He would have been very clever in how he was planning the first rally when he came back on call.
15:17OK. Thanks very much for your input.
15:18We're going to crack on with the rest of the show.
15:20And I know you guys are on commentary for the first one, so good luck.
15:23Let's see what is coming your way here.
15:25Eight matches coming your way.
15:27Squash Australian Open 2026 gets going today.
15:29Day one, round one, which means it's round of 32.
15:32I think we've got 24 players in action, actually.
15:35Alicia Mead versus Grace Gere is our first match of the day that gets going.
15:39And then all the home interest in the second half of the day from sort of 6.30 onwards,
15:43you'll get to see the likes of Jessica van der Waalte, Joseph White.
15:47He'll be in action alongside Madison Lyon and Dylan Molinaro.
15:52So, four Aussie names to look forward to, and two more Aussies to welcome to the studio.
15:56Jenny Duncoff and Ryan Cuskelly.
15:58Well, I know you're not Aussie, but you are now.
15:59Sorry, I don't want to interrupt straight away on day one there, Michael.
16:02But you are a token Aussie now, aren't you?
16:03I know you're from our parts in England.
16:06I do reside here, yes.
16:07But you must have an Australian passport, don't you now?
16:08I do, just about, yeah.
16:10I just got one.
16:10Okay, congratulations.
16:12Welcome to Squash TV, to both of you.
16:14And thanks very much for hosting us here in Australia.
16:16Not a bad show.
16:18Oh, unbelievable.
16:19I mean, speak for sort of both of us being so excited to be back here.
16:23Yet last year was unbelievable.
16:25The crowds were sell-out, semi-finals and final.
16:28And yeah, so special for the sport to be back by Southbank here by the river.
16:32Fantastic venue.
16:34And Ryan, not too far for you to commute each day as well, coming up from the Gold Coast.
16:38Yeah, I'm just at the Gold Coast, about an hour away at the National Performance Centre.
16:43So short drive, but beautiful place to have Australian Open.
16:47So unbelievable.
16:48I wish I could play in it.
16:49And just tell us briefly a little bit about what you're doing now within Australian Squash,
16:54because you're still heavily involved.
16:55Yeah, absolutely.
16:56My role is National Pathways coach.
16:58So working with the juniors, the best juniors in the country, some of which are here, volunteering.
17:04So putting them to good work, travel around the states, around the country, running camps,
17:09taking world junior teams away and trying to get some good squash players back up,
17:13get Australia back on the map.
17:14And Ryan, you've got a couple of players staying with you, I believe, down in the Gold Coast.
17:17So they've been doing their match prep for this one with you.
17:19Not Aussies, a couple of Swiss guys, Nicky Muller and Dimitri.
17:23So yeah, they've been here for the last sort of four or five days training at the National Centre
17:28and staying with me, cooked them up a few steaks and did a bit of training.
17:31So yeah, they're just getting used to the conditions, which is quite humid.
17:34But yeah, they had a couple of good days.
17:36Excellent Aussie hospitality.
17:38Let's remind you what's been happening so far.
17:40Just two men's winners in the Platinums.
17:43This is a gold event here in Australia, Aussie gold.
17:45But you're two men's winners here at Platinum level.
17:49There's a little reminder of it.
17:50Mustapha Asal dominating there on Diamond events as well,
17:53which was at the Egyptian Open.
17:55But only Paul Cole, the only other win there.
17:57And what's the significance of that?
17:59What's the story behind that, do you think, then, Jenny?
18:01I mean, I think you can look at it a couple of ways.
18:03It's either a very boring story on the men's side
18:06with Asal dominating supremely, it has to be said.
18:09He's been ridiculously impressive at all the major events.
18:13Paul on the screen there, great for this side of the world,
18:15for him to be getting some joy, but not much joy in the finals
18:19against Asal so far.
18:21So it's going to be interesting who's going to sort of come up
18:24in the men's game.
18:25We've got Zachary and Joan O'Brien here in the top four seeds this week.
18:28And also Joel, who we've kind of missed, I would say, waiting.
18:32Well, not waiting.
18:33He's doing well, but getting back to full fitness.
18:36And then also Diego's come back in the mix,
18:38but definitely dominated by Asal at the moment.
