Amr Shabana
Encyclopedia
Amr Shabana (born 20 July 1979, in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

) is a professional squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...

 player from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

. He won the World Open in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009, and reached the World No. 1 ranking in 2006.

Career overview

The talented left-hander from Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

 first showed his promise when he was the runner-up (to compatriot Ahmed Faizy) in the British Under-14 Open in January 1993. Four years later he reached the final of the British Under-19 Open, where he again lost to Faizy.

A PSA
Professional Squash Association
The Professional Squash Association is the governing body for the men's professional squash circuit. The body operates in a similar fashion to the ATP for tennis. The PSA World Tour involves over 100 tournaments annually all over the globe...

 member since 1995, Amr claimed his first Tour title with the help of Bryan "Griffin" Knight in July 1999, winning the Puebla Open in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. Seven days later he grabbed his second, the Mexico Open, again by beating Australia's Craig Rowland
Craig Rowland
Craig Rowland is a squash coach and former professional squash player from Australia. As a player, he reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 7 in 1996. He won a Gold Medal in the mixed doubles at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, partnering Michelle Martin...

 in the final.

Amr Shabana crowned a remarkable year in 2003 when, as ninth seed, he forced his way through a star-studded field in the World Open in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. He despatched title-holder David Palmer
David Palmer (squash player)
David Palmer is a professional squash player from Australia. He won the Super Series finals in 2002, the World Open in 2002 and 2006; the British Open in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2008; and the Australian Open in 2008. He attained World No...

, the third seed, in five games in the third round. He then went on to take out Palmer's Australian team-mate Anthony Ricketts
Anthony Ricketts
Anthony Ricketts is a former professional squash player from Australia.Ricketts won the British Open in 2005, beating James Willstrop in the final 11-7, 11-9, 11-7...

 in the last eight. After defeating Karim Darwish
Karim Darwish
Karim Darwish is a squash player from Egypt.-Career:Earlier in 2008, Darwish finished runner-up at the World Open, losing in the final to fellow Egyptian player Ramy Ashour...

 (the Egyptian No 1) in a four-game semi-final, Shabana clinched the historic title by beating Thierry Lincou
Thierry Lincou
Thierry Lincou is a professional squash player from France. He reached the World No. 1 ranking in January 2004...

 in the final 15–14, 9–15, 15–11, 15–7, to become Egypt's first winner of the sport's premier title.

But after a disappointing following year, in which his only final appearance was in the British Open Squash Championship
British Open Squash Championships
The British Open Squash Championships is the oldest and most established tournament in the game of squash. It is widely considered to be one of the two most prestigious tournaments in the game, alongside the World Open The British...

 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, losing to David Palmer
David Palmer (squash player)
David Palmer is a professional squash player from Australia. He won the Super Series finals in 2002, the World Open in 2002 and 2006; the British Open in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2008; and the Australian Open in 2008. He attained World No...

 in four games 10–11 (4–6), 11–7, 11–10 (3–1), 11–7, Shabana stormed back to the top of his game in 2005. Over a short period, he acquired a new coach, Ahmed Tahir; a new manager, the former Egyptian international Omar Elborolossy; and a wife, Nadjla. "All I have to worry about now is playing my matches – everything else is looked after for me now", said Shabana. And the effect was plain to see as a week after winning the Heliopolis Open in his home town Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

, the seventh-seeded Shabana beat David Palmer and James Willstrop
James Willstrop
James Willstrop is a professional squash player from England.-Biography:Willstrop is recognised as a young squash talent with a big future ahead of him...

, before defeating Anthony Ricketts in the final to claim the St Louis Open crown in the United States.

The next event saw the in-form Egyptian brush aside all opposition in the Hungarian Open in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

, winning his third title in as many weeks after beating Grégory Gaultier
Gregory Gaultier
Grégory Gaultier is a professional squash player from France. He won the British Open in 2007, and finished runner-up at the World Open in 2006 and 2007....

 in the final. But the World Open in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 confirmed his renaissance beyond doubt. Seeded five, Amr crushed fourth seed Lee Beachill
Lee Beachill
Lee Beachill is a former World No. 1 squash player from England.Beachill reached the World No. 1 ranking in October 2004. He also finished runner-up at the World Open that year....

 in the quarters, Peter Nicol
Peter Nicol
Peter Nicol, MBE , is a former professional squash player from the United Kingdom, who represented first Scotland and then England in international squash. In 1998, while still competing for Scotland, he became the first player from the UK to hold the World No. 1 ranking...

 in the semis, and, in his third successive straight games victory, powered past David Palmer 11–6 11–7 11–8 in the final to become the first player since the heyday of the Khans to win the World Open title for the second time.

