WINDY CITY OPEN FINALS PREVIEW: ELSHORBAGY BROTHERS LOCK HORNS…
There are two breathtaking matches in store on finals night at the 2018 Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family & EquiTrust Life Insurance Company – and you can watch the action LIVE on SQUASHTV, Eurosport Player, BT Sport and more.
Action from the University Club of Chicago gets under way at 18:00 local time (GMT-6) as World Series final debutant Joelle King takes on Nour El Tayeb, before the latest battle between the ElShorbagy brothers draws the tournament to a close.
18:00: [7] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [9] Joelle King (NZL)
This will be the first women’s World Series final since the British Open last March not to feature either World No.1 Nour El Sherbini or World Champion Raneem El Welily – leaving the door open for Nour El Tayeb and Joelle King to battle for silverware under the stunning chandeliers of the University Club of Chicago tonight.
New Zealand’s King will appear in her first ever World Series final after ending El Welily’s monopoly on the Windy City Open crown in the previous round, with El Welily having won this tournament in each of the past three years.
In doing so, King became the first person to beat El Welily since the final in 2014 and it was the second time in as many tournaments that she had beaten the World No.2, with a 3-0 win in the Cleveland Classic earlier this month.
That Cleveland Classic title win was King’s first since 2016 and came off the back of a strong season which has seen her break back into the world’s top 10, while she also reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Open in October.
She comes up against the eventual U.S. Open champion, El Tayeb, tonight and El Tayeb has proven herself a real force to be reckoned with after some stunning displays this season.
The 24-year-old Egyptian made history at the U.S. Open as El Tayeb and husband Ali Farag become the first married couple in sporting history ever to win the same major sports title on the same day.
Farag’s defeat to World No.4 Marwan ElShorbagy in yesterday’s semi-finals means that lightning won’t strike twice today, but the World No.3 will be in his wife’s corner as she comes up against Kiwi King, who is one of the most dangerous players on the women’s Tour at present.
The head-to-head record currently sits at 3-2 in King’s favour but the pair haven’t met since 2014, meaning that tonight’s clash will be as unpredictable as it will be exciting.
Follow On: [4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v [1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
Just two months after contesting the biggest match in squash – the PSA World Championships final – Bristol-based Egyptian brothers Mohamed and Marwan ElShorbagy are poised to go head-to-head in yet another major final.
The pair were originally seeded to meet in the quarter-finals until an injury to defending champion Gregory Gaultier meant a reshuffle to the fixtures, resulting in the two brothers being pitted on opposite sides of the draw.
Mohamed, who got the better of Marwan to lift a maiden World Championship crown in December, has been in stunning form this season and defeated compatriot Tarek Momen to reach a seventh PSA World Tour final of the season.
In addition to his five PSA titles so far in this campaign, Mohamed has registered just a solitary defeat in his previous 26 matches and will cut an opposing figure across from his brother on court tonight.
But Marwan come out on top against his older sibling 12 months ago on this court in arguably the most significant win of his career to date, ending a seven-match losing streak against the current World No.2.
That emotional victory resulted in tears from both brothers, while the win has acted as something of a catalyst for a stark improvement in Marwan’s game that has elevated the 24-year-old into the world’s top four.
Marwan pushed Mohamed to five games in the World Championship final, making life difficult for the 27-year-old despite slipping to a ninth defeat in 11 matches against his brother – and he has a chance to make amends this evening.
The younger ElShorbagy insisted before the tournament that he believes that a major title will come at the right time for him – and the right time could very well be tonight.
Last Three Meetings
2017 PSA Men’s World Championship Final: Marwan ElShorbagy 2-3 Mohamed ElShorbagy
2017 Hong Kong Open Semi-Finals: Marwan ElShorbagy 0-3 Mohamed ElShorbagy
2017 El Gouna International Quarter-Finals: Marwan ElShorbagy 3-0 Mohamed ElShorbagy