Egypt’s Mazen Gamal snatched the 2016 PSA Valencia Squash Championship’s title from his compatriot Karim El-Hammamy earlier this month in Spain. Gamal won the final match against El-Hammamy, with a score of 3-1 (9-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-5).
Gamal and El-Hammamy were not the only Egyptians participating; Shehab Essam also qualified to the semifinals but exited the tournament as he lost to El-Hammamy, with a score of 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-9).
In the other semifinal match, Gamal defeated Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu by 3-1 (8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5).
Gamal, El-Hammamy, and Essam qualified to the semifinals after the first defeated Israel’s Daniel Poleshchuk 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-5); the second beat Austria’s Aqeel Rehman 3-1 (11-8, 11-13, 11-9, 12-10); and the third won 3-1 against Germany’s Jens Schoor (4-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9) in the quarterfinal matches.
In the first round, Gamal won 3-0 against Spain’s Alejandro Garbi Caro (11-6, 11-9, 11-4); El-Hammamy beat France’s Baptiste Masotti 3-2 (11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 11-3); and Essam defeated South Africa’s Tristan Eysele 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-6).
The championship saw another Arab player, Kuwait’s Ammar Al-Tamimi, who exited the tournament in the first round, after losing 3-2 to Spain’s Bernabeu (5-11, 11-1, 6-11, 11-6, 9-11).
