Squash
World Champion and 2016 title winner Karim Abdel Gawad crashed out of
the 2017 Qatar Classic after suffering a surprise second
round defeat at the hands of German Simon Rösner, the 29-year-old from
Paderborn who out-hustled and outplayed the former World No.1 inside
Doha's Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
Gawad,
who beat compatriot Mohamed ElShorbagy in the title decoder here twelve
months ago, was off the pace in the early exchanges
as Rösner attacked at will to take the first two games and establish a
commanding scoreboard lead.
And
the World No.12 then showed impressive mental composure to withstand a
huge onslaught from Gawad, recovering from dropping the
third game, to come through 11-7, 11-8, 3-11, 11-9 and seal a
significant win that sees him record his first victory over a top four
player at a major PSA World Series event.
"I had to be like a man possessed to come through today," said Rösner.
"The key was keeping my focus at all times. Even when I was up 2-0, I didn’t panic or get excited.
"I've
struggled to get these big wins against top four guys in the past so
I'm really happy that I was able to actually play the way
I know I can and keep my head throughout.
"You
just need that one win against these kind of players to boost that
belief in yourself. It was a big thing in my head so I'm delighted
with how I performed today."
Rösner
will now face another Egyptian, Marwan ElShorbay, for a place in the
semi-finals in the bottom half of a draw that will also
see Tarek Momen and 37-year-old Nick Matthew face-off.
The
Englishman, up against one of the best movers in the game in the form
of Mathieu Castagnet, ensured his last eight spot courtesy
of a masterclass performance that saw him display patient, persistent
squash of the highest order to come from behind in the opening two games
and break the spirit of the Frenchman and complete the win.
"Psychologically the second game was massive today," said Matthew.
"He's
a fighter, he's strong physically and mentally, so I knew the points
wouldn't come quick. I was behind and I had to use my experience
to come through. I got my game plan right."
Elsewhere,
the top half of the draw will see two-time tournament champion Mohamed
ElShorbagy face Ali Farag for the third time in
three events. The duo squared off in the finals of both the U.S. Open
and Channel VAS Championships - with each man claiming one win apiece so
far this season - as their on court rivalry continues to intensify.
"I can't get away from Ali at the moment," said ElShorbagy after his victory over Fares Dessouky.
"We played the last two finals in a row and we've had two great battle so I'm sure it will be the same again tomorrow."
World No.1 Gregory Gaultier will face rising Peruvian star Diego Elias in the final quarter-final match.
Results - Second Round: 2017 Qatar Classic
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Zahed Mohamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (47m)
Diego Elias (PER) bt [Q] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 (38m)
[5] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [Q] Leo Au (HKG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-6 (26m)
[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Fares Dessouky (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 14-12, 11-8 (51m)
[4] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 3-0: 13-11, 11-9, 11-3 (47m)
[8] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 3-2: 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7 (82m)
[6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-4 (45m)
Simon Rösner (GER) bt [2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 11-8, 3-11, 11-9 (57m)
Draw - Quarter-finals:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Diego Elias (PER)
[5] Ali Farag (EGY) v [3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
[4] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [8] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v Simon Rösner (GER)
No comments:
Post a Comment