Farag Beats Gawad In Three To Reach Semis
World No.1 Ali Farag booked his spot in the Windy City Open semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Karim Abdel Gawad.
The pair were going head-to-head for the 25th time on the PSA Tour, with Farag recording his 15th win and his sixth in a row, less than two weeks after winning their last match in Houston.
The top seed had not been at his best early on in his round-three win over Leonel Cardenas, but it was a different story here, as he flew out into a game-one lead, taking it 11-2 on a backhand squeeze which was too tight for Gawad to get back.
At 8-3 in up game two, it looked as though Farag might be heading for a quick finish, but the ever-dangerous Gawad had other ideas.
Two tins in a row from the Farag racket opened the door for the World No.5, who sensed his opportunity and increased the tempo, drawing level at 8-8.
He levelled once more at 9-9 with a ridiculous forehand boast, which hit the front wall just fractions above the tin and died, and then brought up game ball with an equally brilliant forehand flick.
Even Farag was in awe of his opponent’s shot, wrapping his arms around him in an affectionate hug as the players met mid-court.
The players shared an embrace and a smile, but there would be little more for Gawad to smile about from there on in.
Farag saved game ball on a stroke and then took the game himself moments later, benefitting from a 12th unforced error from the Gawad racket.
Game three was somewhat of a procession in the end, with a soft backhand kill bringing up six match balls and ending a lengthy, lob-laden rally in which Farag had his opponent on strings.
The serve return from Gawad went down into the floor to give Farag the win, and speaking after the match, the World No.1 was pleased with his performance.
“Karim is such a dangerous player and for the first game and a half I didn’t put a foot wrong,” he said after the match.
“I was trying to get in front of him, play as accurately as possible and close down the angles. I did that very well up until 6-1 and then I hit two errors, which I don’t think were the wrong shots, but then you get a little nervy and when Karim gets going he can hit winners out of nowhere.
“All of a sudden you find yourself at 8-8, but thankfully I got that one because it would have made a big psychological difference.
“You don’t want to give Karim any chances. I kept my foot on the gas, sometimes he played really well and I couldn’t be upset with myself, it was just a case of keeping going, and I think I did that well in the third.”
Result:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 12-10, 11-4 (36m)
Ruthless El Sherbini Races Into Semis
Nour El Sherbini raced into the Windy City Open semi-finals, needing just 24 minutes to see off the USA’s Sabrina Sobhy 3-0.
Sobhy had enjoyed a successful week on home soil to this point, and was playing in just her second ever Platinum quarter-final, but was outplayed by the World No.1.
By her own admission, El Sherbini was not at her best in her round-three win over Farida Mohamed, but she looked locked in from the very first point in this one, flying out to a 9-1 lead in no time.
Sobhy threatened a stunning comeback, hitting three dropshot winners in a row on the backhand side to get back to 9-5 and then saved three game balls from 10-5, the third with a ferocious forehand smash into the nick.
But El Sherbini kept her cool to hold off the Roadrunner’s charge, floating in a backhand drop of her own to take game one.
The way Sobhy finished that game suggested she may have found her feet, but the No.1 seed – champion here in 2020 – was in a ruthless mood. She moved 5-1 up – albeit in slightly strange fashion with four of her five points coming from strokes – and was soon one game from victory, clinching the second on a forehand drop.
Any hopes the home crowd had of the American fighting back were soon dispelled in game three, too, with El Sherbini marching confidently through the rallies and Sobhy appearing to have picked up a niggle.
A backhand drop from deep in the court brought El Sherbini seven match balls but she only needed one, drilling a forehand past her opponent to bring an end to proceedings and set up a semi-final clash with Georgina Kennedy.
“I’m really happy with the way I played and with the way I was moving,” she said.
“I’m getting better and I needed one good match to get my confidence back.
“I didn’t start very well in the last couple of matches, so I wanted to start well and have a big lead. I was trying to keep the lead for a longer time, but I’m just happy that I won the game. I’m happy I didn’t lose a game and was happy with the second and the third.
“I’m looking forward to my semi. Gina has been playing amazingly at this tournament and she’s had a tough three rounds. It’s amazing to see her play like this and beating Nele 3-1. Hopefully it’s going to be a good match.”