The new year brought continuing rewards for Shabana with victories in the Canadian Classic in January, followed by the Tournament of Champions
Tournament of Champions (squash)
The Tournament of Champions is an annual international squash championship held in New York City. In recent years, the event has been held at New York's Grand Central Terminal, in a specially-constructed four-walled glass court in the Vanderbilt Hall....

 in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in March, and the Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

 PSA Masters
PSA Masters
The PSA Masters is a prestigious squash tournament which is one of the premier events on the Professional Squash Association Tour. It is the only PSA Tour event which is open exclusively to the top 32 players in the world rankings, and is part of the PSA World Series.From 2000-01, the event was...

 in April – bringing his PSA Tour title tally to 12, and then in April 2006, Shabana became the first Egyptian player to reach the world number 1 ranking.

In 2007, Shabana was crowned world champion for the third time in five years at the World Open in Bermuda and later in January 2009, Shabana's 33-month reign as World No. 1 was ended by his countryman Karim Darwish
Karim Darwish
Karim Darwish is a squash player from Egypt.-Career:Earlier in 2008, Darwish finished runner-up at the World Open, losing in the final to fellow Egyptian player Ramy Ashour...

.

Career statistics

Listed below.

PSA Titles (26)

All Results for Amr Shabana in PSA World's Tour tournament
EWLINE
Legend
PSA Platinum Series /
PSA Series Final /
PSA World Open (13)
PSA Gold Series (0)
PSA Silver Series (3)
PSA Star Series (10)
PSA Super Satellite (0)
PSA Satellite (0)
EWLINE
Titles by major tournaments
World Open (4)
British Open (0)
Hong Kong Open (4)
Qatar Classic
Qatar Classic
The Qatar Classic is an annual international squash tournament that takes place in Doha, Qatar in October. The event was re-established in 2001. The tournament features both men and women, the men's event is part of the PSA World Series and the women's event is part of the WISPA World...

 (1)

No. Date Tournament Opponent in final Score in final Minutes played
1. July 4, 1999 Puebla Open   Craig Rowland
Craig Rowland
Craig Rowland is a squash coach and former professional squash player from Australia. As a player, he reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 7 in 1996. He won a Gold Medal in the mixed doubles at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, partnering Michelle Martin...

11–15, 15–7, 15–7, 15–9 Unknown
2. July 11, 1999 Mexico Open   Craig Rowland 8–15, 15–7, 15–4, 15–13 Unknown
3. January 23, 2001 El Ahly Open   Karim Darwish
Karim Darwish
Karim Darwish is a squash player from Egypt.-Career:Earlier in 2008, Darwish finished runner-up at the World Open, losing in the final to fellow Egyptian player Ramy Ashour...

15–12, 15–12, 17–15 Unknown
4. June 29, 2003 Spanish Open   Karim Darwish 15–13, 13–15, 15–14, 8–15, 15–13 1 h 24 min
5. December 21, 2003 World Open   Thierry Lincou
Thierry Lincou
Thierry Lincou is a professional squash player from France. He reached the World No. 1 ranking in January 2004...

15–11, 11–15, 15–8, 15–14 1 h 13 min
6. September 12, 2005 Helioplis Open   Karim Darwish 11–10(2–0), 2–0 (ret) Unknown
7. September 20, 2003 St. Louis Open   Anthony Ricketts
Anthony Ricketts
Anthony Ricketts is a former professional squash player from Australia.Ricketts won the British Open in 2005, beating James Willstrop in the final 11-7, 11-9, 11-7...

11–10(2–0), 11–8, 11–7 56 min
8. October 2, 2005 Hungarian Open   Grégory Gaultier
Gregory Gaultier
Grégory Gaultier is a professional squash player from France. He won the British Open in 2007, and finished runner-up at the World Open in 2006 and 2007....

6–11, 11–2, 11–7, 8–11, 11–5 1 h 6 min
9. December 4, 2005 World Open   David Palmer
David Palmer (squash player)
David Palmer is a professional squash player from Australia. He won the Super Series finals in 2002, the World Open in 2002 and 2006; the British Open in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2008; and the Australian Open in 2008. He attained World No...

11–6, 11–7, 11–8 40 min
10. January 14, 2006 Canadian Classic   Jonathon Power
Jonathon Power
Jonathon Tyler Power is a retired professional squash player from Canada. In 1999, he became the first North American squash player to reach the World No. 1 ranking...

