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Channel VAS
Championships2019
Men's Draw
19-24 Nov
St. George’s Hill, Weybridge, Surrey
$106k |
ROUND TWO
20-21 NOV |
QUARTERS
22 NOV |
SEMIS
23 NOV |
FINAL
24 NOV |
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7 (54m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) |
Mohamed ElShorbagy
5-11, 11-9, 11-9,
10-12, 12-10 (85m)
Saurav Ghosal |
Mohamed ElShorbagy
2-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (49m)
Mohamed Abouelghar |
Mohamed ElShorbagy
8-11, 11-3, 11-1,
10-12, 11-6 (90m)
Karim Abdel Gawad |
Tom Richards
(ENG)
11-3, 11-5, 11-5 (37m)
[7] Saurav Ghosal (IND) |
[5] Mohamed
Abouelghar (EGY)
11-7, 11-6, 11-9 (44m)
Declan James (ENG) |
Mohamed Abouelghar
11-8, 11-7, 3-11, 9-11, 11-7 (78m)
Mazen Hesham |
Mazen Hesham
(EGY)
11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6 (52m)
[4] Diego Elias (PER) |
[3] Paul Coll
(NZL)
11-4, 11-8, 11-8 (43m)
Daryl Selby (ENG) |
Paul Coll
3-11, 11-9, 12-10,
9-11, 11-2 (87m)
Joel Makin |
Paul Coll
11-8, 11-4, 11-3 (45m)
Karim Abdel Gawad |
Mathieu
Castagnet (FRA)
11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6 (61m)
[8] Joel Makin (WAL) |
[6] Marwan
ElShorbagy (EGY)
11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6 (49m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) |
Marwan
ElShorbagy
11-7, 11-6, 11-4 (32m)
Karim Abdel Gawad |
George Parker
(ENG)
13-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-7 (51m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) |
ROUND ONE |
Main Draw - 2019 Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill
1] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt [9/16] Borja Golan (ESP) 11-6, 2-11, 7-11,
11-7, 11-6 (81m)
[9/16] Tom Richards (ENG) bt Richie Fallows (ENG) 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 (32m)
[7] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bye
[5] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bye
[9/16] Declan James (ENG) bt [WC] Joe Lee (ENG) 13-11, 11-4, 11-7 (53m)
[9/16] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Chris Simpson (ENG) 11-6, 10-12, 4-11,
11-6, 11-3 (59m)
[4] Diego Elias (PER) bye
[3] Paul Coll (NZL) bye
[9/16] Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 11-2, 11-3, 11-5 (29m)
[9/16] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 11-2,
4-11, 12-10, 11-5 (62m)
[8] Joel Makin (WAL) bye
[6] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
[9/16] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) 13-11, 6-11, 12-10,
3-11, 11-4 (56m)
George Parker (ENG) bt [9/16] Lucas Serme (FRA) 6-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-8,
11-6 (77m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bye |
Gawad Beats ElShorbagy in Marathon Final to Claim Channel
VAS Crown
Egypt’s
World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad prevailed in a 90-minute five-game battle
against World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy to lift the Channel VAS
Championships at St. George’s Hill, PSA World Tour Gold title in
Weybridge, England.
The two players have faced each other 14 times on the PSA Tour
previously, however, the last and only time the two Egyptians went to
five-games was all the way back in 2016 when Gawad claimed the victory
in the semi-finals of the Men’s World Championship, which he went on to
win.
2017 champion ElShorbagy came out of the blocks firing to take the
opening game at the St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club, before Gawad
switched the momentum to his favour in the second and third, taking a
2-1 lead for the loss of just four points across both games.
An
injury break for ElShorbagy at the end of the third seemed to give him a
push in a marathon 37-minute fourth game as he stayed with his opponent
in a tightly contested battle. World No.4 Gawad looked at one point as
though he was going to hold championship ball at 9-7, before it was
taken away from him by his ball being called down to allow ElShorbagy to
stage an epic fightback and push the match to a deciding fifth.
ElShorbagy, who had spent 188 minutes on court this week before the
final, was not able to push on any further in the final game though as
he looked increasingly fatigued against an in form Gawad who punished
him with his accurate hitting to take an 8-11, 11-3, 11-1, 10-12, 11-6
final in 90 minutes - the longest match of the tournament – and claim
his 23rd PSA title.
“It felt great to play in that match, I think me and Mohamed haven’t
played for a very long time in a final, since 2017 maybe,” said Gawad
afterwards.
“I’m really glad to be back and playing in finals with him. He is an
amazing athlete and is such an idol for everyone, a great player and
very professional on and off court.
