The Squash
It was yet another early loss for me as I went down to another youngster - Greg Lobban is four games. He played well and I struggles to put plan B in place. I mostly played well but missed out an opportunity to take the crucial third game. A bad fourth game sealed my fate and I was out of the tournament. I guess I should 'keep my head down and chin up' once again.
Apart from squash, London always provides an opportunity to catch up with friends from the past. It turned into an excellent social week for me as I caught up with many, reminiscing old times. I also played practice partner for Joel Hinds in the mornings as he continued his impressive comeback to the tour after six months off due to hip operations.
The highlight of the trip was catching up with good old friend, the promoter of the London Open, Zubair Jahan Khan after nearly 15 years. We even sneaked in a practice match which I was lucky to win in five games. Back when I was a junior, Zubair was 'the man'. Witty,outspoken and modest, he was always fun to be around. A pain for his opponents on court, Zubie was known for his unique style of play where he used his ridiculously strong wrist and held almost every shot. He justified his immense talent and broke into the world's top ten before early retirement due to a medical condition. Zubair was well liked by most and easily the coolest guy on tour as well as my inspiration to become a professional squash player. Great to see you after such a long time Zubie and I hope to see you again soon.
I also must mention our lovely hosts - the Rogals. I thoroughly enjoyed the stay and had good chats with them on all sorts of topics. Thanks for having us and making our stay so comfortable guys. I hope to see you again next year.
.JPG)
