"This is Brutal!" 😮‍💨 | Farag v Elias | British Open 2023 | FINAL HIGHLIGHTS!

Can Ali Farag take down the No.1 Seed, Diego Elias, to secure his first ever British Open Championship or will Elias hold strong as the newly crowned World No. 1?
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[@squashtv]

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[@baseballgenius3]

Wonderful play but my goodness that call to end the 3rd was abysmal. They don’t want players to exaggerate the swing but then when they don’t exaggerate they get calls like that?

[@JK-jr1gs]

I was there and it was horrendous. Wael el Hindi was fuming at the ref. Justifiably so

[@BeakFoundry]

This ref always makes awful calls. There was a shocker in the previous one that got overturned, surprised this one didn't in the review.

[@JK-jr1gs]

@@BeakFoundry yep

[@TheLukinator247]

was there too, the crowd couldn't believe it! everyone just justifiably fumming!

[@jackieking1522]

Why wasn't it overturned? Are players allowed to ask for an overturn? It puts a sour note on the entire tournament and non of the players deserved that.

[@andrewannett8225]

Absolute shocker of a decision in the 3rd game. Not good enough for that to happen at this level. She must have been the ONLY one in the building that didn't know it was a clear stroke against Farag. The injustice of it clearly affected Elias in the 4th. Having said that Farag was amazing throughout.

[@pritch68]

You're ignoring the fact that the video referee independently made the same call. So clearly she wasn't the ONLY one.

[@DonFrederik]

@@pritch68 It's not really independent, as sometimes the refs forget to turn off their microphone and you can hear them discussing with the video ref during a review. It honestly seems like Maria has something against Elias, perhaps due to the comments he made to her during the match against Crouin I think it was. Especially if you consider that the video ref overturned 4 prior decisions in favor of Elias.

[@vincentvincent7004]

its a let fs no stroke tho

[@M0odez]

It's not fair on the players to suddenly change the balance between punishing loose shots vs not playing through interference in your decisions. Such a harsh no let, that clearly took Elias by surprise, could easily lead to him playing unsafe balls later on because he has no confidence in the ref to apply the rules consistently.

[@michaelpham6379]

It was a good call, Diego was looking for the player

[@M0odez]

@@michaelpham6379 Do you not think Farag is close enough that there is still doubt in the safety of the shot? Even if Elias is looking for the man I'd still be inclined to give a let. In balance I think it's a much fairer decision.

[@fanatamon]

@@michaelpham6379 yeh nah it’s a poor shot from Farag and easy stroke to rule on definitely was not a no let maybe a let but much more a stroke, period.

[@michaelpham6379]

@@fanatamon it was given a no let from the ref and a no let from the video review. You guys are such idiots 😂

[@mh-lw1oe]

What a beautiful tournament without Asal!

[@gamolly]

Where's he been?

[@wxkx2429]

@@gamolly banned from squash for 6 weeks

[@wxkx2429]

I think

[@berenscott9347]

I lost interest in squash since Ashour exited and Asal entered. It's a sport that has to be played with honour due to the close quarters nature and unavoidably contentious refereeing scenarios.

[@ghawatzhusten3368]

​@@berenscott9347 there's no players of the calibre of Shabana and ashour . But squash goes on and the likes of farag gawad Elias coll keep the hopes alive and spirits high.

[@fluidjazz]

Horrendous decision in the 3rd, what the hell were they thinking!

[@graemenawn]

correct decision for me. Farga had cleared

[@JW-bs7xp]

It was the correct decision fluidclown- watch it again young man

[@watching99134]

@@JW-bs7xp Is that why the announcers said it had to be a stroke?

[@ahsanmunir1911]

@@watching99134 then announcers should be doing the referring next time instead of commentating

[@muneebi8273]

For sure. Terrible decision

[@gruffyddgozali]

For context, up until that disastrous decision at the end of third game, the video referee (Jason Foster) had overturned Maria's decision 4 times.

[@abdiver12]

It should have been 5/5. She's the worst ref in the sport.

[@grademployment]

Equality

[@mistafista8861]

That's crazy!!

[@PatrickCuba8]

It was the right decision, ball was behind him and Elias could have played it but instead looked for the stroke.

