ElShorbagy and Gawad to Contest Qatar Classic Final by Sean Reuthe
photos squashpics.com
November 17, 2016
- World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy will clash with World Champion Karim
Abdel Gawad in the final of the 2016 Qatar Classic after Egypt defeated
England on the fifth day of action at the World Series tournament held
at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
ElShorbagy went up against England No.1 Nick Matthew in the latest
chapter of their epic rivalry, with their last match seeing ElShorbagy
overturn a two-game deficit to win in last month’s U.S. Open final.
Much like in Philadelphia, the Egyptian found himself on the receiving
end of a Matthew masterclass in the opening two games as the three-time
World Champion limited ElShorbagy’s ferocious hitting to great effect.
But ElShorbagy overturned a 9-7 deficit to win the third game, which
sparked a storming comeback from the Egyptian, who outplayed Matthew in
the fourth and ground out a tense win in the decider to claim an 8-11,
9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-9 victory to reach a second World Series Final in
a row.
"I think we were both up and down in our level in this tournament, but
this is the 20th time we’ve played each other in our career," said
ElShorbagy.
"For me tonight, I think that was my best performance of the whole
season. The way I fought back and the way we played, I think we had a
go at each other, but we played the game in the right spirit.
"I think we played a great match, it was a great battle. Thanks to him
for having a great match and I’m sure we’re going to have other great
battles again in the future."
Gawad, meanwhile, will also appear at a second World Series final of
the season after defeating England No.3 Daryl Selby by a 3-1 margin.
The World No.3 - who won the sport’s biggest prize, the PSA Men’s World
Championship, a fortnight ago - also reached the final of the Hong Kong
Open in August, and overcame a strong start from Selby in Doha to take
the match in four.
Gawad and ElShorbagy last met in the semi-final stage of the World
Championship, with Gawad winning in five to seal a first ever win over
his compatriot.
“Everyone is under pressure, that’s just part of the sport,” said Gawad.
“Everyone hides it their own way, but inside I feel so much pressure. It’s part of our game so I have to deal with it.
“It’s always tough to play ElShorbagy, and to play him twice in two
weeks is even tougher. Tomorrow, I’m expecting a very tough match. I’m
looking forward to my first final in Qatar.”
The pair’s final encounter with have extra significance on the 2016/17
PSA Road to Dubai standings, with ElShorbagy situated in first place
with 115 points, while Gawad sits just 10 points behind him in second.
A win for either player would go a long way to boosting their
qualification chances for the lucrative season-ending Dubai PSA World
Series Finals - where only the top eight qualifiers will claim a
coveted berth - adding yet more motivation ahead of tomorrow’s final.
