El Gouna International has been one of the most anticipated sports events in Egypt ever since it was launched back in 2010. The prestigious event is part of the PSA World Series, the highest level of a professional squash competition. With a prize pool of $352,000, it’s not a surprise to see how competitive it gets in Gouna. This year, all the participants in the semi-finals were Egyptians, since we, by all means, dominate the game.
One of the Egyptians who made us proud during the eighth edition of the competition was none other than the World’s number three ranked player, Tarek Momen. We had a chitchat with Tarek Momen after his match with Ali Farag, and here’s what he had to say.
What’s your comment on yesterday’s match with Ali Farag?
My matches with Ali are always tough, and the match won’t be predictable by any means. I was playing really well at first, and he wasn’t still in the zone. But then the conditions of the match changed. The wind became so strong and it had a huge impact on the ball and the hits. Thus, we had to change the game plan, and this suited him more.
Do you think the referee took decisions against you intentionally?
No, I definitely don’t think he did that on purpose, but there were some mistakes. They were unintentional but they came in a bad timing in the match.
What do you think will happen between Ranim and Nouran tonight?
Of course, I hope Ranim wins and defends her title from last year. It won’t be an easy match, they competed against each other twice recently and the score was close. Ranim won the last match and I’m sure she’ll be able to do it again this time.
What do you have your eyes on next?
The next big tournament will be the British Open on the 20th of May. Then the final tournament will be the World Tour Finals where they invite the top 8 men and women for a fierce competition. For the first time, it’ll take place in Egypt, on the 8th of June. The competition used to take place in London, it went to Dubai, and now it’s coming to Egypt. I heard it’ll take place in the Mall of Arabia, but I’m not sure yet.