[@abdiver12]

@@PatrickCuba8 Ball was extremely loose and slow, right down the middle of the court, straight towards Farag. No way that was a No Let.

[@duboisstewart8265]

Crazy No let in the third, but my goodness was amazing to see Farag in top form again

[@mohamedsheik4589]

Best player in the world without a doubt, he has it all 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@jj9749]

Can Asal be excluded from every tournament? It's so much better. Started watching again.

[@Yello9613]

what did asal do

[@joet7644]

Refereeing any sport is extremely difficult. I've done it most of my life and I understand how hard it is. You see things once, at full speed and have seconds to make a decision. So I can totally understand how the original call was no let. But there is no excuse for the decision not being overturned on video review. It was a stroke all day long. Seems like everyone in the arena knew that (including Farag) apart from video ref. Awful, awful decision. Once again, squash sadly shows why it's not ready to be an Olympic sport. Until the quality of the officials, and the behaviour of the players, improves it will sadly never make it.

[@storydeconstructor1922]

Another comment saying "this is why squash isn't in the Olympics" - that is nothing to do with why squash isn't in the Olympics

[@redfox1111999]

I really don't get the no Let at 6:30, the ball is super loose... Elias would've hit Farag if he swings through, Elias was laughing as in " That's a joke right ? " then the No let stays ? " I don't get the rules of this game sometimes. Elias always gets screwed by bad referee, (remember a couple of months ago that the ball touches the front wall on a boast and the ref says it didn't and doesn't even review it when the ball indeed touched the front wall.

[@KismetAurea]

100% agree. It was a stroke and nothing else! The ball was played to the center by Farag on himself. Elias couldn't hit the ball because Farag was on the way to the ball. So it was impossible without injuring Farag with the rocket.

[@xpedisinusantara7758]

Ali Farag to be No.1 again with this form. Great to be back from injury

[@muneebi8273]

Everyone talking about the bad decision (i agree). But the facts is that Elias gave up decisive leads in both 3th and 4th games to lose them both. Farag played great but i feel its more a matter of Elias choking. Maybe he’ll learn how to handle the pressure of being #1 and being the favourite as opposed to an underdog (which he has been against the top guys for a long time) Best of luck to both these amazing players 🙏🏻

[@neilshunmugan151]

Really happy for Farag..especially coming back from that injury..if anyone was going to beat Elias ..it was going to be him

[@rajanasir-gf4tx]

Elias such a gem of a sportsman

[@shawnmoore4425]

That decision in the 3rd is one of the worst ive ever seen, in a british open final no less. Hah.

[@ShellysAshes]

Ye shocking. They punished Elias for not barging into Farag and highlighting the interference, but the fact is Farag was occupying the space Elias needed to position his body to play the easy drop. If he had taken on the drop shot with limited space for his swing then it became far more awkward. He was fully within his rights to ask. I think the judges must've been thinking he could've played the boast quite easily; but the issue is playing the boast vs a player as agile as Farag would've effectively been ceding the positional advantage, so it's a terrible argument that he should've played that shot when Farag taking the space meant the boast was the only simple shot available. Awful decisions that effectively promote dangerous play. (barging into the opponent to highlight interference, or swinging and clipping the opponent)

[@georgekrumm1857]

For what it's worth, I actually agree with both refs and the explanation given. It looks to me like he plays the man, reaching with his racquet behind Farag immediately when the ball isn't there to be hit. It looks like it may well have been a stroke had he looked to play the ball instead, but hard to judge since he didn't.

[@andresmontalba7752]

farag como siempre disfrutando el squash al máximo

[@peterhammer6915]

that "no let" in the 3rd. Wow. Dont remember seeing such bad decision in a very long time. Elias slightly disappointing, played much better in the semifinal. Faraq was solid and deserved his victory.

[@khaledjalalabdelnabi7090]

Great match 👏

[@MrOgunseyinde]

Great stuff

[@andredejongh1411]

Rediculous descision on the No Let, what the hell...... that call had a major impact on the match 😡

[@NadeemKhan-ek6ec]

Farag is back with a bang

[@Gmax928]

Our sport will never make it to the olympics because sadly most if not all of referees we have have no sense for the game and have never played at a decent level. Even with the introduction of the replay they still can’t seem to get decisions correct. Why can’t Joey/PJ do the video replay as they discuss different outcomes of the movement/quality of shots? Great match congratulations to Farag!

