QTerminals Qatar Classic: Men’s Round Three Roundup

In the first men’s round three match of day five in the QTerminals Qatar Classic, England’s Mohamed ElShorbagy beat Youssef Ibrahim in an 81-minute epic and Mazen Hesham defeated his fellow Egyptian Aly Abou Eleinen to book their places in the quarter final.

Later in the day, Diego Elias defeated Youssef Soliman in straight games to earn his spot in the next round where he will face Karim Abdel Gawad after he beat Switzerland’s Nicholas Mueller.

ElShorbagy and Ibrahim had met twice before at the Qatar Classic in 2020 and 2021, with Ibrahim winning on both occasions. ‘The Beast’ won their last match-up in the third round of this year’s PSA World Championships.

The two players were evenly matched as they fought to 7-6 in the first game, playing to the back of the court to contain each other’s volleys. Ibrahim pushed forward from there, using his creative nature to produce shot after shot that went unanswered by ElShorbagy and the 24-year-old took the first game convincingly from the No.3 seed.

The England No.1 slowed the pace of the second game, stopping Ibrahim from injecting the speed that allowed him to dominate the end of the first. ElShorbagy showed his experience throughout the game and controlled the tempo the whole way to his 11-6 win.

The third game reverted to the even contestof the start of the match, with ElShorbagy forced to cover every inch of the court as the Ibrahim went on the attack.

The two couldn’t be separated as they went deep into a tie break, with both players saving game balls. The 32-year-old was the player to break through, winning the war of attrition 16-14.

Ibrahim took the early advantage in game four, but some early errors from the World No. 36 gave ElShorbagy a 7-5 lead. Both players were recovering incredibly and creating a wonderful spectacle, but the former World No. 1 made too many mistakes as Ibrahim took the match to a final game.

The Egyptian once again took an early lead, but both players were tiring from the draining rallies. Despite trailing 5-3, the defending champion was able to come back and win the game 11-7 to book his spot in the quarter finals.

Talking after the match, ElShorbagy said: “It was very hard for me today. Everything I do in my career, I still learn. He’s beaten me three times in a row and at a time in my career that was very difficult. Don’t get me wrong, he’s unbelievable and the talent he possesses on court – he’s unique.

“But even when I’m 32 I had to go back and learn and study him. He’s beaten me twice on this court and his game is just unbelievable to play against here. It was brutal and I had to go back and study. I have to study everyone I play but especially him. He’s so different from me and has the perfect game for my game and when he plays me he plays extremely well.

“Every game was a battle but I didn’t give up. I was 0-1 and 2-6; I didn’t give up. I was exhausted in the third; I didn’t give up. I was exhausted in the fifth; I didn’t give up.

“I learned that from the generation before me. To win this match, I’m very proud. Very proud.”

ElShorbagy will face World No.7 Mazen Hesham in the quarter finals, after the Egyptian put Aly Abou Eleinen to the sword in their third round match.

Hesham took an early 7-2 lead with his opponent lacking the variety of shots to trouble the World No.8, and despite a late push from Eleinen, he could do nothing to close the gap as Hesham won the first game 11-7.

The No.6 seed continued his dominance into the second game, playing an impressive range of boasts and drops that Eleinen was powerless to defend against as he confidently took the game 11-2.

The 23-year-old continued to make too many unforced errors and couldn’t stay as consistent as ‘The Falcon,’ who managed to play just above the tin in a game dominated by front court action, saw out a 3-0 win.

Hesham spoke on his performance after the match: “I started getting better from the second onwards and pushing until the end.

“To be honest, Paris was not great for me, performance-wise. It was a bit of a shocker for me. So, I’m trying to get better every day here. My goal is to get where I want to be in the season. If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t I just want to get closer every match. That’s my goal here at this tournament.”

In the evening session, World No.2 Diego Elias defeated Youssef Soliman in 38 minutes to earn his place in the quarter finals.

The players started the game with several closely contested long rallies, but it was the Peruvian who pulled away from Soliman as he managed to force errors out of the Egyptian, targeting the back corners well and working him around the court to win game one.

The ‘Peruvian Puma’ continued to show why he’s the No.2 seed as he relentlessly worked the ball short and won the second game comfortably 11-2.

The World No.2 prevented the Egyptian from controlling any rallies in the third game as well, and despite making the it the closest game of the match, Soliman was unable to do anything to stop Elias coasting to a third round victory.

Elias reflected on the match afterwards: “I felt really good, but it’s always tough playing Youssef, we played all of out junior careers together.

“I know he’s very tough, and I’m just glad I kept my focus through the entire match and I’m happy to be in the quarter finals.

Elias will play either Egypt’s Karim Abdel Gawad in the quarter finals.

Gawad earned his place in the quarter finals in the last game of the day as he took down Nicholas Mueller.

The two players came out of the gates playing fast squash and utilising the front of the court, but the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ was able to put Mueller under pressure throughout the first game. Gawad made the most of the short, quick tempo and beat his Swiss opponent 11-9 in game one.

Mueller came into the next game much stronger, making use of his height and reach advantages while disguising his shots brilliantly. The Swiss No.1 completely changed the tempo of the match in game two as he won 11-7.

The World No.11 battled his way back from a 8-6 deficit to take the third game, pulling Mueller around the court before using his incredible attacking skill to finish the rallies at the front of the court.

Gawad carried his momentum into the fourth game despite strong attacking play from Mueller.

The 2016 champion continued to stretch his opposition across the whole court as the game wore on and controlled the tempo as he sped to a 11-9 game win and a place in the quarter finals, where he will face Elias.

Speaking after the game, Gawad was very complimentary of his competitor.

“Nicolas plays very very well. He uses the court and the conditions here very well. He knows how to make you run a lot on court… It was very hard to play him today, you can’t lose concentration at any time.

“I’m pleased to get through to the quarters in Doha.”

Day six of the Qatar Classic sees the women’s semi finals as Nour El Sherbini faces Tinne Gilis and Amandy Sobhy plays Hania El Hammamy, as well as the men’s quarter finals.

Results: QTerminals Qatar Classic Men’s Round Three

[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-2: 6-11, 11-6, 16-14, 8-11, 11-7 (81m)
[6] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-2, 11-6 (33m)
[2] Diego Elias (PER) bt Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-2, 11-5 (38m)