CIB Egyptian Open: ElShorbagy Upsets Coll Amidst Court-Switch Drama to Clinch Semi-Final Berth

In a chaotic quarter-final clash, unseeded Englishman Marwan ElShorbagy shocked New Zealand’s No.2 seed Paul Coll to progress to the last four of the CIB Egyptian Open in a match interrupted by a change of court at Club O West.

Play began on the all-glass court, and in the opening game both players played predominantly to the back.

As the ball softened on the warm court, the Englishman looked to go on the attack more than his opponent, which proved effective as he took the opener 12-10.

In a scrappy second game, Coll took advantage as ElShorbagy opened the court, striking back 11-8 to bring the scores to 1-1.

Early in game three, an issue with a floor panel necessitated a return to Court 6 at Club O West.

It was ElShorbagy, who impressed in a win over Victor Crouin on the traditional courts earlier in the competition, who dealt with the disruption better, rediscovering his rhythm quickly to take game three 11-9 to reclaim the lead.

The Englishman continued to look strong as he built a 7-5 lead in game four, before Coll finally found his footing, with the New Zealand No.1 taking the scores to 8-8.

ElShorbagy, who returned to Egypt to train this year, never let the pressure slip, though, and in an emotionally charged conclusion it was the unseeded World No.10 who emerged victorious as he clinched the fourth game 11-8 to complete the upset

“To be honest I was a little bit worried because I thought the court was suiting me more on the glass court. I was finding my length, finding everything, but for some reason I was still relaxed with the whole situation. I don’t know why but I played two matches here [at the side courts] and I’ve beaten top players – I’ve beaten [Karim Abdel] Gawad and Victor [Crouin] and now I know how to play with this court. I had a practice here in the morning and when we got going I was thinking actually the court is suiting me more. With my short game I can actually finish the rally faster, so overall I’m happy It didn’t really matter to me.

“I thought over there [the glass court] was good and here was good as well. But it is what it is – when we play in Egypt they always keep us on our toes! There is always something happening.

“I wasn’t worried with my physicality at all – I’ve trained really hard in the summer. My coach Ahmed [Effat] was telling me after the third it’s what we’ve done all summer and to be honest when I was playing with Paul, I thought the pace of my training during the summer was higher than his so I was able to play at that level.

“I came back to Egypt to create a good environment here, I’ve stayed in England and I’ve always tried to create an environment of training in England but I’ve never been able to create that in England In Bristol. We’ve had so many players but unfortunately after COVID not a lot of players came back.

“I’ve tried to go elsewhere in England but in Egypt it’s different – the pace, the intensity of the training, Ahmed as well. I’m so happy we’re back training together because we have very good chemistry and we’ve worked together before. I’m happy to have him in my corner and have someone supporting me this way.”

Result:CIB Egyptian Open Men’s Quarter-Final

Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) bt [2] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-1: 12-10, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8 (86m)

Result: CIB Egyptian Open Men’s Quarter-Final

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