Curtis Malik (ENG) 3-2 Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 14-12, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5 (63m)
Curtis Malik scoring a big five-game win over former World No.7 Mohamed Abouelghar. Malik, 25, saw the ever-dangerous Egyptian come from 2-0 down to force a decider, before eventually managing to re-assume control of the match in game five to take the match 14-12, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5.
Curtis
“I never had that many friends and family watching me, nearly 15 people here that never get to see me playing live squash. So it gives you that little extra fight, knowing also that if you win, you get to play on the glass court tomorrow.
The third and fourth are a mixture of elements, I did my best to stick to the game plan I played in the first two, but I lost the quality a little bit. His quality to the front picked up, and then I was also going a little bit short a bit too early, which gave him a little boost in counterdropping and attack me.
But I managed to start the fifth the same way I played in the first two, and got back to what I was doing in those two first games. A little more patience…
I’m playing Joel Makin, and that’s the match I really wanted to play. Can’t wait for that match. I wanted to play on the glass from the first round. Last year, I got on the glass and played Gawad, and this year, I’m playing the World number 5, and in front of family, friends and fans, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
