Cadillac Athens Open 2005 |
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Cadillac Athens Open 2005 [1] Hisham Ashour (Egy) bt [6] Ramy Ashour (Egy) OLDER BROTHER PREVAILS 23 year-old Egyptian Hisham Mohd Ashour defeated his younger brother and junior world champion Ramy Ashour to claim the 2005 Athens Open in the first all-brother since 1993. The title was the first PSA tour victory for Hisham who, following a slow start, seemed to have all the answers against defending champion Ramy. Younger brother Ramy came out strong in the first set, winning 11-7 by using the same aggressive style that got him to the final without losing a set all week. But the tables turned in the 2nd as the older Ashour used the big-brother factor and became the aggressor, shooting out to a 7-0 lead, on the way to an 11-2 victory. In the third set the brothers pulled out all the stops, providing an exhibition of amazing Egyptian squash, thrilling the Greek crowd. The set went to a tiebreak with Hisham prevailing and giving him the momentum he needed to cruise in the 4th and final set to take the title. In the end, the emotional brothers embraced as their coach, Ashraf Hanafi looked on in admiration.
21-Oct, SEMIS: In exciting semifinal action on Friday night, Egyptian brothers Hisham and Ramy Ashour continued their dominating form and advanced to meet in the first all-brother final ever on Saturday night. In the first semi, Hisham was the aggressor early on against Ritiwik Bhattacharya, constantly attacking and making winners while winning the first game 11-8. Bhattacharya fought back in the second however, taking a 9-8 lead and threatening to make a serious match of it. Hisham proved to be too tough though, winning the tiebreak and the game 12-10. In the third, Ritwik started fast again but Ashour’s winners proved to be too much for the Indian as he dropped the final game 11-7 to book a ticket for the first brother in Saturday’s final. In the second match, younger brother and reigning Junior World Champion Ramy Ashour was even more dominant in defeating #2 seed Ben Garner from England. In the second, Ashour was simply awesome, using the slow outdoor court to his advantage and making winner after winner with dazzling drop shots on both his forehand and backhand, winning the game 11-2. The final scoreline reflected the 28 minute match accurately. The all-brother final is a never before seen event in Squash. Hisham will look to use his experience and the big-brother factor to take apart his younger brother in Saturday’s final. Ramy will look to use his speed and aggressive play to defend his title and take the family bragging rights in what promises to be an epic battle in Athens.
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