Mostafa Asal disqualified from U.S Open after Lucas Serme injury
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Joey Barrington and Lee Drew discuss defending champion Mostafa Asal's disqualification from the US Open following Lucas Serme's injury during their round 2 match.
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UPDATE - Serme Withdraws from U.S. Open Third Round
Read more 👉 www.psaworldtour.com/news/lucas-serme-withdraws-us-open-third-round/
Bad decision making by Asal to play the ball, who will feel for sure the most sorry, so no need for hate! A speedy recovery to Lucas Serme.
@PSA: However, part of the problem are the referees giving no lets in those situations quite regularly in the past, and thus almost forcing players like Asal, who is treated harsh by referees due to his past behavior, to play the ball in those situations. I would appreciate that in those situations the referees give either a let in case the player has cleared or a stroke in case the player has not cleared his exaggerated cross in order to make the game safer & more fair in the future.
@@magicmax5316 100%
Asal is the biggest talent this sport has seen, perhaps since Ashour. He has the potential for being the poster-child for the sport (Not unlike Djockvic) but more than anything he needs to be guided and counseled right now. I understand this is NOT the PSA's role but nobody wants this talent to be extinguished in its infancy. It's hard to be a child prodigy with a teenager's brain. This kid needs help..
@@samelgore7575 it's not going to happen. He doesnt want to change, he thinks hes perfect and that others should change. If he is the posterboy face of squash I am burning my squash bag.
@@cookesam6 He doesn't need to change, he needs to grow up!
It was bound to happen sooner or later. I do not appreciate an attitude of Asal, no matter if it was intentional or not. I want to watch guys who respect each other. For me, this is essence of squash. Respect, competition and fun.
I like that the PSA have released a statement about this to deal with it.
To those assuming Serme was “milking” the situation. Unsquashable released a post on Instagram saying that he’s been treated in hospital for concussion and a perforated eardrum. He’s also likely to be out for the rest of the year.
I hope no one assumed that, it seemed pretty obvious that he was injured.
It's also the decision of the medical team, not Serme, as pointed out in the video.
It is an unfair call! Serme played the ball, Asal checked his position, turned to play the ball, Serme meanwhile run to the middle of the court and sat smack in the middle, making his body unnaturally bigger ensuring he gets hit! Asal played the ball far from where he last saw Serme, Serme gets hit. This all happens in less than 2 seconds. Not saying this was intentional by either party , but the call is unfair, if anything Serme should be penalized for intentionally obstructing path of play he carries just as much fault for his injuries
@@jomangeee9180 there wasn’t really a call involved here. What do the rules say about a contributed injury? Independent physio is concerned Serme is concust as caused by Asal. 16.3 kicks in and the match is awarded to Serme. It’s as much a call as an “out” call is- driven by definition and not judgement.
It’s also not a common situation on court. When you turn, you nearly always ask for a let for safety. From experience, when your opponent is behind you and has turned, it can feel like there’s nowhere to go where you’ll be safe.
We’ve also seen players lose eyes for softer shots which is why it’s so important to just play a let.
I doubt in the split seconds that Serme processed the situation as “let me intentionally risk my professional career by making myself big”.
Regardless, safety of your opponent on court is the number 1 priority. You will never be rewarded even if an opponent intentionally gets in your way and you don’t hold your shot because it’s dangerous play. If you hold it, it’s a stroke/let to you. If you play it, it will be awarded against you.
Irrespective of age, it’s bizarre that Asal would elect to strike the ball at that point. As a pro, he has more than enough court awareness at this stage in his career. And if he hasn’t, he’s a hazard and doesn’t belong on any court.
Correct me if I am wrong. If Asal had paused and did not swing his racket, it would have been a stroke to Asal because Serme was blocking his line to the wall right? If that is the case, why did Asal simply not swing and ask for a stroke?
@@victorkhong7654 when a player does a full turn (360) the rules are different, and (used to be) up to referee discretion. Usually it's either a let, but not a stroke due to safety.
No, it would be a Let (Safety) NOT a Stroke - because Asal had "turned"
@@victorkhong7654 No stroke because of turning. Turning on the ball and hitting it is generally a no-no, its not on that he has done this,
Agreed, anyone having played a decent amount of squash has enough awareness that turning on the ball is dangerous. Ive hit a few players trying to do a tight cross court from the back, but turning on the ball, you know where your opponent is, and hitting it is reckless and dangerous
This was absolutely reckless. Too much emphasis on how Asal is coping with it. Serme could have an injury for life because of Asal's reckless behaviour. This was not intentional as such, but he had more than enough time to see the situation. This was not a miss hit or an unavoidable split second thing. Surprise surprise it is Asal who does this, someone who has already caused so much trouble with his antics on court.
Serme contributed as well by turning sideways to the shot. In times when I have been in Serme's position on the court, I presented my back to the opponent and if I get nailed, it will be a nasty welt (bruise). Imagine if Serme had been hit in the eye. He might have lost the eye. Serme clearly knew he was at risk that is why he crouched and attempted to cover the side of his face with his hands. Such a sad event but does not surprise me it was player like Asal who swung the racket.
@@victorkhong7654 For me, Asal is 100% the culprit here. For quite a few years, a lot of the Egyptian players do this turning maneuver to get out of a tricky position from a wide hit shot. Once they turn they immediately know they will be in an unorthodox position on the court, usually to the left of centre but on their forehand. So a "safety let" is the result. The other player will naturally go back to the T area. For Asal to actually still play the ball whilst in that unorthodox position is reckless and dangerous.
Injured for life by a small rubber ball? Bit dramatic aren’t we. Stupid and dangerous play
To those who may be inclined to deem this incident intentional on Asal's part: notice how, when Asal glances back for a split second to check his opponent's position, Serme is taking a step towards the RIGHT WALL. At that moment Asal makes up his mind to drive the ball cross-court to the back-left corner (so that Serme will have to make a diagonal run to chase it down). However, the moment Asal looks away from Serme and begins to prepare his shot, Serme changes his mind and dashes to the T. Realizing his mistake, he ducks. But Asal has already committed to the cross-court shot. In his mind, that's where the space is.
It's an unfortunate outcome---for both players.
this seems right - but still the safer play is to call a safety let
I hate asal, but this sounds right. He peaks and assumed serme was going to cling to the wall but serme ran centre then ducked because he knew it was coming.
I was going to post the same. He could have asked for a safety let though.
