Amr Shabana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Amr Shabana

Amr Shabana reacts during his 2009 Kuwait Open semi-final match.
Nickname(s)	The Maestro
Country	Egypt
Residence	Cairo, Egypt
Born	(1979-07-20) July 20, 1979 (age 46) Cairo, Egypt
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	73 kg (161 lb)
Turned Pro	1995
Retired	August 2015
Plays	Left Handed
Racquet used	Eye Rackets
Men's singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (April, 2006)
Current ranking	Retired (Ended 10)
Title(s)	33
Tour final(s)	45
World Open	W (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009)
Medal record Men's squash Representing  Egypt World Championships Gold 2003 Lahore Singles Gold 2005 Hong Kong Singles Gold 2007 Bermuda Singles Gold 2009 Kuwait Singles Bronze 2006 Doha Singles Bronze 2008 Manchester Singles Bronze 2010 Khobar Singles World Team Championships Gold 2009 Odense Team Silver 2001 Melbourne Team Silver 2005 Islamabad Team
Last updated on: July 2015.

Amr Shabana (Arabic: عمرو شبانة) was born on July 20, 1979, in Cairo, Egypt. He is a former professional squash player. Many people think he is one of the greatest squash players ever.

Amr Shabana won the World Open four times. He won in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009. In April 2006, he became the number one squash player in the world. He was the first Egyptian player to reach this top spot.

He also played for the Egyptian national team. He helped Egypt win the 1999 Men's World Team Squash Championships in Cairo. He also played for the winning team in the 2009 Men's World Team Squash Championships in Denmark. Amr Shabana stopped playing professional squash in August 2015.

Amr Shabana's Squash Journey

Amr Shabana started showing his talent early. In January 1993, he was the runner-up in the British Under-14 Open. Four years later, he reached the final of the British Under-19 Open.

He joined the PSA in 1995. His first big win was the Puebla Open in Mexico in July 1999. He beat Australia's Craig Rowland in the final. Just seven days later, he won his second title, the Mexico Open, again by beating Rowland.

Becoming a World Champion

In 2003, Amr Shabana had an amazing year. He was the ninth seed at the World Open in Pakistan. He beat many top players to reach the final. He defeated the defending champion David Palmer. He also beat Anthony Ricketts and Karim Darwish.

In the final, he played against Thierry Lincou. Amr Shabana won the match. He became the first Egyptian player to win the World Open title.

After a tough year in 2004, he came back strong in 2005. He got a new coach and a new manager. He also got married. He said, "All I have to worry about now is playing my matches – everything else is looked after for me now."

He won the Heliopolis Open in Cairo. Then he won the St Louis Open in the United States. He beat David Palmer and James Willstrop in that tournament. He also won the Hungarian Open in Budapest. He won three titles in just three weeks.

The World Open in Hong Kong in 2005 proved he was back. He beat Lee Beachill, Peter Nicol, and David Palmer. He won his second World Open title. He was the first player in a long time to win it twice.

Reaching World Number One

Amr Shabana continued his success in 2006. He won the Canadian Classic in January. He also won the Tournament of Champions in New York in March. In April, he won the Bermuda PSA Masters. These wins brought his total PSA Tour titles to 12.

In April 2006, Amr Shabana made history. He became the first Egyptian squash player to reach the world number one ranking.

In 2007, he won the World Open for the third time. This win was in Bermuda. In January 2009, his long time as World No. 1 ended. His fellow Egyptian, Karim Darwish, took over the top spot.

In 2014, Amr Shabana achieved another milestone. He became the oldest professional player to win a World Series title. He won the Tournament of Champions by beating Grégory Gaultier in the final.

On August 27, 2015, Amr Shabana announced his retirement. He had a fantastic career in professional squash.

World Open Final Wins

Amr Shabana won the World Open four times. He never lost a World Open final.

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2003	Lahore, Pakistan	Thierry Lincou	15–11, 11–15, 15–8, 15–14
Winner	2005	Hong Kong	David Palmer	11–6, 11–7, 11–8
Winner	2007	Bermuda	Grégory Gaultier	11–7, 11–4, 11–6
Winner	2009	Kuwait	Ramy Ashour	11–8, 11–5, 11–5

Major Tournament Finals

Amr Shabana played in many important tournament finals.

British Open: 1 Final (0 Wins, 1 Runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2004	David Palmer	14–16, 11–7, 13–11, 11–7

Hong Kong Open: 4 Finals (4 Wins, 0 Runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2006	Ramy Ashour	13-11, 3-11, 11-5, 13-11
Winner	2007	Grégory Gaultier	11-13, 11-3, 11-6, 13-11
Winner	2008	Grégory Gaultier	11-9, 13-15, 8-11, 11-2, 11-3
Winner	2009	Grégory Gaultier	11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 5-2 (rtd)

Qatar Classic: 3 Finals (1 Win, 2 Runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2007	Grégory Gaultier	11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5
Runner-up	2008	Karim Darwish	11-4, 11-5, 11-3
Runner-up	2010	Karim Darwish	8-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-6

US Open: 4 Finals (2 Wins, 2 Runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2006	Grégory Gaultier	11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 11-9
Winner	2009	Ramy Ashour	11-7, 11-2, 7-11, 12-14, 11-8
Winner	2011	Nick Matthew	11-9, 8-11, 11-2, 11-4
Runner-up	2014	Mohamed El Shorbagy	8-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-3

Images for kids

• 

  Amr Shabana during the 2009 Kuwait Open semi-final match against James Willstrop.

• 

  Shabana after winning the AON US Open.

See also

• Official Men's Squash World Ranking