Result:
[1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) bt Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 (24m)
Hesham Beats Elshorbagy In Another Five-Game Thriller
Mazen Hesham came out on top of another five-game thriller with Mohamed Elshorbagy, winning 3-2 in 81 minutes to reach the Windy City Open semi-finals.
Hesham had beaten Elshorbagy 3-2 in Houston last week, his second straight win over ‘The Beast’ after losing their previous 11 encounters, and he made it three in a row with another dramatic victory here in Chicago.
As he did in their Texas encounter, Elshorbagy made a flying start, needing just eight minutes to win game one, utilising the straight drive to good effect throughout.
At 9-7 up in game two he seemed in complete control, looking measured and composed, but Hesham proved how dangerous he can be, fighting back to win four points on the bounce, capped with a brilliant backhand drop cross court, drawing gasps from both the crowd and commentary box.
Despite being level on the scoreboard, errors plagued the Back Falcon’s game and they ended up costing him in game three.
With the ball having gone soft and neither player able to find much rhythm, the players went toe-to-toe before Elshorbagy brought up two games balls, letting out a huge cry of emotion after a backhand flick to make it 10-8.
Hesham saved the first but not the second, registering his 18th error of the match on a leisure-centre boast that clipped the tin.
Determined to avoid another five-game epic, Elshorbagy made a solid start to game four by moving 3-1 up, but Hesham would not go away, squaring things up at 7-7.
There was then drama at 8-7 when Hesham tinned a backhand with his hand in the air appealing to the referee, but his blushes were spared by confirmation from the video referee that Elshorbagy’s ball had clipped the out line.
The World No.7 won the next two points to bring up two game balls, but Elshorbagy saved both, scrambling around the court with the crowd holding its breath.
A dramatic tie break ensued as Hesham brought up another game ball after another long rally, but was this time denied by the ball taking a funny bounce off the door.
The next opportunity was Elshorbagy’s but a match ball came and went on a stroke, before Hesham finally brought an end to the game, taking it 14-12 on an Elshorbagy backhand that went out.
As if there wasn’t enough drama to end game four, there was more to start game five, with the video referee once again required to determine whether an Elshorbagy pickup was good.
The cameras appeared to show a double bounce, but the players agreed to play a let as the match approached the 70-minute mark and tensions rose.
A rush of blood from Hesham saw him waste his extra review, immediately regretting his request for what was an obvious stroke, but he was quickly 6-4 up nonetheless.
He continued to apply terrific pressure on Elshorbagy in opening up an 8-5 lead, but that lead had gone in the blink of an eye, as the No.4 seed got back to 9-9.
A forehand winner from Hesham sent Elshorbagy tumbling and gave the Black Falcon match ball, which he clinched after another video review awarded him a stroke.
“Today was really hard, mentally and physically,” Hesham said after his win.
“It’s really hard to beat Mo twice in a row, and I only played him last week, so I knew he would come at me really hard to get his revenge. What a fight, man. The guy keeps fighting until the last minute.
“It was really hard to close it down and win the last match. It went my way in the last few points, I was really lucky in the end, but I tried to keep my head in the game and stay steady. I was itching to go short.
“Thankfully, I played the right shots at the right moments, and I could get the win my own way.
Discussing the mouthwatering tie break in game four, Hesham added: “I had two balls in a row which bounced funny!
“It was a weird tie-break, but I played the big points well, I kept my composure and I made sure if I was going to lose it, he would have to beat me.
“For a guy like me who was almost not going to play again because of the injuries, any day on court is a happy day. I hate losing, but I’m a much better loser now. I hope this can keep going for a bit and I enjoy my squash more and more.”
Result:
[7] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt [4] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-2: 4-11, 11-9, 9-11, 14-12, 11-9 (81m)
Clinical Kennedy Sinks Gilis To Reach Semi-Finals
Gina Kennedy reached just her second Platinum semi-final, producing a clinical performance to beat Nele Gilis in the first quarter-final at the Windy City Open.