18:40Great opportunity here, Ryan, for someone to maybe get up there
18:43alongside Paul Coll in the men's final and no Mustafa Asal.
18:46So I guess that does leave the door open for somebody.
18:49Yeah, I think it's a perfect opportunity for anyone,
18:51especially these younger guys coming through, Jonah and Zachary.
18:55I think they'll be dark horses this week.
18:57They're pretty gritty and want to get up those rankings.
19:00So I think they're going to probably give it to the older boys.
19:04So, yeah, we'll see what plays out.
19:06Same sort of dominance in the women's half as well,
19:08with Noor El Shabini and Hanyu El Hamami dominating those trophies,
19:13as you can see there, and the various tournaments that they've picked up.
19:16Yeah, the diamond and the platinum events from the season so far.
19:20So what's our takeaway from those two winners and their seasons they're having?
19:24Yeah, fantastic for them.
19:26But back to this event, like Ryan said,
19:29it's a huge opportunity for someone outside of the top four to actually get a big win
19:33and see if that can give them confidence for the rest of the season.
19:36Obviously, massive events coming up and trying to chip away
19:40at the dominance of Hania and Shabini.
19:43And none of the defending champions are here.
19:45No Karim Gawad and no Olivia Weaver.
19:48So again, we're going to see hopefully a new name on the trophy for someone, Ryan.
19:52Yeah, again, it's not a great opportunity.
19:53I think the women's game is just unbelievable at the moment.
19:56I only started watching squash really, again, properly for the last couple of years
19:59because I'm involved in the high performance.
20:01But I only watch the girls now.
20:04It's like unbelievable.
20:0480-minute matches every time they get on the court.
20:07And it's just, you know, true squash and a lot of heart out there.
20:11So yeah, I mean, especially for this tournament to open Slava really.
20:15A couple of big results last week.
20:17So yeah, anyone can take it down, I feel.
20:19So what's the state of the men's game then if we're to flip reverse that?
20:22And why is that not maybe as attractive to watch as a sports fan?
20:26I think there's a lot of injuries as well.
20:28Like there's a couple of guys in the top 10 that I feel that could really hurt us all,
20:32like Ibrahim, and he keeps, you know, falling and doing his shoulder.
20:37And Diego's quite not.
20:38He's 100% fitness.
20:40So they're the kind of guys I feel that can really, you know, trouble the sale.
20:44But I think Paul, I think I was just chatting to him just recently, just 10 minutes ago,
20:48and he's got a couple of little secrets under his sleeve that he's...
20:51Come on, we can't have you on the show.
20:52You have to share those, just a couple of little technique things.
20:56He's on the right path because he needs to change sort of what he's doing against him.
21:00Yeah.
21:01His game against everyone else, he can get it done.
21:03But I think he needs just that little bit more attacking, you know,
21:05put the ball away a little bit more when he gets his opportunities around the mid-court.
21:08Otherwise, the sale is just too strong and just too good.
21:12So anything to add on the state of both the men's and the women's game there, Jenny?
21:16Yeah, I mean, speaking from the women's perspective, having played for 18 odd years or something,
21:21when I watch the girls play now, it's just absolutely unbelievable.
21:24The athleticism, skill level, obviously, the introduction of the lower tin from 2015
21:29has really excelled the women's game.
21:32And it kind of ebbs and flows, men's and women's sport all the time.
21:36So if the players that Ryan's talking about really get back to 100%,
21:39then that's going to make things more exciting in the men's.
21:42OK, as I said earlier, we're seven months into a 10-month season.
21:46We've just come from New Zealand.
21:47And let's remind you of what happened there.
21:49It was an all-Hillis final there between the two sisters,
21:53with Tinna Gillis coming out on top against Naila Gillis and taking the victory there.
21:57And Paul Cole doing the job against Zacharia as well in the men's final.
22:02So just your takeaways from both those women's and men's finals.
22:06Yeah, very contrasting finals.
22:08The Gillis sisters, obviously, emotional affair playing your sister.
22:12And it was almost 80 minutes of high quality, very tough, tough squash.
22:16Paul, on the other hand, winning his third New Zealand Open title.
22:19So a hat-trick for him.
