R1: Hana Ramadan (Egy) 3-0 Nada Abbas (Egy) 11-8, 11-4, 11-5 (27m)
The first of surely many all-Egyptian matches sees Hana Ramadan beat Nada Abbas in straight games.
Egyptian observers were expected a much harder battle, not a clear 3/0 victory. It not as if Nada did much wrong really. Hana, with the comfort of being lower ranked (47), was flying from the start, the first game being the longest, 10m. Nada, WR19, 20, despite being very young, only 20, is from the Hania El Hammamy/Rowan El Araby, and may feel that she needs to achieve more. The level of ladies squash in Egypt is such one might lose perspective… And put too much pressure on oneself.
Nada was the one with the weight on the shoulder, forcing a few shots at the wrong time, and adding even more pressure on herself. Today, Hana was the most relaxed of the two, and I feel that what made the difference on the day.
🗣 "I try not to think about the rankings, as it adds more pressure. I just had to stick to my game and not think about it too much."@hanaramadann knocked out World No.19 Nada Abbas to make it through to the last 32 of the CIB @BlackBallSquash Open 💪#BlackBallOpen #squash pic.twitter.com/Y1gjy3yqDQ
— PSA World Tour (@PSAWorldTour) March 12, 2021
Hana:
“It’s a lot of pressure playing with a teammate – that in itself is quite challenging.”
“I try not to think about the rankings and all of that because it just adds to the pressure. I just stuck to my game and didn’t think about it too much.
“I’ve graduated with a Bachelors in physiotherapy and then a Masters in Sports Science and Medicine. I’ve been lucky to spend five years in the UK and study at the University of Nottingham. I really enjoyed it and it was a great experience and the squash was a great experience for me.
“In Nottingham, there are many professional squash players so I had the benefit of training with other professionals and it’s challenging but I loved it there and it made the whole experience better for me.”
