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This was Ramy’s first real test since returning to competition following the injury he suffered to his foot in the later part of 07; he was evidently cautious and not sure if he should or could push off his strapped foot. The match was highly physical and emotionally charged. Wael stood his grounds and seemed un-phased by the moment and the crowd gasping at every one of Ramy’s unforced errors. In no time he fell behind in the score and his brother Hisham, who was our commentator for the match, was sharing his pain desperately attempting to will Ramy back in the match from behind the microphone and his monitor.

One to watch and to listen to, it is also one to experience for so many reasons difficult to explain, but one amongst them we know is of relief – the scare is over, Ramy is back!

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Every one of us who plays this game has, at one time or another, been on the receiving end of a ‘court touring’ sequence during which opponents sent us running balls down to all corners of the court over and over. They made sure we saw stars and unable to ‘think’ while we they kept us ‘busy’ running & gasping for air just to stay alive. Naturally right off the top you may have guessed already that one of those rallies took place in this match, well it kind of did... but with 3 times the amount of running, twisting and lunging any normal human being can possibly be subjected to in the same rally. Through his efforts in that rally as well throughout the roller-coaster match that went the limit, and as well in reward for an illustrious career throughout which he entertained and dazzled us, we elected to create this match in Blu-Ray HD, the first ever in the sport. Wishful thinking maybe, let’s hope John will put off retirement for another 10 years, by then his children will be ready to take over.

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Tour leading tactician Palmer Vs Abbas the fearless artist, in a chess match of sort of grand masters’ level.  It will become evident to you while watching this dvd that Abbas is closing the gap with the top players, in fact don’t be surprise to see him join the best 5 in the next few months. His racquet skills are second to none; the balls he strikes from any heights and positions on court find nicks with ease.

Palmer isn’t as naturally gifted but he certainly makes up for it through plain hard work, amazing volley drops and disguised boasts he unleashes when they are least expected. Furthermore, as tour players who faced David know all too well by now, they can’t count on him to show emotions they could feed on to restore their confidence, one thing not so easy for Abbas to do for now but he’s learning fast & from the best. David met Mo, Mo met roc, one solid match of epic proportion.

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Our first match ever featuring Jonathan, a great entry at #4, what a dizzying performance he gave, literally! After all ‘Powerhouse’ Whity was at the batting end. We have been filming John for many years now and time and again we’ve seen him toss & turn the best of the best, rarely, if ever though, have we seen him in such devastating form.

To Jonathan credit, we must say that he took the beating much like a sponge takes in liquid, he sucked it up and toughed it out picking up all that he could until the tides turned… Through a healthy mix of attacks and defensive play he inched his way back in the match forcing it to a deciding 5^th, much to the appreciation of the NY crowd who on this night had traded their Broadway show for that of GCT. Good choice.

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Ramy had barely survived a huge deficit in the previous day’s battle Vs one of his countryman, things had to be different today Vs ‘King’ David, one of the tour’s fittest & most consistent player, or he may be pushing his foot beyond what it could safely withstand given his recent absence from the tour from an injury to that foot. Impetuous youth prevailing though, he relegated that little problem to the back of his mind to focus on the job at hand. After all he was playing to a packed house next to Broadway NY , and as the saying goes, no matter what ‘the show must go on’. And so it did from the first seconds with a flurry of volleys off the young man’s racquet that sent balls peppering nicks sharp-shooting style, what foot injury? Who needs it?

Palmer had blinked, he was now trailing 0-4, but he wasn’t done just yet, no sir he, not a former world champions who had seen it all, and survived all the way to the podium time and again. Drawing on his vast experience he inched his way back into the match giving the young phenomenon a run for his money. David’s friend Anthony Ricketts, who recently retired from the game due to chronic knee injury, joined us at the microphone for this match all the while coaching David between games. We thanks to him for providing us great insights for this classic match that, thanks in part to him, will surely be one for the archives. Farewell Anthony.

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Julien may have been ranked 44^th in the world at the time of this event but he played at a level of at least 30 positions above it. As one of America ’s own was he ready to make his mark on the world squash scene? Would he overcome the pressures of the moment and do what no American ever did before him by beating a professional ranked in the teens? Julien certainly has undeniable assets that could be a definite threat to any touring pros; he is a great mover and a solid tactician, and he proved it throughout the match. Noticing that Olli was struggling to deal with balls he played to the backhand side, it is exactly where he concentrated the majority of his attacks early in the match.

