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El Gouna International Open 2022
Men's Draw
27 May - 03 Jun
El Gouna, Egypt, $180k |
ROUND
TWO
28
MAY |
ROUND THREE
29-30 MAY |
QUARTERS
31-01 JUNE |
SEMIS
02 JUNE |
FINAL
03 JUNE |
|
[1] Paul Coll (NZL)
11-7, 11-2, 11-4 (32m)
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY) |
Paul Coll
10-12, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 (68m)
Nicolas Müller |
Paul Coll
11-4, 11-9, 11-7 (74m)
Tarek Momen
|
Paul Coll
9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-1, 11-6 (109m)
Mohamed Elshorbagy
|
Paul Coll
11-8, 11-9, 11-5 (70m)
Mostafa Asal
|
Nicolas Müller (SUI)
2-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-1 (42m)
Todd Harrity (USA) |
[WC] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY)
8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7 (71m)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) |
Aly Abou Eleinen
11-4, 11-7, 11-1 (27m)
Tarek Momen |
[6] Tarek Momen (EGY)
11-4, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6 (48m)
George Parker (ENG) |
[8] Fares Dessouky (EGY)
11-9, 9-11, 14-12, 13-11 (76m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) |
Fares Dessouky
9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-9 (55m)
Baptiste Masotti |
Fares Dessouky
11-7, 11-7, 11-8 (52m)
Mohamed Elshorbagy
|
[9/16] Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 (49m)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) |
Borja Golan (ESP)
8-11, 12-10, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9 (81m)
[9/16] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) |
Borja Golan
11-7, 11-7, 11-6 (46m)
Mohamed Elshorbagy |
[3] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY)
11-6, 11-8, 11-7 (28m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) |
[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY)
8-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 (46m)
Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) |
Mostafa Asal
11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7 (83m)
Joel Makin |
Mostafa Asal
11-4, 11-8,
9-11, 9-11, 11-2 (85m)
Diego Elias |
Mostafa Asal
11-4, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6 (69m)
Ali Farag
|
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL)
11-9, 11-9, 11-4 (54m)
Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) |
[9/16] Grégoire Marche (FRA)
10-12, 11-7, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9 (91m)
Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) |
Grégoire Marche
11-4, 11-8, 11-3 (46m)
Diego Elias |
[5] Diego Elias (PER)
11-5, 11-5, 11-7 (34m)
[9/16] Youssef Soliman (EGY) |
[7] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY)
11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8 (67m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) |
Marwan Elshorbagy
11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (30m)
Mahesh Mangaonkar |
Marwan Elshorbagy
7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-7 (71m)
Ali Farag |
Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND)
8-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-7, 11-6 (83m
Lucas Serme (FRA) |
Raphael Kandra (GER)
11-4, 14-12, 11-9 (35m)
[9/16] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) |
Raphael Kandra
11-8, 9-11, 11-3, 11-4 (50m)
Ali Farag |
Adrian Waller (ENG)
11-8, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 (38m)
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) |
|
[1] Paul Coll (NZL) bye
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bye
Nicolas Müller (SUI) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 11-6, 12-10, 11-5 (30m)
Todd Harrity (USA) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 11-7, 4-11, 11-6, 11-3 (45m)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bye
[WC] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 12-10, 15-13, 9-11,
11-8 (62m)
George Parker (ENG) bt Faraz Khan (USA) 11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6 (51m)
[6] Tarek Momen (EGY) bye
[8] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bye
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 (35m)
[9/16] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bye
Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt Ivan Yuen (MAS) 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 (28m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-3
(82m)
[9/16] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bye
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 11-7, 13-15, 12-10, 1-11,
15-13 (75m)
[3] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bye
Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) bt [WC] Mohamed Nasser (EGY) 11-4, 11-4, 13-11
(30m)
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL) bye
Sébastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt Zahed Salem (EGY) 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9
(65m)
Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) bt Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) 11-7, 11-0, 11-4
(25m)
[9/16] Grégoire Marche (FRA) bye
[9/16] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bye
[5] Diego Elias (PER) bye
[7] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 (98m)
Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 11-7, 11-4, 11-8
(50m)
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Mazen Gamal (EGY) 10-12, 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 (56m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 11-3, 6-11, 11-2, 7-11,
11-7 (57m)
[9/16] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bye
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 11-9, 11-2, 11-1 (30m)
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) bye |
|
El Gouna International Open 2022
Women's Draw
27 May - 03 Jun
El Gouna, Egypt, $180k |
ROUND
TWO
28 MAY |
ROUND THREE
30-29 MAY |
QUARTERS
31-01 JUNE |
SEMIS
02 JUNE |
FINAL
03 JUNE |
|
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
12-10, 11-7, 13-11 (35m)
[9/16] Hollie Naughton (CAN) |
Nouran Gohar
11-3, 11-4, 11-3 (28m)
Aifa Azman |
Nouran Gohar
11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (32m)
Sarah-Jane Perry |
Nouran Gohar
11-7, 13-11, 4-11, 11-1 (65m)
Nour El Tayeb
|
Nouran Gohar
2-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-4 (90m)
Hania El Hammamy |
Aifa Azman (MAS)
