Results – CCI
International JSW Indian Indian Squash Circuit
Golan
Beats Ghosal to Take CCI Int.
Spanish No.1 Borja Golan defeated second seed Saurav Ghosal in
impressive fashion in the final of the CCI International JSW Indian
Squash Circuit, PSA M35 event to capture his first PSA World Tour title
since 2013.
The World No.13 benefitted from having played just eight games
throughout the tournament thanks to Shaun Le Roux’s retirement through
injury in the previous round while Ghosal endured a gruelling semi-final
matchup against Mazen Hesham in which the Indian won in five games.
The opening game saw a patient approach adopted by both players as they
looked for any potential chinks in each other’s armour. A number of
cross court nicks got the crowd up on their feet as they witnessed Golan
take the opening game by an 11-6 margin. 32-year-old Golan varied his
shots in the second and moved his opponent around impressively to build
up an 11-4 triumph to double his lead in games.
Ghosal was playing in front of a partisan home crowd and stayed in a
number of long rallies as he tried to wear Golan down. An unforced error
from the number one seed let Ghosal sneak ahead right at the end of the
third game and he made no mistake with his game ball to give himself a
foothold in the match.
With the prospect of claiming an overdue PSA World Tour title on the
horizon, Golan hit another gear in the fourth game, storming into an
early lead before hitting an audacious shot through the legs to wow the
crowd, despite their allegiance to home favourite Ghosal. Golan pressed
on and surged to victory to secure his 30th career PSA World Tour title.
“The last final I played was in 2013,” said Golan.
“I haven’t won a title in two years. I thought the final would be very
difficult. I knew I’d have to play my best squash to beat Saurav.
“He has had a tougher week and I think maybe that was the difference
today. Mentally, he was a bit more tired from the days before and maybe
I took advantage of that. I dedicate this trophy to Carlos [Cornes
Ribadas] because he’s always a great supporter and we’re great friends
but also to my wife, Chelo, and my future daughter, Manuela.”
Ali Fathi Knocks Out Number Three Seed Nicolas Mueller
Karim Ali Fathi produced a scintillating performance to defeat
number three seed Nicolas Mueller in a stunning upset in the first round
of the CCI International JSW Indian Squash Circuit, PSA M35 event.
The World No.42, who is ranked 15 places below Mueller, went a game down
early on but fought back with a display that belied his position as an
unseeded competitor to secure an impressive 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5
victory.
Fathi will meet Shan Le Roux in the next round with the South African
securing his place in the quarter-round thanks to a 3-0 triumph against
Raphael Kandra.
Borja Golan got his tournament off to a fine start with a straight games
victory against Mohamed Reda. The experienced Spaniard, who has 29 PSA
World Tour titles to his name, stormed into a two game lead and repelled
a late fightback from Reda to advance through to the next round. Adrian
Waller lies in wait after the Englishman saw off Mahesh Mangaonkar.
Elswhere, Saurav Ghosal comfortably dispatched compatriot Kush Kumar in
straight games while his quarter-final opponent, Mohamed Abouelghar,
survived a dramatic five game thriller with Ben Coleman to book his
place in the next round.
Egyptian maverick Mazen Hesham also moves through to the quarter-final
after a 3-1 triumph over wildcard Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu and he is
set to face Omar Abdel Meguid who saw off Ivan Yuen.