“From
the beginning of the match, actually from 7-0 down, I tried to be
aggressive from the back corners, and also I tried mixing my volleys. In
the fourth at 9-7, I maybe got a bit passive, but also, Mohamed changed
his game plan, and I didn’t adapt well enough. Although I lost, I
remember thinking that my game plan was good, and that I had to go back
to it.
“In the fifth I just made sure I switched back to it, but we were both
very tired. The difference I think is that I managed to move him around
more than he did.
“I’m really happy to win such a prestigious title. I’ve been playing
here for so long and I have very good memories here. I would like to
thank Mohamed for a great match today, Danny [Lee] for organising this
and Bassim Haider for sponsoring the event. You’re doing a great job
here and I love playing here in front of a good crowd. Squash means a
lot to us so I would like to thank everyone for doing this and my
coaches and sponsors for helping me and supporting me on good and bad
days.”
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ElShorbagy
and Gawad to Contest
Channel VAS
Final
Egypt’s former World No.1s Mohamed ElShorbagy and Karim Abdel Gawad will
go head-to-head in the final of the Channel VAS Championships at St.
George’s Hill after they claimed respective wins over Mohamed Abouelghar
and Paul Coll.
World
No.2 ElShorbagy showcased his mental fortitude to come from a game down
against 26-year-old Abouelghar to reach his fourth final of the season,
after winning both the China Squash Open and Oracle NetSuite Open
titles, before losing out in the final of the U.S. Open last month.
Abouelghar, who was playing in his first semi-final of the season after
struggling with a shoulder injury, began the match strongly to race into
a 7-0 lead
before ElShorbagy was able to get his first point on the board, before
taking an 11-2 first game.
2017 champion ElShorbagy fought back with dogged determination in the
second, when with the scores tied at 9-9, he pushed on to draw back
level. The former World No.1 then continued to step further up the court
and looked back to his old self as he roared himself to victory to close
out a 2-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 win in 49 minutes.
“There was a very crucial time in the second game when we were both 9-9
and I think after that game when I won it, I got into him mentally and
physically a little bit,” said ElShorbagy afterwards.
“That’s the time when I pushed really hard at the beginning of the
third, just to show him that it was going to take a marathon if you want
to get through it and I think I got into him a bit mentally in that
third.
“I’m playing my fourth final in five tournaments this season and it’s
what I always require from myself coming back every year. I’ve been
trying to stay as consistent as I can and being in finals is what I live
for. Every season when I do well I have never had a team around me that
has told me I have done well, it’s always a team around me that have
looked at what I have done wrong this season and that’s what I think has
always got me to the top of my game.”
ElShorbagy will face compatriot Gawad for the 15th time in their
careers, and for the first time this season, for the PSA World Tour Gold
title after the latter scored a comfortable 3-0 victory over New
Zealand’s World No.5 Coll.
PSA World Championship runner-up Coll, who lifted the title back in
2016, was unable to find a reply to a free flowing Gawad who dominated
the court with ease with his artillery of incredible shots to take an
11-8, 11-4, 11-3 victory and reach his 35th PSA final.
“I
have been playing very good squash recently,” said Gawad afterwards. “At
the US Open, even if I didn’t win it, I was happy with my game, and in
Cairo, I really played some good squash. In the Worlds, I was pretty
tired from the Egyptian Open, and somehow, I felt a lot of pressure
there.
“I am playing with no expectation other than playing my best squash, not
thinking about losing or wining, really, no pressure and that makes all
the difference.”
The final of the Channel VAS Championships will take place tomorrow
(Sunday November 24) at 15:30 local time (GMT) with the action shown
live on SquashTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the
official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian Subcontinent only).
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Top Seed ElShorbagy Survives Ghosal Scare to Reach
Channel VAS Semi-Finals
Egypt’s
former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy survived a scare against India’s
World No.11 Saurav Ghosal to reach the semi-finals of the Channel VAS
Championships at St. George’s Hill in a breathtaking five-game battle in
Weybridge, England.
Heading into today’s match, ElShorbagy had claimed the last seven
victories in a row with the last three all being 3-0 wins. However,
Ghosal gave the ‘Beast from Alexandria’ a run for his money throughout
the entire match with ElShorbagy saving match ball from the clutches of
defeat to book a last four place.
“Saurav is a quality player and I think this is the best match we have
ever played against each other,” said ElShorbagy afterwards. “We have
played so many times on tour and we both go way back. We train together,
we’re really good friends and today was the best we have played against
each other in the last 12 years. I’m really happy that I was a part of
something special.”