7-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-3, 11-7 (56m)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) |
Lisa Aitken (SCO)
7-11, 11-2, 14-12, 11-7 (47m)
[9/16] Emily Whitlock (WAL) |
Lisa Aitken
11-8, 11-5, 16-14 (40m)
Sarah-Jane Perry |
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
11-8, 11-4, 11-8 (24m)
Ka Yi Lee (HKG) |
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
12-10, 11-8, 11-5 (35m)
[8] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) |
Nour El Tayeb
14-12, 11-3, 6-11, 11-9 (41m)
Georgina Kennedy |
Nour El Tayeb
11-1, 11-5, 11-3 (26m)
Tinne Gilis |
[9/16] Georgina Kennedy (ENG)
11-7, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8 (56m)
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) |
[9/16] Nada Abbas (EGY)
4-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7 (47m)
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) |
Nada Abbas
12-10, 11-6, 11-4 (40m)
Tinne Gilis |
Tinne Gilis (BEL)
11-7, 6-11, 11-5, 11-6 (42m)
[4] Amanda Sobhy (USA) |
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
11-2, 11-5, 11-8 (29m)
Hana Ramadan (EGY) |
Hania El Hammamy
11-5, 11-3, 11-8 (27m)
Rachel Arnold |
Hania El Hammamy
11-4, 13-11, 11-2 (41m)
Joelle King |
Hania El Hammamy
11-6, 5-11, 14-12, 11-6 (67m)
Nour El Sherbini
|
Rachel Arnold (MAS)
11-5, 11-7, 12-14, 11-9 (39m)
Danielle Letourneau (CAN) |
[9/16] Olivia Fiechter (USA)
12-10, 11-3, 11-5 (25m)
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) |
Olivia Fiechter
11-8, 11-9, 11-9 (40m)
Joelle King |
[5] Joelle King (NZL)
11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (27m)
Sana Ibrahim (EGY) |
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (39m)
[7] Salma Hany (EGY) |
Sivasangari Subramaniam
11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8 (32m)
Donna Lobban |
Sivasangari Subramaniam
11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (25m)
Nour El Sherbini |
Donna Lobban (AUS)
11-8, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 (45m)
[9/16] Olivia Clyne (USA) |
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL)
10-12, 4-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-9 (75m)
Lucy Turmel (ENG) |
Nele Gilis
11-3, 11-2, 11-3 (23m)
Nour El Sherbini |
Mariam Metwally (EGY)
11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (28m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) |
|
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bye
[9/16] Hollie Naughton (CAN) bye
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Nicole Bunyan (CAN) 11-8, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8 (35m)
Aifa Azman (MAS) bt Jana Shiha (EGY) 7-11, 16-14, 11-6, 11-8 (43m)
Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt Énora Villard (FRA) 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 (30m)
[9/16] Emily Whitlock (WAL) bye
Ka Yi Lee (HKG) bt Mélissa Alves (FRA) 4-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9
(41m)
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bye
[8] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bye
Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Farida Mohamed (EGY) 11-3, 11-8, 7-11, 11-5 (31m)
[9/16] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bye
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) bt Anna Serme (CZE) 11-4, 11-8, 11-0 (21m)
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Cristina Gomez (ESP) 11-3, 11-4, 11-3 (22m)
[9/16] Nada Abbas (EGY) bye
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Chan Sin Yuk (HKG) 11-7, 11-6, 11-9 (27m)
[4] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bye
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bye
Hana Ramadan (EGY) bt [WC] Haya Ali (EGY) 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 (30m)
Rachel Arnold (MAS) bt Marie Stéphan (FRA) 11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7 (37m)
Danielle Letourneau (CAN) bt Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) 14-12, 11-3, 8-11,
11-8 (41m)
[9/16] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bye
[9/16] Olivia Fiechter (USA) bye
Sana Ibrahim (EGY) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 3-11, 14-12
(53m)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bye
[7] Salma Hany (EGY) bye
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt Yathreb Adel (EGY) 11-3, 10-4 ret.
(12m)
[9/16] Olivia Clyne (USA) bye
Donna Lobban (AUS) bt Emilia Soini (FIN) 4-11, 11-2, 12-14, 11-1, 11-6
(41m)
Lucy Turmel (ENG) bt Cindy Merlo (SUI) 11-1, 11-7, 11-5 (23m)
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) bye
Mariam Metwally (EGY) bt [WC] Zeina Zein (EGY) 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (27m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bye |
Finals
El Hammamy and Asal Capture El Gouna International
Titles
Egyptian duo Hania El Hammamy and Mostafa Asal are the 2022 El Gouna
International champions following respective wins over Nouran Gohar
and Paul Coll earlier tonight at the El Gouna Conference and Culture
Center.
Women’s World No.3 El Hammamy produced one of the greatest comebacks
the sport has seen in recent years as she overturned a two-game
deficit against World No.1 Gohar to lift her third PSA World Tour
Platinum title.
It was all Gohar in the opening stages as the 24-year-old dominated
the first two games and seldom missed a shot. However, El Hammamy
grew into the match in the third as the fixture became a battle for
supremacy, with a fiery El Hammamy coming back to level the scores,
despite needing treatment for a blood injury sustained on her finger
after diving for a ball.
Another blood injury – this time for a cut on El Hammamy’s knee –
came at the start of the fifth game, which seemed to disrupt Gohar’s
momentum as some uncharacteristic errors crept into her game. El
Hammamy saw her opportunity and grabbed it with both hands as she
stormed home in the decider to complete a 2-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-9,
11-4 victory after 90 minutes of intense action.
“It’s very special, I can’t believe it,” said El Hammamy after
winning the ninth PSA title of her career.
“A week ago I lost in the World Championships, I didn’t really feel
like I was ready to come here and play my best squash. Being able to
beat the World No.1 and No.2 in the same tournament is a huge step
for me, I’ve never done it. I felt like coming here I have to show
up, do my job and try as much as I could to play my best, even if
I’m not feeling like it.
