KUALA LUMPUR: Egyptian Mazen Hesham fought back from two games down to beat compatriot and top seed Tarek Momen 2-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 to clinch the men’s title in the Malaysian Open Squash Championships 2022 today.
World number nine Mazen had to slog for 45 minutes to overcome world number seven Tarek in the final at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil here.
The 28-year-old Mazen, who is seeded third here, attributed his victory to sheer hard work.
“I would say today is the happiest day for me, after winning the title. I also want to thank my family, coaches, cousins and everybody who is close to me for helping me to get through the tough moments,” he said.
He told reporters this after the prize-presentation ceremony by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, who is also the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) patron.
Meanwhile, Belgian Nele Gilis shed tears of joy when she bagged her first women’s singles title in the Malaysia Open by stunning top seed Olivia Fiechter of the United States 5-11, 11-5, 13-11, 11-9 in a 59-minute showdown.
“It means a lot to me to win the Malaysia Open for the first time as it was definitely a tough match. We both played in the Singapore Open last week and my game plan worked today.
“I want to dedicate this victory to my family as they could not be here today. I also want to thank my friends, coach and my whole team who worked tirelessly to help me improve and also because it would be impossible to win this without them,” said the 26-year-old second-seeded Belgian. -Bernama