ElShorbagy
will face World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar for a place in the final after
he overcame compatriot and World No.19 Mazen Hesham in another five-game
encounter at the St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club.
Abouelghar played solid squash to open up a 2-0 lead, however, Hesham’s
natural flair and unpredictability served him well to get back on level
terms. 26-year-old Abouelghar got back to basics in the fifth though to
straighten up his play and attack well to claim an 11-8, 11-7, 3-11,
9-11, 11-7 victory in 78 minutes.
“It doesn’t matter how many times we play,” said Abouelghar. “Every time
is different, and you never know what he is up to. You still can’t read
him even if you play him 100 times.
“I had a good start going 2-0 up and then I think I lost my length a
little bit and he took advantage of it with his unbelievable skills and
he made it really hard for me to get that momentum back.”
The
other semi-final at the PSA World Tour Gold event will see New Zealand’s
World No.5 Paul Coll come up against Egypt’s World No.4 Karim Abdel
Gawad.
Coll, the only non-Egyptian left in the tournament, had to be at his
best to overcome a resilient Joel Makin of Wales in the longest match of
the tournament so far.
The last time the two players met was at the start of the season in the
final of the Open de France – Nantes, where Coll came away with a 3-0
victory to take his first title of the season. However, Makin showed
just how much he had improved throughout the course of the first half of
the season as he was in clinical form to take an 11-3 first game.
2016 champion Coll battled back well in the second and third though to
take a 2-1 lead before being pushed to a fifth by the Welshman which he
managed to close out by a 3-11, 11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-2 margin in 87
minutes.
“I
was really struggling mentally today, I was just in and out of
concentration and focus which is disappointing from my end,” said Coll
afterwards.
“He stepped up today, but I felt like I wasn’t as clinical as I was
against him in the final in Nantes. Especially on that court, he picks
up a lot and played really well today. I’m just happy that I put in a
good fifth set to close it out.
“I really wanted to test myself this week. My goal is to be World No.1
and you have to be consistent all year round, there are no excuses. This
week is me testing myself mentally and backing up from a tough week last
week.”
Meanwhile, former World No.1 Gawad was in formidable form to comfortably
despatch compatriot and World No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy in straight-games
in the last match of the evening.
Gawad was pushed to five by England’s George Parker yesterday, but he
showed his focus was switched on today as he dominated from the outset
to comfortably put ElShorbagy to the sword by an 11-7, 11-6, 11-4 margin
in 32 minutes.
“Marwan is a very tough opponent and he has the ability to come back any
time, so even though I was leading four or five points in each game I
knew he had the ability to come back.
“I had to focus and be on my toes for every single shot to try and not
give him a chance of a comeback.”
The semi finals of the Channel VAS Championships take place tomorrow
(Saturday November 23) at 14:30 local time (GMT) with the action shown
live on SquashTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the
official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian Subcontinent only).
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Gawad
Leads Top Seeds Through
to
Quarters
Egypt’s
former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad led the top seeds into the next
round of the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill as the
quarter final places were confirmed at the PSA World Tour Gold
tournament taking place in Weybridge, England.
Gawad survived a comeback charge from England’s World No.42 George
Parker in an entertaining four game battle at the St. George’s Hill Lawn
Tennis Club as he claimed a hard fought 13-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-7 victory
in 51 minutes.
The World No.4 took an important first game on the tie-break before
doubling his lead comfortably in the second. However, Parker made life
difficult for Gawad with an impressive performance to take the third,
but unfortunately for the feisty Englishman it was not enough with Gawad
utilising his experience in the fourth to see out the victory.
“Over these past years, I’ve managed to work on my fitness and on my
squash, but the thing I still need to improve vastly is my concentration
and my mental consistency,” said Gawad afterwards.
“I used to lose the first game, now I win it most of the time and I’m
trying to be in strong from the word go. I feel that I’m still in and
out during matches and that’s what I really need to improve in the
coming weeks and months.”
Gawad
will take on compatriot and World No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy in the quarter
finals tomorrow after he battled past Malaysia’s World No.32 Eain Yow
Ng.
The 21-year-old Malaysian gave a good account of himself to cause some
problems for the younger ElShorbagy brother, but ultimately, he took
control to close out in four games.
“I knew how tough this match was going to be,” said 26-year-old
ElShorbagy. “I have played with him once or twice in practice and I know
how much he has improved and how well he has done this season.
“He did well in the Malaysian Open in September and moved to Bristol a
few weeks back – we’re really happy to have him there and think he will
add a lot to the city. He’s a former World Junior Champion and I’m
pretty sure he will have a great career in the PSA.”
