Farag Holds Off Coll To Claim Second Windy City Open Title
Ali Farag denied Paul Coll a second successive title at the Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family, holding off a dramatic fourth-game fightback to beat the New Zealander 3-1 in the men’s final.
Coll came into this matchup as the only man to have beaten Farag on the PSA Tour this season, sinking the World No.1 twice in major finals, at both the U.S. Open presented by TRUIST and the TTI Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open.
Both of those encounters had gone deep into a fifth game, so anticipation was high for another blockbuster inside the spectacular Cathedral Hall at the University Club of Chicago, and the crowd was not disappointed.
The New Zealander had not dropped a game coming into this final, but that perfect record was ended by the World No.1, who took the opener 11-7 after 13 minutes.
Key to Farag’s success in that game had been his accuracy down the forehand side, gluing the ball to the right-hand wall, leaving Coll with little room to attack.
The opening game had also featured relatively short rallies, an unusual occurrence in Coll’s matches, but that all changed at the start of game two. The New Zealander got more height into his shots and elongated the rallies, bringing the style of play back into his favour.
A clever switch of play brought about a clench of fist from the Kiwi as he moved 7-4 up, and he was soon on level terms at one game all, slamming a flat backhand winner cross court to take his second game ball.
A tough rally opened game three, with no sign of a physical let-up from either player, but Farag regained control, attacking that forehand side once again.
A forehand down the line at 10-7 put Farag back on top, and within one game of glory, and he started the fourth like a man on a mission.
Now controlling the rallies, Farag was putting on a clinic and brought up four championship balls at 10-6 up, with the match appearing to be headed for a somewhat anti-climatic finish.
Paul Coll had other ideas.
The Kiwi saved one, then two, then three championship balls, then drew a huge roar from the crowd as he crunched a backhand winner down the line to send the game to a tie break.
A brutal rally followed as tensions remained on a knife edge inside the arena, with the video referee called upon after a coming together of the players.
A stroke was awarded to Coll, handing him game ball, but he will perhaps be left wondering what could have been, missing a golden opportunity by slamming a backhand kill into the tin.
Farag himself then poked a forehand into the tin to give Coll another game ball, but a further video referee decision went the Egyptian’s way this time, ruling no let when Coll tripped over his feet.
A high backhand volley into the nick handed Farag a fifth championship point, but once more he was denied, crashing into Coll’s back as he chased down a sharp backhand volley.
Not only did that deny Farag victory, it also resulted in more drama for the audience watching on, as the World No.1 was forced from the court due to his ears popping after the collision.
He was granted a 15-minute break as it was a ‘contributed injury’, but he returned to court after just a couple and soon brought an end to the drama, taking his sixth championship ball on a backhand squeeze which Coll could only help into the tin.
“I’m very relieved after missing opportunities to finish out the match,” Farag said on court, after his win.
“It’s testament to Paul’s character. He never gives up until the very end. I was preparing for a fifth game and I think that settled me down a bit and made me play a little bit better. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Paul, the way he raises his game season after season.
“He is making me a better player, [Karim] Darwish and I have a tailored session for Paul because of how good he is. He’s making me a better player and I’d like to thank him for that. I’d also like to thank the ambassador of Egypt, who is here today.
“She’s making us very proud and raising our flag is what we play for. I’d like to congratulate the Windy City Open for 40 years of an amazing spectacle. I know I’m biased but this is one of my favourite stops on tour and this is the same for so many players.
“It’s such an amazing city, it’s so vibrant and the people are so welcoming here. The University Club has played host to so many amazing battles and so many amazing memories. Thank you to all the sponsors throughout the years.
“We’re missing the Walter family this year, but they have shown incredible support for our sport and it’s one of the reasons we will be playing the Olympics in 2028. Thank you to them and everyone who has put this together.”
Result:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [3] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-1: 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 15-13 (73m)
El Sherbini Beats Gohar Again To Claim 40th Career Title At Windy City Open
Nour El Sherbini claimed her sixth title of the season and the 40th of her PSA Tour career, beating 2022 champion Nouran Gohar 3-1 in the final of the Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family.
The Egyptian pair were going head-to-head for the 30th time on the PSA Tour, with El Sherbini having won 21 of the previous 29 meetings, including the final of J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions just over a month ago.
That match had seen the World No.1 fight back from 2-0 down to deny Gohar a first title since returning from a plantar fascia injury in her heel, there was much less drama this time around, with a second-game wobble the only blemish in an otherwise dominant performance.
Stood courtside waiting for her name to be called before play, El Sherbini cut a determined figure, looking focused on the task ahead, and she wasted little time in edging in front.
A low forehand winner gave her the first point of the match and she was 6-1 up inside just four minutes, benefiting from some early strokes as Gohar’s accuracy eluded her.
A backhand into the nick from the Gohar serve gave El Sherbini a 9-4 lead, but Gohar found a forehand nick of her own to close it back to 9-7, with the ferocity of her winner epitomising her powerful game.
