Canadian Open SF: Hesham in Top Form to Beat Compatriot Soliman

Mazen Hesham will face Diego Elias in the Canadian Men’s Open presented by AirSprint Private Aviation final after beating compatriot Youssef Soliman convincingly.

After struggling at times during his quarter-final win over Yannick Wilhelmi, Hesham was markedly improved today.

There was little to separate the pair during the opening rallies, with the 6-6 score a fair reflection of an even contest.

After settling in, however, Hesham moved into the ascendency, nullifying Soliman’s tactic of targeting the back of the court to take game one 11-6.

The 29-year-old picked up where he left off in game two, playing the fast court conditions well and moving 2-0 up with an 11-5 win.

By the end of the second game, Soliman appeared to be tiring, with the No.3 seed unable to consistently beat Hesham’s defences.

This pattern continued in the third, with No.2 seed Hesham coasting into the final as he took the game 11-4.

After the match, Hesham said: “I knew it was going to be tough and that I would have to find my way better today than yesterday. 

“Youssef’s a great player and the court conditions probably suit him more than me, so I had come up with a few ideas and stick to my plan, and I was really happy with the finish.

“We’ve been playing each other for about 10 years. We’re friends today and we’ll be friends tomorrow. But for that half-hour  to an hour on court, we’re just trying to beat each other.

“That’s what I like about this sport, it’s all business at the end of the day.

“If you’re fair and good, then losing is fine, as long as we’re enjoying it and pushing each other.”

Result: Canadian Men’s Open 2024 presented by AirSprint Private Aviation Semi-Final
[2] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt [3] Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (46m)