Ramy to Defend Title
28-May-2012 - Australian Open Team
The Australian Open Team is very pleased to announce that major tour drawcard, Ramy Ashour, will be returning to Canberra in August this year to defend the title he won in 2011.
Usually, the top players delay their entry into an event until just before the closing date for entries to ensure that they are ready to play and injury-free. We are very lucky that Ramy has confirmed well in advance of the closing date so that his legion of fans in Australia know that he will be here and can buy their tickets early.
Ramy won the title in five exceptional games against the World No 1 (at that time) Nick Matthew. The quality of the sustained attack in the final, matched by the desperate retrieving and counter-attack by Nick set new standards in Australia for squash. Anyone who was there in the Royal Theatre for that match will remember it for a long time.
In 2010, the first year the Championships were held in Canberra, Ramy played another 'match of the decade' against Gregory Gaultier in the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon. This five set match that Ramy won in desperation in the fifth set, left him unable to display his best squash the next day in the final against Nick Matthew.
Just two weeks ago, Ramy played in the final of the British Open, once again against his arch rival Nick Matthew. But the road to the final for Ramy involved many long five set matches and a very demanding four set semi-final against World Number One James Willstrop. This left him a little worse for wear in the final, where Nick played excpeptionally well in front of a partisan home crowd, excited by the nearness of the London Olympics.
Ramy has told the Australian Open Team that he loves coming to Australia and playing in Canberra. He is well looked after, has breakfast with fans each morning at the Crowne Plaza and everyone is very nice to him. He also likes the Viridian Centre Court and the set up in Canberra with good heating, low light and movement outside the court and a floor with excellent grip even when players perspire. He feels that the court set up brings out the best in his retrieving and concentration.
The Australian Open from 13-19 August is the first of the major championships in the second half of the year - folliwng a two month tour break in June and July. This usually means that the top players are in peak fitness and health (injury-free) for the Australian Open and we are lucky to see some of the most competitive squash in the world as a result.
VIP Packages, combining the best seats in the house with access to the VIP Lounge, are on sale now until Thursday 31 May. If you want ot see Ramy compete for a second Australian Open title from the best seats, book your VIP Packages now before it is too late. Once we open up the ticket sales to the general public, we expect all the Premium seats for the Finals, directly behind the rear wall of the Centre Court, will sell out quickly.
All Finals and Season Passes, and individual session ticket sales will commence at 8 am on Thursday 31 May. You will need to be organised and quick to get the seats you want.
This year, we have lowered ticket prices for the general seating (Standard) dramatically. We want more fans to be able to enjoy the best of world squash in our own country. Further, Premium pricing for the seats directly behind the rear wall of the Centre Court only applies to the last three days of the Championships. For the first and second rounds, you can buy a seat diretly behind the court for the low cost of between $15 and $25. Remember, Ramy and the other top players will be playing in the first two rounds and there will be plenty of Australian interest as well. 2012 could be the year that the vocal Australian Open crowd boost Cameron Pilley into the semi-finals of the Australian Open just like we did for David Palmer last year.
Buy your VIP Packages now - or prepare your order for your seats and get in early on 31 May.
