Egypt’s Omar Abdel Meguid was fuelled by the support of his home crowd as he toppled top seed James Snell of England in the men’s 35+ semi-finals at the WSF World Masters Championships in Amsterdam.
[3/4] seed and former World No.25 Meguid coaches at the hugely impressive 21-court Frans Otten Stadion and is captain of the club’s Eredivisie team.
Roared on by a packed crowd, the Egyptian seized the initiative against top seed Snell and never relented, taking down the Englishman 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 on the all-glass court.
“This is my home court, I’m very comfortable on there and found a few nice angles that I was very pleased with,” said Meguid. “I am used to the vibe and atmosphere here. The Koopman family [who run the Frans Otten Stadion] are so supportive to the members, so winning in front of them is the main goal tomorrow.”
That win sets up a 35+ final on Thursday against US-based Irish [3/4] seed Arthur Gaskin, who knocked out second seed Christo Potgieter of South Africa in straight games. Gaskin was in reflective mood afterwards: “I loved playing on tour and I would do it all over again if I could, but it was stressful. What I’ve learned here this week is what a privilege it is just to be able to play, it doesn’t matter what level that you’re playing at. It’s just so fun. Seeing the players in their 70s and 80s is totally inspiring.”
The Dutch crowd was delighted to see Laurens-Jan and father Robert Jan Anjema reach the 40+ and 70+ finals respectively. Robert Jan, the 12-time Netherlands champion, said: “It’s not a disaster if we lose, it’s just great fun. But it would be good for Dutch squash to have two world champions here in Holland.”
Anjema Snr will face Kale Leskinen in the 70+ final after the Finn fought back to record a fabulous 7-11, 9-11, 11-4, 14-12, 13-11 victory over South Africa’s formidable top seed Johnny Orsmond.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, unseeded Mexican Marcos Mendez made it through to the men’s 50+ final and is yet to drop a game. The former World No.154 took care of England’s 5/8 seed Paul Boyle 11-3, 11-3, 11-5 and next faces Ireland’s Nicholas Staunton, who had to dig very deep to get past South Africa’s second seed Zuko Kubikeli 11-7, 2-11, 11-8, 2-11, 11-8 in their semi.
England’s Barry Featherstone ended Brian Cook’s bid for a record seventh men’s World Masters crown by conquering the Aussie 11-8 9-11 6-11 11-8 11-7 in the 75+ semi-final.
Cook, the left-hander from Queensland, won his first trophy at this event back in 1995, but was denied this year by Featherstone, who avenged his defeat at the same stage in Wroclaw two years ago.
“I was well aware [of Cook’s record] because Brian keeps telling me about it!” laughed Featherstone. “The match was nip and tuck and when I got into a winning position in the fifth, I was panicking! ‘Don’t lose it, don’t lose it, don’t lose it!’ But now it’s come true, it’s a marvellous feeling.”
Featherstone now faces fellow Englishman Larry Grover in Thursday’s final after the [3/4] seed’s 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9 victory over Scotland’s second seed Ian Ross.
Cook’s defeat leaves an opportunity for Geoff Davenport – who also has six Masters titles to his name – to become the outright record holder. Sydney-based Davenport beat George Kousseff in straight games in his 65+ semi-final and must now beat second seed and three-time winner Pierr Roodt from South Africa to achieve Masters immortality.
Ann Manley will hold the outright record for most women’s Masters titles with six if she beats Margaret Hunt-Kemp in Thursday’s 75+ final. England’s Manley, 78, beat Australia’s Marilyn Kennedy in four games in today’s semi-final, with South Africa’s Hunt-Kemp overcoming France’s Claire Bryars in three.
Manley, who has not lost a World Masters match since 2016, said: “I’m just lucky my body is still holding together and I can run about a bit. I would be very chuffed to win again tomorrow. I just want to keep playing to a reasonable standard. I fear that may not be the case soon, but I shall keep trying!”
Top seed Susan Hillier of Australia will play Scotland’s Sue Strachan in the women’s 60+ final on Thursday. “Geez, she’s a runner and a fighter!” said Hillier after her 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 win over Canada’s Julie Multamaki.
Hillier won her first World Masters on her debut in Hong Kong in 2014. “I had a mid-life crisis at 50 and thought, ‘I’ll try Masters!’” she recalled. She then won the 55+ title in Charlottesville in 2018 and stands on the verge of a third tomorrow. The 61-year-old added: “I just love it here. You meet so many people and it’s a chance to see different parts of the world.”
The top two seeds will contest the men’s 60+ final as Ireland’s top seed Willie Hosey and Singapore’s stylish Peter Hill won their semis in contrasting fashion. Hill beat Australia’s Peter Gilbee in three whereas Hosey had to mentally recover from losing a 2-0 lead against England’s Eamonn Price to dig in and win the final game 11-3.
The 2024 WSF World Masters Championships conclude tomorrow, Thursday 22 August, with play beginning at 10:00 local time (CEST).
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The 2024 WSF World Masters Squash Championships are taking place at the Frans Otten Stadion from 15-22 August. Keep up with all the action at wsfworldmasters2024.nl
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