11–9, 11–8, 11–5 37 min
11. March 3, 2006 Tournament of Champions
Tournament of Champions (squash)
The Tournament of Champions is an annual international squash championship held in New York City. In recent years, the event has been held at New York's Grand Central Terminal, in a specially-constructed four-walled glass court in the Vanderbilt Hall....

  Nick Matthew
Nick Matthew
Nicholas Matthew is a professional squash player from England who won the British Open in 2006 and 2009 and is the reigning World Champion. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 1 in June 2010...

11–6, 11–9, 11–4 40 min
12. April 8, 2006 Bermuda Masters   Peter Nicol
Peter Nicol
Peter Nicol, MBE , is a former professional squash player from the United Kingdom, who represented first Scotland and then England in international squash. In 1998, while still competing for Scotland, he became the first player from the UK to hold the World No. 1 ranking...

9–11, 11–6, 11–7, 2–11, 11–8 1 h 5 min
13. October 22, 2006 Hong Kong Open   Ramy Ashour
Ramy Ashour
Ramy Mohamed Ashour is a professional squash player from Egypt. He reached world No. 1 in January, 2010, after beating Nick Matthew in the final of the 2009 Saudi International Squash Tournament. At 22 he became the youngest player to achieve world No. 1 since the Khan era, having previously been...

11–10(3–1), 3–11, 11–5, 11–10(3–1) 48 min
14. December 20, 2006 Saudi International Open   Grégory Gaultier 11–7, 11–9, 11–4 1 h 13 min
15. January 23, 2007 Windy City Open   Anthony Ricketts 11–8, 11–8, 11–10(5–3) 53 min
16. March 2, 2007 Tournament of Champions   Anthony Ricketts 7–11, 11–3, 8–4 (ret) 26 min
17. October 28, 2007 Saudi International Open   Ramy Ashour 11–5, 11–5, 1–11, 11–9 50 min
18. November 3, 2007 Qatar Classic   Grégory Gaultier 11–4, 8–11, 11–6, 11–5 52 min
19. November 11, 2007 Hong Kong Open   Grégory Gaultier 10–11 (1–3), 11–3, 11–6, 11–10 (3–1) 1 h 1 min
20. December 1, 2007 World Open   Grégory Gaultier 11–7, 11–4, 11–6 42 min
21. April 27, 2008 Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open   Ramy Ashour 11–9, 11–7, 13–11 52 min
22. November 23, 2008 Hong Kong Open   Grégory Gaultier 11–7, 13–15, 8–11, 11–2, 11–3 1 h 16 min
23. August 1, 2009 Malaysian Open   Nick Matthew 5–11, 11–9, 11–6, 11–4 51 min
24. September 6, 2009 US Open   Ramy Ashour 11–7, 11–2, 7–11, 12–14, 11–8 57 min
25. October 18, 2009 Hong Kong Open   Grégory Gaultier 11–8, 9–11, 11–3, 5–2 (ret) 48 min
26. November 7, 2009 World Open   Ramy Ashour 11–8, 11–8, 11–5 50 min


Note: (ret) = retired, min = minutes, h = hours

PSA Tour Finals (Runner-Up) (10)

No. Date Tournament Opponent in final Score in final Minutes played
1. May 17, 1998 Italia Open   John White
John White (squash player)
John White is a former World No. 1 squash player.White finished runner-up at both the World Open and the British Open in 2002. He won the PSA Masters title in 2003 . He also won the British National Championships in 2004...

Unknown Unknown
2. May 3, 2003 Pakistan Circuit   Karim Darwish 12–15, 7–15, 2–6 (ret) 22 min
3. November 6, 2004 British Open   David Palmer 11–10(6–4), 7–11, 10–11(1–3), 7–11 1 h 29 min
4. January 25, 2005 Windy City Open   John White 7–11, 8–11, 4–11 40 min
5. January 30, 2005 Dayton Open   Peter Nicol 6–11, 10–11(1–3), 2–11 28 min
6. November 16, 2006 US Open   Grégory Gaultier 5–11, 11–7, 4–11, 9–11 1 h 1 min
7. April 11, 2007 Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open   Ramy Ashour 3–11, 5–11, 10–12 34 min
8. February 16, 2008 Canadian Classic   Ramy Ashour 2–11, 9–11, 11–8, 8–11 38 min
9. April 20, 2008 Hurghada International   Ramy Ashour 10–11(0–2), 11–9, 7–11, 11–9, 10–11(0–2) 1 h 17 min
10. October 31, 2008 Qatar Classic   Karim Darwish 4–11, 5–11, 3–11 29 min

External links

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