Meanwhile,
New Zealand’s World No.5 Paul Coll and Wales’ World No.12 Joel Makin
will go head-to-head in the other quarter final in the bottom half of
the draw.
Coll, who lifted the title back in 2016, showed no signs of a hangover
from the PSA Men’s World Championship last week in Qatar where he
reached the final for the first time in his career as he swept aside
England’s former World No.9 Daryl Selby in straight-games in a confident
performance.
“It was a perfect match for me really, I had a little bit of a niggle in
Qatar, but I didn’t feel it at all today,” said Coll afterwards. “I took
a couple of days off after Qatar and went to Birmingham to see my coach,
Rob Owen. We just had a light week and did some really good hitting just
to get me sharp, but nothing too physical. I’ve had a lot of physio and
rehab so I’m feeling really good.
“I love this court and I’ve got some good memories here. When you’ve got
good memories somewhere it’s always good to come back and play, so I’m
looking forward to this week.”
Makin and Coll will face each other for the sixth time in their careers
after the 25-year-old Welshman prevailed against a resilient Mathieu
Castagnet of France in four games.
World
No.12 Makin continued his fine run of form that has served him well
during the first half of the season as he was clinical to open up a 2-0
lead. Castagnet, who looked down and out at the end of the second game,
rallied back to take the third but Makin was able to get back to basics
in the fourth to cut out the errors and break away to take an 11-7,
11-7, 8-11, 11-6 win in 61 minutes.
“I’ve tried to add a bit more variation to my game and be a bit more
severe on the short balls,” said 25-year-old Makin. “Like Mathieu
started to do to me today, he slowed the pace down and really got
control of the game to get me stuck behind, so I had to get back in
front and inject a bit more pace and be a bit more severe going short.
“I played and lost against Paul a couple of times, in the British Open
in the first round – that was a long hard match. We have played a fair
amount recently and if I want to reach the top eight, that’s the kind of
matches I will need to start winning.”
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Egypt’s Hesham Upsets Elias
Egypt’s
World No.19 Mazen Hesham upset the seedings on day two of the Channel
VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill after he took out Peru’s World
No.7 Diego Elias at the PSA World Tour Gold event to reach the quarter
finals.
The 25-year-old had not secured a win over a player ranked inside the
top ten since 2015, but Hesham proved he was getting back to his best
form as he produced a formidable performance against an out-of-sorts
Elias at the tournament in Weybridge, England.
Hesham displayed his natural flair with the racket to take an
entertaining first game, before Elias battled back to level the scores
in the second. It was the Egyptian was kicked on another gear though as
he took full advantage of a fatigued Elias by varying his shots and
setting a fast pace to unsettle the Peruvian player and claim an 11-6,
5-11, 11-8, 11-6 win.
“I feel great, I don’t want to jinx it, but I am injury free, and very
happy on court,” said Hesham afterwards. Because I play more and more
matches, I am able to control my emotions better and when I’m about to
close a match.
“I used to play so many errors because I was getting so excited, but now
I’m able to control and finish my matches, playing the important points
better.”
Hesham
will face compatriot and World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar in the next round
after the Egyptian swept aside England’s World No.22 Declan James in
straight-games.
The last time the two players met, James recorded a surprise victory
against the Egyptian at the DPD Open earlier this year. However, he came
up against a much more consistent Abouelghar today who was in strong
form to power past the tall Englishman.
Abouelghar only recently made his return to the tour following a
shoulder injury but has endured a disjointed run of form, however, the
26-year-old ensured he was back to his best as he produced a consistent
display to take an 11-7, 11-6, 11-9 victory.
“I’ve always had tough matches against Dec, he’s such a great player,”
said the Egyptian afterwards. “I knew how crucial the third game was and
I’m very happy to close this one out.”
Meanwhile,
Egypt’s World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy ensured his campaign got up and
running with a win after he defeated compatriot Youssef Soliman in four
games in Weybridge, England.
ElShorbagy, who got his hands on the title back in 2017, was comfortable
on the St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club court, which he practices on
regularly, as he stepped up and constantly kept Soliman pinned behind
him to take a 2-0 lead.
Soliman had been struggling with a shin injury throughout the week and
it looked to have caught up with him once again as he took a short
injury break after the second. Following that the 22-year-old seemed to
enjoy a resurgence to catch ElShorbagy off guard with the elder Egyptian
producing uncharacteristic errors to aid Soliman in taking the third
game.
