Black Ball Open QF: Gawad Downs ElSherbini To Reach Last Four

World No.5 Karim Abdel Gawad delivered a standout performance to defeat fellow Egyptian Mohamed ElSherbini in straight games at the Black Ball Open.

Despite spending 97 minutes on court in yesterday evening’s five-game duel with Aly Abou Eleinen, Gawad showed no signs of physical fatigue as he raced through a six-minute first game, dropping just two points.

ElSherbini continued to struggle with the variety and options the former World Champion called upon from the mid-court region, with Gawad taking an early 4-1 lead in the second and never letting his opponent get a foot back in the door.

A fired up ElSherbini returned to the court, with the World No.20 moving into a 7-5 lead. However, from there, Gawad won six of the next seven points to book his spot in the semi-final, where World No.4 Mostafa Asal awaits.

After the match, Gawad said: “It was much better than yesterday. The good thing about having tougher matches in the first rounds is that you are more prepared and it makes you mentally stronger. I made sure to recover well, and to get on court today in the best way possible.

“Mohamed [ElSherbini] is a top 20 player and is already a very experienced player. I didn’t want to give any cheap games and points today. I just tried to focus from the very beginning to the very end. He is a very dangerous player on the ‘T’ and in the front corners, so I had to be sharp in the front corners today.

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s match [against Mostafa Asal]. He’s playing really well and I’m playing well too. Mostafa is one of the best and I used to play with him when he was 11. So playing on the professional tour now is something good, and hopefully, we can put on a good show tomorrow.”

Result:

 [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-8 (28m)