[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-2 [7] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10 (85m)
What can I say about this match? Probably one of the best matches of those last year, with probably Ali/Paul in the semis of the British last year. Yes, that good.
Saurav played the best squash of his life I feel. And he didn’t slow down. I thought he would. And I guess Mohamed thought it as well. What a difference a warm court can do… Last week, they played on the fridge court of Qatar, and Mohamed won “easily’ in 3.
But today? oh my Lord. He started by taking the first game playing fast, accurate squash, with his basic game played to such perfection he had so many options available…. From 5/5, 11/5 to Saurav, 13m, with 6 errors from Mohamed, none from Saurav.
The second is so close, so fast, so intense, brilliant incredible squash coming from the Indian racquet. A few errors creeping in though, but when you play at that pace, not surprising. 3/3, 6/6, 7/7, 8/8. Mohamed 10/8, a stroke for Saurav, another one for Mohamed, 11/8 for the Egyptian, 20m hard, very hard work.
The third will be hard mentally for Saurav, as he was leading 4/1, only to be unable to contain the Egyptian that scored 6 points in a row. A big, very big push from the India, and it’s 8/8. At the point, two no let that honestly look very harsh, and it’s 10/9 for Mohamed. Pressure, pressure, and after a huge rally – one more – Saurav will make the only error of the game, 11/9 in 18m…
Gutsy performance at that point from the Indian, as he will find a way to push Mohamed, again and again, the whole way: 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 7/7. A few tired errors from Mohamed, and it’s 10/7. Short rallies fused from the Egyptian racquet, flamboyant squash, but the Indian “tient bon”, holds it together, and it’s 12/10 for Saurav, short game that was, 12 m only…
The fifth is incredible as well. Mohamed is cruising 8/2 up, and Saurav looks beaten and out. A huge hard battle at 8/3, that finally tires the Egyptian, giving hope to the Indian, clawing back to 9/9. Everything is possible.
A tin offers Saurav a match ball, a winner from Mohamed annuls it, 10/10. A stroke that was never a stroke in our opinion, booh goes the crowd, 11/10, match ball Mohamed, no let, that bleeping looked like a let to us, even if the ball was short, he could have got it if not for the interference… But what do I know…
Match to Mohamed who gets to live another day bless him…
Mohamed
The players know that on the day, I can fluff it up, especially in this event, where I lose in the first round or win the event! I didn’t lose in the first round…
We have played so many times on tour and we both go way back. The first time we played was 2007 on the PSA tour, so we have been playing for 12 years against each other and we know each other’s game very well. We train together, we’re really good friends and today was the best match we have played against each other in the last 12 years.
Today I think I played well, and that kind of match shows a lot about somebody’s character. In the first round two days ago, I was mentally and emotionally vulnerable because of the worlds, and I was lucky I played somebody with whom I train in Bristol and who gave me a bit too much respect. If he had pushed me a bit more, I probably would have lost. I was lucky.
And my squash was weak, and too emotional somehow. But today it was the opposite. I over hit my squash, without thinking really. But the good thing about that is normally, when you go overboard like that, the next day, you get it right. I could be mistaken, of course, but by experience, that’s what I’ve noticed. Now I have got all my softness due of the worlds out of the system.
The only thing I could think about today was “get through it, get through it, don’t give him any cheap points, make it hard and don’t give anything away”.
At 8/3 in the 5th, we went for a major rally, that really took a lot out of me, and I just couldn’t find the way to close it down. But with the way we both played today, the incredible pace, if I get tired at 8/3 in the 5th, that’s a good thing… But then he gave me that drop shot on the back hand, and I was able to kill it…
I’m really happy that I was a part of something special and I think this is the best match we have ever played against each other.
Saurav
The squash was pretty good, it had to be very good to take Mohamed that far.
I’m proud with the way I came back after losing the third, because that was painful. But I’m ridiculously disappointed to have not concretise my 10/9 match ball, just a bad choice of shots at the end…
I just wish I had won it…
