Following Egypt Loss, USA Plays Malaysia Today In Defining Match For Players And Coaches
by Ted Gross for DailySquashReport.com
August 26, 2011 - The US men’s team, as expected, put forth a game effort yesterday against powerhouse Egypt but was simply overmatched, as #1 Julian Illingworth lost to Karim Darwish 11-4, 11-4, and 11-2 in 31 minutes, and #2 Christopher Gordon lost to Mohamed El Shorbagy 11-9, 11-8, and 11-4 in 35 minutes.
Egypt was apparently so confident of victory that it rested its top player Ramy Ashour--in the quarterfinals of the world championships--a fact that should not be lost on future US teams.
That said, today’s match against sixth-seeded Malaysia is the defining match of the event for the American players, coaches and program.
The US needs to win this match to guarantee a 5th or 6th place finish in these world championships.
Just as important, this is a tough but entirely winnable match against a high-quality, but not quite elite opponent, as the top two Malaysians, PSA #12 Mohamed Azlan Iskandar and #28 Ong Beng Hee, were straight-setted in their team’s shutout loss to France yesterday.
For the US program to make a significant and lasting step forward, the match they want is in front of them, everything is on their racquet, and they need to come through today.
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