Australian Ryan Cuskelly pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career as he knocked World Champion Mohamed ElShorbagy out of the 2018 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions in a thrilling second round battle on day four of the PSA World Series tournament taking place inside New York's Grand Central Terminal.
Coming into the match ElShorbagy had won 28 of his past 30
matches on the PSA World Tour, including a run of 21 consecutive matches
that saw him collect four titles on the trot, including December’s
World Championship, to close the gap on Gregory Gaultier atop the World
Rankings.
But the Egyptian found himself out-muscled and out-hustled by
Cuskelly in an absorbing encounter as the man who has called New York
home for almost a decade produced one of his best ever displays
throughout a a match of the highest calibre, coming through a mammoth 90
minute encounter to cause a huge upset.
“That’s probably the biggest win of my career,” said Cuskelly afterwards.
“And winning here in New York in front of family and friends
makes it extra special. My wife was trying to scout tickets for the day
to get everyone in, so I’m really happy to pull the win off and I have
to thank everyone for the great support I had today.
“I came in today with a game plan and tried to vary the pace and
be aggressive when I could and just hang in there when he got on a
roll. I managed to get some errors out of him and hit my winners as well
so I’m really happy.”
Cuskelly will line up against another Egyptian, World No.7 Tarek
Momen, for a place in the semi-finals after Momen came through to win
in straight games against Peruvian World No.10 Diego Elias, who wasn’t
at full fitness after suffering an injury scare against England’s Declan
James in the first round.
Three-time winner Ramy Ashour also booked his last eight berth
after the World No.14 dispatched New Zealand’s Paul Coll in four games.
The Egyptian maverick, who is now unbeaten in 12 matches at
Grand Central Terminal after winning the event on his last two
appearances in 2011 and 2013, was in sublime form in the first game and,
after conceding the second game to Coll, had to dig in before
eventually completing an 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4 victory.
“I don’t know how it looks from the outside, but when I watch us
playing I see it as very simple movement and a very simple kind of
pace, but you have no idea how many details are in there,” said Ashour.
“There’s so much happening on that court, there’s so much
energy, so many thoughts, different vibes and strategies. My energy
affects his energy and the way he hits the ball affects the way I hit
the ball. That’s why it’s a brilliant sport and why I love it so much.”
Ashour will take on World No.3 Ali Farag in a mouthwatering
quarter-final fixture after a polished performance from Farag saw him
oust 2015 semi-finalist Miguel Angel Rodriguez by a 3-0 scoreline.
In the women’s draw, former World No.6 Amanda Sobhy – who became
the first American-born woman ever to reach the final of this
tournament back in 2016 – capped her return from a 10-month injury
absence with a 3-1 victory over 2007 World Champion Rachael Grinham.
Sobhy ruptured her achilles while match ball up against
compatriot Olivia Blatchford in the semi-finals of the Ciudad de
Floridablanca last March, enforcing a gruelling period of
rehabilitation, but the Harvard-graduate made a successful comeback in
front of her home fans.
“It feels good to be back,” said Sobhy.
“When you’re out as long as I was, just being on court is a huge
accomplishment. I’ve waited for so long and I got pushed, it was my
first match and it wasn’t easy.
“I’m relieved to win but I’m also really happy to be back on
Tour. She has an impeccable front court game and that tested out my
little leg. I’m happy that I could get the majority of her balls and
maybe for my next match I’ll be slightly better.”
Sobhy will take on U.S. Open champion Nour El Tayeb after she
dismantled India’s World No.20 Dipika Pallikal Karthik in just 18
minutes, while defending champion Camille Serme got her tournament up
and running with a comfortable victory over Sobhy’s younger sister,
Sabrina.
“I saw Sabrina play against Coline (Aumard) a few days ago and knew she would be dangerous today,” said Serme.
“I love coming back to New York, it’s so much fun to be playing
here and I want to enjoy every minute of it and spend as much time on
that court as I can.”
Serme will take on Australia’s Donna Urquhart for a place in the
quarter-finals after the Australian overcame an injured Annie Au, while
2014 champion Nicol David and New Zealand’s Joelle King will go
head-to-head after respective wins over Samantha Cornett and Heba El
Torky.
World Champion Raneem El Welily was also in action and recovered
from a game down to defeat former World No.2 Jenny Duncalf – despite
rolling her ankle painfully at the end of the fourth game – and she will
meet World No.12 Tesni Evans in the next round, with Evans seeing off
World Junior Champion Hania El Hammamy.
The quarter-finals of the men’s tournament begin today (January
22), while the womenn’s tournament hits the second round stage – play
starts from 11:00 local time (GMT-5).
All of the matches – which are held inside Grand Central
Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall – will be shown live on Eurosport Player.
Results – Second Round (Bottom Half): 2018 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
[3] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 (39m)
Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [8] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-1: 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4 (59m)
[7] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Diego Elias (PER) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 (25m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-2: 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6 (90m)
Draw – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half): To Be Played January 22
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [6] Nick Matthew (ENG)
Simon Rosner (GER) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
Draw – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half): To Be Played January 23
[3] Ali Farag (EGY) v Ramy Ashour (EGY)
[7] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
Results – First Round (Bottom Half): 2018 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [Q] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-0: 11-3, 11-8, 11-3 (21m)
Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [11] Annie Au (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 5-1 ret.
[9] Joelle King (NZL) bt [Q] Heba El Torky (EGY) 3-1: 11-3, 8-11, 11-3, 11-4 (31m)
[6] Nicol David (MAS) bt [Q] Samantha Cornett (CAN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 (27m)
[8] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (18m)
[12] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [Q] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-1: 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3 (37m)
[15] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 13-11, 11-9 (39m)
[2] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [Q] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 3-1: 9-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-4 (37m)
Draw – Second Round: To Be Played January 22
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [Q] Mariam Metwally (EGY)
[13] Olivia Blatchford (USA) v [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[5] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [10] Alison Waters (ENG)
Victoria Lust (ENG) v [4] Laura Massaro (ENG)
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) v Donna Urquhart (AUS)
[9] Joelle King (NZL) v [6] Nicol David (MAS)
[8] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [12] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
[15] Tesni Evans (WAL) v [2] Raneem El Welily (EGY)
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