I agree. Let's see if Lucas makes a miraculous recovery from a rumoured busted ear drum (which has not been confirmed yet, so should not have been speculated about on a public platform)
Ideally, yes, he should have asked for a safety let. But he has a history of fishing for strokes and/or being given no-lets. So he took the risk...and paid a very big price
I appreciate Joey Barrington and Lee Drew's empathetic view towards both sides. Nevertheless; this is the world no.3. Club players are not injuring each other like this! It's yet another poor error of judgement from a player who already has a horrible disciplinary record in such a short career. In other dangerous sports, sanctions are issued to competitors whether the transgression was intentional or not (this was clearly not intentional). This guy has a huge following of young kids; what kind of lessons are they learning from his behaviour? The PSA needs to send a strong message and issue a stern sanction.
I’m not surprised that he has done something like this, he is a dangerously aggressive player
You don't play the ball after turning like that it's dangerous. Serme knew at that point, he wasn't going to follow the rule. Glad he got disqualified, this kid still has a lot to learn.
I always learned that once you 'turned' you forfeit any right to have a let or a stroke because of your action, not the action of your opponent. You created it by deciding to turn. Maybe that's old school squash, but it is safe(r) squash. Pro level players should be respectful of their opponents, themselves, the referees, the venue, sponsors and the crowds. Failure should be dealt with severely. Asal has shown us he can be a hot head and while he's matured in the last year or so, this is a setback that neither he, nor the sport, can allow. He knows better, and he knows that we know he knows better. He got off light for just a DQ at this event, in my opinion. I guess the PSA will have the final word and more could be coming.
While I don't disagree with much of the basic sentiment of your points, there are a couple of things I would like to point out:
1) the forfeiting of possible let or stroke after turning is a relatively new rule, so if you "always learned" that then you are either a fairly new squash player or you learned incorrectly
2) turning does not absolve the other player of his/her responsibility to clear 100% of the front wall. While we should remind players not to do what Asal did, I think even greater education needs to go into reminding players of this other less understood fact, as it has become commonplace for players to simply set up shop in the middle in turning situations, ignoring their own obligations under the rules
@@robbinburns6329 Been playing for 35 years and we always felt that players cannot 'create' problems that go in their favor by turning. Perhaps it it limited to a 'Let' rather than a 'Stroke' as the opponent in front has no way of knowing which way to zig or zag to get the heck out of the way once you've turned. Hold your shot, play a let and practice safety at all times.
In the case of Asal and Serme, Asal could have stayed on the left part of the court and Serme would naturally given ground so as to allow for the use of the whole front wall (as expected). By turning, Asal now places himself at the center of the back of the court and there is no path to the whole front wall except to 'guess' which way Serme wont be going and shoot there. Since neither can determine the other's move or shot selection, IMO it warrants holding the shot and let the ref determine if the situation gets treated as a No-Let, Let, or Stroke.
Sadly, in this particular instance, Serme ducked for cover and Asal's shot was a direct hit. Hope Serme recovers to play again at the same level he was used to before the event.
@@mikerichardson8006 So this might be where Serme went wrong, as Asal's body position should actually not have factored in to Serme's movement decisions. When deciding how to clear 100% of the front wall it is actually very simple. All your decisions should be based on where the squash ball is and is going. At all times, move such that you will remain completely clear of the triangular area created by the relationship of the ball and the front 2 corners of the wall.
Serme didn't need to look or care about where Asal was or whether he turned. Serme struck his shot from the right side of the court and thus all he needed to do was ensure he was always staying sufficiently right that he was outside the triangle of the ball and the front wall corners. And, yes, this would have meant he would have to move far to the right and would in fact open up a large area of court for Asal to hit a crosscourt winner. But that is what makes very wide shots potentially "bad" shots - if they come around you are obligated to back off from the middle of the court such that your opponent has 100% of the front wall to hit at.
@@robbinburns6329 You are probably right in that Serme got himself in a bit of trouble. His cross court lob from the front was struck in a manner that caused Asal not to feel as though he had a decent scenario of taking that on a high volley, either just before or just after the ball made contact with the side wall. Serme's position could have remained closer to the enter of the court near the 'T' as in the triangle you create with the ball location and the front wall. Being that Asal turned, now the point of the ball has moved several feet away from the sidewall and learly to the center of the court, which, according yor your triangle analogy, would cause Serme to have to give up nearly the entirety of the court so Asal could 'access' all of the front wall (to which he is entitled).
I believe that is what makes the ref's job easier in seeing that for Asal to have that access, Serme needs nearly to flatten against the right side wall. Anything else warrants a 'Let' and Asal should have known that and never struck the ball (or in the case of what Johnny White used to do, the 'Slam Let' where he demonstrated to the ref that he was in position and could actually play the ball but he hit safely it to the side wall to show that he was asking for a let.
While Serme may have realized his lob placement put him at a disadvantage, he should also feel comfortable in knowing that his opponent isn't going to blast him with a shot to the temple and cause a concussion. That's totally on Asal and he was dealt with (at least initially) by DQ. Unfortunately for him with his known history of a sense of entitlement on the court, he has had far too many displays of poor, reckless and simply unacceptable conduct on the court. Not sure whether he can change his ways.
Don’t think it was intentional, but it doesn’t matter…was undoubtedly “dangerous play” with an inflicted injury on his opponent…
99% of players would call a let on that ball, not smash a cross-court head height.
Squash isn’t rugby, and players shouldn’t have to play in fear of getting smashed in the head every time they step on court against Asal.
I voluntarily forfeited a match years ago because of my opponent's dangerous swing and the ref unwilling to call him out on it. My safety was more important.
The problem is that you always have to watch where your opponent is, a basic and essential safety rule in Squash. The first and most important rule in Squash is not to hurt your opponent.
Ya and also not to get in the trajectory of the ball before it is released !!!
@@ahmadsherbeny5609 wrong. Not when it's a 360 degree turn (read the rules), and also ever if you're the striker and there's a risk of hitting the opponent.
@@togume Actually, Ahmad is partially correct. The rules do make it clear that turn or no turn Serme should have moved (if possible) to clear 100% of the front wall (which means he should have moved to the right side, not the middle). Because it was a turn, Asal becomes 100% responsible for hitting Serme under the rules, but that doesn't mean Serme did the right thing. Also, there isn't any "360 degree" turn as the definition of "turning" doesn't actually relate to any specific amount of body turning, but rather the path of the ball as it passed by and was later struck by Asal.
Asal did look, then Serme ran into the middle, terrible positioning imo after an average shot
I hope this entire match is posted.
Generally speaking, I hope the PSA sends a clear message that safety is priority number one for both players and referees.
While not in reference to this situation, historical “no let” decisions have a tendency to undermine player safety because the incoming strikers are pushed towards playing through interference.
I hope Serme recovers fully.
No doubt, Asal has learned the important lesson that safety is goal number one.
