Egyptian Tarek Momen recorded his first ever win over compatriot Omar
Mosaad on the PSA World Tour, having failed in three previous attempts,
to take home the 2014 Macau Open, PSA International 50 title.
The Cairo-born World No.12 came out on top in a hard fought 3-2 victory
to seal his first Tour triumph since winning the Malaysian Open in 2012.
Mosaad came into the final in imperious form, having dismantled Ong Beng
Hee 3-0 in the semi-finals to book his place in the final without
dropping a single game en-route whilst Momen, after struggling against
Max Lee in the quarter-finals, eased through his semi-final matchup
against Mazen Hesham.
It was Mosaad who started the match on the front-foot, putting his tall,
imposing physique to good use to take the first game 11-6. However,
Momen fought back to secure an 11-5 victory in the second and the
26-year-old continued to attack and his relentless drives and clever
drops enabled him to take the third game 11-7.
Mosaad was fighting to regain the crown he won in 2013 and he wouldn't
let it go without a fight as he broke Momen's momentum to gain a vital
fourth game 11-4 and with the match poised at 2-2, the spectators at
Macau witnessed a nerve-wracking final game.
Both competitors were determined to take the title and a flurry of tight
drives and accurate drops and lobs delighted the crowd and Momen, whose
wife Raneem El Welily had reached the final of the women's event, was
equal to everything Mosaad threw at him and proved he had just enough to
record a 12-10 victory in the fifth win his first ever Macau Open.
Mosaad
In Macau Masterclass
#PSAWorldTour
Defending Champion Omar Mosaad made no mistakes as he booked his place
in the semi-finals of the 2014 Macau Open, PSA International 50
tournament, at the expense of Malaysian Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan during a
day that saw his main competitors taken to the brink.
Mosaad, the towering Egyptian from Cairo, snuck through a tough opening
game 17-15 against Adnan before imposing his class to run away with a
comfortable 3-0 win, taking the next two games for the loss of only six
points, while number one seed Tarek Momen was forced to produce some of
his best squash to come from behind and see off Hong Kong's Max Lee.
Momen took the opening game 11-1 and looked to be on course for a
routine win but Lee, the World No.20, came back fighting to take a 2-1
advantage and force the World No.12 into battle. Momen recovered to take
the match 11-1, 10-12, 7-11, 13-11, 11-7 but there was no such luck for
number three seed Saurav Ghosal or number four seed Marwan Elshorbagy,
as both players bowed out to lower ranked opposition.
Ghosal, the Indian No.1, had match-ball in hand against Egyptian World
No.39 Mazen Hesham but failed to capitalise and fell to a tough 3-2
defeat while Elshorbagy also lost 3-2 to experience Malaysian Ong Beng
Hee, the World No.32.
Mosaad will now face the 34-year-old Malaysian whom he beat in the
quarter-finals stage in 2013 for a place in the final and the right to
defend his title.
Seeds
March On In Macau
#PSAWorldTour
All eight seeds came through their opening encounters in the 2014 Macau
Open to move into the quarter-finals of the PSA International 50
tournament which is making its fourth consecutive appearance on the PSA
World Tour.
The quarter-final line-up will feature a strong Egyptian flavour with
2013 champion Omar Mosaad being joined by compatriots Tarek Momen, Mazen
Hesham and Marwan Elshorbagy while Indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal, Hong
Kong's No.1 Max Lee and Malaysian pairing Ong Beng Hee and Mohd
Nafiizwan Adnan completing the draw.
Mosaad, the 26-year-old from Cairo, got the defence of his title off to
a seamless start, seeing off Australian Matthew Karwalski 3-0 and he
will now take on Malaysian Adnan for a place in the final four, after
the 28-year-old beat Hong Kong qualifier Tsz Fung Yip.
Number one seed Momen, the World No.12, was forced to work hard against
English qualifier Jamie Haycocks but proved too much for the World No.62
and remains en-course to meet number two seed Mosaad in the final. Momen
will face Hong Kong's Lee in the quarter-final stage.
