Squash China Open training for domestic players

The China Open 2024 squash tournament at the SPD Bank East Sports Center concluded on Sunday with top seed Mohamed Elshorbagy of England winning the men’s title and sixth seed Rachel Arnold of Malaysia winning the women’s title.

The five-day event brought together 48 players from 13 countries and regions. Four Chinese players were given wildcards to compete against the world’s best players.

Elshorbagy beat Egyptian opponent Mohamed Abouelgar 3-1 to claim his third China Open trophy after 2016 and 2019. It was also the 33-year-old’s 50th PSA World Tour title.

“I will never forget this game as I have been waiting for this victory for a long time,” said the former world number one. He dedicated the victory to his late grandmother.

“I also congratulate my opponent who came back from injury and played at such a high competitive level. I want to come back here next year,” he added.

Both Elshorbagy and Abuelgar hail from Egypt, the traditional center of squash. Currently, half of the world’s top 10 men’s and women’s squash players are from Egypt.

“We have always had good players,” Abouelgar told Shanghai Daily. “So generation after generation there is always someone to look up to and set the bar.”

Egypt has been producing world-class squash players since the 1930s. Its former president, Hosni Mubarak, was a former player and during his reign increased government support for squash development.

Egypt has a unique youth support system: all players signed by clubs must spend time accompanying young players in training and pass on their experience of international competitions to them.

“Our secret is training with the best players from a young age,” Abuelgar said. “We also have a variety of squash clubs and youth programs to help players progress through the ranks. There are 20 to 25 tournaments every year, and many of them have a very high level of competition.”

Squash was once called “the No. 1 sport on Wall Street” and “one of the three major gentleman’s sports in Europe.” Many people considered it an elite and elite sport.

Today, squash has become more widespread around the world and has been announced as an official event of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. However, it is still a young and niche sport in China.

China created its national squash association in 1999. Men’s and women’s national squash teams were created in 2006.

But a lack of participation and adequate support makes it difficult to develop the best talent in squash.

The four Chinese players who were given wildcards were competing in international competition for the first time.

Although they were all eliminated in the first round, they considered it a valuable opportunity to learn from their international colleagues.

Li Haizhen, 22, used to play badminton but switched to squash in 2016 at the age of 14. He is now a member of the Chinese national squash team.

Lee lost to newly crowned world junior champion Mohamad Zakaria in the first round.

After the defeat, he stayed near the court until late at night and watched other matches.

“If you ask me to choose again, I’ll still choose pumpkin,” Lee said. “There is a big gap between us and the international players, but that also means there is a lot of room for improvement. I love the challenge.”

Like Li, a number of Chinese national team players switched to squash from other sports, particularly badminton.

The two sports have common features such as a fast rhythm of attack and defense that requires not only skill but also mental ability.

Besides the technical aspects, squash also requires learning cultural and conceptual aspects.

Because two players directly oppose each other on an enclosed court, physical contact and therefore disagreement may occur during the game.

They often focus on whether the opponent was blocked intentionally, which requires a quick and accurate decision from the referee.

A high-level international event such as the China Open serves as a good opportunity for more people to learn about squash.