Asal Through To CIB Egyptian Open Final Against Struggling ElShorbagy

In the last semi-final of the CIB Egyptian Open, Egyptian No.3 seed Mostafa Asal made short work of unseeded Englishman Marwan ElShorbagy to set up a final against World No.1 Ali Farag.

World No.10 ElShorbagy went into the match on an impressive run that included a prize scalp of World No.2 Paul Coll in the quarter-final round.

Asal, meanwhile, had not played a complete match since the second round after his third round opponent Youssef Soliman retired hurt just seconds into their encounter and his quarter-final opponent – Marwan’s older brother Mohamed ElShorbagy – retired hurt in game two of an acrimonious encounter.

After an initially even opening spell, Asal pulled away in game one, looking a level above his opponent as he took the first game 11-4.

ElShorbagy appeared to tweak something in game two, requiring an injury break.

After returning, ElShorbagy initially moved gingerly, before loosening up as the game wore on, though he was unable to prevent ‘the Raging Bull’ from doubling his advantage with an 11-5 win.

ElShorbagy continued to struggle in game three, with Asal cruising through to the final with an 11-1 victory.

“I’m not sure what’s happening with the players I’m playing against,” Asal said. “I wish he’s okay and I wish him all of the best. He’s done such an amazing job this tournament and he’s back to the same level he was when at World No.3. So I hope it’s nothing serious and he has a speedy recovery.”

On the impact of James Willstrop being in attendance, he said; “It’s given me a huge push. Thanks for him for coming over, he’s such a legend and makes me calm always. Thank you to the rest of my team as well. They’ve been doing so much work with me. Thank you to the crowd as well.”

Reflecting on his summer break, Asal added: “I’ve been playing more football, more five-a-side. I guess it makes me fitter and it might be a big bonus ahead of tomorrow!”

Results: 2024 CIB Egyptian Open Men’s Semi-Final
[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-1 (40m)

The finals of the 2024 CIB Egyptian Open take place tomorrow, Friday 06 September, from 19:00 (GMT+3) at Club O West, Cairo.

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