December 20, 2011-
Egypt retained the men's and women's squash titles in the Arab Games
after first-time triumphs by Tarek Momen and Raneem El Weleily in the
2011 championships' finals at the Khalifa International Tennis &
Squash Complex in the Qatar capital Doha.
Top seeds Momen, the men's world No20 from Cairo, and El Weleily, the
women's world No7 from Alexandria, led strong fields featuring players
from Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
The favourites were keen to retain the titles won by compatriots Amr
Shabana and Engy Kheirallah in the 2007 Arab Games in Egypt.
After overcoming Kuwaiti Abdullah Al Muzayen - also a semi-finalist in
2007 - in four games, Momen lined up against fellow countryman Karim
Abdel Gawad in the men's final.
Alexandria-born Gawad, the 20-year-old second seed, took a 2/1 lead -
but the more experienced 23-year-old Momen regained control to close
out the match 11-6, 9-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4 to claim the gold medal.
El Weleily also faced a second-seeded compatriot in the women's final - and Omneya Abdel Kawy also established an early lead.
But it was to be a silver medal for the second time in a row for the
former world No8 from Cairo as the in-form El Weleily marched on to
gold medal success, winning 7-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-6.
"Current Egyptian domination of the Arab Games squash is a given,"
commented World Squash Federation CEO Andrew Shelley. "But with the
improvements from other competing nations - and the participation of
Iraqi players, for example - the breadth and depth in the region is
growing too.
"These Games, like all the other major multi-sport events in which
squash takes part, are pinnacles for all players until we achieve a
place in the one that transcends them all, the Olympic Games."
The quadrennial Arab Games were first played in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1953.
RESULTS: Arab Games Squash Championships, Doha, Qatar
Men's quarter-finals
[1] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 13-11, 11-5, 11-6
[3/4] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) bt Rasool Hashim Abdullah (IRQ) 11-4, 11-8, 11-5
Ali Bader Al-Ramzi (KUW) bt [3/4] Ahmad Alzabidi (JOR) 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR) 12-10, 11-5, 11-3
Semi-finals:
[1] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [3/4] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2 (40m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Ali Bader Al-Ramzi (KUW) 11-8, 11-2, 11-7 (21m)