22:20He loves playing on a home ground.
22:22And weirdly, I know we're in Australia, but last year he lost in the final.
22:26But the support really was with him.
22:29He had a different run through to Zacharia.
22:31He's ran out of legs after an absolutely massive match against Joel Macon in the semis.
22:37Both those two are in the same half of the draw, bottom half of the draw.
22:40This time around this week, they had a 125-minute semifinal.
22:45That's right.
22:45So it was tough for the 18-year-old to back up against Paul Cole in the final.
22:49So different runs in that event for the finalists.
22:52And then, Ryan, as well, any points there on the men's and the women's final?
22:55What we might bring into the Australian Open from the New Zealand Open?
22:58Yeah, I think Paul will come in really fresh and confident because, as Jenny said, he had a pretty easy
23:05run through compared to the other side.
23:07So I'm looking at him for this tournament to perform well.
23:12I think he really wants to get an Australian Open and get the double down under.
23:16On the girls' side, I think Tinny's playing really well.
23:19I've watched her over the last sort of year, and she's really progressed the game a little bit.
23:24Naila's sort of been up and down a little bit.
23:25So, yeah, I think Tinny's going to be in for the title.
23:29It's a long way to come, isn't it, to come to the Southern Hemisphere, to play the New Zealand Open,
23:33to play the Australian Open.
23:34What's in it for the players? Why should they come down here?
23:37And where does the incentive lie, I guess, if you've got events like the Optasia Championships coming up in sort
23:43of the Northern Hemisphere?
23:44So, you know, what draws the players down these days?
23:47I think to play somewhere new.
23:49I mean, if you look around here, there's going to be loads of people.
23:51The atmosphere in New Zealand would sort of spread of how good it was last year, how good this event
23:56was last year.
23:58And also for the sort of outside of the top four, it's big points if you win the gold events.
24:03It's great points to try and get into that top four.
24:07And interestingly, not all of them have played New Zealand and Australia.
24:10Most of them do.
24:11But we've got Siva here as top seed in the women's event, Steinman in the men's and Sana Ibrahim.
24:17So they're the other three extras since last week in New Zealand.
24:21OK, we'll come back to you for some more points in a minute.
24:24Let's just remind you of what happened this time last year here at the Australian Open.
24:30Welcome to Brisbane, Australia and the 2025 EZ Times Brew & Co. Australian Open.
24:48It took 80 minutes for Augustus Hall to hold off Brunet John.
24:53Another day at the office with a 17-year-old into another final.
24:57It was Cole almost took the 2-1 lead, but it was Gowad that clinched that game and somehow managed
25:03to find a way back in that fourth game.
25:07Olivia Weaver take a bow.
25:09She should be extremely proud of herself for what she's achieved here.
25:15So missing both defending champions.
25:17No Gowad, no Weaver.
25:18So who does that open the door for?
25:20Well, everyone else.
25:21Yeah, the rest of the world.
25:24To state the obvious.
25:25But just thinking back to last year, they both had to come from behind.
25:29Paul and Olivia, one love down.
25:31And watching the highlights of Gowad was almost gave up in that fourth game.
25:36So at the time, it was a bit of a shock that he somehow managed to do that.
25:39I don't think Paul, if he reaches the final, will make that same mistake twice.
25:43But yeah, everyone outside of those defending champions has got a chance.
25:48Ryan, where does the charge come from?
25:49I know you alluded to sort of Paul Cole, but who else could be in there for the mix this
25:54time in Australia?
25:55As I said, the younger boys I really like.
25:57Zacharara and Jonah.
25:59What is it specifically about their game that can challenge the likes of Paul Cole?
26:03Jonah, I love how he's movement, how he hits the ball, he's attacking.
26:09Zacharara's a bit different, like mentally ridiculous for his age.
26:11I've never seen it like it.
26:12I don't even know how it's possible at that age to do what he's doing.
26:18Technically a little bit different.
26:20There's a couple of things I think he needs to work on still to get to that top level.
26:23But what is he, 17, 18, he's doing unbelievable.
26:27So yeah, I'd watch out for those two boys.
26:29I think they're definitely the dark horse.
26:32And from an Australian perspective, I guess the second half of the day, quite interesting today here on day one.
