Egypt's Ali Farag (left) in action against compatriot Tarek Momen during yesterday's semi-final.
World No.1 Ali Farag is just a win away from successfully defending his Qatar Classic Squash Championship title after he dispatched reigning world champion Tarek Momen to book final clash with New Zealand’s Paul Coll, yesterday.
After a thrilling day at the Khalifa International & Squash Complex on Thursday that saw all the quarter-finals going to full lengths, Farag and Coll registered straight-game victories to seal their spots in the final, with Kiwi World No.5 outclassing Egypt’s World No.12 Fares Dessouky in the first semi-final.
Egypt’s Farag, who defeated Germany’s Simon Rosner in the 2018 Qatar Classic final, was in supreme form yesterday as he outclassed his compatriot 11-9, 11-2, 11-4 with his excellent shot-making and phenomenal reach all over the court.
World No.3 Momen, who clinched the world title at the same court 12 months ago, was only able to produce a good show in the first game, taking a two-point lead before second seeded Farag made a comeback to secure lead.
After dropping the first game, Momen struggled to find his accuracy and Farag took full advantage with the dip in his performance to double lead in quick time.
Momen, 32, did not pose much problems for Farag in the third game as he completed his victory in 37 minutes to confirm his second final in the PSA’s Platinum championship.
“The first game was crucial. I just tried to execute my game plan better by the end of the first game, even if you don’t win it at least you go into the second you have the momentum. I did win it and I think that made a big psychological difference,” Farag said after his commanding win.
The World No.1 said he faces an uphill task against New Zealand’s Coll in today’s final of the $175,000 event.
“All of our head-to-head between us (Paul Coll) is 3-2, it’s never easy. He played brilliant squash (in semi-final) and is going to be very fresh tomorrow (today).
“Paul is very fit, so when’s he fresher, it’s even more scary. I will try to execute my game plan of squash better and if I can, I will give myself a chance. It will be a tough one, he has made two back-to-back finals in Qatar now, so he seems to like it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Coll, who was engaged in marathon five-game battles in his last two matches, showed no signs of fatigue as he ended Dessouky’s run with a 11-9, 11-0, 11-0 victory in 37 minutes. It will be the second final for the Kiwi star in a year’s time after he reached the final of PSA World Championship on the same court.
Dessouky, after his win over compatriot Youssef Ibrahim in the quarter-final, didn’t look at his best yesterday, as he made several errors in crucial stages of the opening game to give his opponent an advantage.
Coll, on the other hand, was sharp and clinical as he eased to a 2-0 lead after taking 11 consecutive points. He was cruising with a 8-0 lead in the third game when Dessouky slipped, and had to take an on court treatment, before the Kiwi confirmed his win to march into the final.
“I thought I was hitting my targets brilliantly today,” said 28-year-old Coll.
“I just tried to be super accurate today and really get him stuck in the back corners. If you hit your length on this court, then you really get rewarded. I thought I could close the court down and keep him behind me, which I thought I did really well today,” he added.
“I’ve had two great years in Qatar in a row now, so hopefully I can go one further tomorrow (today),” said Coll.
Today’s final between Coll and Farag will be a repeat of March’s 2020 Windy City Open final, where the Egyptian came from two games down to win the title in Chicago.