[@vitaly-v10]

Nice Match :)

[@jhwheuer]

Both are lethal

[@user-pz6oi4sd9p]

멋지네요 ~😊

[@rejijai9120]

Farag is the smoothest mover on court there is

[@dontwatchdotorg]

"You were looking for the man" ... yeah he definitely wasn't

[@storydeconstructor1922]

He admitted he was... but he argued that it didn't matter because it was a stroke anyway (which I think is fair)

[@pritch68]

@@storydeconstructor1922 Exactly. The rules require the player to not endanger their opponent - i.e. to look for them. The call should be based on rule 8, not whether he was "looking for his opponent."

[@brayanmaestre2811]

Super

[@ffiongoss-alexander3039]

Yalla Ali!!

[@bens.6458]

Players like Elias and Coll, seem to struggle against attacking players like Farag, Asal, even Crouin. Anyway, we’ll deserved!! What a champion

[@The_Regular_Player]

The best and most deserving guy....a great ambassador for squash and spirit of sports. God bless Ali

[@abidfarooqui4899]

Last point in 3rd game: "No Let" and even the review held. What kind of 4 eyes are those?

[@GG-gk7jn]

Congrats to Farah 🎉 I’m personally not convinced of the « no let » and since the incident in hkg where Elias really been stolen, no trust on the PSA refs…

[@alonsomoscoso3255]

Elias 💪 solid!

[@heyimsevv9653]

Ref needs to be fired 😂

[@jj9749]

Why have a female ref for an important men's match like this??

[@glebkachur8033]

@@jj9749 it’s not male/female it’s competent vs incompetent. Poor from her of course, but the real shocker here is the video ref. Don’t know who that was this match, but that was abysmal

[@DonFrederik]

@@jj9749 to be fair she's actually usually very good, but if you look at the previous match she refereed with Elias in the tournament there was clearly some animosity between Elias and her so I don't understand why she was chosen for the final. The video ref overturned 4 of her decisions in favor of Elias during the final, and it really did seem like she had a bone to pick with him, instantly giving a conduct warning for one comment Elias makes.

[@MsPritisingh]

the one on 6:38 should have been a let because elias couldn't have played a winning shot and not a stroke because farag positioned at T so not his fault either

[@user-oq5lq4wy3q]

6:45 no let????

[@fishman172]

Fishing. It is a let though.

[@carlosrcc5822]

6:45 no let ? 😡 she is blind 🤓

[@peterhammer6915]

@@fishman172 its a stroke every day of the week if you are not able to do a normal backswing. Horrible decision.

[@ralphbuschmann740]

terrible decision!

[@fishman172]

@@peterhammer6915 If you look from behind it would be a stroke but from the side it would be a let in my opinion because diego had the space to play because farag cleared

[@muhammadalibohyo4582]

Just by mentioning third game last decision no one can underrate the Class of Ali Farag.... Ali Farag is a class act

[@Orbituation]

Your comment doesn't make sense at all. I'm happy Farag won since he was out for so long and lost the final so many times, but that game ball decision in the third was horrendous.

[@albertwesleyable]

WTF WAS THAT DECISION TO END THE THIRD IV JUST GIVE BIRTH TO A PINECONE!!

[@aaronherrera4400]

king

[@pepegonzalez5937]

It was stroke!!

[@B1J0D]

Are the referees and video referees union? It's as if the video referees are trying to stand behind their calls.

[@muneebi8273]

Everyone talking about the bad decision (i agree). But the facts is that Elias gave up decisive leads in both 3th and 4th games to lose them both. Farag played great but i feel its more a matter of Elias choking. Maybe he’ll learn how to handle the pressure of being #1 and being the favourite as opposed to an underdog (which he has been against the top guys for a long time) Best of luck to both these amazing players 🙏🏻

[@ZeTurbocool]

I’m watching this on my phone. Was Diego last lob out?

[@karldubois1917]

Had to check twice, it was actually "not up".

[@ZeTurbocool]

Goodness gracious me! I was looking at the wrong place!! Thanks!

