Ramy Ashour facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ramy Ashour

Ramy Ashour with his 2011 Australian Open
Full name	Ramy Mohamed Ashour
Nickname(s)	The Maverick, The Artist,
Country	Egypt
Residence	Cairo, Egypt
Born	(1987-09-30) September 30, 1987 (age 37) Cairo, Egypt
Height	1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	78 kg (172 lb)
Turned Pro	2006
Retired	April 22, 2019
Plays	Right handed
Coached by	Hisham Ashour (Ramy’s older brother)
Racquet used	Prince Textreme Pro Warrior 600
Men's singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (January 2010)
Title(s)	40
Tour final(s)	55
World Open	W (2008, 2012, 2014)
Medal record Men's squash Representing  Egypt World Championships Gold 2008 Manchester Singles Silver 2009 Kuwait Singles Gold 2012 Doha Singles Bronze 2013 Manchester Singles Gold 2014 Doha Singles Silver 2016 Cairo Singles World Team Championships Gold 2009 Odense Team Gold 2011 Paderborn Team Silver 2013 Mulhouse Team Gold 2017 Marseille Team

Ramy Mohamed Ashour (born September 30, 1987, in Cairo, Egypt) is a retired professional squash player from Egypt. He was known as one of the best squash players in the world. Ramy won three World titles in 2008, 2012, and 2014. He became the youngest player to reach the world number one ranking since the 1980s. He was also the first person ever to win the World Junior Squash Championship twice!

Ramy Ashour's Amazing Career

Ramy Ashour won his first big international title in 2004. He was only 16 years old. This made him the youngest player ever to win the Men's World Junior Squash Championship. In the same year, he helped Egypt's team get second place.

In July 2006, Ramy made history again. He became the first player to win the World Junior Championships a second time. He beat fellow Egyptian player Omar Mosaad. He also led Egypt to a 2–1 win over Pakistan in the team final. The Egyptian team took the top three spots in the individual event. They also won the team title. No other team had ever done this before!

As Ramy left the junior league, he reached his first major final. This was at the Hong Kong Squash Open in 2006. He lost to another Egyptian player, Amr Shabana. Amr later became the world's number one player. On his way to the final, Ramy beat some top players. These included world number 10 John White and world number 2 David Palmer.

First Big Wins

Ramy won his first major professional title in January 2007. He beat David Palmer in just 32 minutes at the Canadian Squash Classic. In April 2007, Ramy won the Kuwait Open. This was the richest squash event in the world. He beat Amr Shabana in a close match. He then won the Qatar Classic in Doha. He beat David Palmer again in a 66-minute game.

In 2007, Ramy was invited to the ATCO World Series Squash Finals. Here, he played against the top seven players of the season. He was the only player to win all three of his first matches. He played against French star Grégory Gaultier in the final. After a 62-minute fight, Ramy won the title.

Squash legend Malcolm Willstrop said Ramy was special. He said Ramy's movement was the best. He also praised Ramy's unique racket skills and vision. Malcolm said Ramy "lights up the sport" and was a "rare commodity."

Rivalries and Comebacks

Ramy played Nick Matthew at the 2009 Saudi International Open. This match would decide both the winner and the next world number one. Ramy won the match. It was his longest ever on the PSA tour, lasting 110 minutes!

Ramy lost his world number one spot to Nick Matthew in June 2010. But he quickly bounced back. He reached the final of the new PSA World Series Australian Open in August. Two weeks later, he won a tough 90-minute match. He beat Gaultier in the Hong Kong Open final. These two wins put Ramy back at the top of the rankings in September 2010.

In early 2011, Ramy fell behind Matthew again. But Ramy then won the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions title. This was his second time winning it since 2008. He beat Matthew in the final. This tournament was his comeback after a hamstring injury in 2010.

The rivalry between Ramy and Nick Matthew continued. They played against each other for their countries. This was at the WSF 2011 Men's World Team Squash Championships in Germany. Ramy and Egypt won that match. Ramy kept trying to get his world number one ranking back. He beat Matthew again at the 2011 Rowe British Grand Prix.

