PSA World Champs: Day Four – As It Happens

Round two of the CIB PSA World Championships continues with four matches to come on the all-glass court at the Palm Hills Club in Cairo, Egypt.

There were 12 matches earlier today on the side courts. Click here to read our roundup.

All the matches can be watched live on SQUASHTV and you can also keep track of the live scores by clicking here.

For more information on the PSA World Championships, visit the offical tournament website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and WhatsApp

Today’s Schedule

(All times are local GMT+3)

Gohar Tested by Moataz

World No.2 Nouran Gohar earned her spot in the last 16 of the CIB PSA World Championships after a testing encounter with fellow Egyptian Hana Moataz as glass court action got under way.

Gohar and Moataz were meeting for the first time on the PSA World Tour and both have a similar style of play, aiming to take the ball early and hit with pace. Gohar boasted the superior accuracy today though and came out firing to take the opening game in comfortable style.

Moataz responded well though and pushed up the court and onto the ’T’ to become the aggressor in the second, duly levelling after sneaking the second game 11-9.

Gohar, who has reached the final of the last three PSA World Championships, went through the gears to take the third game and dropped just two points in a one-sided fourth game to seal the win.

Next up for the 26-year-old is a round three meeting with No.12 seed Sabrina Sobhy.

“Hana has been in pretty good form recently and beating players above her,” said 

“I knew it was going to be tough out there and I’m glad I’ve had a match like this to make me sharper for the rest of the tournament. I was very happy with the way I came back after the second and executed my plan. There’s some stuff to get better at but overall I’m happy with my performance today.

“In the past I’ve been put in these situations before and I haven’t made the right decisions at the time and experience plays a big role in that. Also, I don’t panic and I focus on what I have to do and have everyone in my corner. We didn’t talk much about the score as this can happen, and every tournament I’ve played I’ve lost one or two games like this and it’s all about how to finish the game in a good way. I just need to keep taking the momentum into the next matches and I know I can better at that.

“Me and Sabrina [Sobhy] go way back, since juniors, and we’ve played every single Junior Open and I have so much respect for her. I think she’s a very talented player and a very nice person as well. It’s always very clean and fair when you play her, with some great retrievals. I’m sure it will be an enjoyable one but a tough one.”

Result

[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Hana Moataz (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2 (42m)

Coll Conquers Cardenas

New Zealand’s Paul Coll continued his title challenge with a victory over Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas in straight games.

The 32-year-old was on it from the word go and made the rallies long and physical to sap away the energy of World No.22 Cardenas. Cardenas initially stuck with the Kiwi in the opening stages of the game but eventually fell away physically as Coll closed out the opening game.

There was no let up from the World No.2 in the second or third games either as he played high-tempo squash and nullified Cardenas superbly to record an 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 win in 40 minutes.

Coll, a runner-up at the 2018-19 PSA World Championships, will go up against Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I wanted to try not going into a retrieving passive stage, I tried to hit on the volley and hit the simple shots when they came,” said Coll.

“I’m very happy with how I played to get through in three sets. I haven’t seen much of his [Leonel Cardenas] play but I’ve seen his results. He had a big win in El Gouna, fighting back from 2-1 down against Joel [Makin] so I knew he was going to be tough, he could hang in there and put some work in. 

“I couldn’t let up and I wanted to try and keep him working the whole time and not let him into the game after seeing what he did in the last tournament.

“I’ve got to try and play well every round and take it as it comes. Everyone is targeting the World Champs, even the lower ranked guys – if they get through another round it’s more prize money and points. They’re going to come at you so you can’t take them lightly.”

Result

[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (40m)

Asal Eases Past Mueller

Mostafa Asal eased his way into round three of the World Championships following a comprehensive win over Nicolas Mueller.

It was the first time Asal and Mueller had faced off on the PSA World Tour, and it was the Egyptian who progressed to round three at a canter.

Asal made the most of the space he created at the front of the court as he cruised to an 11-2 win in the opening game.

The 23-year-old was playing the court conditions much better than Mueller, with his excellent length hitting seeing him double his match advantage.

Asal, who will take on Joel Makin in round three, was unrelenting as he charged into an 8-0 lead in the third. Despite a few errors from Asal’s racket, the Egyptian was back on top, closing out the game 11-4.

“To play against one of the best players in the world, Nicky [Mueller] is very tricky and very skilful and he did this for years. I needed to be sharp and I was a bit lucky,” he said.

“It was special for me today after the hit with Jimbo [James Willstrop] on the glass court so thanks to Jimbo for that. I’m looking forward to my next match, for sure.”It was special for me today after the hit with Jimbo [James Willstrop] on the glass court so thanks to Jimbo for that. I’m looking forward to my next match, for sure.

“I played some of my best squash today. I was faster and my ball was faster – long and short – and everything was clicking. When you have an amazing performance like this match it’s going to be tricky and you never know. Hopefully I can continue this form.

“Joel [Makin] is one of the best – one of the most physical players and he plays really well. We have some intense battles and all credit to him – his physicality and how he fights we all learn from him and how he fights until the last point. I’m looking forward to it.”

Result

[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-0: 11-2, 11-3, 11-4 (23m)