No excuse for him to behave or to play like this. Asal just too much ! Just a easy let but Asal can turn the result like this! Unbelievable
@@losuk8 I didn’t watch this entire match (or previous ones) but if we give Asal the benefit of the doubt, but one mitigating factor could be a climate of match (or home) referees ruling “no let” in non-turning situations which warrant a let (or a stroke). Personally, I believe referees should bias the incoming striker more versus second guessing legitimate interference, creating a climate where players feel obliged to play through interference. Watching the entire match (and his previous same tournament matches) might or might not offer hints as to why a professional player felt obliged to play through a turning situation. Over the years, I’ve seen no let decisions handed out for what was termed “room to play” or “minimal interference” which punished players being careful in order to push squash to be more of a so-called gladiatorial contest. Squash needs to decide where it lies on the continuum between safety really being priority number one…or players feeling an obligation to play-through-interference, under the guise of a gladiatorial contest.
Personally, I believe in the former, where safety is supported and real-time inference decisions prompted by the instincts of the incoming strikers themselves are prioritized versus second guessing their holding up and undermining safety in general.
If the refereeing in this tournament was consistently already biasing the incoming striker (strokes versus let’s and let’s versus no-lets-then this would put to rest my argument that Asal might have felt undo pressure to play through what he might have deemed “minimal” interference.
I believe that in any case, Asal will take this lesson to heart. If I’m wrong and he risks the safety of his opponents-then PSA will need to reassess and respond appropriately.
Yes, the problem here is that the PSA has been punishing players for asking for lets when the referee believes for example there was "a path to the ball" or "the opponent was clear" or "there was room to play the shot". I remember a couple of years ago, I believe it was the same Asal that repeatedly took suspect lines back to the T following his shots and Gawad was repeatedly told "no let" when he asked for lets. Finally, he became so frustrated he simply just ran Asal over to get to a ball and the ref just doubled down by giving Gawad a conduct stroke.
And I would amend your statement to be that "incoming strikers are pushed towards playing around interference that disadvantages them by requiring them to approach a ball from "the path presented by the opponent" which is not necessarily "the optimal path the striker desires to take".
@@robbinburns6329 A distinction frequently lost on referees in particular is the concept that the direct path to the ball is often very different from the optimal footpath to the ball. Referees, commentators, and squash fans in general would do well to recall that there are two ways to cheat in squash: blocking and crowding. In addition to this, the outgoing striker’s main responsibility coming off a shot is to not just clear a way to the ball, but to clear the optimal footpath to the ball. The justification of regaining T position is a well-worn excuse for blocking, bumping, and otherwise hindering the incoming player’s attempt to play their shot.
Mostafa Asal is a dangerous player. This is what happens when the refs, coaches, and other players coddle him and say “give him a chance, he will grow up”. He has demonstrated multiple times with impunity that he isn’t mature enough to make safe choices. My heart goes out to Lucas Serme and I hope he makes a swift and full recovery. Ban Mostafa Asal for life. He won’t ever learn and will hurt other people if allowed to play again.
All Asal had to do is NOT hit the ball and it would have been an easy LET and being up 2-0 in games, there was ZERO reason for this to happen. Reckless and dangerous behavior.
I’ve seen this shot played 100,000 times. For it to be ‘reckless and dangerous’, there would have to be a HIGH probably of injury. Yet this singular circumstance. I’d argue Serme’s bizarre movement running through the middle of the court whilst ducking was pretty reckless/unorthodox personally.
Moving on to the decision… a concussion?! What a joke. Serme should be embarrassed and the rules should be changed surrounding these circumstances.
Serme ran dead in the centre, Asal was playing the back left corner it was half responsible attempt / half wreckless. What Serme was doing standing there after such a wide shot is beyond me, if he is indeed worried for his safety. He didnt want to stand on the sidewall as he feared losing the point.
@Harrison King
How does one hit a forehand in the back left corner? There are clear rules on turning and playing the ball. Easy let situation but often times the best players in the world can play through these kinds of scenarios. I have commonly seen pros play boasts in these situations to avoid hitting their opponents. Very unfortunate to hit him in the side of the head as he did but still reckless and unnecessary. Glad to see Asal punished so he learns he has to play more safely and that these kinds of risky situations aren’t worth playing through.
@@Gmax928 Pro players only boast when they have observed full well that the player has gone to the middle. Pro players who observe their shot going wide and coming around behind the opponent back towards the middle will usually back off away from the middle of the court if they see or sense the other player is turning, so if Asal hadn't actually observed where Serme was, then hitting a boost would have statistically been even a dumber thing to do. (Of course, if you are turning and don't know where the other player is, then hitting the ball is dumb period as you are entitled to a let unless the ball is deemed unplayable.)
@@nickguest3394 Oh shut up. You don’t agree so the rules should be changed. That’s not how the world works. It was a dumb action and he knows. Actions have consequences. It is a shame for the tournament. What would you suggest? Change the rules so that the match is given to the player who plays such a stupid shot without properly looking? So he gets rewarded for his stupidity and his injuring his opponent? Don’t think so.
As any experienced player knows, once you turn you are expected to stop play and ask for a let ball. Perhaps it was unintentional but reckless nevertheless
If he’d called a let, he’d most certainly have got a stroke and hitting the ball was reckless and potentially intentional. Chuck him out!!!
he had the whole forehand shot open, and he saw serme duck down, that's obvious for any player at all to stop or to hit a safe shot
All I'm gonna say is: "Squash : So You Think You Can Ref? EP.75 :Rosner v Serme"
Yeah, that was my first thought as well. Asal would definitely risk a no let had he not attempted to play the ball, based on past PSA decisions. Having said that, it's unacceptably dangerous to hit a ball that hard after turning, especially if you aren't certain where your opponent is. Had he not hit the ball hard enough to concuss Serme and perforate his eardrum, this would be a non-issue.
@@georgekrumm1857 Even with fair refereeing, you could understand that based on the inital movement as Asal checks for Serme, he assumed Serme to be on the right wall and thought he could safely crack a cross court winner, rather than take a let (and only a let at most as he had turned). But yeah, I always think of this example because it shows that even for pros it's easy to just panic.
Just simply not play that ball…even a non pro would not play that ball, good recovery to Serme
2000% agreed !
Very odd that he hit that shot , he could see he was there . Not good enough from Asal
Another player added to Mostafa 'The interference' Asal collection of hits, blocks and injuries.
I was hit like that in the side of the right knee, in 1989, and still have the mark, 33 years later...
Ouch
I wish you a speedy recovery
This is unacceptably dangerous play. And shocking you say the least from a world champion
Asal always had movement issues; if you watch his matches with Coll, Elias even other egyptian players he is always in the line, tangling with other players
The only guy with movement issues in this rally is Serme. What the hell he was doing moving like that is beyond me.
@@InshushaGroupie Curled into a ball praying the guy behind him looks?
Essentially, this problem is caused by the insufficiency and immaturity of the "Turning" clause in the official rule. You'd better amend it before generating similar tragedies.