[@simonburrows240]

The call at the end of the 3rd game was terrible. Elias can't swing. Not saying that Elias would have won, but it's a very bad decision at a crucial time. PJ and Joey 'Oh my goodness'.

[@shahg25]

Especially while he was fasting!

[@jj9749]

That's his problem

[@shahg25]

@@jj9749 no its the calendar which doesn’t consider all that. Why aren’t there any matches on Christmas day?

[@jj9749]

@@shahg25 Christmas day doesn't last for a month!

[@shahg25]

@@jj9749 still the players get a month off. Its about the principle.

[@mswcproductions9848]

my pet duck chase me fast!

[@alexzanderking1556]

Farag is a machine! That must worry the top players given Farag was adhering to Ramadan and still beat the world number 1, Elias was unlucky, great match.

[@mahaure799]

Wtf on game ball of 3rd game!!!???

[@marcoscampos1110]

he deserves it too

[@paran0idgaming595]

The controversial no let call at @6:21 (omg.. stayed no let after review... one of the worst calls in history)

[@ignacioewert7458]

Another time Elias has been stolen in a crucial moment of his carrer. SHAME ON THE BRITISH

[@carlosrcc5822]

Tenia que ser una jueza, mas ciega que un murciélago 🤓

[@gamolly]

Was Farag fasting?

[@jj9749]

Yes except for lunch

[@gamolly]

​@@jj9749 :D

[@markgreen66]

Bad decision by ref, unforgivable incompetence by review team. Not only football being ruined by so-called advances in technology! What next self-driving cars🙄

[@nwelch1001]

That call at the end of the second was just appalling..Such a crucial part of the match and after review no less. This is pro men’s squash.. It was a short, loose, reactionary hit to the center of the court. STROKE all day long and twice on Sunday

[@f.l.3339]

she think about stronger glasses.... unbelievable ... that's the reason why she should ref in a kindergarten...

[@MarciOlii]

No let?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

[@abdiver12]

Andrea Santa Maria is the worst ref in the game. I understand you want to get more women involved in reffing but please, try to find some that are COMPETENT.

[@roland2879]

With such inconsistent refereeing decisions, this sport will remain minor. It is very unfortunate for these athletes.

[@LegendOfLocky]

And we wonder why we're not in the Olympics 🙃

[@pritch68]

@@LegendOfLocky This kind of moaning every time something goes wrong in a high profile match. As if other sports don't have poor calls

[@jackieking1522]

@@LegendOfLocky Boxing, ice skating, gymnastics, probably lots I know nothing off..... Squash is probably better than most. Reason its not Olympic is minority interest, expensive infrastructure per number of players, lack of visual appeal. We are thinking of not being Olympic as a problem instead of thinking that the Olympics are a bloated mess of TV appealers most of whom would be better off having nothing to do with the 5 ring circus. Squash is lucky not to be "in it". Stay independent and just let it grow or die naturally.

[@jiaf123]

She seemed to have made up her mind before the video review. And refuse to admit she made a mistake. They should really have a referee and a video referee like the premier league.

[@MrJoel3498]

they do, the video ref upheld the decision after Elias asked for a review

[@alfredov.remyo.9713]

GIGANTIC LET

[@KismetAurea]

at least!

[@philipstevenson5166]

olympics is nothing to do with refereeing. rather politics. sports where rich countries do well go in. egypt does not count.

[@stevehughes1510]

No Let to end the 3rd game from BOTH referees.........mindless and absurd, stroke all day long. This is part the reason why Squash will never be in the Olympic Games, with puerile decisions such as that one. Good to see Ali finally win this, but where are the kiwi semi final games PSA SQUASH, WTF.

[@joshuapoon2559]

squash refs are the worst in any professional sport. No wonder we cant make it to the olympics with calls like that

[@Studwick]

This woman makes decisions like this all the time, ive seen watching full matches its abysmal. Why have her reffing the final?

[@gamolly]

It's not just her though, it's been reviewed by a panel of other judges, which makes this even more puzzling!

[@jj9749]

Better have a male ref for men's matches. This lady clearly has some emotional issues with Elias.

[@squashum778]

What a shocker of a call , absolutely embarrassing.