Dessouki Prevails In Pretoria PSA Final
by Howard Harding
22 April 2013 - Just a week after reaching the first PSA World Tour final of his career, Egyptian teenager Fares Mohamed Dessouki went one better by picking up his first title at the NSA Open in South Africa.
The unseeded 18-year-old made his breakthrough in the second round of the inaugural PSA Challenger 5 squash event at the Pretoria Country Club in Pretoria when he toppled top-seeded Welshman Peter Creed in four games.
Victories over Englishman Thomas Ford and Zambian qualifier Kelvin Ndhlovu took Dessouki through to the final, seven days after making the climax of the Central Gauteng Open in Johannesburg.
His opponent Raphael Kandra, the second seed from Germany, survived a tough semi-final against Aqeel Rehman after fighting back from two games down to beat the No5 seed from Austria.
And Kandra, the world No75 from Essen, twice led in the final.
But outsider Dessouki, despite being ranked more than 160 places lower, held his nerve to take the match 5-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 to record his maiden Tour title.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 5 NSA Open, Pretoria, South Africa
1st round:
[1] Peter Creed (WAL) bt Jean-Pierre Brits (RSA) 11-7, 11-7, 11-3
Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt [Q] Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) 11-5, 11-6, 3-11, 11-5
Alex Ingham (ENG) bt Suleman Khan (PAK) 11-2, 11-2, 11-3
Thomas Ford (ENG) bt [8] Steven London (ENG) 4-11, 11-9, 11-2, 12-10
[6] Geoffrey Demont (FRA) bt Jerome Dadot (FRA) 11-6, 11-6, 11-3
[Q] Ruan Olivier (RSA) bt Haseeb Gul (PAK) 11-8, 11-2, 8-3 ret.
[Q] Michael Wood (RSA) bt Zahir Shah (PAK) 6-11, 11-9, 13-11, 3-11, 11-9
[Q] Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) bt [3] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6
[4] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt [Q] Zuko Kubukeli (RSA) 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 11-3
[Q] Andrew Martin (RSA) bt Jonathan Maloney (ENG) 11-5, 11-5, 12-10
Shinnosuke Tsukue (JPN) bt Sajid Khan (PAK) 11-1, 11-2, 11-3
[5] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt Sheng Kai Chen (TPE) 11-2, 11-0, 11-6
Ahmad Alzabidi (JOR) bt [7] James Huang (TPE) 11-8, 11-7, 11-9
Christo Potgieter (RSA) bt [Q] Charl Fourie (RSA) 11-4, 11-7, 11-5
[Q] Kwon Hyeon-Jun (KOR) bt Cameron Stafford (CAY) 11-8, 11-7, 11-3
[2] Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Phillip John Bull (ENG) 11-9, 11-1, 2-11, 13-11
2nd round:
Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt [1] Peter Creed (WAL) 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-3
Thomas Ford (ENG) bt Alex Ingham (ENG) 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6
[6] Geoffrey Demont (FRA) bt [Q] Ruan Olivier (RSA) 11-9, 11-9, 11-4
[Q] Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) bt [Q] Michael Wood (RSA) 11-8, 11-3, 11-4
[4] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt [Q] Andrew Martin (RSA) 11-8, 11-6, 11-7
[5] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt Shinnosuke Tsukue (JPN) 11-5, 11-7, 11-6
Ahmad Alzabidi (JOR) bt Christo Potgieter (RSA) 11-5, 11-6, 11-6
[2] Raphael Kandra (GER) bt [Q] Kwon Hyeon-Jun (KOR) 11-9, 11-4, 12-10
Quarter-finals:
Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt Thomas Ford (ENG) 9-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-6
[Q] Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) bt [6] Geoffrey Demont (FRA) 11-13, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6
[5] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt [4] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) 7-11, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11, 13-11
[2] Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Ahmad Alzabidi (JOR) 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7
Semi-finals:
Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt [Q] Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) 6-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8
[2] Raphael Kandra (GER) bt [5] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 10-12, 7-11, 11-2, 11-2, 11-4
Final:
Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt [2] Raphael Kandra (GER) 5-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9
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