AVENGING his loss to Rami Ashour only seven days earlier on home soil, Egypt's world No 1 Amr defeated his fellow countryman in straight games in the final of the Kuwait Open to reverse the result of last year's final of the $200,000 PSA Super Series Platinum squash championship at the KSF Squash Complex in Kuwait City. Last week, in the climax of the Hurghada International final in Egypt, world No 2 Ashour came from behind in games to beat his illustrious compatriot for the second time this year. The 20-year-old from Cairo threatened to do it again in Kuwait. Top seed led the first game 8-3, the second 8-1 and the third 6-0 - and each time Ashour came back. But on this occasion held firm to take the title 11-9, 11-7, 11-10 (3-1) in 52 minutes, to increase the head-to-head tally over his young pretender to 5-3. "Today, my game plan against Rami was to play perfect squash, and that's what I had to do to beat him, play perfect squash," explained , whose 30th appearance in a PSA Tour final produced his 21st win. "I stuck to my plan until 6-0 in the third when I saw a twinkle in his eye. And that's never good, to see a twinkle in Rami's eye, because you know he is going to come back. "And I could see him hurting, but I saw him make a last push. And that�s why I'm so happy to have won 3/0. I'm so happy to beat Rami today. "I played differently than I did in Hurghada last week. I made sure that I was finishing every game, and not giving him any chances because if you do give him a chance, he'll eat you!" Ashour admitted that his Egyptian team-mate deserved the win. "I don't want to take anything away. The man was too good today. He played the right shot at the right time, he was accurate, precise and fast. He fully deserves it. "I'm happy I went in the final, and that I'm finally enjoying it. And, like said last week, today, I lost against the world No 1. That's not too bad," added the second seed. News about squash possibly being introduced in the Olympic programme might increase Egypt's chances of winning Olympics medals since the sport is currently dominated by Egyptians. Following extensive global campaigning by the World Squash Federation (WSF) since the sport narrowly missed out being added to the London 2012 programme, the WSF has received news from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that squash has been included on the shortlist of sports under consideration for the 2016 Olympic Games. In a letter to Jahangir Khan, IOC sports director Christophe Dubi congratulated and thanked the WSF president "most sincerely for the tremendous work you accomplished in order to complete the questionnaire for IOC recognised international federations." Squash has been selected along with baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby and softball. Played by around 15 million enthusiasts on all five continents, squash has been vigorously campaigning to join the Olympic Games for many years. In 2005, squash was voted into the London 2012 Olympic Games ahead of karate, roller sports, rugby and golf, but then failed to achieve the two- thirds majority required to become ratified as an Olympic sport. "I am confident that the reason why squash was chosen ahead of other sports in 2005 is down to its image as an intensely athletic, healthy, universal, inclusive and exciting world sport," said Khan. Khan, a former world champion, was delighted to receive the IOC letter, only days after being the final torchbearer in the Beijing Olympic torch relay in Islamabad, the capital of his home country Pakistan.