I would actually say that the rules pf turning work. However, they create lets and refs pushing for continuous play have created some confusion. Do you have any suggestions for a better rule to handle that situation when a wide shot comes out to the middle off the back wall?
@@stevebachiu6843 Well, I think Turning situations should be categorized depending on its significance.
For argument sake, I'll just stick to this case, where the striker is able to shoot directly at the front wall (not by way of the side wall) and the non-striker has reasonably enough time to fulfill one's obligation (particularly here giving the striker an access to the whole front wall), quite simply Serme should have stayed kissing the sidewall toward back to give Asal the front wall as obligated by rule and let Asal play his shot as rule clearly allows. It's a fairly simple case, even Turing or Not Turning is irrelevant. I mean if Asal were to shoot it with his backhand (without turning), the outcome would have been the same since the ball was well bounced off the backwall more than likely for Asal to easily make the same shot.
@@movforallcovia9845 I think that a change in rules like that could simplify things. The unintended consequences could cause problems, but its not like we don't already have those...
@@stevebachiu6843 I don't get exactly what you mean but my point is that for this type of Turning, the Turning clause (supposed to make it safer) actually helped induce this incident.
As I said, if Serme had had followed the basic rule, this incident would not have happened in the first place. However, since this is categorized as Turning by rule's own definition, suddenly the Turning clause came into play to make the matter worse.
From Asal's point of view, he had an easy set-up off the back wall in the middle and naturally he wanted to lead it to a point. (You could say Asal worked hard to get this set-up out of Serme.) In order to do that, since this is Turning issue, Asal had to make sure to get a point or stroke by meeting the Turning clause. So he checked Serme right after he made the Turn and saw Serme going left toward the side wall. Naturally Asal thought Serme was by the sidewall properly giving Asal the front wall to shoot. In this point, Asal had a choice of not playing the ball, however he was afraid if he had stopped then and the ref would think the ball was too tight to hit or Serme was completely clear so "Let" or "No Let" might be given and that Asal definitely wanted to avoid. Hence he took a shot believing Serme providing the front wall.
As for Serme, he hit a wide cross and knew it's gonna end up somewhere in the mid area and have to give up T-position and that's gonna put him in really bad situation. However watching Asal Turned, consciously or unconsciously, the Turning clause (8.13.2 to be precise) kicked in and Serme tried to show the ref that he had no time to avoid the interference so that he could get at least a Let out of this unfavorable situation. I don't think he had 9.1.5. in his mind then, but that was the actual outcome, so in a way he succeeded.
Anyhow, what current Turning clause is doing to this type of Turning situation is only making it more confused and dangerous. After this incident, it's obvious that things gonna get more complicated. More players will not yield the front wall and more players will stop the playable play in the name of safety.
I think it's very unfortunate this situation. Really hope that Serme's ok and recovers soon. Even on amateur level players can hit really hard and getting hit hurts as hell. I think this was quite unintentional...
Excellent call. This should be taken all the way to Junior squash with even more severe punishment where all players who inflict injuries are disqualified.
It’s so surprising how you guys are hating on Asal for this. He saw Serme was on the top right corner and attempted to hit the ball on the backhand side. Serme ran into his shot and Asal didn’t even notice him moving in.
Agree!!!
Some help on this one please: I was told by my coach that to hit the ball after doing a 360, chasing it around the back corner, is an immediate penalty - stroke awarded to the other player. But here that as a thing does not come up, just the dangerous nature of attempting that shot. I appreciate that if Mostafa called let he would not have been awarded a stroke due to the turn, thus felt better to win the point on what should have been an easy shot (driving up the right wall [why did he cross-court??!?]) and so he hit it. But still, even attempting something like that should be some kind of professional foul. In short, is there such a rule? (Not hitting the ball after a 360.)
There is no rule that you cannot hit the ball after turning, however if you strike your opponent it is an automatic stroke against you. That is what would have happened if Serme had been able to continue the match.
Understood thanks. I've seen a few 360 hitting on PSA so I figured it wasn't a rule per se - just I guess it's one I now follow myself from my instruction (and I can't trust I won't hit someone), plus my coach is blackbelt Muay Thai and I don't want my head kicked :D I also think if you need to spin to get a hit on the ball then you've been out-played, snookered, so I will wear the loss of the point (or at least a let) for that!
There is no rule against hitting after turning. But as Dave said, once you turn you become entirely responsible* for not hitting the other player and get a stroke against you if you do.
(*Actually this is only 99% true - if the referee has judged that the opponent (ie. Serme) deliberately moved into the path or suspected path of the shot in order to game the rule by getting hit on purpose then the referee could instead award the stroke against Serme, but that is something that would pretty much never happen.)
Both players share the court and are (to some extent) dependent upon the other for their safety. Turning on a ball coming off the back wall is deemed to be such a safety concern that if you hit her opponent, it’s automatically their point. If you injure them appreciably-it’s their match. Also, if you hold up, it’s basically an automatic yes let.
In squash, the safety of your opponent is priory number one and vice versa. If a player does attempt to hit a ball after they turn on it-the onus is upon them to absolutely not to hit their opponent…or reap the consequences.
True, it’s not quite as egregious (or lethal) as going to a shooting range for a friendly competition and having a competitor firing their pistol while you are still down range taping up your target after the all clear has been called.
@@Themethodmix Again, just to point out you are only 99.9% correct. If the opponent knowing what you just stated explicitly moves to get hit by the ball or intentionally takes up a position not clear of the front wall to "game that rule" then the referee can in fact rule the fault is his and rule a stroke against him despite the stupidity of his opponent turning and ultimately hitting him with the ball.
Im always glad when a bad sportsman gets disqualified. I really hope asal grows up like Mohammad did. He has so much potential, he must just get out of his own way.
Reckless from Asal who plays right on limit of endangering opponents with contact and leaving his foot out most the time. Great talent but needs to control his aggression. Danger is he becomes blasé about it and takes on shots like this which we’re not on. Straight drive was the shot anyway.
As Asap turned to see where opponent was, the opponent looked to be going the other way. Then as he turned back to play the ball, the opponent went the other way. Just unfortunate
I agree Serme moved late, but Asal never should have hit that ball.
@@goonie1975 100% right.
I feel the IQ level of the squash community has really dropped as of late when reading the comments on both sides of the arguments. It was an accident and I don’t think there’s any need to take it further. Disqualification is enough of a punishment and he must be feeling bad as it is. It was incredibly stupid from Asal but it was not malicious. As for those that think Serme was faking it… you should go tell him that whilst he’s concussed and with a burst ear drum, and see how he’ll react. Most important thing is to hope Serme is ok.
It's up to the squash disciplinary panel to decide if disqualification is enough.