“To beat Nouran, you have to keep digging in. I was thinking at 2-0
down that I was rushing and making a lot of errors, and I wanted to
keep digging and keep putting in a performance. Slowly, I got back
to playing my best, so I’m very happy with that.”
In the men’s final, World No.4 Asal has captured the second Platinum
title of his career after taking out World No.2 Paul Coll with a
superb 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 victory in minutes.
Asal had taken out World Champion Ali Farag in the previous round,
whilst Coll came into his second El Gouna final after ending World
No.3 Mohamed ElShorbagy’s title defence in the semi-finals.
Coll had won his last two matches against the Egyptian, but tonight
was all about Asal as he put in an impeccable performance to outplay
the former World No.1, and he is rewarded with his sixth PSA title.
Asal had this to say after his win:
“I want to thank all of this crowd for coming today, it is something
unreal so thank you guys for coming and supporting us and making
squash bigger and bigger. I want to thank Amr Mansi and all the PSA
for making this tournament. I couldn’t be more proud of myself, it's
been tough for me, playing the World No.1 Ali Farag and I'm really
proud of myself and once again thank you to all the crowd for
cheering for me.
“I also want to say the women's match was unbelievable. I want to
congratulate Nouran [Gohar] and Hania [El Hammamy] because it was
unreal. I also want to congratulate Paul [Coll], he’s been World
No.1 and I'm sure he will be there for many more months in the
future and I want to congratulate Ali [Frag] for his efforts, all of
my team, my coach and physio and thanks to my family and the Ahly
Club.”
The next stop on the PSA World Tour will be the Necker Mauritius
Open 2022 – Presented by Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, which will
take place between June 7-11 at the RM Club in Mauritius. |
Semi Finals
Asal and El Hammamy Defeat World Champions Farag
and El Sherbini to Reach El Gouna Finals
Men’s World No.4 Mostafa Asal and women’s World No.3 Hania El
Hammamy toppled World Champions Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini,
respectively, earlier tonight to reach their first finals at the El
Gouna International, PSA World Tour Platinum event.
Asal had never beaten Farag over a best-of-five games scoring format
and had lost 11 of their 12 matches on the tour coming into today’s
fixture. This included a thrilling 97-minute battle at the CIB PSA
World Championships a fortnight ago, which Farag won en route to his
third World Championship title.
However, an inspired performance from Asal – known on tour as the
‘Raging Bull’ – saw him dismantle the World No.1 as he put in one of
the performances of his career to date to complete an 11-4, 11-6,
6-11, 11-6 victory which will see him renew his rivalry with World
No.2 Paul Coll when he competes in his second Platinum final.
“Paul is an old rival,” said Asal.
“We set up good clashes in Egypt, his performances have been
unbelievable over the last couple of tournaments and he was World
No.1 two days ago. It’s going to be a tough match, but with this
crowd we’re going to get the tournament on Egyptian soil.
“The crowd is going to be all over the place tomorrow and boost my
confidence and my performance.”
New Zealand’s Coll avenged his defeat to defending El Gouna champion
Mohamed ElShorbagy at the CIB PSA World Championships two weeks ago
in a dramatic battle which eclipsed the 100-minute mark. With the
scores poised at two games apiece, Coll earned himself a 9-6 lead in
the decider, at which point a swift end to the match would follow in
acrimonious circumstances.
ElShorbagy disagreed vehemently with a video referee stroke
decision, and his continued remonstrations with the referee resulted
in him being handed a conduct stroke. He continued to argue with the
referee and was given another conduct stroke to hand the win to
Coll.
ElShorbagy’s post-match interview following their World Championship
battle saw him criticise Coll’s coach – Rob Owen – for comments made
in an interview prior to that event, and Coll responded to a
question about the incident, saying: “I still haven’t heard them [ElShorbagy’s
comments]. I just try to keep myself out of that stuff, I didn’t
even read Rob’s article, so I don’t really know what Rob said.
“I’ve only heard through the grapevine what Mo said and Rob wasn’t
too bothered by it. It’s just Mo’s opinion, he’s a very upfront guy,
we’ll talk about it on and off court, so it didn’t bother me at all,
I’ve moved on.”
In the women’s event, El Hammamy produced a spell-binding
performance to beat reigning El Gouna champion El Sherbini – who
lifted her sixth World Championship trophy in Cairo two weeks ago –
11-6, 5-11, 14-12, 11-6 in 67 minutes.
21-year-old El Hammamy is no stranger to a major final after wins at
the likes of the Allam British Open and the CIB Black Ball Women’s
Squash Open in recent years, and she will look to capture her third
Platinum title when she takes on World No.1 Nouran Gohar in a repeat
of that British Open title decider.
“It definitely feels amazing being able to beat the six-time World
Champion,” El Hammamy said afterwards.
“It’s something that I’m always proud of. Playing against Nour is
definitely tricky, she’s the best of the best, to be honest. Playing
against her makes me so happy and makes me want to play my best
because if I’m not bringing my ‘A game’ I’m not able to beat her, so
I’m definitely happy with that win.”
Gohar has reached her 11th successive major PSA final – becoming the
first player to do so since Malaysia’s Nicol David in 2013 – and her
third El Gouna final after beating World No.28 Nour El Tayeb 11-7,
13-11, 4-11, 11-1 in 65 minutes..
A tenacious El Tayeb proved to be a difficult opponent for the
hard-hitting Gohar, but she eventually came unstuck in a one-sided
fourth game as Gohar continued her tremendous form this season.
“Nour, since I was a junior, has been a role model for us and she’s
one of the best and she keeps on being the example, she’s had a baby
and is playing like this,” said Gohar.
