World number one Amr Shabana finally broke his Hong Kong jinx when he won the Cathay Pacific Swiss Privilege Hong Kong Open yesterday.
Egyptian Shabana beat compatriot Ramy Ashour 3-1 to claim the men's title, his first since his debut at the event in 1997, in a final played at the Plaza Hollywood shopping centre in Diamond Hill.
'It is great to win my first Hong Kong Open title and I feel very happy to win it in such an amazing environment with a huge crowd,' said Shabana, who collected US$17,500.
'Squash should be played like this - taking the game to the crowd as we need more promotion of the sport. I don't even mind if we have to go to the beach to play a tournament if we can have more people to watch it.'
The women's final was also won by the world number one, Nicol David of Malaysia, who produced a three-game victory over seventh seed and world number seven Tania Bailey, of England. It was also the first Hong Kong Open championship for David.
Tickets for the 500-seat venue were sold out long before the match started, but thousands watched the match from different levels of the plaza.