A Stellar Year: 2012

Ramy Ashour's 2012 year was one of his best. He was the first player since Jansher Khan to reach the final of every tournament he played in. After coming back from a long injury break, Ramy reached the final at the North American Open 2012. He lost to the new world number one, James Willstrop.

At the El Gouna International in April, Ramy won their next match. He took home another major title in front of his home crowd. At the Allam British Open in May, Ramy lost to Nick Matthew. This meant he missed the chance to be the first Egyptian to win that title since 1966.

Ramy then went undefeated in the second half of 2012. He won all four tournaments he played in. He defended his Australian Open title in August. He won the US Open title in October. He also took the Hong Kong Open title in November. These wins led to his final victory of the year. This was at the 2012 Men's World Open Squash Championship in December. By beating Matthew in the semi-final, he got back the world number one spot. He then beat his fellow countryman, Mohamed El Shorbagy, in a tough five-game final. This gave him his second World Open title.

Continuing Success and Injuries

Ramy kept his world number one ranking in 2013. This was even though he had a hamstring injury. He made it to the final of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions. He came back from being down 2-0 to beat Gaultier. This was his third time winning the TOC title.

Ramy then won two more PSA world tour titles in two weeks. He beat Willstrop and Matthew to win his second North American Open title. Twelve days later, Ramy won his 30th tour title. He took the Kuwait PSA Cup. He beat Willstrop in the final. This extended his winning streak of major PSA titles to seven.

In May, Ramy won his first British Open championship. He was the first Egyptian to win it since 1966. He also extended his unbeaten run to 41 matches. His last loss was exactly a year before. After a summer break, Ramy won his ninth PSA World Tour title in a row. He extended his unbeaten run to 45 matches. He beat Grégory Gaultier in the Netsuite Open final.

On November 21, 2014, Ramy won his third world title. He defeated fellow Egyptian Mohamad El-Shorbagy. This match was called "epic."

Sadly, Ramy started having a chronic hamstring problem. This happened when he was at the top of his career. It affected how many trophies he could win. But Ramy was positive about his injury. He talked about his mental battle to recover. This injury came right after his amazing 40+ match winning streak. His playing style was known for fast rallies and quick volleys.

Ramy Ashour was known for his unique playing style. Many called him 'The Artist.' People thought he was one of the most naturally talented players ever. Mohamed El Shorbagy, the 2017 world champion, said Ramy was 'the best of the best.' Jonah Barrington, another squash great, said Ramy was as good as legends Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan.

On April 22, 2019, Ramy Ashour announced he was retiring from professional squash. He was 31 years old.

World Open Final Matches

Ramy Ashour played in five World Open finals. He won three of them and was runner-up twice.

3 Titles & 2 Runner-Up

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2008	Manchester, England	Karim Darwish	5–11, 11–8, 11–4, 11–5
Runner-up	2009	Kuwait	Amr Shabana	11–8, 11–5, 11–5
Winner	2012	Doha, Qatar	Mohamed El Shorbagy	2-11, 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8
Winner	2014	Doha, Qatar	Mohamed El Shorbagy	13-11, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5, 14-12
Runner-up	2016	Cairo, Egypt	Karim Abdel Gawad	5-11, 11-6, 11-7, 2-1 (retired)

Major World Series Final Matches

British Open: 3 Finals (1 Title, 2 Runner-Up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2012	Nick Matthew	11-9, 11–4, 11-8
Winner	2013	Grégory Gaultier	7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8
Runner-up	2016	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11-2, 11-5, 11-9

Hong Kong Open: 4 Finals (3 Titles, 1 Runner-Up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2006	Amr Shabana	13-11, 3-11, 11-5, 13-11
Winner	2010	Grégory Gaultier	10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9
Winner	2012	James Willstrop	11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 11-6
Winner	2016	Karim Abdel Gawad	11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6

Qatar Classic: 1 Final (1 Title)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	2007	David Palmer	8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6

US Open: 2 Finals (1 Title, 1 Runner-Up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2009	Amr Shabana	11-7, 11-2, 7-11, 12-14, 11-8
Winner	2012	Grégory Gaultier	11-4, 11-9, 11-9

Career Statistics

Here are Ramy Ashour's career statistics.