Probably so, but they will take previous incidents into account.
True. Doesn’t make sense for Serme to “fake it”, take this match, and then sit out for the rest of the year.
People have lost eyes for softer striking of the ball.
Dangerous play means a suspension is coming…and well deserved..Asal is a continued risk to his opponents, and this is just the latest example..he needs to sit and think about how his carelessness may have ended Sermes career.
Squash isn’t rugby, and players shouldn’t have to play in fear of getting smashed in the head every time they step on court against him.
Agree on everything
@@robc8645 I think there is a process where a punishment is given, but withheld pending future behavior. For example, a 2 month suspension that only is enforced if there is a similar dangerous play incident in the next year. That being said, I would support simply issuing a warning and probation.
When one is to hit a wide cross, it's usually aimed with a dying length at the backwall. Because if you hit it too hard like here, the ball's gonna pop out in the middle area giving the striker an easy set-up regardless of turning or not, plus you have to remove yourself completely out of T-position as rule obligates.
In any case, it's a common sense that the set-up in the middle area is the worst kind of shot you can make in this sport. Question is can you man up to give the striker the whole front wall.
I'm not saying Serme intentionally blocked the front wall. From the looks of it, he just panicked in the heat of the moment.
Anyway, I could understand all the bashing toward Asal if it were the case that Serme were properly hugging the sidewall giving the front wall which Asal rightfully deserves, yet still getting hit.
You've summed it up perfectly here. If you hit as bad a shot as Serme did you have to take your medicine and give the opponent the entire front wall. And if the ball is on that T line at the back of the court this means you have to stand as far away from the T as possible and closer to the side wall. Serme not only blocked the straight shot, he then ducked down facing the striker. That's just asking to be hit in the face. Most of us have been hit at least once and once is enough to know you turn your face away from the ball at that point and just hope you don't get hit somewhere sensitive. Can only be classed as a rush of blood to the head from both players. Feel slightly sorry for Asal here as I think it's his reputation more than anything that's done him.
Kind of reminds me djokovic hitting a line umpire with a ball and getting disqualified.
Interestingly, that was also at the US Open
but that lady was acting also!
@@amimahmad9699 Lol, it was hit decently hard and the lady was old. Don't bs yourself
@@1729krish still that was unintentional
@@amimahmad9699 Serme didn't make the decision not to continue, the Medical team did 🤦♂️
Take the emotional weight about Asal being the perpetual bad guy and you have 3 facts. 1. The ball contact was not intentional. 2. It is deemed dangerous reckless play at all levels from beginner to elite. 3. It could have been a lot worse if it hit Serme’s eye. Serme was handed the match and that is the correct thing to do. Asal will likely never do this ever again. Here’s hoping for a fast recovery for Serme, enough to continue in the competition. Serme couldn’t have known if Asal would boast it off the right wall or go for a straight so the only safety area would have been the far left wall which was too far to run to. Everyone is right about this pro level, this accident should never occur, these players have opponent location awareness like a bat. We’ve seen Asal and shorbagy hit rockets close to opponents legs by an inch, not saying they intend to contact, but it’s intimidating for sure.
Agree completely, but not so sure Asal will never do this again. If we've learned anything in the past 2 years, it's that Asal's attitude doesn't get better over time even after consequences.
This double standard seen at the "US" Open needs to be addressed. I have no problems with enforcing rules but that has to be across the board. Yesterday we all saw Amanda Sobhy continuously yelling at the ref all throughout her match and at one point asking him "have you ever reffed any games before". Forget about a conduct stroke, she did not even get a conduct warning whereas there have been warnings issued for such comments in the past for Egyptian women. The pattern is the same as followed by "US" Open Tennis where Serena Williams can get away by cursing at the ref and threatening to harm the line woman not once but on multiple occasions and Novak Djokovic gets kicked out of the tournament for accidentally tossing the ball at the line judge. What Asal did was unintentional and an accident and even though it was the most stupidest thing to do, some slack should have been shown and he should have been given the benefit of doubt.
You are taking about two completely different situations. The Asal decision was the only possible outcome from the rules, and made no judgment about intention. In fact, if the ref thought it was intentional, there would be no need to wait 15 minutes. Very unfortunate situation for both players. And quite honestly for the tournament and the fans.
All the negative comments about Asal is unwarranted, as a avid squash player I have hit many a player unintentionally, Serme being a professional player ducks down which is the worse think you can do, making himself a bigger target and putting his head where it should not have been. Blame should go to Serme for putting himself in a vulnerable position!
What do you mean by "blame"? It is true that Serme should NOT have gone to the middle and ducking down was also not a wise choice, especially with his body 90 degrees to the striker.
However, per the rules, Asal is 100% accountable for his decision to strike the ball (regardless of Serme's actions) and holds the "blame" with respect to conduct stroke, then DQ.
The analogy is I can point out that the driver in front of me was stupid to just suddenly jam on his brakes, but I am still 100% accountable by the insurance company for the damage from my resulting rear-ending of him.
Lee Drew: accident? It seems that Asal is often involved in "accident", knocks, trips and what not.
Of course , taking these one by one is somehow excusable, it could happen, but when the same name comes over and over, there's something wrong here. Should we start with the list?
It boils down to his mindset "win at all costs". He needs to take a few notches down.
But for me, and I guess lots of squash fans, he won't be regarded as the best player in the world even if he gets the number one for 300 months!
Imagine my shock
As a casual observer of squash, I'm rather surprised that Asal was disqualified for this.
My sport is ice-hockey, so the baseline for what players can do to each other (intentionally, or not) is wildly different.
You wear a bloody helmet to play Ice Hockey 🏒!! 😂😂😂
Key word is here is casual. You don't know what you're on about.
Rules and regulations! Nothing more ! Nothing casual ! Stupid play ! Asal can make a simply let to a magic, nothing more ! Wordless
Imagine if the ball hits an eye
The thing to keep in mind is that shot shouldn't have happened. The equivalent for hockey would be if you fired a puck at the boards after the play was dead and hit someone on the bench. What would happen then? Also, with only one opponent, as soon as there is an injury, you need to have a decision to determine a winner.
Does anyone remember how much time passed between the hit happening and the referee sending the player off?
If you are not sure - STOP! Simple squash safety rules drilled into all decent players from a junior level. Dangerous play from guess who???
6 months on the sidelines should give him enough time to consider his on court decision making. The bloke has a history of poor on court behaviour - he's now crossing the line of unsportsmanlike conduct.
I bet Lucas Serme is able to play the next round, amazing recovery and medical team. Clearly an accident sense he was easily going to win. Not sure where the ball hit him. Bust ear drum, very unlikely....🤔. we will see.
@@uncleamos Looked to me like the temple.... if so, Serme will need to be very careful.
