Doha: Unseeded players Stephen Coppinger of South Africa and Cameron Pilley of Australia surprised many at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex here yesterday to reach the quarter-finals of the PSA World Championship.
World number 24 Coppinger defeated 10th seed Tarek Momen of Egypt to register a sensational five-game win 12-10, 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-8.
Pilley, ranked 22 in the PSA world rankings, notched a straight-game 11-7, 11-6, 12-10 win against Alister Walker of Bostwana.
Three Egyptians — world number one Mohammed El Shorbagy, four-time winner Amr Shabana and two-time champion Ramy Ashour — also made it to the quarter-finals.
“People always ask me why I hate playing Pilley...look at the way he has been playing all week here...That’s how he always play against me!!!,” tweeted El Shorbagy after Pilley made it to the quarter-finals.
Defending champion Nick Matthew, top-seed Gregory Gautlier and Borja Golan of Spain completed the quarter-final list.
Coppinger’s upset of Momen was probably the highlight of the evening. There was nothing to choose between them. Coppinger tried to keep the play controlled and steady, Momen tried to utilise his speed and break up the play.
At 8-2 Coppinger seemed to be on the verge entering the quarter-finals but Momen took the fourth and led 7-4 in the decider before Coppinger closed out the match.
“I lost in five to Momen in the first round of the World Open here two years ago, so to play again in the third round shows how I’ve come on a bit,” said Coppinger.
“It’s totally mental when you get involved in that type of match. If you don’t have the drive you won’t get fit and in the match itself it’s 99 percent in the head, you can’t let things like losing big leads get to you,” said the 30-year-old.
“I was just a few points away from a win and then had to start all over again but I did the same thing in the first round so I had the belief that I could do it,” the South African said about his match, which he ranked as the best of his career. “Considering the setting, the circumstance and that this is the world championship, this is without a shadow of a doubt the biggest win of my career. “I’m in the quarters now and I don’t think any player gets there easily, we’ve all had our own battles. It was another remittal battle today and I’ve come through a few of those so I’m mentally in the right place so let’s see what happens.”
Coppinger will take on El Shorbagy in the quarter-finals. The Egyptian dropped his first game of the championship yesterday but came out flying in an 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9 win over Simon Rosner of Germany.
Meanwhile, Piley will meet Gaultier, who came through an intense tussle with big Egyptian Omar Mosaad, in the quarter-final.
Spaniard Golan overcame Egyptian Fares Dessouki in four games in a match which required more intervention of the referees than ideally wanted.
Golan will face another Egyptian today in the form of Ashour.
The two-time winner lost the first game before winning three in a hugely entertaining encounter with Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4.
Shabana one of the three Egyptians to advance yesterday beat Max Lee of Hong Kong in straight games 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 to set up a clash with Matthew.
The Englishman dropped a game against India’s Saurav Ghosal but bounced back in the fourth to register an 11-4, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9 victory in 52 minutes.
THE PENINSULA