26:36From 6.30, all the local and home talent in action.
26:40Yeah, of course, we've got four Australian wild cards.
26:43Unfortunately, Alex Hayden had to withdraw, but that makes way for Jess Vandervoel.
26:47The two girls are actually from Brisbane.
26:50Their club is where the rest of the rounds are being played on the hardbacks.
26:54So unbelievable opportunity for the four Aussies.
26:57They're up against it, but hoping we'll get a few local supporters in.
27:00And there's been a huge buzz about the place.
27:03Brisbane people love their sport.
27:04So hopefully they can make some headway, as Oliver Dunbar did as a wild card in New Zealand last week.
27:09He got the win.
27:10So who knows?
27:11They'll be buzzed, won't they, Ryan, coming into this arena?
27:13I think we're expecting sort of 1,200 people here by the end of the week at least.
27:16And hopefully the crowd shows up tonight.
27:18I mean, this is as best as it gets for them.
27:20I mean, it's unbelievable.
27:21Playing in this venue, it doesn't get better as the Australian Open.
27:24So, yeah, I really hope they just take it on and just, you know, get stuck in and give it
27:28to the higher ranked opponents.
27:29And I think we could see some good squash tonight.
27:32So you're watching and coaching.
27:33Okay, we're going to be touching on some Aussie greats as well and players that have sort of shone in
27:37the past.
27:38And here's one just to get us started.
27:39Cameron Pilly, who was obviously just an absolute star back in the day in some of his vital statistics, Ryan.
27:45Just talk us through some of these and some of his highlights.
27:48Yes, good mate of mine, doubles partner.
27:51Yes, highest ranking at 11.
27:52I feel like he should have probably been a top 10 player.
27:55He beat a lot of really good players in that top five.
27:58Just a tough era, you know.
28:00Probably consistency, you know, probably just got him in the end.
28:04But, yeah, made the final of Hong Kong.
28:06Three times Commonwealth Games gold medalist.
28:09Super Series runner-up.
28:11Doesn't get better than that, does it?
28:12So, does it?
28:13Well, it does, actually.
28:15For Australia these days, that's pretty good.
28:17Yeah, it's not bad going.
28:18Sorry, Pilly.
28:18But there's definitely Australians.
28:20I mean, the list is just endless previous world champions.
28:24And this event started in 1979.
28:28Jeff Hunt, obviously, absolute legend.
28:30Vicky Cardwell won the first title.
28:32Michelle Martin and Vicky Cardwell have won this event seven times.
28:36Rodney Martin, five times.
28:38So, yeah, it's unbelievable, the record.
28:40And it's just fantastic to have an event like this again here on such sort of historic Australian soil and
28:47trying to get this game bigger again around the country.
28:50We're going to get into it more throughout the week as well, but obviously Brisbane are going to be hosting
28:53the 2032 Olympics, squash in the 2028 Olympics for the first time.
28:58So, I guess it's bidding and we'd love them to have that success and a repeat performance at the Olympic
29:04Games.
29:05Oh, yeah.
29:05I mean, amazing that we're in 28 and there's a lot of focus around here to try and get into
29:1032.
29:11And that's part of why this event is on.
29:14Squash Australia have done a fantastic job with the event last year, this year.
29:18And we've also got World Masters.
29:19So, a huge, huge effort to get us in there if possible.
29:24Okay.
29:24Day one, let's get your winners.
29:25When we get to the end, who's going to win the tournament?
29:27Two names, a male and a female, please, from you.
29:30Ryan first.
29:31Paul.
29:32Yeah.
29:33And Tinny.
29:34Okay.
29:34Ryan and Tinny.
29:35And what about for you, Jenny?
29:36I've gone really exciting and gone for top seeds, Paul and Siva.
29:40Okay, but a bit of a difference there in the women's half of the draw.
29:43Okay.
29:43Listen, thanks very much.
29:44Enjoy your time in the commentary box with us here.
29:47The Australian Open about to get underway.
29:49If you've been watching us here on the YouTube channel, thanks very much for joining us.
29:53If you haven't got your Squash TV subscription, go and get it quickly now and join us for the main
29:57event over on Squash TV.
29:59See you back very shortly.
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