And your implication of "Hollywoods" is unworthy as well as unlikely.
@@uncleamos That comment aged well...
At least Asal have to ask “let” in this situation, I’m glad that committee make that decision…..
I'm not much of an Asal fan, but that seems like a very harsh decision to me. I wouldn't be surprised if the physio took advantage of the opportunity to push Serme to the following round.
You think the physio works for Serme lol?
Usually you barely stop play for a few minutes after a ball hit. Crazy to suspend the defending champion from the tournament. Opponent has clearly taken advantage of the situation.
What decision? To deem it dangerous play? 😁
@@ashokmittal2153 In fairness, you are talking about a ball hit by me (or possibly you), not a ball hit with full force by Asal.
There isn't any nuance or ability to compromise here. It has to be one call or the other. With respect to the "dangerous play" stroke, there is almost no other option since Asal turned and hit his opponent. This is definitional. Like 2 + 2 =4. The only other possibility is to rule that Serme intentionally moved to be hit by the ball or took up the position he did to in effect force Asal to not have the choice to hit the ball. If you believed that, you would have to call a stroke against Serme.
Once you called the "dangerous play" stroke, you again don't have any options. If the medical staff rule that Serme isn't fit to continue, it is an "opponent-inflicted injury" and by definition Asal loses the match.
Any further discipline or future punishment happening after the match is discretional, and thus may or may not fall under the "very harsh" label.
Absolutely stupid shot to hit. This is what happens when you don't punish dangerous play. I can't help wondering whether this would still have happened had Gohar not gotten away with drilling Hammamy a few months ago with just a slap on the wrist.
With Mustafa Assault, its never accidental. He has had many controversial incidents the past few years. Dirty player
The PSA have to take a significant level of responsibility for this accident! ... In trying to get the balance in favour of continuous play and stopping players 'milk' lets or strokes, the pendulum has gone too far the other side of safety!!!
... And the real problem is that many refs in minor local amateur comps think this standard is the way to go as well. Of course, due to the skill, fitness & vision of the pros, accidents like this rarely happen at that level. Not so sure it would be the same at the amateur level.
Every umpire and the squash authorities have no problem with safety lets
@@logant6490 Thanks for your reply & I agree authorities have no problems awarding safety lets. It's just that the interpretation of what is considered a safety let has changed significantly. Once the "V" concept was practised, i.e. if your opponent blocked any line from you directly to anywhere on the front wall, it was considered an automatic stroke! Now, an opponent only needs to provide access to only a fraction of the front wall. This means there is a greater potential for striking your opponent with the ball than there was previously. ... As I said, in the pros with their skill level, this is a rare occurrence. But, in amateur squash, this is a far more dangerous situation. I fear, in future, there could be significant litigation for the squash authorities to respond to.
Players at this level should be aware of where their opponent is at all times. To play a shot after turning when being unaware where his opponent was is dangerous on the part of Asal, bordering on reckless. However, I do feel that there is some mitigation in that Serme moved right across the hitting zone and stood in the wrong place.
Can someone more up to date with the rules than I say what the outcome would have been had Asal simply hit Serme on the leg (with, as it was, the ball travelling directly to the front wall)? Stroke to Asal or let?
And what would the decision have been had Asal stopped and asked for a let (with Serme clearly blocking a front wall shot)?
Looks like he deliberately headed the ball to get a result 😮
Aasal did not deserve to lose
Never ceases to amaze me how every keyboard warrior is so quick to judge with harsh language. I wonder where that comes from, what childhood wound that triggers.
So what happened at the Pyramids?
I wanted to know this too
@@chironares he got a conduct stroke in the fourth against farag for stepping into his line
Psa never put the highlights of this game.
@@MrJoel3498 always nice to hear!
praise be
Same to Farida Mohamed, she played dangerously. Many contact with her opponent and swings her racket aggressively
Should have turned and asked for a stroke rather than hit it. Having said that the other guy could have dived on the floor or carried on moving to get further out of the way rather than stopping in the middle of the court. Also why would a pro hit it up the middle of the court when the obvious shot was down the right hand wall?
I don't always defend Mostafa but I thought this shot was disgraceful as he seemed to try a cross-court drive while Serme was clearly trying to clear the path to our right as much as possible. In this situation, most players would go for a drive to the right, not the left. And Mostafa had seen that the Serme was moving to the left too.Technically, it's a stroke to Mostafa but it's also very dangerous play and worthy of a disqualification, whether it's intentional or not.
No, in the rules, if you have Turned like Asal did, and you hit your opponent, its always a Stroke to the player that got hit. But yes, just in general a very dangerous shot and worthy of disqualification
Lucas Serme swift recovery.
PSA squash consider what this means for players in Asal position if they choose to not play the ball i.e. clearly a let always and sometimes a stroke to make the game safer and be fair.
Asal. Unfortunate to hit Lucas, clearly checked Lucas position and then played away from him but Lucas moved and thus Asal hit him.
PSA consider the appropriate action Serme should have taken once it was clear the ball was going to be playable i.e. against right side wall....stand still.. lay down .. try to get to left side wall etc.
One of this awful moments where the choice made did not work out
People are seeing why in the old days a ball that came off the wall was always a let. Then we started flirting with the idea that it might be a stroke, or may be a not let. Perhaps we encouraged players to take these shots. But every player should always stop in these situations precisely for the reason we have just seen. Hope Lucas is ok
@Kwistenbiebel200 It's so stupid not to be giving lets in these situations. This isn't even the first time this has happened with Serme either. Go back to the 2014 world championships when he was playing Simon Rösner. Rösner early in the match got a no let for turning on a wide ball, then later on match ball Rösner again in a situation where the ball is flying off the sidewall decides this time to play the ball and actually hits Serme. Luckily in the calf and not the face. That situation was neither Rösners or Sermes fault but the referees. Also decided to give a Conduct warning for dangerous play which wouldn't have happened if the ref gave a let earlier in the match
If he stopped it would be a let
I think one look at the score will guide
If you bend down like Serme does here, then you unconsciously give the opponent the sign to continue playing, why does Serme bend down at all?
oh for goodness sake, what a stupid comment
@@seanholgate7609 maybe but to argue that Asal should demand a Let when he is able to hit a Winner makes no sense.
Almost feel sorry for Asal but for a top professional ( the top professional?) to do this raises questions about his experience and what he has been allowed to get away with while a junior.
What needs to be done for Serme to mitigate the long term effects of a possible brain injury?
