Ramy Ashour

Ramy Ashour

Ramy Ashour with his 2011 Australian Open
Full name	Ramy Mohamed Ashour
Nickname(s)	The Maverick, The Artist,
Country	Egypt
Born	(1987-09-30) September 30, 1987 (age 37) Cairo, Egypt
Residence	Cairo, Egypt
Height	1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	78 kg (172 lb)
Turned pro	2006
Retired	April 22, 2019
Plays	Right handed
Coached by	Hisham Ashour (Ramy’s older brother)
Racquet used	Prince Textreme Pro Warrior 600
Men's singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (January 2010)
Title(s)	40
Tour final(s)	55
World Open	W (2008, 2012, 2014)
Medal record Men's squash Representing  Egypt World Championships 2008 Manchester Singles 2009 Kuwait Singles 2012 Doha Singles 2013 Manchester Singles 2014 Doha Singles 2016 Cairo Singles World Team Championships 2009 Odense Team 2011 Paderborn Team 2013 Mulhouse Team 2017 Marseille Team

Ramy Mohamed Ashour (born September 30, 1987, in Cairo, Egypt), known as Ramy Ashour (Arabic: رامي عاشور), is a retired professional squash player from Egypt. He was one of the world's best squash players in the late 2000s and early 2010s, having won three World titles in 2008, 2012 and 2014. He became the youngest player to reach number one in the world since the 1980s, as well as the first ever two-time World Junior Squash Champion.

Ashour won his first major international title in 2004 at the age of 16, becoming the youngest player ever to win the Men's World Junior Squash Championship. The same year, he helped lead Egypt to a second-place finish in the team event, behind Pakistan.^[1] In July 2006, he became the first player in history to win the World Junior Championships for the second time, defeating fellow Egyptian Omar Mosaad.^[2] He also led Egypt to a 2–1 victory over Pakistan in the final of the team event; the Egyptian team captured the top three positions in the individual players' event as well as the team event title, a feat no other team had ever accomplished.^[1]

In the same year he transitioned out of the junior division, Ashour reached his first major final at the Cathay Pacific Swiss Privilege Hong Kong Squash Open in 2006, where he lost to fellow Egyptian, Amr Shabana, who later would attain the number one ranking in the world. En route to the final, Ashour defeated world number 10 John White, world number 3 Thierry Lincou, and world number 2 David Palmer.

Ashour won his first major professional title in January 2007, by defeating Palmer in 32 minutes (11–7, 11–3, 11–4), in the final of the Canadian Squash Classic. In April 2007, Ashour won the Kuwait Open, the richest squash event in the world, by defeating Amr Shabana, 11–5, 11–3, 12–10, in 34 minutes, after facing a 10-6 deficit in the third set. He then won the Qatar Classic in Doha by again downing David Palmer, this time with a score of 8–11, 11–9, 11–9, 11–6, in 66 minutes. Also in 2007, Ashour was invited to the ATCO World Series Squash Finals event, where he competed against the other seven top points earners of the season. The only player to go undefeated in all of his first three matches, he played French sensation Grégory Gaultier in the final. After a 62-minute battle, Ashour took the title 3–1 (12–10, 11–8, 4–11, 11–4).

According to squash legend and writer Malcolm Willstrop, "Ramy Ashour is something else — his movement is better than anyone in the game, and allied to his unique racket skills and vision, he lights up the sport. Not only that, but his modesty and engaging smile make him a rare commodity."

Ashour played Nick Matthew at the 2009 Saudi International Open, the outcome of which would determine not only the winner of the championship but also the next world number one. He won the match, his longest ever on the PSA tour, in a gruelling 110-minute, 5-game battle.^[3]

After losing his world number one ranking to his English rival, Nick Matthew, in June 2010, Ashour reached the final of the new PSA World Series Australian Open in August.^ Two weeks later, he battled to a 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 victory in a 90-minute match against Gaultier in the Hong Kong Open final. The back-to-back victories returned Ashour to the top of the rankings in September 2010.

He slipped behind Matthew again in early 2011, but Ashour then won the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions title for the second time since 2008, beating Matthew in the final match. This was his comeback tournament after recovering from a 2010 hamstring injury. A month later, Ashour played in a PSA World Series final at the North American Open in Virginia, losing to Matthew in a five-game match. At the 2011 Australian Open, Ashour beat Matthew, the tournament's defending champion, in another five-game match. The rivalry between the Egyptian and the Englishman continued when both played for their country in the WSF 2011 Men's World Team Squash Championships in Paderborn, Germany. Ashour (and Egypt) went on to win that encounter. Ashour furthered his attempt toward reclaiming his world number one ranking by defeating Matthew once more at the 2011 Rowe British Grand Prix, winning the match 3 games to 1.