El Sherbini did hold off her opponent’s charge to take game one, but Gohar was growing in confidence and dominated game two, with El Sherbini struggling on her length.
A forehand cross-court winner handed Gohar a 9-4 lead and it was soon one game all, another backhand kill doing the job for the World No.3 on game ball, as the match approached the half-hour mark.
But as she so often does when things aren’t going her way, El Sherbini reset and came out firing in the third. She raced into a 4-0 lead, displaying the outstanding movement which has improved so much under the tutelage of Grégory Gaultier.
That 4-0 lead soon turned into seven game balls at 10-3 up, and while Gohar saved the first, she would get no more joy than that, El Sherbini clinching the game with a sharp backhand from deep in the court.
Perhaps surprisingly, the error count through three games was three to eight in Gohar’s favour, but it was the number of winners that had made the difference, with El Sherbini hitting 20 to Gohar’s 12.
The longest rally through those three games had been only 29 seconds, too, but Gohar requested a new ball to kick off the fourth, just as she’d done in her semi-final victory over Hania El Hammamy.
Unfortunately for Gohar, the new ball had little effect in changing the flow of the game, with El Sherbini sensing victory at 6-1 up in just three minutes.
Gaultier was cheering his charge on from the front row of seats, and he was soon celebrating glory with her.
An 8-1 lead was whittled back down to 8-4, but El Sherbini kept her cool, hitting an inch-perfect forehand kill to bring up match ball after a stroke, clinching glory on a forehand drop.
“I’m happy that I played the squash that I wanted to play today,” she said after her victory.
“There was a lot happening the whole week for me, there were a lot of things on my mind. I’m glad I got them out and I just tried to focus on today’s match .
“I was almost out in the second round, and I wasn’t happy with my performances. I told myself to keep going and building it up every match. I’ve not been happy in any match until the semis, so I didn’t know what was going to happen today.
“Nouran has been playing amazingly from the first match, so I just tried to enjoy it and I’m really happy that I played well today.
“I couldn’t have done it without the people around me and they’re the reason why I kept going this week. Having Greg [Gaultier] in my corner is always helping me and he is always supporting me. I was thinking a bit negatively, but he was always positive.
“It’s always a plus having him with me in tournaments and I’m grateful for his existence in my corner today. I can hear him each point and it helps me a lot, I love his support.
“This is one of the best seasons [in her career]. I’ve been playing really well from the start of the season. I don’t think I’ve won this many tournaments in one season, but I still wouldn’t say this is my best season. I’m happy with it, but I want to stay motivated for the rest of the season.
“Let’s keep going step by step.”
Result:
[1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) bt [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 6-11, 11-4, 11-4 (50m)
It’s finals day of the Windy City Open 2024 presented by The Walter Family, with two blockbuster matches to come from the University Club of Chicago.
The evening starts with the women’s final between Nour El Sherbini and Nouran Gohar before Ali Farag and Paul Coll square off against one another in the men’s title decider.
Order of Play
Nouran Gohar v Nour El Sherbini
In a repeat of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions final, World No.1 Nour El Sherbini and World No.3 Nouran Gohar will battle it out for the Platinum-level title.
On that occasion, it was El Sherbini who produced an impressive comeback from 2-0 down to claim the spoils, capturing her 5th title of the season.
Both players were made to fight hard in their respective semi-finals, with Gohar battling past compatriot Hania El Hammamy in four games and 70 minutes of action, and El Sherbini seeing off the threat of England’s Georgina Kennedy in four games.
Gohar will look to improve her head-to-head record against the ‘Warrior Princess’, which has seen her win just 8 of their 29 meetings, and lose the pair’s two matches so far this season.
However, on a court where she has enjoyed prior success – winning the title in Chicago in 2022 – and on the back of a superb victory against El Hammamy, Gohar will be confident that she can overturn the form books and clinch her first title of the season.
Paul Coll v Ali Farag
World No.1 Ali Farag and World No.3 Paul Coll will meet in a Platinum final for the third time this season when they take to the all-glass court in the University Club of Chicago today.
If their previous two meetings at the U.S. Open and the Hong Kong Squash Open are anything to go by, we will be in for a thriller, with both matches going all the way to five games, and beyond the 80-minute minute mark.
On both occasions, it was New Zealand’s Coll who emerged triumphant, with the 31-year-old still the only man to get the better of Farag so far this season.
The taxing nature of Farag’s semi-final victory over Mazen Hesham is also likely to play a significant role in the eventual result, with the Egyptian spending 65 minutes on court during his five-game bout, compared to Coll’s 30, which he needed to overcome Mostafa Asal. The defending champion was in irresistible form as he overcame ‘The Raging Bull’ by an 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 scoreline, and if he produces those levels again, he is going to be a hard man to beat.
However Farag, who has already captured five titles so far this season, will be up for revenge and draw confidence from his stellar head-to-head record against Coll, which has seen him win 19 of their 27 meetings.