R1: European Battle is won by Baptiste 3/0 against Rafi

Baptiste : First of all, since we’re both Europeans, we tend to follow each other much more closely than the other players. And I know that even if right now he might not be at his best — maybe not quite as good as he used to be physically, maybe with a bit less drive — on the day, if everything clicks for him, he can be very tough to play.

I really had that game plan in mind because I knew it could be tough…

I started the match not very well, like I’ve been doing for the past six months, where I almost always lose my first games. This time, I was lucky enough to win it.

But afterwards, I’m quite happy — even in the third game, when I was leading easily, and that’s been my problem recently, I tend to ease off and start playing “olé olé”, I lose two points, make two stupid mistakes, the guy comes back to within one point, and then if you lose the third game, all it takes is for him to start well in the fourth and you find yourself in a fifth in 10 minutes!

A player like that is super tough to play. He was top 20 for a while, made some nice semi-finals at the British and in Qatar, and you know that if he’s in the mood to fight — especially against a European, which always motivates him — he’s dangerous.

I’m playing Mohamed, for the third time in El Gouna. Once on the glass court, in 2021 — it was a good match — and once on the hard courts, which was less good.

I moved to Prague this January; I needed a change of environment to try to thrive again, to get back the fire that defines me, to find that hunger again.

Right now, I’m playing a lot of squash, training hard with Joan Lezaud over there, with the help of Greg [Gaultier]. I’m happy I made the move to recharge and refocus. I feel much better, I have more desire to play, to develop my game. I’m enjoying working hard again, so I know I’m playing well at the moment.

And it’s a good time to face Mohamed. It’s always a tough match — he’s a legend of squash — but it’s a match I want to go and win. I’m going to do everything I can to be ready, to reach a Platinum quarter-final for the first time in a long while.