PSA Titles (40 Wins)

Ramy Ashour won 40 titles on the PSA World Tour. Here are some of his major wins:

No.	Date	Tournament	Opponent in Final	Score in Final	Minutes Played
1.	November 21, 2004	Athens Open	Andrew Whipp	13–11, 12–10, 7–11, 7–11, 11–9	1 h 15 min
2.	January 12, 2007	Canadian Classic	David Palmer	11–7, 11–3, 11–4	32 min
3.	January 29, 2007	Dayton Open	John White	8–11, 7–11, 11–6, 12–10, 11–2	1 h 12 min
4.	April 11, 2007	Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	11–5, 11–3, 12–10	34 min
5.	April 17, 2007	Qatar Classic Open	David Palmer	8–11, 11–9, 11–9, 11–6	1 h 9 min
6.	August 12, 2007	Super Series Finals	Grégory Gaultier	12–10, 11–8, 4–11, 11–4	1 h 2 min
7.	January 16, 2008	Tournament of Champions	James Willstrop	11–7, 13–11, 11–9	40 min
8.	February 16, 2008	Canadian Classic	Amr Shabana	11–2, 11–9, 8–11, 11–8	38 min
9.	April 20, 2008	Hurghada International	Amr Shabana	12–10, 9–11, 11–7, 9–11, 12–10	47 min
10.	October 19, 2008	World Open	Karim Darwish	5–11, 11–8, 11–4, 11–5	1 h
11.	February 28, 2009	North American Open	Nick Matthew	11–8, 13–11, 10–12, 5–11, 11–8	1 h 31 min
12.	April 4, 2009	Hurghada International	Grégory Gaultier	7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8	47 min
13.	December 10, 2009	PSA Masters	Nick Matthew	11–6, 9–11, 11–9, 11–9	1 h 19 min
14.	December 18, 2009	Saudi International Open	Nick Matthew	11–7, 7–11, 11–9, 9–11, 11–8	1 h 50 min
15.	March 20, 2010	CIMB KL Open	Karim Darwish	11-8, 11-8, 11-9	51 min
16.	August 29, 2010	Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open	Grégory Gaultier	10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9	1 h 30 min
17.	September 20, 2010	Rowe British Grand Prix	James Willstrop	11-7, 3-11, 11-3, 11-5	40 min
18.	November 2, 2010	Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	9-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-1	45 min
19.	January 27, 2011	Tournament of Champions	Nick Matthew	11–3, 7–11, 11–9, 11-7	52 min
20.	May 19, 2011	Hurghada International	Karim Darwish	11-9, 9-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-3	1 h 20 min
21.	August 14, 2011	Australian Open	Nick Matthew	12-14, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 11-4	1h 17 min
22.	September 25, 2011	Rowe British Grand Prix	Nick Matthew	1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-4	1h 6 min
23.	April 13, 2012	El Gouna International	James Willstrop	12-10, 11-5, 5-2 (ret)	37 min
24.	August 19, 2012	Australian Open	Omar Mosaad	11-9, 11-9, 11-6	53 min
25.	October 13, 2012	US Open	Grégory Gaultier	11-4, 11-9, 11-9	43 min
26.	December 2, 2012	Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open	James Willstrop	11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 11-6	1h 4 min
27.	December 14, 2012	World Open	Mohamed El Shorbagy	2-11, 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8	1h 30 min
28.	January 24, 2013	Tournament of Champions	Grégory Gaultier	7-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-1	1h 12 min
29.	March 2, 2013	North American Open	Nick Matthew	11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7	1h 5 min
30.	March 14, 2013	Kuwait PSA Cup	James Willstrop	6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3	58 min
31.	May 26, 2013	British Open	Grégory Gaultier	7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8	1h 4min
32.	October 1, 2013	Netsuite Open	Grégory Gaultier	11-4, 7-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-2	1h 8min
33	March 19, 2014	World Series Final	Mohamed El Shorbagy	15-17, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5	1h 3 min
34	April 18, 2014	El Gouna International	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8	1h 11min
35	November 21, 2014	World Open	Mohamed El Shorbagy	13-11, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5, 14-12	1h 30min
36	April 10, 2015	El Gouna International	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11-9, 11-6, 4-11, 10-12, 12-10	1h 34 min
37	September 30, 2015	Netsuite Open	Nick Matthew	11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4	59 min
38	August 28, 2016	Hong Kong Open	Karim Abdel Gawad	11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6	75 min
39	September 3, 2017	J.P. Morgan China Squash Open	Ali Farag	11-3, 11-8, 10-12, 2-11, 11-5	60 min
39	March 18, 2018	Grasshopper Cup	Mohamed El Shorbagy	11-8, 11-9, 11-6	50 min

