Ashour to Face Gaultier in Mouthwatering World Championship Semi-Final by Sean Reuthe
photos PSA
November 2, 2016
- Three-time World Champion Ramy Ashour and defending champion Gregory
Gaultier will lock horns for the 33rd time on the PSA World Tour after
both players triumphed in their last eight clashes at the 2016 Wadi
Degla PSA Men’s World Championship to set up a highly-anticipated
semi-final clash in Cairo.
Ashour - who lifted the sport’s most illustrious title in 2008, 2012
and 2014 - dispatched fellow Egyptian Fares Dessouky in straight games
to move to within one win of a fifth World Championship final.
The maverick Egyptian stormed to a one-game lead, before coming out on
top of an intense tie-break by a 17-15 margin to put one foot in the
semi-final. Both players traded a series of high-octane blows until,
with Ashour 10-8 up, an emotional Dessouky reacted to a referee
decision by inexplicably conceding the match and walking off court to
hand the win to Ashour.
"That was very stressful, definitely," said Ashour.
"I was relaxed but I wasn’t there, I couldn’t find it. He was physical,
I got into his physical game and things weren’t going my way in my
short game. When things happen like that I find it a challenge.
"I wouldn’t say I enjoy it, but I find it a challenge because life is
not fun, it’s supposed to be a burden. When things happen that way I
accept it and I have to go through it."
Meanwhile, Gaultier booked his place in a fourth consecutive World
Championship semi-final after overcoming World No.11 Tarek Momen to
become the only non-Egyptian semi-finalist.
The charismatic ‘French General’ put in a masterclass of a performance
in the opening two games as he mixed up the pace well and utilised all
four corners of the court to power into a 2-0 lead, but he surrendered
three match balls in game three after a litany of errors to give Momen
a lifeline.
A series of high-quality rallies in the fourth lit up the Wadi Degla
club as the match drew to a nail-biting finale, with Gaultier managing
to reassert himself on proceedings to edge out an 11-5, 11-5, 14-16,
11-8 triumph to set up an explosive semi-final clash with Ashour, who
currently leads the head-to-head record 25-7.
“He’s a really skilful player, he’s very dangerous, talented and he can put the ball away at any time,” said Gaultier.
“If you don’t pay attention, you lose the big points, that’s what
happened on the game balls. I didn’t play tight enough and I rushed
myself. He’s talented and a hard worker.
“You have to remember that at the end of the day, in any kind of
country, it’s two lions battling as hard as possible on the same
territory. There’s only one winner coming out, but today I felt it was
really tough."