Ashour's 2012 campaign was arguably the most successful of his career, becoming the first player to make the final of every tournament in which he competed since Jansher Khan. After coming back from a long injury break in February 2012, Ashour made the final at the North American Open 2012, where he lost to the new world number one, James Willstrop. At the El Gouna International in April, Ashour won their rematch, collecting another major title in front of his home crowd after Willstrop pulled out of the final in the third game. At the Allam British Open in May, Ashour missed the opportunity to be the first Egyptian title holder, after Abou Taleb in 1966, by losing to his old rival and defending champion Matthew. Ashour then went undefeated in the second half of 2012, winning all four tournaments in which he took part. Specifically, he defended his Australian Open title in August, won the US Open title in October by defeating Grégory Gaultier, and took the Hong Kong Open title in November by beating Willstrop. This string of wins led up to his final victory of the year at the 2012 Men's World Open Squash Championship in December.^[4] By beating Matthew in the semi-final, he would reclaim the world number one spot the following January, and by defeating his fellow countryman, Mohamed El Shorbagy, in the final after a gruelling five-game match,^[5] he gathered his second World Open title.

Although he did not play in the ATCO World Series final because of a hamstring injury sustained at the Qatar World Open, Ashour retained the world number one ranking at the first world series event in 2013, the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions. With his right leg heavily strapped, Ashour made it to the final, where he recovered from a 2-0 deficit against Gaultier to stage an unlikely comeback. By claiming another TOC title after his previous one in 2011, he became only the third player to win the prestigious PSA series title thrice since Peter Nicol did it in 2004.^[6] Ashour added two PSA world tour titles to his resume within two weeks. He beat his long running rivals, Willstrop and Matthew, in the semi-final and final of the North American Open in Richmond, Virginia, claiming his second North American Open title. Twelve days later, Ashour won his 30th tour title by taking the Kuwait PSA Cup (formerly the Kuwait Open). He defeated defending champion Willstrop in the final, and extended his run of consecutive major PSA titles to seven. In May, Ashour clinched his first British Open championship, becoming the first Egyptian to win the tournament since Abou Taleb in 1966. He also extended his unbeaten run to 41 matches, with his last previous loss taking place at the 2012 British Open final in London, exactly a year previously. After the summer break, Ashour won his ninth PSA World Tour title in a row and extended his unbeaten tour run to 45 matches by taking down defending champion Grégory Gaultier in the Netsuite Open final.^[7]

On November 21, 2014, Ashour won his third world title when he defeated fellow Egyptian Mohamad El-Shorbagy at the Squash World Championship in Doha, in a match that was described as "epic."^[8]

An unfortunate turn of events left Ashour plagued with a chronic hamstring problem at the peak of his career. It almost certainly had an impact on his trophy cabinet, but Ashour himself took a characteristically philosophical approach to his injury, demonstrated in his various social media posts on the issue - citing his mental battle and desire for a full recovery.^{[citation needed]} The injury itself came just after his 40+ match winning streak, which was defined by his fast-paced rallies, reaction volleying and a unique insight into rally construction.^{[citation needed]}

Ashour was known for his unique playing style, often referred to as 'The Artist'; he was regarded by many, to be one of the most naturally gifted players to ever play the game.^{[citation needed]} Mohamed El Shorbagy, the 2017 world champion, once commented after losing in two world finals to him, as Ashour being 'the best of the best'; Jonah Barrington, also one of the Squash greats, ranks him as equal to Pakistani legends Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan who dominated the game in the 1980s and 1990s.^{[citation needed]}

On April 22, 2019, at the age of 31, Ashour announced his retirement from professional Squash.^[9]

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2008	Manchester, England	Karim Darwish	5–11, 11–8, 11–4, 11–5
Runner-up	2009	Kuwait	Amr Shabana	11–8, 11–5, 11–5
Winner	2012	Doha, Qatar	Mohamed El Shorbagy	2-11, 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8
Winner	2014	Doha, Qatar	Mohamed El Shorbagy	13-11, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5, 14-12
Runner-up	2016	Cairo, Egypt	Karim Abdel Gawad	5-11, 11-6, 11-7, 2-1 (retired)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2012	Nick Matthew	11-9, 11–4, 11-8
Winner	2013	Grégory Gaultier	7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8
Runner-up	2016	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11-2, 11-5, 11-9

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2006	Amr Shabana	13-11, 3-11, 11-5, 13-11
Winner	2010	Grégory Gaultier	10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9
Winner	2012	James Willstrop	11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 11-6
Winner	2016	Karim Abdel Gawad	11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2007	David Palmer	8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2009	Amr Shabana	11-7, 11-2, 7-11, 12-14, 11-8
Winner	2012	Grégory Gaultier	11-4, 11-9, 11-9

Listed below.

