External links
- AA AbouTaleb at Squash Info
- "Squash article at Peak Performance Online". Archived from the original on 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
Abdelfattah AbouTaleb, better known as "A.A. AbouTaleb", or simply "AbouTaleb", was a squash player from Egypt. During the 1960s, he won the British Open three times.
AbouTaleb started out by sweeping the courts at Cairo's National Sporting Club, where his brother was the tennis professional. At first, he had to play with discarded broken rackets and burst balls.
AbouTaleb reached the final of the British Open for the first time in 1963, when he lost to Pakistan's Mo Khan in five-sets 9–4, 5–9, 3–9, 10–8, 9–6. (The British Open was considered to be the effective world championship of the sport at the time.)
AbouTaleb then went on to win the British Open title for the next three consecutive years. In 1964, he beat Mike Oddy of Scotland in the final 9–3, 9–7, 9–0. AbouTaleb's win that year marked the end of 13 years of Pakistani domination of the British Open men's title. The following year, AbouTaleb beat fellow Egyptian player Ibrahim Amin in the final 9–0, 0–9, 9–1, 9–6. His third and final British Open title came in 1966, when he defeated Pakistan's Aftab Jawaid in the final 9–6, 5–9, 9–3, 9–1.
| Wins (3) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1964 | Mike Oddy | 9–3, 9–7, 9-0 |
| 1965 | Ibrahim Amin | 9–0, 0–9, 9–1, 9-6 |
| 1966 | Aftab Jawaid | 9–6, 5–9, 9–3, 9-1 |
| Runners-up (2) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1963 | Mo Khan | 9–4, 5–9, 3–9, 10–8, 9-6 |
| 1968 | Jonah Barrington | 9–6, 9–0, 9-5 |
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The 1963 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 26 November - 5 December 1962.
Azam Khan was unable to defend his title after struggling to regain fitness following an Achilles tendon injury. Mo Khan won the Open Championship defeating Abdelfattah Abou Taleb in the final. Incredibly Taleb had led the final two sets to one and eight points to one needing just one more point to become champion. Mo Khan however recovered to win the set and then the match in a remarkable comeback. Roshan Khan defeated Aftab Jawaid in the third place play off 9-3 9-6 5-9 4-9 9-3.
The 1964 British Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 25 November - 4 December 1963.
Roshan Khan seeded four pulled out of the main draw with an elbow injury to be replaced by lucky loser Sami Nadim. Abdelfattah Abou Taleb defeated Mike Oddy in the final. Aftab Jawaid won the third place play off by beating defending champion Mo Khan 9-6 5-9 5-9 10-8 9-1.
The 1965 British Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 9–16 December 1964.
Abdelfattah Abou Taleb won his second consecutive title defeating Ibrahim Amin in the final.
Roshan Khan seeded five pulled out of the main draw.
The 1966 British Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 13–22 December 1965.
Abdelfattah Abou Taleb won his third consecutive title defeating Aftab Jawaid. The competition came under criticism for the modern day physicality which increased the chances of players getting injured, in the first round Ward was taken to hospital following a head injury received whilst playing Jawaid. The champion Taleb also came under fire for his aggressive attitude, particularly in the final.
The 1968 British Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 12–20 December 1967.
Jonah Barrington won his second consecutive title defeating Abdelfattah Abou Taleb in the final.
The Khan squash family, sometimes referred to as the Khan squash dynasty, refers to a Pakistani family that has produced a succession of champion squash players. The dynasty's patriarch was Hashim Khan (1914-2014), whose win at the 1951 British Open began the era of his family's dominance in the sport. This family dominance continues with Ivy League star Anoush Khan. Members of the Khan family have combined for a total of 23 British Open, 16 North American Open, 19 US Professional Championships, and six World Championships wins.