Somewhere along the continuum of concussion severity, “brain rest” offers the best neurological outcomes, minimizing the risk of PCS (post concussion syndrome). Also to some extent, Serme should try to minimize the risk of another head injury in the weeks and months to follow to avoid what is termed “second-impact syndrome.” With second-impact syndrome a second concussion on top of a recently heeling brain injury can potentiate the negative effects versus merely being additive. One hypothesis is that the force of a squash ball hit with pace starts to approach the of a rubber bullet fired from a distance. It would be interesting to know the ballistics of which where the two entities meet. If the injury is truly more along the lines of being superficial-then he’s absolutely fine to continue playing.
Oh Dear
A touch of the Big Girls about this!
this was unintentional, these occasionally happens
He had loads of room to hit it straight the fact he went for cross court made it look intentional.
He didnt ask for a let because it would have been ruled a no-let. Blame the shitty ref's who i have seen refuse a let even when its called from a safety perspective.
I agree that the refs have been excessive with not giving lets where the player has rightly or wrongly stopped only because of a potential safety issue. ("So you are recognizing my opponent hasn't hit a winning shot and I probably had an advantage, but I held up for fear of hurting him, yet still are going to award him the point because maybe he was actually clear?") This could and probably has made players gunshy about asking for lets. Now add in the fact that if Serme does what he's supposed to do (move to the right to clear 100% of the front wall) then this gives Asal a good opportunity to hit a winning crosscourt shot. So hold up and best case get a let and possibly get no let at all versus press your advantage of hitting a winning shot and it is indeed quite possible that this factored into Asal's decision to strike the ball.
@@robbinburns6329 Well thought out reply, thanks for your insight.
Asal is a nobb for hitting that.
At the end of the day Asal is a bellend and it’s nothing to do with him being young. He has 10’s of thousands of hours of court time experience so let’s not pretend this is a lack of experience of the game of squash lol
He’s shown he’s a cheater and has zero regard for the safety of his opponent on multiple occasions. Just remove him from the tour already. You want someone to be blinded or injured so critically they can’t walk or run again before you see the writing on the wall?
Utterly reckless. Serme played a wide cross court because Asal is so up on the T. Perfectly fine. Now usually a player would move around so that the shot is played on his backhand. However Asal TURNS - A trick commonly done by the Egyptians to counter a wide shot which would result in a weaker defensive backhand. I have seen it and played against people doing it many times. BUT...they then ask for a LET. The ball is now on their forehand and it would be dangerous to play. So they replay a rally the guy would have been in a difficult situation with. They should NOT actually PLAY the ball though! - and then smack it!! Asal turns and should ask for a let. To play the ball is utterly reckless. Serme recognises this which is why he ducks.
Tough outcome for both players.
Asal is absolutely in the wrong here. Why on earth would he turn to see Serme literally running face first back to the tee to avoid being hit, and then try to play a crosscourt???? He could've hit a million other shots (straight drop, drive, boast, etc.) or even stopped, but he picked the ONE shot that could've possibly resulted in Serme being hit. It makes no sense and honestly seems malicious
No way it was intentional. If you watch the replay you can see asal sees serme first in the forehand corner so that's why he decides to play it to the backhand, he was watching the ball while serme decided to run into the middle and duck and then he hits it without noticing that serme moved back. Just unlucky. Asal does anything to win but he would know that him smacking the ball into serme wouldn't help him win a game he was 2-0 up in..
Rly went for a crosscourt huh
I've watched this 10 times at 0.25 speed. What happened is crystal clear and the evidence is there for all to see. As the ball comes off the side wall, Asal is (correctly) assessing where his opponent is from a tactical and safety pov. He then (as he must) focuses on the ball and playing it (possibly harbouring the nagging doubt that if he asks for a let he won't get it because refs are not giving it any more .. trendy ref canon - don't ask); the last time that Asal sees Serme, he is way to the right side of the court. Naturally Asal will play a cross court to the left (see my point 3 below), which he shapes up to do and as the ball is coming off the back wall there is no way to reassess his opponent's position as he cannot see him. In the mean time and inexplicably, Serme moves towards the T and in fact crosses to the left side of the court thinking that Asal will be playing to the right side of the court - wrong - ouch; it is a stroke to Asal as the left side of the front wall is blocked. Three observations: 1. If refs were to return to a faithful interpretation of the rules, players would be asking for lets in these situations and these sorts of incidents (remember Hamamy also recently) could be avoided, 2. Turning should always be an automatic let and players who play after turning should be penalised, 3. Serme's movement in this situation is atypical and dangerous (to himself) - after that loose shot that is coming onto the centre of the court, he should be "hugging the side wall" not running into the middle of the court and covering his head - that is no way to play squash. IMO both players should be penalised but disq Asal is way OTT.
Agree - very strange from serme (not crouin). He seemed to cover up even when he had time to move - at least to hug the left wall - but instead he crouched and covered up, but didn’t even cover his head properly. Surely in that situation you gave the front of the court with your head bowed? As for asal, really no need to play that. He was winning by a landslide and this was just reckless, but the majority of the fault, imo, is on serme and dq for asal in too much
Accident or not, the Rule is Disqualification
There's no way this was accidental as the commentators say. They should know better instead of feeling sorry for the "youngster."
Asal is a horrible player to watch...he uses his big frame to block his opponent and is just reckless...there is no excuse for turning on the ball like he did and then playing the shot...I've played squash for many years and if you turn on the ball like that.( which is unnecessary, you can just back up and play the ball ) you should never play the shot as it is invariable going to put your opponent in the firing line of your shot ...This type of play shouldn't be accepted....
Mostafa it seems want this play to make it look like it really was nothing - having seen many of his game plays, he is purposely using the legal block or rhythm of play however he is extending these blocks/play into the illegal play space as well - for that, he need to pull out of from, but he is not. Its seems too that he is the only one that constantly......constantly doing it!
He was suspended before and now again! Horrible player! No respect for player like him!
Sure, this was an accident. The DQ of Asal was however the right decision. First, even today, Asal continues to exhibit extremely unsportsmanlike and even dangerous intentional behaviour which makes due diligence action in any situation in which he puts other players particularly crucial both in itself and also to send a message to him and of course any other players minded to do the same. Secondly, every time a player would be striking a ball having turned, they bear a double responsibility of care to ensure that no harm will come to their opponent. In his game against Rodriquez, Farag turned, saw Rodriquez well in good time in front of him and could have played an attacking and possibly winning shot straight off the front wall but, clearly putting safety above glory, deliberately played only a much weaker boast which he actually lost. All this having been said, PSA and its refs also have to take part of the blame for situations such as this because of their overly strict interpretation of continuity of play which forces players to have to attempt even the most dangerous shots or else they will lose the point on a predictable "no let" decision. We all have seen cases where a player has ceased play because of the potential of striking the opponent, yet let was refused and you always have the commentators reckoning that the ball could have been played. Why don't they make ALL turn-around situations automatically a let??
Seems like an agenda against Asal. It is obvious that it was purely accidental... you can see Asal's stroke's follow through was pulled back.
