Peru’s Diego Elias lifts the Qatar QTerminals Classic trophy after winning the final. Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation President Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khelaifi and QTSBF Secretary-General Tareq Zainal are also present.
Doha: Peruvian star Diego Elias yesterday sealed the Qatar QTerminals Classic title after defeating second seed Paul Coll 3-1 in the final at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
The World No.8 produced brilliant display of squash as he pulled off a 13-11, 5-11, 13-11, 11-9 win in 83 minutes for his first Platinum level title.
“I can’t believe it still. I am very happy with this, very happy with my game! I want to thank everyone for coming today, and thanks to all the Peruvian people who came, that is a massive help for me,” Elias said after his memorable victory yesterday.
“Just very happy to be a Platinum champion for the first time. I have been trying for a long time now, so I am very happy and I want to thank all the organiser. This tournament is always the best, they treat us so well, it is incredible to be the champion here,” he added.
Yesterday, Coll started the stronger of the two, with some lengthy rallies playing into the Kiwi’s favour.
However, a comeback from the ‘Peruvian Puma’ saw him send the game into a tie-break, as he saved several game balls before eventually taking it 13-11, winning the game with his first opportunity.
The second game followed the same pattern to start with but Coll’s line hitting improved, along with an increased tempo, and he was able to take it 11-5 to level up the match at one game all, with Elias providing no resistance in the latter stage of the game.
The level of squash got even better in the third game, with some of the best action the tournament had seen. A 27-minute salvo went the way of Elias on a tie-break again, as he took it 13-11, despite a despairing dive from the Kiwi on the final point.
The World No.8 was able to continue his high quality squash into the fourth game, despite his obvious fatigue. He held off the Kiwi to win and become the first Peruvian to ever claim a major title on the PSA World Tour.
After the defeat Coll said: “It is hard to see those [positives] now, but I am happy to be back here in Doha, competing in another final on such a great stage. It’s a really well run tournament, a massive thank you to the sponsors, to QTerminals for being the main sponsor here, and to the Qatar Squash Federation for putting on such a great event and making the players feel special. They look after us the best on Tour, so it is a pleasure to be here.”