“Not just me but the whole tour thinks she’s playing better than
before. Honestly, I was really excited for the match. It’s been so
long since I felt I was challenged, mentally more than anything.”
The finals of the El Gouna International take place tomorrow (June
3) and play begins at 19:00 (GMT+2). All of the action will be shown
live on
SQUASHTV on the channels of PSA’s
broadcast partners.
|
Day Six
Asal Leads Egyptian Quartet
Into El Gouna International Semis
Day six of the El Gouna International saw all four matches go
the way of Egyptian players as Mostafa Asal, Ali Farag, Nour El
Sherbini and Hania El Hammamy booked their places in the semi-finals
of the PSA World Tour Platinum event.
World No.4 Asal held off what would have been a stunning comeback
from Peru’s Diego Elias to reach the semi-finals of this tournament
for the first time. ‘The Raging Bull’ powered into a two-game lead
after a sublime start to the match where he hit winners at will.
Elias was able to mount a comeback of sorts in the second, and he
kept focused to carry that momentum into the third and fourth games
to level the scores against the backdrop of a partizan crowd, which
cheered Asal to the rafters. However, the fifth game was all about
Asal, who kept the World No.5 at bay and romped home to complete an
11-4, 11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-2 victory in 85 minutes.
“I’m really proud of myself today, it was tough but well controlled
by [referee] John Masserella, he hasn’t refereed me in a while, so
it was kind of a new experience for me,” said Asal.
“Diego and I are cat and mouse, we are battling, we had four or five
battles last season and he’s a great player. I have always watched
him at the British Junior Open when he was Under 19 and I saw him
winning all these titles. There’s more to come from me and him for
sure.”
Asal will play reigning men’s World Champion Farag, celebrated his
return to World No.1 following the release of today’s PSA Men’s
World Rankings with a 7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-7 victory over long-term
foe Marwan ElShorbagy.
Farag has found it difficult to beat ElShorbagy in the past, winning
just five of their previous 13 matches coming into today’s
encounter. However, he continued on from his win over the World No.9
at the CIB PSA World Championships two weeks ago – a win which
brought a four-match losing streak to an end – as he came back from
a game down to seal his place in the last four.
“It’s always tricky when you play the same person so quickly, and
you know how smart Marwan is,” said Farag.
“I was trying to not overcook my shots, but I ended up being too
passive. So I told myself to be more aggressive, even if I wasn’t
going to win the point straight away, I can be more proactive, but
the third was the crucial one. I think I was 8-4 down, but I’m very
proud of the way I fought back. “
In the women’s event, El Sherbini and El Hammamy will meet for the
second year running at the El Gouna International following
respective wins over Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam and New
Zealand’s Joelle King.
Defending champion El Sherbini won that match by a 3-2 margin, but
did lose to El Hammamy the last time they played, with the World
No.3 toppling the reigning World Champion at March’s Windy City
Open. El Sherbini will now look to avenge that defeat following her
comfortable 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 win over Subramaniam, who was appearing
in her first Platinum quarter-final.
“It’s difficult playing someone for the first time, but I think I
was prepared,” said El Sherbini.
“I started a bit slowly, but there’s a difference from the first
match. I can see how I’m improving and every match is different from
the one before. These are the kind of matches to get me back in the
mood and stay in the right rhythm.”
Meanwhile, El Hammamy came through a feisty encounter with World
No.5 Joelle King, winning 11-4, 13-11, 11-2. There was no love lost
between the pair, with King accusing El Hammamy of receiving
coaching in between points. That just served to fire the Egyptian up
as she attacked with vigour to earn her place in the last four of
this event for the second time.
“Nour is a six-time World Champion, she just won the tournament last
week,” said El Hammamy.
“If we speak about confidence, she is on a high right now, but it's
always a pleasure playing her and an honour to share a court with
her. I’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”
The semi-finals of the El Gouna International take place tomorrow
(June 2) and play begins at 18:30 (GMT+2). All of the action will be
shown live on as well as
SQUASHTV on the channels of PSA’s
broadcast partners.
|
Day Five
Coll & Elshorbagy Set To Renew Rivalry In El Gouna
Semis
World No.1 Paul Coll and World No.3 Mohamed ElShorbagy will lock
horns in the semi-finals of the 2022 El Gouna International less
than a fortnight after their feisty semi-final battle at the CIB PSA
World Championships.
They beat World No.6 Tarek Momen and World No.10 Fares Dessouky,
respectively, at the El Gouna Conference and Culture Center earlier
tonight to ensure they will go head-to-head in a repeat of last
year’s El Gouna final, which ElShorbagy won to lift his second
trophy in El Gouna.
Following their World Championship match, ElShorbagy – who won that
fixture – criticised Coll’s coach, Rob Owen, for his comments in an
interview published prior to the event where Owen said no one would
beat Coll if the Kiwi played well. ElShorbagy deemed it one of the
most ‘stupid’ articles he had ever read and there are sure to be
fireworks when the pair go head-to-head in El Gouna on Thursday
evening.
“Honestly, I feel like anyone who says that Paul [Coll] was tired
against me in the semi-final [of the World Championship] doesn’t
have any experience whatsoever,” said ElShorbagy.
“When you’re World No.1, you’re the fittest player on tour, how many
matches did I play like that when I was World No.1? If someone says
that Paul maybe was shaky in the semis with the pressure of being
seeded No.1 and World No.1, I understand that. Because he definitely
had that.”
Speaking after his win over Momen – which came less than two weeks
after their 122-minute epic at the World Championships – Coll said:
“I had to believe in my game and that what I did last week was going
to be the right tactic still and not try to change anything. Last
week was a brutal match, I was actually trying for 123 minutes in
this match!