Note: (ret) = retired, min = minutes, h = hours

PSA Tour Finals (15 Runner-Up Finishes)

Ramy Ashour during the 2011 Australian Open quarter-final match against Peter Barker.

Ramy Ashour also reached the finals 15 times, finishing as the runner-up.

No.	Date	Tournament	Opponent in Final	Score in Final	Minutes Played
1.	October 22, 2005	Athens Open	Hisham Mohd Ashour	11–7, 2–11, 10–12, 7–11	37 min
2.	January 29, 2006	Dayton Open	John White	5–11, 3–11, 6–11	Unknown
3.	March 11, 2006	COAS International	Mohammed Abbas	4–11, 11–9, 5–11, 7–11	Unknown
4.	October 22, 2006	Hong Kong Open	Amr Shabana	11–13, 11–3, 5–11, 11–13	48 min
5.	October 28, 2007	Saudi International Open	Amr Shabana	5–11, 5–11, 11–1, 9–11	50 min
6.	April 27, 2008	Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	9-11, 7-11, 11-13	52 min
7.	September 6, 2009	U.S. Open	Amr Shabana	7-11, 2-11, 11-7, 14-12, 8-11	57 min
8.	November 7, 2009	Kuwait Open	Amr Shabana	8-11, 8-11, 5-11	50 min
9.	January 28, 2010	Tournament of Champions	James Willstrop	10-12, 5-11, 11-9, 2-11	49 min
10.	February 27, 2010	North American Open	Nick Matthew	9-11, 14-16, 4-5 (ret)	48 min
11.	August 15, 2010	Australian Open	Nick Matthew	14-16, 7-11, 10-12	1h 17 min
12.	October 24, 2010	El Gouna International	Karim Darwish	14-16, 3-11, 1-5 (ret)	52 min
13.	February 26, 2011	North American Open	Nick Matthew	9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8, 6-11	1h 23 min
14.	February 25, 2012	North American Open	James Willstrop	11-7, 11-8, 11-7	51 min
15.	May 26, 2012	British Open	Nick Matthew	11-9, 11-4, 11-8	49 min

RAM Scoring System

In May 2019, Ramy Ashour introduced a new scoring system called RAM Scoring. He created it with Osama Khalifa. This system changes how squash games are played.

Here are the main rules:

• Matches are best of five games.
• Each game is three minutes long. This time only counts for actual play, not breaks between points.
• When the three minutes are up, the clock stops.
• The player who is ahead must win one more point to win the game.
• If the player who is behind wins the point, the game continues. It keeps going until the leading player wins a point. Or, the trailing player can tie the score and then win one more point to win the game.
• If the score is tied when time runs out, one final "sudden death" point is played to decide the winner.
• If the score is 0-0 when time runs out, the three-minute clock resets, and the game continues.
• The clock only resets for "let calls" (when a point is replayed).
• There must be at least one referee and one "Time Keeper" for the match.
• Players get 2 minutes of rest between games.
• All other rules from the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and World Squash Federation (WSF) still apply.

Images for kids

• 

  Ramy Ashour during the 2011 Australian Open quarter-final match against Peter Barker.

See also

In Spanish: Ramy Mohamed Ashour para niños

• Official Men's Squash World Ranking