All Results for Ramy Ashour in PSA World's Tour tournament

No.	Date	Tournament	Opponent in Final	Score in Final	Minutes Played
1.	November 21, 2004	Athens Open	Andrew Whipp	13–11, 12–10, 7–11, 7–11, 11–9	1 h 15 min[10]
2.	January 12, 2007	Canadian Classic	David Palmer	11–7, 11–3, 11–4	32 min[11]
3.	January 29, 2007	Dayton Open	John White	8–11, 7–11, 11–6, 12–10, 11–2	1 h 12 min[12]
4.	April 11, 2007	Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	11–5, 11–3, 12–10	34 min[13]
5.	April 17, 2007	Qatar Classic Open	David Palmer	8–11, 11–9, 11–9, 11–6	1 h 9 min[14]
6.	August 12, 2007	Super Series Finals	Grégory Gaultier	12–10, 11–8, 4–11, 11–4	1 h 2 min[15]
7.	January 16, 2008	Tournament of Champions	James Willstrop	11–7, 13–11, 11–9	40 min[16]
8.	February 16, 2008	Canadian Classic	Amr Shabana	11–2, 11–9, 8–11, 11–8	38 min[17]
9.	April 20, 2008	Hurghada International	Amr Shabana	12–10, 9–11, 11–7, 9–11, 12–10	47 min[18]
10.	October 19, 2008	World Open	Karim Darwish	5–11, 11–8, 11–4, 11–5	1 h[19]
11.	February 28, 2009	North American Open	Nick Matthew	11–8, 13–11, 10–12, 5–11, 11–8	1 h 31 min[20]
12.	April 4, 2009	Hurghada International	Grégory Gaultier	7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8	47 min[21]
13.	December 10, 2009	PSA Masters	Nick Matthew	11–6, 9–11, 11–9, 11–9	1 h 19 min[22]
14.	December 18, 2009	Saudi International Open	Nick Matthew	11–7, 7–11, 11–9, 9–11, 11–8	1 h 50 min[3]
15.	March 20, 2010	CIMB KL Open	Karim Darwish	11-8, 11-8, 11-9	51 min[23]
16.	August 29, 2010	Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open	Grégory Gaultier	10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9	1 h 30 min[24]
17.	September 20, 2010	Rowe British Grand Prix	James Willstrop	11-7, 3-11, 11-3, 11-5	40 min[25]
18.	November 2, 2010	Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	9-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-1	45 min[26]
19.	January 27, 2011	Tournament of Champions	Nick Matthew	11–3, 7–11, 11–9, 11-7	52 min[27]
20.	May 19, 2011	Hurghada International	Karim Darwish	11-9, 9-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-3	1 h 20 min[28]
21.	August 14, 2011	Australian Open	Nick Matthew	12-14, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4	1h 17 min[29]
22.	September 25, 2011	Rowe British Grand Prix	Nick Matthew	1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-4	1h 6 min[30]
23.	April 13, 2012	El Gouna International	James Willstrop	12-10, 11-5, 5-2 (ret)	37 min[31]
24.	August 19, 2012	Australian Open	Omar Mosaad	11-9, 11-9, 11-6	53 min[32]
25.	October 13, 2012	US Open	Grégory Gaultier	11-4, 11-9, 11-9	43 min[33]
26.	December 2, 2012	Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open	James Willstrop	11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 11-6	1h 4 min[34]
27.	December 14, 2012	World Open	Mohamed El Shorbagy	2-11, 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8	1h 30 min[5]
28.	January 24, 2013	Tournament of Champions	Grégory Gaultier	7-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-1	1h 12 min[35]
29.	March 2, 2013	North American Open	Nick Matthew	11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7	1h 5 min[36]
30.	March 14, 2013	Kuwait PSA Cup	James Willstrop	6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3	58 min[37]
31.	May 26, 2013	British Open	Grégory Gaultier	7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8	1h 4min
32.	October 1, 2013	Netsuite Open	Grégory Gaultier	11-4, 7-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-2	1h 8min [38]
33	March 19, 2014	World Series Final	Mohamed El Shorbagy	15-17, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5	1h 3 min[39]
34	April 18, 2014	El Gouna International	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8	1h 11min[40]
35	November 21, 2014	World Open	Mohamed El Shorbagy	13-11, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5, 14-12	1h 30min[41]
36	April 10, 2015	El Gouna International	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11-9, 11-6, 4-11, 10-12, 12-10	1h 34 min[42]
37	September 30, 2015	Netsuite Open	Nick Matthew	11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4	59 min[43]
38	August 28, 2016	Hong Kong Open	Karim Abdel Gawad	11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6	75 min[44]
39	September 3, 2017	J.P. Morgan China Squash Open	Ali Farag	11-3, 11-8, 10-12, 2-11, 11-5	60 min[45]
39	March 18, 2018	Grasshopper Cup	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11-8, 11-9, 11-6	50 min[46]