I'm very critical of Asal's court conduct, but this time I feel sorry him. He has checked were Lucas was standing before he has turned and hit a meter to the left from that. A crosscourt shot , so naturally further away from the opponent.
At this level it just can't occur that someone moves towards the T and into the shot in this situation, Lucas should have moved further towards the left wall if anywhere.
He got totally disoriented.
So why playing the shot knowing damn well he was going to hit him?
I don't understand why the ref doesn't call a Let in these situations, halting play before it gets dangerous?? We all agree that Asal shouldn't have hit the ball but many at the pro level do and it seems to me that the ref could control this more given that the players do not
Quite a harsh decision. Serme's physio took advantage of the situation knowing very well that it would be impossible for Serme to beat Asal at this time. I think Serme could have continued playing. What an unfortunate exit for the brilliant youngster and we will all miss him for the remaining tournament.
How is the decision harsh? It's quite clear. If he got a ban , that would be harsh imho.
@@alyberop1
its 2-0 in games
6-4 third one, would he do that on purpose?
Was it Serme's physio?
@@qwill6215 Tournament, Tour Physio who is there for all players
@@steverogers7473 exactly
When you turn, if your opponent is up the court from you, you don't take the shot. It's that simple. Every amateur who has ever played the game knows that. There is no excuse for this level of stupidity.
This is also due to umpires as well. I doubt umpires would have given a LET
I agree there are many instances where the refs haven't given safety lets when they should have, but I"m pretty confident that this wouldn't have been one of those cases. All Asal would have to say is that he turned and didn't know for sure where Serme was. If the referee refused to grant the let, then Asal could say "okay, next time I turn I'm hitting the ball no matter what, because you don't give lets'. If the ref still didn't back down, I would suspect most opponents would either have a serious word with the ref, or simply return their service to Asal by intentionally hitting the ball out.
@@robbinburns6329 I agree, I just sometimes hate umpires for being so adamant too. Not approving Asal on this one anyway.
They would, 100%
You don't turn and hit for a reason.
Asal is a bit of a Pratt
Shows what kind of player he is, talented but way out of line
Although I'm not a fan of asal, I noticed that this hit was not intentional if you watch the video closely, asal has turned his body to hit a cross court when lucas has no clue where to hide and ran into asal line. Final decision is quite harsh on asal.
No.
You can't turn and hit the ball blind from the centre of the court.
@@logant6490 I say the decision is harsh, not wrong. It's the right decision, you cannot hit any ball blind, must be aware of your opponent and safety always.
@@TheHilarious91 the decision was the medical teams. You play that shot you risk injuring your opponent.
serme is now the queen of france
Certainly Asal should not have played the shot, but can players losing a match use this now to try to get their opponent disqualified?
How?, Hit wide crosscourts hoping they play a dangerous shot? Seems practically impossible
The decision is down to the medical team
I can't understand why serme ducked down. Unfortunate incident and I hope he'll recover fast.
Why are you ducking? Bad move.
Wearing goggles should be mandatory
Thoughts to Serme and his family throughout these tough times and hoping Serme a speedy recovery.
However, as a former squash player, i believe that refs are being too hard on Mostafa for a few reasons.
1. It was an accident. The refs call on Mostafa to be disqualified and penalized is solely based on his history in court and making him out to be a 'menace' or in other words a bad sportsmen. If any other player would have hit that ball, the refs harsh decision would not have been the same.
2. From a squash point of view, Serme played an awful shot that resulted in his shot to land in the center of the court, and when this happens, the player who played the awful shot (Serme) should stick to the side walls to avoid being hit by the ball and make room for his opponent to be able to play the ball. Which is an unwritten rule in squash and players have been doing this for a long time. Instead, Serme played the ball and rushed to the middle of the court , which resulted in him being hit.
3. Mostafa looked up, saw that Serme was located on the right side of the court, looked down, played it in the exact opposite direction of where Serme is (the left side of the court) and was surprised to find Serme there.
For these 3 reasons i believe Mostafa did nothing wrong and struck the ball like any other squash player would. It was simply bad and unpredictable movement by Serme. Yes, people could argue that Mostafa shouldn't have played the ball and it is unfortunate/unlucky, however, from a logical squash perspective, Serme should have never been there in the first place.
With that said, my heart is with Serme and his family. However, Mostafa was not in the fault this time and the refs took a decision based on Mostafa's history and not what actually happened. Mostafa is arguably the best squash player of this generation and has already faced major set backs at such a young age which is stopping him from reaching his full potential.
Things Happen! Typically when a player turns it is an automatic let
The player must not play a shot in that scenario
If we take what you are saying literally here, any player playing a shot after turning should be submitted for disciplinary review for dangerous play? Not defending Asal here - he should not have played that shot - but it's obvious to see the he thought Serme was still on the forehand side of the court, as he looked up that's where Serme was - It's when he looked down that Serme moved to the middle and crouched. I think Serme thought Asal was going to play the boast from that position just to keep the ball in play, then realised his mistake and ducked to try avoid the cross court. If he hadn't ducked he would've copped it on the glute or the back of the thigh - does this mean he contributed to his own injury?
Asal hit the shot blind without looking where his opponent was. Dangerous play, one person at fault. Case closed.
It might be an automatic thing that it's submitted for review, it's not the same thing as automatic punishment. (Serme had no way to knowing how high Asal would hit the ball btw.)
I have no doubt about this incident and the consequence of it. However, I would like to know Asal's attitude when he played British Junior Opens from young age. Did he just turn to something like this once he turned pro, or it had been with him since teenage years?
He has always been his way - he was the bully that always won. There's footage of him abusing a referee post-match when the ref picked him up on unfair play when he was in junior league...
I think that Asal was probably in the wrong, but Serme was in an absolutely terrible position after a really average shot, Serme has not much right to be there, you can also see that Asal looks at Serme when he's at the side of the court, and then hits it
Should of been a stroke to Asal. Serme stop the ball reaching the front wall 😳😂
That is insane! Asal knew where the ball could go
no he didn't
he literally looked as the ball as bouncing to the back wall that lucas was on the right side and right before he hit it lucas went on the other side
Definitely feel bad for Asal. Looks like Asal expected the opponent to stay on the right side to avoid being called a stroke. The opponent did the opposite, and ran into the middle of the court to *block* the shot. Asal had one look at the opponent when the opponent was still on the right side, then he had to focus on the ball bouncing off the back wall. Truly sad for the tournament without Asal
If by "block" you are saying that in your opinion Serme deliberately moved to the middle because he wanted to either be hit by the ball or prevent Asal from striking the ball (because he knew that Asal would not risk the stroke possibility), than if you were a ref you could actually rule stroke against Serme, not Asal.