“It was a great battle last week and a great battle this week. The
scorelines were tight, still long and tough conditions. I always
enjoy playing Tarek, we always have great battles and we’ve had some
huge ones in the past. I’m just happy not to have smashed the body
after tonight.”
World No.28 Nour El Tayeb will line up against World No.1 Nouran
Gohar in the women’s semi finals courtesy of respective wins against
Belgium’s Tinne Gilis and England’s Sarah-Jane Perry.
El Tayeb has gotten better and better since she made her return to
the sport in December of last year following the birth of her
daughter, and continued her progress as she dismantled World No.11
Gilis in just 26 minutes to reach the semi finals of a PSA World
Tour Platinum event for the first time since October, 2020.
“I’m hoping to be better than I was, because I didn’t want to come
back just to be like I was before I stopped,” El Tayeb said
afterwards.
“I feel I’m getting better. Maybe my consistency is still the thing
I’m not so sure about, but I was happy to have a rest day yesterday.
I feel like I needed that after three hard games. I’m very happy to
be in the semi-final once again. I’m very much looking forward to
being hopefully back in the top four of the world.”
Gohar was also in red-hot form as the World Championship runner-up
dispatched World No.6 Sarah-Jane Perry in straight games on an
evening which saw the temperature rise to a scorching 33 degrees
Celsius.
“I always like to play in warm, hot conditions,” Gohar said.
“It really suits my game, but honestly that was really warm for me.
So I can’t imagine for other players how bad it is, because it’s
usually the end of April [when El Gouna takes place]. These 30 days
make a big difference. I can’t really complain about it because if
it suits anyone, it suits me more, so I’m happy with that.”
The quarter finals of the El Gouna International continue tomorrow
(June 1) and play begins at 18:45 (GMT+2). All of the action will be
shown live on
SQUASHTV.
|
Day Four
El Sherbini Books Place in El Gouna International
Quarters
Reigning World Champion Nour El Sherbini continued her title defence
at the El Gouna International as she overcame Belgium’s Nele Gilis
in a comfortable 3-0 victory at the El Gouna Conference and Culture
Center earlier tonight.
Gilis – who came back from two games down in a brutal 75-minute
encounter with England’s Lucy Turmel in the previous round – was
carrying an injury and her movement around the court was impeded,
meaning she was unable to live with a dominant El Sherbini, with the
World No.2 easing into the last eight courtesy of an 11-3, 11-2,
11-3 victory in 23 minutes.
El Sherbini will go up against Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam
after the World No.20 defeated Australia’s Donna Lobban at the El
Gouna Squash Complex to reach her first PSA World Tour Platinum
quarter final. Subramaniam is also the first female Malaysian to
reach the last eight of a major PSA event since the legendary Nicol
David in January, 2018.
“I’m trying not to think about any tiredness or anything,” said El
Sherbini, who captured her sixth World Championship title a
fortnight ago.
“This is a new tournament and a new event, so I’m trying to just
focus on this. The rallies get longer in the heat, I try not to get
involved in too many long matches and rallies. The court is hot and
bouncy, so I was trying to keep it short and today, I wanted to
finish as quickly as I could and thankfully all my shots went in and
it helped me a lot.
“I’ve never played her [Sivasangari Subramaniam] before but she’s
very talented and still young, I can’t expect anything, but I’ll do
my best to prepare for it.”
British Open champion Hania El Hammamy is also through to the last
eight after the World No.3 got the better of Subramaniam’s
compatriot, Rachel Arnold, winning 11-5, 11-3, 11-8.
“After the Worlds, we haven’t had much time to move on and recover
from disappointment,” El Hammamy said.
“This tournament is a little bit nicer to be able to get through
more easily, so I can have more time to relax, move on and be
mentally sharp for the next rounds. We’re going to see a response
from me this week.”
New Zealand’s Joelle King will be El Hammamy’s opponent in the next
round after she defeated USA’s Olivia Fiechter.
Men’s World Champion Ali Farag booked his place in the quarter
finals, but the Egyptian was tested by World No.19 Raphael Kandra,
who took a game off his opponent for the first time since 2016.
Farag held firm though to complete an 11-8, 9-11, 11-3, 11-4 victory
which will see him play No.7 seed Marwan ElShorbagy next. ElShorbagy,
who lost out to Farag in the CIB PSA World Championships two weeks
ago, defeated India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar in straight games.
“El Gouna International is one of the main events of the year, it
was Amr Mansi and ievents who kickstarted all the events in Egypt,”
said Farag.
“I know we had the pyramids back in the 90s, but it was backed up by
the government, this was the first one that was a privately-run
event. I was here at the very first one and I’m honoured to have
lifted that trophy one time, but it will definitely sound better if
I can lift it again.”
The final match of the day saw World No.4 Mostafa Asal and World
No.7 Joel Makin go head-to-head, with Asal winning a lengthy and
attritional battle – which featured a number of traffic issues
throughout – by an 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7 scoreline in 83 minutes.
“Every match is a new challenge, I was disappointed [at the World
Championships] because I believe in myself and my game,” said Asal.
“I was so close to the final, but there is a lot to come. I know I
can be there and competing for the title one day, but for now I’m
focusing on this week and a rest day tomorrow, so I’ll focus on the
next match.”
The quarter finals of the El Gouna International begin tomorrow (May
31) and play begins at 18:45 (GMT+2). All of the action will be
shown live on
SQUASHTV. |
Day Three
Coll Edges Past Mueller To Reach Quarters
Paul Coll
World No.1 Paul Coll has reached the quarter finals of the 2022 El
Gouna International after he narrowly overcame Switzerland’s Nicolas
Mueller as play moved to the glass court erected at the El Gouna
Conference and Culture Center.
