Golan Takes Out Qatar Classic Champion Gaultier In Doha by Howard Harding
photos courtesy Steve Cubbins
13 November 2013
- Spaniard Borja Golan scored one of the biggest scalps of his career
when he defeated top seed and defending champion Gregory Gaultier in
today's quarter-finals of the Qatar Classic, the seventh PSA World
Series squash event of the year at the Khalifa International Tennis
& Squash Complex in the Qatari capital Doha.
"It's amazing - I
don't have words for it," exclaimed the seventh seed from Santiago de
Compostela after the 80-minute 7-11, 12-10, 11-6, 15-13 victory over
world No 2 Frenchman Gaultier which takes him into his first ever World
Series event semi-final.
"He's one of the best players of the last ten years - but I knew if I played my best, probably I could have a chance.
"I think I was very
sharp at the front of the court," added the 30-year-old (pictured
above, right, with Gaultier) who reached a career-high world No 8
earlier this month.
"I gave it 100% - and played every point as if it was the last point of my life."
Golan will now meet
world champion Nick Matthew for a place in the final. The third seed
from England faced sixth-seeded Egyptian Amr Shabana in an
eagerly-anticipated battle between two former world number ones.
Matthew had to save
two game balls in the opening game to take the lead over the
34-year-old four-time world champion from Cairo.
The crowd seemed set
to enjoy a mighty encounter between two of the sport's greats - but,
just four points into the second game, Shabana offered his hand to
Matthew to concede the match as the result of a knee injury sustained
during the first game.
"Real shame that Shabs
had to pull out tonight," tweeted Matthew to his followers later. "Was
shaping up in to a really tough match."
The other semi will be
an all-Egyptian affair between twice champion Karim Darwish, the No 4
seed, and fifth seed Mohamed Elshorbagy.
Both ended the runs of
second round news-makers: World No 6 Elshorbagy despatched Daryl Selby,
the Englishman who 24 hour earlier celebrated a 19-year wait by beating
world No 2 James Willstrop.
Selby (pictured above,
left, with Elshorbagy) went down 11-9, 7-11, 11-4, 11-2 in 47 minutes
as Elshorbagy took a step closer to a second successive appearance in a
final on the Doha court, having finished as PSA World Championship
runner-up in Doha last December.
World No 5 Darwish, Classic champion in 2008 and 2010, beat unseeded fellow countryman Karim Abdel Gawad 11-6, 11-5, 11-7.
RESULTS: PSA World Series Qatar Classic, Doha, Qatar