But Olli is one of the fittest players on the circuit, so he forced the young man into playing his style of game hitting all the balls he could hit up & down the court daring him to run them down... Then three games into the match, and having fallen behind in the score by a considerable margin, Olli’s plan appeared to have succeeded… Julien seemed evidently distraught and ready to drop the towel and surrender. We all thought he was done but it wasn’t the case; he later told us that blisters had flared up under his feet during that running sequence, so once he treated them between games and managed to block the pain off, he continued where he had started. Olli was ready though, or was he? One point, then another, the crowd was going wild, it had to have been the loudest ever in Grand Central, they were willing Julien forward and he refused to disappoint them…  One great match to watch and experience, beware though, you may have to lower the volume towards its conclusion.

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Hisham is in familiar territory when it comes to defending his position as senior to kids 5 years younger than he is, but he’s beaten some of the best including Matthew, White & Iskandar in recent times so he’d have to draw on those experiences and all his offensive weaponry to fend off a fine new competitor on the squash scene.

Seeing Tarek for the first time you’d think he’s barely 15, but in fact he’s 19 and not really counting. But for a few moments, you couldn’t tell the young man is still in his teens, his game is solid and mature; his shot selection is dead on most times as are his drop shots. The rallies were in majority made of short but incisive attacks, and although the match went the limit it was relatively compact. Long gone are 2-3 minute rallies, attention spans aren’t what they use to be.  These 2 players and the likes of Amr, Ramy, James and so many others lead the way to a new era for the sport, one that may very well help its popularity at large and lead it to the Olympics…

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Stewart is one of the rare bread of players these days whose game is based on attrition and long drawn out rally. Having joined the tour 13 year ago it was the norm then, Jansher Khan was the game’s top gun and the one many players modeled their game after including Stewart. For those of you who didn’t see Jansher in action or don’t recall, his trademark game was to wear his opponent down by drawing them in the longest possible rallies then, once they had run out of options and legs, he fed off the mistakes they made as they went for the low percentage winners that would end their misery. Great champions before and after him such as Geoff Hunt, Jahangir Khan and Peter Nicol had much success with that style of play, so who better to emulate as junior when you build your game and aspired to be #1?

James however is younger and of a different breed of players who rely more heavily on wits and creativity to win rallies, he is in a way what Qamar Zaman was to Geoff Hunt, what Brett & Rodney Martin were to Jansher and what Jonathon Power was to Peter Nicol, maybe not as dominating in terms of holding the top ranking position for long periods, but providing the much needed balance and excitement that possibly inspired today’s young stars.  Relive through this match some of those historical rivalries.

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How is it that playing perfect squash isn’t enough to win a match anymore? Shot for shot both players were at par, both were equally patient waiting for opportunities and swift in their attacks. If we had to summarize with a single word what separated these two champions on this night we’d say it was ‘speed’.  There wasn’t any visible thought process from either player during this amazing match, simply no time for that. To the exception of just a few rallies here and there, it was made of purely instinctive squash.

Having pulled out from the exceptionally high number of majors that preceded ToC due to a foot injury, Ramy had shown through earlier rounds that he was back, well rested and healthy. James isn’t the type to look for excuses, and surely no credit should be taken away from Ramy for any reason, he proved how good he was already, but one can wonder if the outcome of this match would have been different if both players had competed in the same number of events... We’re bound to find out sooner or later as they’ll meet again no doubt, let’s just hope that our cameras will be rolling to capture those gems.

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This match Shawn played Vs Greg is reminiscent of their juniors’ days as friends and sparing partners, their thing then was to win points the unconventional way through outright winners or contortions. In their first PSA tour match since, they were back right where they left off, and seemingly oblivious to the importance of the moment.

Greg has far more experience on glass court stages so Shawn had to draw on his own strengths to make up for it and be competitive. Using his speed and racquet skills Shawn imposed his rhythm for good part of the match until Greg re-asserted himself with devastating lengths and control of the T. Certainly one for Shawn to build confidence on for a most promising future and exciting family archives.