Motor City Open Quarter Final: Dessouky Comeback Stuns Coll and Elias, Hesham and Momen Progress

Fares Dessouky fought back from two games down to beat top seed Paul Coll and progress to the semi-finals of the Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open.

No.5 seed Dessouky, who just days ago was knocked out in straight games by Coll in the Tournament of Champions quarter final, looked to be heading out when he went 2-0 down, with Coll coasting to an 11-3 win in the second.

The Egyptian, however, responded well, edging the third game 11-9 and then played a brilliant attacking game to take the fourth 11-5.

In a bad-tempered fifth game, it was Dessouky who clinched the encounter, taking the match with an 11-9 on a stroke decision that was furiously contested by the New Zealand No.1.

Afterwards, Dessouky said: “I enjoyed this battle so much. Today, I was coming to push hard and see where it went. When I was 2-0 down, I pushed really hard to win that and I’m so happy with my performance.”

Dessouky will meet compatriot Mazen Hesham in the semi final after the No.4 seed got the better of Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez in an entertaining battle.

Hesham, who had also lost to today’s opponent in the Tournament of Champions quarter final, made a strong start to the match with a pair of 11-7 wins before sealing his spot in a first Motor City Open semi final with an exhilarating 12-10 victory in the final game.

Afterwards, Hesham said that revenge had been on his mind in the buildup to the match and that he was pleased with the calm manner of his performance.

In the bottom half of the draw, No.3 seed Tarek Momen came through a testing encounter, that was interrupted briefly by injury and the exuberance of the crowd, with fellow Egyptian and No.6 seed Youssef Soliman.

Momen went into the match with a 6-0 head-to-head record against Soliman and looked in little danger as he took the opening game 11-5.

Soliman responded in the second to draw level with an 11-4 win, but was unable to consistently apply pressure to the 2019 World Champion, with Momen recovering from an uneven start to game three to win 11-9 and then closing out the match with an 11-4 in the fourth.

Afterwards, Momen said: “I’m ok with [my performance]. I’m definitely pleased to get the win because I was in a bit of trouble in that third game.”

Momen will play No.2 seed and defending champion Diego Elias in the semi final after the Peruvian breezed past France’s Gregoire Marche in 26 minutes.

The semi finals will take place tomorrow (February 4), with play beginning at 17:00 (GMT-5). All the action at the Birmingham Athletic Club will be streamed live and free on the PSA website and on SQUASH.TV

For more on the Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Results – Quarter Final: Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open 2023
[5] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt [1] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-2: 10-12, 3-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 (74m)

[4] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt [7] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 12-10 (45m)

[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [6] Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-1: 11-5, 4-11, 11-9, 11-4 (61m)

[2] Diego Elias (PER) bt [8] Gregoire Marche (FRA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 (26m)

Draw – Semi Final: To be played February 4

[5] Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [4] Mazen Hesham (EGY)

[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [2] Diego Elias (PER)