Kennedy had beaten the Belgian in five at this event two years ago, but Gilis had reversed that result with a five-game win of her in own at Singapore this season, teeing up this encounter nicely at the University Club of Chicago.
Kennedy spoke of her frustration at starting slowly after her round-three win over Sivasangari Subramaniam, but she had no such issues in this one, racing out to an 8-2 lead with some aggressive play towards the front of the court.
A backhand winner to make it 8-3 drew a passionate scream from Gilis and that appeared to shift the momentum in her favour, as she went on to win the next five points to level at 8-8.
Kennedy would not be denied, though, winning the next two points on a stroke and then a tin from Gilis, taking her second game ball when the Belgian found the tin once more, this time on a backhand boast.
Game one lasted 16 minutes, as both players dropped deeper in the court, seemingly unwilling to volley too much as the game wore on.
That continued in the early rallies of game two, with the T position for both players was almost at the back of the service box, but the tactic appeared to be working for Gilis, who moved into a 5-1 lead.
The World No.4 converted that 5-1 lead into 11-4 to level the match, looking more relaxed than she had in game one, but Kennedy remained calm in her corner, talking things through with outgoing England national team coach David Campion.
The squash had, at times, been untidy throughout the first two games, but the quality improved from both players in the third, with nothing to split them at 5-5.
That was until Kennedy took command and went back on the attack, whipping a forehand into the nick to make it 8-6, bringing up four game balls at 10-6, but only needing one.
Each of their last two encounters had been won 3-2 by the player trailing 2-1 after three, so Kennedy would have been under no illusions over the challenge she still faced in closing out victory, but she set about her task with laser focus.
A forehand kill on the game’s third point laid the foundations for what would prove to be a continuation of the aggressive game plan for the English No.1, who continued to attack and take any chance that came her way.
At 10-5 up and with five match balls, Kennedy was denied victory by the referee, who called a yes let on what could’ve been a stroke, but the wait would not be long, as a Gilis forehand found the tin just moments later.
“That was a massive win for me,” Kennedy said after her win.
“Nele has been the one to beat recently, she’s been picking up all the titles. I played her recently in Singapore and she got the better of me. Now she’s No.4 in the world, she has a little bit of different pressure because she’s the higher-ranked player and the rest of us are targeting her.
“I wanted to make myself hard to beat and I didn’t want to give her any cheap points. I’m glad of the way I stuck to my game plan for once.
“The first game I was lucky to win. She did so well to come back to 8-8 and I started to get a bit nervous because when you lose a game from a lead like that it hurts and it sticks with you. I wasn’t too worried after she won the second because I knew I could reset.
“It was just about staying positive. If you try and play her to the back of the court and don’t try and move her around then you’re not going to win a point off her. David Campion was so helpful between games, he made me feel really confident and he told me to go for it when the opportunity was there, which I thought I did quite well towards the end.
“In Singapore, when she changed the ball, I tried to go short really early in the rally and she was picking me off. Here, I wanted to keep the pace high and put anything away through the middle.”
Result:
[5] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt [4] Nele Gilis (BEL) 3-1: 11-9, 4-11, 11-6, 11-5 (62m)
The quarter-finals of the Windy City Open 2024 presented by The Walter Family get underway today, with four fantastic matches to come from the University of Chicago Club.
An even-looking tie between No.4 seed Nele Gilis and No.5 seed Georgina Kennedy gets play underway from Chicago on day five, with both players looking to advance to their second Platinum semi-finals of the season. England No.1 Kennedy, who has fought her way through consecutive five-game matches to reach this stage, will be looking to reverse the form books between the two, which has seen her Belgian opponent win four of their five encounters on the PSA Tour.
No.4 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy and No.7 seed Mazen Hesham look set to lock horns once again on the PSA World Tour, with the pair having engaged in an entertaining five-game duel at the Houston Open just over one a week ago. On that occasion, it was the ‘Black Falcon’ who came out on top – with another classic potentially on the cards today.
The final two matches of the day see World No.1s Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini take to the court. Both players prevailed in tough third-round outings, and can once again expect to be tested in their quarter-final matches, with home favorite Sabrina Sobhy and the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ Karim Abdel Gawad standing in their way.
Order of Play