2021 El Gouna runner-up Coll, who reached the semi finals of the CIB
PSA World Championships last week, looked out of sorts and had to
contend with an inspired performance from Mueller, who played solid,
consistent squash to take a one-game lead.
However, Coll had enough to come back and grind out a 10-12, 11-5,
11-9, 11-9 victory which will see him take on World No.6 Tarek Momen
in the next round. Momen, who ended the run of wildcard Aly Abou
Eleinen in his third round fixture at the El Gouna Squash Complex,
lost out to Coll in a brutal 122-minute contest at the quarter
finals of the World Championships.
“He played very well tonight and he wasn’t missing much,” said Coll.
“It’s quite different tonight, it is not often you come from a
normal court that is colder than an outdoor court, so it definitely
took some adjusting. It was a good match for me, I felt like I was
finding my range but he kept coming at me, hitting great shot after
great shot. I’m very happy with that, it’s my first match on the
glass and I am very happy to be through.
“I did some stuff in the gym [since World Champs] to get my body
back in 100 per cent shape. I did a few weights, a few mobility
sessions, a couple of solo hits and just some good stuff on court,
nothing too intense. It was about recovering my body as quickly as
possible.”
The other match at the glass court saw defending champion Mohamed
ElShorbagy hold off Spanish veteran Borja Golan by an 11-7, 11-7,
11-6 scoreline. 39-year-old Golan was contesting his 16th PSA Tour
match against the World No.3 after upsetting Miguel Rodriguez in a
huge battle in the previous round and pushed ‘The Beast’ hard, but
ElShorbagy held firm to come through in three.
The World Championship runner-up will play Fares Dessouky in the
last eight after he beat Frenchman Baptiste Masotti. ElShorbagy
overcame Dessouky in the quarter finals of the World Championships
last week.
“I was not in a very good place mentally for a big part of this
season,” said ElShorbagy.
Mohamed ElShorbagy
“I feel like I am getting my mojo back, my hunger back. Certainly,
the Worlds was a good start, it is a shame because we are almost at
the end of the season, and I feel like I want to start this season
again. I just want to finish on a good note, and let’s see what I
can do. I was a few points away last week, so let’s see if I can get
those few more points this week.”
In the women’s event, World No.28 has reached the quarter finals of
this tournament for the first time since 2019 after she held off
England’s Georgina Kennedy.
A strong showing from El Tayeb saw her power into a 2-0 lead and,
while Kennedy was able to halve the deficit, the former World No.3
scrapped to victory in a nail-biting fourth game to complete a
14-12, 11-3, 6-11, 11-9 victory.
Nour El Tayeb
“Maybe I wasn’t prepared mentally for this, but in the fourth I was
thinking already about my flight back home to Farida [daughter], and
I think this made me relax a bit,” El Tayeb said.
“I’m glad to be in another quarter final, I’m super happy to have a
day off tomorrow, I need to relax and take some time off before I
can go again in two days. I want to win matches like this rather
than lose and go back with less confidence. Winning this match gives
me a lot of confidence, even though it wasn’t the best squash in the
world.”
El Tayeb’s quarter final opponent will be Belgium’s Tinne Gilis, who
put in a superb performance to oust World No.16 Nada Abbas.
Gilis followed up her second round upset of No.4 seed Amanda Sobhy
with aplomb and will attempt to reach a first ever PSA World Tour
Platinum semi final when she takes on the Egyptian on Tuesday.
“I am just enjoying my squash so much,” said Gilis.
Tinne Gilis
“I was injured last year, I wasn’t out for too long but it just made
me think a lot. I was just happy to back on court and I told myself
to enjoy my time on court and enjoy every day. Every day is
different, even if I have a bad day, I can have a good day tomorrow.
I am seeing every day as a new day and a new start.”
The other two winners were World No.1 Nouran Gohar and World No.6
Sarah-Jane Perry, and they will go head-to-head in the quarter
finals following respective wins over Malaysia’s Aifa Azman and
Scotland’s Lisa Aitken.
The third round of the El Gouna International continues tomorrow
(May 30) and play begins at 13:00 (GMT+2) at the El Gouna Squash
Complex and 18:45 at the El Gouna Conference and Culture Center.
Action from the Squash Complex will be shown live on the
PSA
SQUASHTV YouTube channel, while matches from the Conference
Center will be shown on
SQUASHTV.
|
Day Two
Gilis Halts Sobhy As Seeds Topple At El Gouna
Tinne Gilis
Belgium’s Tinne Gilis put in a magnificent performance to shock
World No.4 Amanda Sobhy in round two of the 2022 El Gouna
International as a trio of seeds exited the women’s draw of the
final PSA World Tour Platinum event of the season.
World No.13 Gilis has been close to an upset for a while – notably
taking World Champion Nour El Sherbini all the way to five games
twice this year – and put together a superb performance to dispatch
World Championship semi-finalist Sobhy by an 11-7, 6-11, 11-5, 11-6
scoreline at the El Gouna Squash Complex.
Gilis will line up against World No.16 Nada Abbas for a place in the
quarter finals after the Egyptian came back from a game down to beat
the younger Sobhy sister, Sabrina.
“It’s been a while since I’ve beaten a top 10 player, so it’s good
for my confidence,” said Gilis.
“Especially because it’s the last Platinum event of the season, so
it’s always nice to play well in the last ones. I’m really happy
with how I played and how I focused throughout the whole match.
Hopefully I can keep going for my next match.