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

No.	Date	Tournament	Opponent in Final	Score in Final	Minutes Played
1.	October 22, 2005	Athens Open	Hisham Mohd Ashour	11–7, 2–11, 10–12, 7–11	37 min[47]
2.	January 29, 2006	Dayton Open	John White	5–11, 3–11, 6–11	Unknown
3.	March 11, 2006	COAS International	Mohammed Abbas	4–11, 11–9, 5–11, 7–11	Unknown
4.	October 22, 2006	Hong Kong Open	Amr Shabana	11–13, 11–3, 5–11, 11–13	48 min[48]
5.	October 28, 2007	Saudi International Open	Amr Shabana	5–11, 5–11, 11–1, 9–11	50 min[49]
6.	April 27, 2008	Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	9-11, 7-11, 11-13	52 min[50]
7.	September 6, 2009	U.S. Open	Amr Shabana	7-11, 2-11, 11-7, 14-12, 8-11	57 min[51]
8.	November 7, 2009	Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	8-11, 8-11, 5-11	50 min[52]
9.	January 28, 2010	Tournament of Champions	James Willstrop	10-12, 5-11, 11-9, 2-11	49 min[53]
10.	February 27, 2010	North American Open	Nick Matthew	9-11, 14-16, 4-5 (ret)	48 min[54]
11.	August 15, 2010	Australian Open	Nick Matthew	14-16, 7-11, 10-12	1h 17 min[55]
12.	October 24, 2010	El Gouna International	Karim Darwish	14-16, 3-11, 1-5 (ret)	52 min[56]
13.	February 26, 2011	North American Open	Nick Matthew	9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8, 6-11	1h 23 min[57]
14.	February 25, 2012	North American Open	James Willstrop	11-7, 11-8, 11-7	51 min[58]
15.	May 26, 2012	British Open	Nick Matthew	11-9, 11-4, 11-8	49 min[59]

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated after the player's participation in the tournament has concluded.

^[60] Note: NA = Not Available

On May 19, 2019, Ashour unveiled a new RAM scoring system at his first Ramy Ashour invitation at the CityView Racquet Club in Long Island City NY that he developed with Osama Khalifa. The rules of the game are as follows (taken from RAMscoring site^[61]):

"Best of five games, where each game is three minutes long.

The three minutes of game time refers exclusively to actual play time and not the downtime between rallies.

Once the time is up, the clock stops, and the leading player must win one additional point in order to win the game. If the trailing player wins the point, then the game continues until either the leading player wins a final point, or the trailing player evens the score and wins an additional point to conclude the game.

For example: If the score is 8-5 at expiration time, then the leading player must win an additional point (point 9) in order to win the game. If the trailing player were to win the point, then the score becomes 8-6 and the game continues until the leading player wins the game 9-6, or the trailing player evens the score and then wins an additional point. In the event of a tie at expiration time, a final “sudden death” point is played to determine the winner of the game.

In the event that the time expires and the score remains at 0-0 (love-all), the 3-minute clock is then reset and the game resumes.

Time shall not be reverted unless only one of the below scenarios occur: For a “let calls,” the clock reverts to the start time of that point (“Time Revert Rule”)

If the 3-minute time expires and the score remains at 0-0, in which case the 3-minute clock is reset. There must be at least one referee and one “Time Keeper” to officiate the match. Players shall have 2 minutes of rest time between games. All other (Professional Squash Association) PSA and (World Squash Federation) WSF rules apply"

• Official Men's Squash World Ranking

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ramy Ashour.

• Ramy Ashour at the Professional Squash Association (archive) (archive 2)
• Ramy Ashour at Squash Info
• The emergence of Ramy Ashour at Squashsite.co.uk
• 'Ashoured of Success' at Squashplayer.co.uk
• 'Amr Shabana and Ramy Ashour Highlights' at mensvogue.com
• 'Pair Of Aces' at Mensvogue.com