Marwan Marches On In Cairo
by Howard Harding
27 July 2011 - Egyptian qualifier Marwan El Shorbagy produced his second upset in two days in the inaugural Sportsmax Open in Egypt when he beat third-seeded Pakistani Aamir Atlas Khan in the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour International 25 squash event at the American University in Cairo.
Only days after being crowned world junior champion in Belgium, the 17-year-old from Alexandria followed his first round triumph over India's experienced Siddharth Suchde to topple Khan, the world No28 from Peshawar, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5.
Marwan El Shorbagy's stunning upset means that the Sportsmax semi-finals will be an all-Egyptian affair.
The Egyptian teenager admitted that his world junior championship success had given him a big boost: "Really it's the main push - without it, I'd have never won such a record, and all of these great matches in this beautiful tournament are due to the confidence I gained after the world championship title."
Marwan also explained that his older brother Mohamed El Shorbagy, ranked nine in the world, had given him good advice: "He told me that I have nothing to lose, so I did my best without any stress as he (Aamir) is 28th in the world and I'm just 92nd - so I'm really proud of the match."
Atlas Khan, who reached last week's Malaysian Open final against the odds, acknowledged that his preparation had not been ideal: "I should have rested my body after the long flight from Malaysia, and I arrived on the first day of the tournament so I played without previous training.
"But Marwan was good. He is a younger player that is coming up. He has improved a lot since the last tournament."
El Shorbagy will now face fellow countryman Omar Mosaad for a place in the final. The top seed beat Italian Stephane Galifi 11-4, 11-7, 9-11, 14-12.
It took 88 minutes for second seed Mohd Ali Anwar Reda to clinch his place in the last four, stemming a fight back by Kristian Frost Olesen to beat the unseeded Dane 13-11, 11-1, 6-11, 12-14, 11-7.
Reda will face Omar Abdel Aziz, the 11-6, 11-9, 11-4 victor over Egyptian qualifier Omar Abdel Meguid.
RESULTS: PSA International 25 Sportsmax Open, Cairo, Egypt
Quarter-finals:
[1] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Stephane Galifi (ITA) 11-4, 11-7, 9-11, 14-12 (67m)
[Q] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [3] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) 11-6, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5 (42m)
Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) bt [Q] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) 11-6, 11-9, 11-4 (45m)
[2] Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) bt Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) 13-11, 11-1, 6-11, 12-14, 11-7 (88m)
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [Q] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY)
[2] Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) v Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY)
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