Qualifier Coll Lifts Channel VAS Championship Crown After Defeating Momen in Final by Sean Reuthe
photos squashpics.com
December 12, 2016
- New Zealand’s World No.33 Paul Coll lifted the biggest title of his
career after a sensational final performance saw him beat Egypt’s Tarek
Momen to capture the 2016 Channel VAS Championship at St George’s Hill
in Weybridge.
Coll had started the match in the qualification stages and caused three
huge shocks en route to his first ever PSA M100 final, scalping Hong
Kong’s Max Lee, Colombia’s Miguel Angel Rodriguez and England’s Daryl
Selby, all of whom are ranked inside the world’s top 20.
Momen had only dropped one game on his way to the final - beating
former World No.1 James Willstrop in the last four - but it was Coll,
the 24-year-old from Greymouth, who was in supreme form to take the
match in straight games, with a steely display enabling him to claim an
11-7, 13-11, 11-4 victory that will see him surge into contention for a
place inside the world’s top 20 in next month’s rankings.
"It's a bit surreal, I had no idea I would be in the final, let alone win it," said Coll.
"It's been an amazing week for me and a real confidence booster. I'm
going to have a good Christmas and it will make the flight back to New
Zealand a lot more enjoyable.
"Physically, I've had some tough matches and they've all been pretty
long. But my body has held up well and I've been doing some good
recovery. It's been a long week mentally, so I had to make sure I was
switched on and focused the whole time because if you switch off
against these guys you pay for it."
The iconic former World No.2 Ross Norman - the highest ranked New
Zealander of all time and the man who ended Pakistani legend Jahangir
Khan's incredible 555-match unbeaten run - was in attendance at the St
George's Hill Lawn Tennis Club, and the 57-year-old was full of praise
for his younger compatriot.
"He played fantastically, he didn't do anything wrong, he just played
the right game for the final," said the 1986 World Champion.
"He did everything right, and that's what wins you the matches in tournaments like these as well, it's fantastic."
Result - Final: 2016 Channel VAS Championship at St George’s Hill