“[Beating a top seed] will help me for sure with my confidence. It
will make me believe in myself more and I know I’m capable of doing
it, so I’ll take that with me into my next match. I think she [Abbas]
is a few spots behind me [in the PSA World Rankings], so it’s going
to be a great opportunity for both of us.”
Elsewhere, World No.28 Nour El Tayeb sent No.7 seed Rowan Elaraby
out of the event as she avenged her 3-0 defeat to the 21-year-old,
which occurred at March’s CIB Black Ball Open.
El Tayeb has made fantastic strides back up the PSA World Rankings
since returning from a 14-month spell away from the action following
the birth of her daughter and reached the semi finals of the CIB PSA
World Championships last week.
The former World No.3 will be eyeing up a similar run this week in
El Gouna, but must first make her way past England’s Georgina
Kennedy, who required five games to beat South Africa’s Alexandra
Fuller.
“I think the hangover from the worlds is still here, I’m still not
100 per cent mentally focused throughout the match on my
performance,” El Tayeb said.
Nour El Tayeb
I think my focus was better during the World Champs. But
still, I wasn’t too hard on myself today, because I have confidence
and play longer rallies, it’s in my favour. I can’t believe this is
only the last 16. I beat Rowan, played two matches, and it’s only
the last 16.”
No.8 seed Salma Hany was the other seed to see her tournament come
to an end at the hands of Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam, while
reigning champion Nour El Sherbini and World No.1 Nouran Gohar both
got off to winning starts, beating World No.32 Mariam Metwally and
World No.20 Hollie Naughton, respectively.
In the men’s event, wildcard Aly Abou Eleinen continued his
giant-killing run as he followed his first round victory over former
World No.3 Omar Mosaad with a 3-2 win against India’s Saurav Ghosal,
in which he overturned a two-game deficit.
Eleinen is appearing at only his second PSA Platinum event – with
last year’s El Gouna International being his first – but the World
No.76 has now reached the third round for the first time after a
dogged performance saw him win 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7 to set
up a fixture with World No.6 Tarek Momen.
Aly Abou Eleinen
“For me, it was a matter of staying tough, staying strong and
counting on my physicality to get through,” said Eleinen.
“When I was down 2-0, I told myself it came down to two things, give
up or keep fighting. But here in El Gouna, I’m always going to keep
flighting. When I saw [Tournament Promoter, Amr] Mansi coming to
watch me play, the minute I saw him I just switched on, he gave me
the opportunity and I was never going to let go of it. Now, I get
get to play my idol, Tarek Momen.”
Meanwhile, Spanish veteran Borja Golan got the better of Colombia’s
Miguel Rodriguez in a brutal five-game battle, with the 39-year-old
taking out the World No.14 by an 8-11, 12-10, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9
scoreline.
The World No.41 will now appear in the third round of a PSA World
Tour Platinum event for the first time since February, 2020 and his
opponent will be defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy, who defeated
Mexico’s Cesar Salazar.
“At the end, neither of us was 100 per cent, it was 82 minutes of
non-stop, hard work, we only stopped as there were a few dives, but
that’s it,” said Golan.
Borja Golan
“There were very few calls and we were feeling the legs in the last
10 minutes of the match. We kept fighting, it was so nice to play a
fair match like that with a good friend, to give your best and
actually win, that’s the bonus.”
World No.1 Paul Coll got the better of Mazen Hesham in his match,
while World Champion and 2019 El Gouna winner Ali Farag overcame
England’s Adrian Waller as he got his title challenge under way.
The El Gouna International continues tomorrow (May 29) and play
begins at 13:00 (GMT+2) at the El Gouna Squash Complex and 18:45 at
the El Gouna Conference and Culture Center. Action from the Squash
Complex will be shown live on the
PSA
SQUASHTV YouTube channel, while matches from the Conference
Center will be shown on
SQUASHTV.
|
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Day One Wildcard Eleinen
Topples Mosaad
Wildcard Aly Abou Eleinen claimed the biggest win of his career to
date as he overcame former World No.3 Omar Mosaad on day one of the
El Gouna International to reach the second round of a PSA World Tour
Platinum event for the first time.
The World No.76’s only previous appearance at a Platinum event came
at this event last year when he narrowly went down to World No.16
Youssef Soliman after 80 minutes of action, but a 12-10, 15-13,
9-11, 11-8 victory over World No.26 Mosaad at the El Gouna Squash
Complex means he has gone one better this year.
Aly Abou Eleinen
“I had the expectation that Omar was going to be a class act,” said
Eleinen.
“He is so experienced, he was three in the world not that long ago.
He doesn’t just play at the back of the court, if you open the court
he is going to take the opportunity.
“I had to match his experience with my physicality. So when I saw I
had Omar in the draw, I trained so hard physically. Especially as I
had a little shoulder injury and couldn’t train my squash as I would
have liked. It’s such a pleasure to play somebody like Omar, he is
super respectful on court, he was very nice to me, I’m just over the
moon right now.”
Eleinen will line up against India’s Saurav Ghosal in the next
round, while World No.33 Greg Lobban overcame fellow Scot Alan Clyne
in the longest match of the day at 98 minutes.
“I feel I didn’t play like I wanted to, but I just had to grind it
away and make sure I won the last point, and that’s what I did,”
said Lobban.
Greg Lobban
“I’m facing Marwan next, it’s always tough when you make it to the
second round in these events. I know he is playing well, but for
those guys that played the quarters and semis of the World Champs,
it’s really tough to back it up, so I know I’ve got a chance.”
Elsewhere, Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng overcame Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al
Tamimi to set up a fixture with Fares Dessouky, while Switzerland’s
Nicolas Mueller dispatched India’s Ramit Tandon to ensure he will
play USA’s Todd Harrity next.
