El Gouna International SF: Asal Outclasses Gawad To Set Up Final v Farag

Mostafa Asal got the better of Egyptian compatriot and fellow former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawadto move into the final of the El Gouna International Squash Open, where he will take on current World No.1 Ali Farag.

The pair went into the match with an even 2-2 head-to-head record, with 22-year-old Asal victorious in the most recent meeting, a thrilling 3-2 win which came 10 days ago in the Black Ball Squash Open semi-final in Cairo.

Both men looked to play aggressively in the first game, with Asal and Gawad taking the ball early and keeping tempo high in a flurry of volleys.

It was Asal, though, who was best able to put his strategy to effect, with the 22-year-old rushing Gawad into mistakes as the game wore to claim game one 11-6.

‘The Raging Bull’ played a brilliant second game, taking game two 11-8 to move 2-0 up.

In a stop-start third game, the 22-year-old was able to continue outgunning his opponent at the key moments, clinching an 11-8 win to earn a rematch of last year’s final against Farag, with today’s proceedings ending in bizarre circumstances as Gawad opted to concede the point at match ball down despite referee Ashraf Hussein calling for a video review.

Afterwards, Asal said: “I’m over the moon [to reach back to back finals]. I’ve never dreamed of how quickly you can change and I have changed. I’ve done lots of work, credit to all my team, especially James Willstrop, but all of the guys it’s just amazing to play like this and be in Platinum finals, winning a Gold event is just amazing.

“Thankfully, it comes with me and I’m finding the right balance. The aggression is coming; in other tournaments before Black Ball, or at Black Ball a little bit, the aggression, the power wasn’t there.  

“Credit to them and everyone’s who’s been with me.

“To play against Karim, he’s an idol for me and he’s the only player I played with when I was young who agreed to play with me. To play against him and to see him playing his best since the injury, I’m proud of him and I want to thank him for everything he did for me. I grew up on his hands, we trained a lot even on the north coast for summer trips. He’s an amazing guy and what he did against Paul [Coll in the quarter-final] is unbelievable.”

On the final against Ali Farag: “I love to be the underdog, always. Ali’s an amazing character and player as well on and off court. It was a really good match in Black Ball, and hopefully it will be a repeat. Win or lose, hopefully it’s a great show tomorrow.”

Result: El Gouna International Squash Open Men’s Semi-Final

[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt [5] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (54m)

The finals of the El Gouna International Squash Open take place tomorrow from 19:30 (GMT+3) live on SQUASHTV and on the partner channels of the PSA.

For updates on the El Gouna International Squash Open 2024, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.