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TODAY at the
ATCO Junior Open
Friday 26th, Day ONE: |
Three venues,
10 events, 290 competitors, pretty good for
a first outing, and as a recipe for bedlam
it works well too.
The action gets under way at 10am and, as
ever, we'll cover what snippets we can until
we get down to the closing stages.
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Latest Draws
& Results
end of
play quick results
Extras #1 - just over there |
The New Complex
It sounds a strange name for a venue, but
when you get there you understand. Out
towards the airport, it really is a brand
new sports facility in a largely developed
area. It's owned and run by the Army, and
has four courts down at the bottom in what
is essentially an outdoor arena.
Looking up from the courts (it's 100 or so
steps to get down there), you see the sky
surrounded in a large circular opening, and
with the sun beating down and the
temperature in excess of 40 degrees, you get
some tremendous shadows on the glass back
walls (even with the lens jammed up against
the glass - my excuse for no decent
photos!).
The Girls U15, U17, U19 and Boys U23 all
started there today, and all will continue
at the Stadium for the rest of the matches.
Still it was good to see it, and tomorrow
we'll visit the Zohour Club ...
In terms of the
squash, no problems for U23 top seeds
Abdullah Al Mezayen and Andrew Wagih,
both safely through to the quarters in
straight games. Abdullah, the Kuwaiti top
seed, meets Egypt's Wael Farag while
Wagih faces Rahsool Hahsem, winner of
an all-Iraqi first round (and you don't get
to say that very often!).
The longest match at the venue was -
typically - the last, as Karim El Dabaa
came through 3-1 against top Saudi
Mohamed Al Saif. He now meets Malaysia's
Kamran Khan for a place in the semis, while
the remaining spot will be decided between
two Egyptians, Ahmed El Swaify and
Ahmed Ossama.
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Meanwhile
it was a hectic day at the main venue, Cairo
Stadium, with the five courts in pretty much
constant use.