In the women’s event, World No.28 Nour El Tayeb continued her fine
form as she overcame the higher ranked Farida Mohamed in four games.
El Tayeb, who reached the semi finals of the CIB PSA World
Championships last week, is appearing at the El Gouna International
for the first time since 2019 and put in an assured display to
complete an 11-3, 11-8, 7-11, 11-5 victory over the World No.19. El
Tayeb will go up against No.8 seed Rowan Elaraby for a place in the
third round.
Nour El Tayeb
“Mentally, I was trying to prepare myself for a non-structured kind
of game because she doesn’t play with structure,” El Tayeb said.
“Sometimes when she gets in a round of points, it’s not easy to get
back into the game and play my game. At the moment, she is not
playing at her best, there were a few errors here and there and that
played an important role, as in the second and third at times I was
under a lot of pressure.”
Hong Kong’s Ka Yi Lee, meanwhile, booked her spot in the second
round of the El Gouna International for the first time after she
came back from two games down to upset France’s Melissa Alves.
World No.56 Lee had to weather an early storm as Alves, the World
No.30 controlled the rallies and and put her opponent under a
serious amount of pressure to build up a two-game lead. However, Ka
Yi responded brilliantly as she slowed the pace of the match down to
nullify her opponent, and the 28-year-old was duly awarded with
victory in the next three games to claim a fine win.
“In the beginning, she was controlling the rallies really well and
really put me under so much pressure,” said Ka Yi, who will play
England No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry next.
Ka Yi Lee
“Gradually, I tried to play my rhythm, slow down the pace and play
my shots. And the most important thing was that I hung in there.
I’ve never played SJ before, but I need to prepare myself for a lot
of running and a physical session. But I will definitely enjoy the
match, and it’s always a great chance to get to play against a top
player. Hopefully, I can have a good match.”
There were also wins for the likes of Lucy Turmel and Danielle
Letourneau, who beat Cindy Merlo and Nour Aboulkarim, respectively.
The El Gouna International continues tomorrow (May 28) as the likes
of defending champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Nour El Sherbini get
their title challenges under way. Play begins at 12:00 (GMT+2).
|
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Coll And Gohar Look To Capture First El Gouna Titles As Draws
Released |
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 |
 |
World No.1s Paul Coll and Nouran Gohar will look to win their first
El Gouna International titles when the final PSA World Tour Platinum
event of the season takes place between May 27 – June 3 at the El
Gouna Marina.
The El Gouna International first came onto the calendar in October
2010 – with a women's event following in 2018 – and all but one of
the winners have been Egyptian, with Frenchman Gregory Gaultier's
2017 victory proving the exception.
Coll will look to join Gaultier and reached the final here last year
where he went down to Mohamed ElShorbagy, who captured his second El
Gouna crown after a 3-0 win. Both players feature again this year,
with Coll facing a tough task in his first match of the tournament
in round two as he faces World No.10 Mazen Hesham. The pair have met
three times on the PSA World Tour previously, with the New Zealander
winning all three tricky encounters in over an hour.
ElShorbagy is the event’s No.3 seed this year and has been in the
final four times in his career, losing out in two epic finals with
compatriot Ramy Ashour and winning the other two. He will play the
winner of Shahjahan Khan and Cesar Salazar in his opening match in
round two.
2019 Champion Ali Farag is the No.2 seed and will be looking to
close the gap between himself and the World No.1 spot. The World
No.2 will play the winner of England’s Adrian Waller and France’s
Auguste Dussourd in round two and is seeded to meet dangerous
compatriot Youssef Ibrahim in round three.
In the women’s event, Gohar has reached the final in the past two
years but is yet to pick up the El Gouna International title. The
24-year-old has reached the final in her last nine major PSA events,
winning four of those, and will face Canada’s Hollie Naughton in her
opening match after both players receive a bye in round one.
2021 winner Nour El Sherbini enters the event as No.2 seed and will
be looking to pick up the 29th title of her illustrious career. The
current World Champion missed the recent British Open and Manchester
Open through injury but returns to El Gouna for the fourth time and
will play the winner of compatriots Mariam Metwally or wildcard
Zeina Zein in her first match.
No.3 seed Hania El Hammamy, who recently picked up her first British
Open title by beating Gohar in the final, will be looking to repeat
that performance and pick up back-to-back Platinum wins for the
first time. El Hammamy will await the winner of wildcard Haya Ali or
Hana Ramadan, who play in round one.
An entertaining all-Egyptian clash will take place in round one as
former World No.3 Nour El Tayeb will take on World No.26 Farida
Mohamed for a place in round two. El Tayeb has won the only two
meetings between the two but Mohamed has shown much improvement
since those matches back in 2020. The winner will set up a round two
clash with No.8 seed Rowan Elaraby.
Alongside the $360,000 in total player prize compensation, players
will also battle to qualify for June’s CIB PSA World Tour Finals.
The World Tour Finals bring together all the winners of PSA Platinum
events as well as the reigning PSA World Champions. The other spots
go to the highest-ranked players on the CIB Road to Egypt Standings,
with eight places available in both the men’s and women’s events.
The action from El Gouna will be shown live on SQUASHTV as well as
the channels of our broadcast partners around the world. |
ROUND
TWO
28
MAY |
ROUND THREE
29- 30 MAY |
QUARTERS
01 JUNE |
SEMIS
02 JUNE |
FINAL
03 JUNE |
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World
No.11 Karim Abdel Gawad has been forced to withdraw from the
upcoming El Gouna International after suffering with an injury.