ElSherbini Ends Home Hopes After Edging Five-Game Brownell Duel At Motor City Open

Egypt’s Mohamed ElSherbini ended home hopes on day two of the Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open after coming through an intense five-game battle with Timothy Brownell.

USA No.1 Brownell picked up where he left off from his first-round victory over Addeen Idrakie, taking the ball early and volleying well into the front two corners to take the first game by an 11-6 scoreline. No.5 seed ElSherbini grew in confidence the longer he spent on court though, finding his lines and lengths on the traditional court and retaking the lead in the match despite firm resistance from Brownell. 

The 31-year-old subsequently held a match ball late in the fourth, but saw this slip through his grasp, with Brownell taking the match to five with an inch-perfect forehand drop in a tie-break. However, ElSherbini squashed any hopes of another Brownell five-game victory, bursting out of the blocks early in the fifth and never looking back from there, sealing his first victory of 2024 after 68 minutes of entertaining play. 

After the match, ElSherbini said: “It was a good match, Timmy is a good player and he stuck to his game plan today. He is really strong and I didn’t expect that because I haven’t played him before. 

“It was good on my side to get my first win of the year, so I was happy to come out on top. His forehand was pretty good, so I tried to stay away from that, especially his volleys, so I started to play more into his backhand so I could have more openings to go short. 

“Slowly, step-by-step, it started to work out.”

Elsewhere, three-time champion Diego Elias cruised into the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour Silver event after a dominant 11-2, 11-4, 11-4 victory over Cesar Salazar, while No.2 seed Paul Coll needed just 29 minutes and three games to see off Abhay Singh.

No.3 seed Miguel Rodriguez was made to work for his spot in the last eight, defeating Ibrahim Elkabbani in an entertaining four-game encounter. After taking a 1-0 lead, the 38-year-old was pegged back in a second game tie-break, dropping a little deeper in the court and struggling to impose his game on the physical Elkabbani. 

However, from there, Rodriguez showed his class and experience, moving ahead early in the fourth and never letting his opponent back into the game. After 53 minutes of action, the Colombian walked off court to animated applause within the Birmingham Athletic Club, and in turn, set up a clash against Adrian Waller. 

After the match he said; “I finally got a win this year, so I am very glad and happy with my performance today. It was the first time I played Elkabbani, he was a very powerful player and I managed to keep my mind very focused although I didn’t know much about him. 

“I tried to hit my target early on and then after a couple of rallies I started to see his movement, his shots, his better angles. I think I was a little bit relaxed and passive in the second game, but then after the third one, I noticed he was struggling a little bit in his fitness, and I managed to win in four.”

Lucky loser Rui Soares, who was defeated in his initial first-round match against Cesar Salazar but granted a spot in Round 2 due to an injury to Mohamed Abouelghar, made the most of tis second chance as he came from behind to defeat Aly Hussein in four games. 

There were also straight games wins for No.4 seed Fares Dessouky, who defeated Juan Camilo Vargas, and No.7 seed Adrian Waller, who came away triumphant from his all-England clash with Simon Herbert. No.6 seed Nicolas Mueller’s battling four-game win against George Parker ensured that seven of the top eight seeds will feature in the quarter-finals tomorrow. 

Day three of action from the Motor City Open commences at 18:00 (GMT-5) with action from Court 3 available to watch live on SQUASHTV. For more information on the Motor City Open, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

Results: Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open RD2

[4] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 3-0: 12-10, 11-9, 11-6 (40m)

[5] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) bt Timothy Brownell (USA) 3-2: 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 11-4 (68m)

[1] Diego Elias (PER) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-4 (18m)

[6] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-1: 11-4, 11-6, 8-11, 11-3 (38m)

[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Abhay Singh (IND) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-4 (29m)

Rui Soares (POR) bt Aly Hussein (EGY) 3-1: 7-11, 11-5, 13-11, 11-6 (65m)

[3] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5 (53m)

[7] Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Simon Herbert (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 13-11, 11-9 (49m)

Draw: Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open Quarter-Finals

[5] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) v [4] Fares Dessouky (EGY)

[3] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) v [7] Adrian Waller (ENG)

[1] Diego Elias (PER) v [6] Nicolas Mueller (SUI)

[LL] Rui Soares (POR) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)