Kiwi world squash No 1 Paul Coll triumphed in a two-hour marathon quarterfinal to advance to the semifinals of the world championship.
Coll won the epic match against Egyptian rival Tarek Momen 11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 2-11, 11-9 on Friday (NZ time), who was cheered on by the parochial home fans on the outdoor court in Cairo.
PSA
Kiwi world squash No 1 Paul Coll prevailed over Egypt’s Tarek Momen in a marathon battle.
Coll, the current two-time British Open champion, will now face either Mohamed ElShorbagy or Fares Dessouky, both from Egypt, in the semifinals on Sunday NZT.
Reflecting on the match, Coll had a sense of relief.
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“It was a tough match. It’s very hot out here and he was taking me into all corners of the court and wasn’t missing. I’m just very happy to claw my way out of that one,” said the 30-year-old from Greymouth.
“Apologies for making everyone run late, but that’s squash. It’s the battles. That’s what we come here for, it’s what we love. So cheers for the boos, I really appreciate it.”
Leading into the match, the two shared a relatively even 8-5 head-to-head record in Coll’s favour, though with the caveat of the last five going Coll’s way.
PSA
Paul Coll dives for the ball during his epic quarterfinal showdown against Egypt’s Tarek Momen at the world squash championships.
Despite dominating the first game, Momen found himself behind after Coll recovered from being 7-3 down to take the opener 11-8.
In a fantastic second game, Momen began to play his attacking shots with increased confidence, putting some hurt into Coll’s legs as he moved the Kiwi all over the court.
Momen reached game ball at 10-9 after playing some excellent squash at the front, but was unable to convert as Coll took the game to a tie-break. Momen had another game ball at 11-10, but once again Coll clawed things back to level before inflicting a morale-shattering 13-11 win to take …….