The 28-year-old came back strongly in the fourth, however, as he managed
to get back to the game plan that was serving him well in the first two
games to close out a hard fought 11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7 win.
“I’m the kind of person who wants to improve and always likes to explore
different areas of my game and see different thoughts of the game,” said
ElShorbagy afterwards. “I think everyone brings something different to
the game and I have only one career, so I want to learn as much as I
can.
“Sometimes things can work, sometimes they can’t and sometimes it’s
quickly or it takes a bit longer but at the end of the day I have to
keep a positive mindset.”
ElShorbagy
will face India’s World No.11 Saurav Ghosal in the quarter finals on
Friday November 22 after he produced an immaculate performance to down
local favourite Tom Richards.
Ghosal produced a masterclass in speed and accuracy as he moved around
the court freely to punish any loose shots from the racket of Richards
and take an 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 victory in 37 minutes.
“He can fire shots from anywhere in the court, he’s got a good racket on
him, so I was trying to keep it away from the middle and use the four
corners, as deep as I could,” said Ghosal.
“I think I did pretty well with my game plan, but against a player like
him playing in his adopted club, you have got to be wary about him going
to come out and play out of his skin, so I tried to stay as focused as I
could. But I’m happy with a good length and depth, and happy to take it
3-0.”
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Richards Heads Up Quartet of English Wins on Day One of
Channel VAS
World
No.26 Tom Richards led a trio of fellow Englishmen into the second round
of the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill after he beat
compatriot Richie Fallows on day one of the PSA World Tour Gold
tournament taking place in Weybridge, England.
Richards, a local favourite who trains at the St. George’s Hill Lawn
Tennis Club where the tournament is taking place, was too clinical for
his opponent today as he utilised his knowledge of the court to his
advantage to down Fallows by an 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 margin.
“I’m lucky that I hit with guys that I know and like and I get to hit on
this court a lot, which is a big advantage I think, because it’s very
different to a lot of glass courts,” said Richards afterwards.
“The court is a lot different to how it plays normally. A couple of the
other players told me that it was a bit dead, I believed them but having
played on this court for years and years where it’s lively and bouncy,
it’s a bit of a shock.”
Richards will clash with India’s World No.11 Saurav Ghosal in round two
tomorrow.
Joining
him in the second round is Nottingham-born Declan James who conquered
wildcard Joe Lee in a tough battle to advance.
Lee was making his first appearance at a PSA event in over two years
after suffering with a serious back injury that saw him require two
operations. The wildcard displayed a stellar performance on his comeback
on his home court, however, to put pressure on James, but it was the
World No.22 who was able to prevail in three games.
James will take on World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar for a place in the
quarter finals tomorrow in their first meeting since the Englishman
claimed a shock win over the Egyptian at the DPD Open earlier this year.
“It doesn’t matter that Joe has had time out, I have huge respect for
him,” said James. “Today, I knew that anything less than my best or 100%
mental concentration then he would lap it up because it’s his home court
and there is no pressure on him.
“I put pressure on myself and I expect a lot from myself so I’m very
happy to win a match like this and be intense for the whole time. It was
very hard, even though it was 3-0.”
World
No.42 George Parker(right) and former World No.9 Daryl Selby were the
other Englishmen to claim wins on day one after they defeated France’s
Lucas Serme and Mexico’s Arturo Salazar, respectively.
The longest match of the day saw Egypt’s Youssef Soliman and Spain’s
Borja Golan go head-to-head in a gruelling 81-minute fixture with the
Egyptian pushing through an injury struggle to book a second round slot
against top seed and World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy.
The match saw both players push each other to their limits with some
gruelling rallies on show. However, it was Soliman, who is 14 years
younger than the experienced Golan, who was able to take the advantage
and hold his nerve to convert the victory.
“He’s one of the most experienced players on tour,” said Bristol-based
Soliman afterwards. “I knew it was always going to be a tough match. It
doesn’t matter how old he is, physically he is so good and he always
finds a way. I’m really happy to close out the fifth game.
“In the second game, I had a problem with my shin, it was like my leg
was tight and planted in the floor, I just couldn't move. I saw myself
having to retire. But the physio, worked on it and just released the
tightness and I was able to go back on court.”
Also advancing to the second round was Soliman’s compatriot Mazen Hesham
after he also saw his match go the distance to five-games against
England’s Chris Simpson.
The talented Egyptian was forced to battle from 2-1 down against the
English World No.45 to reach the last 16 in a topsy turvy match between
the two players with the momentum constantly shifting.
Hesham started confidently to take the first game, before Simpson
displayed his own shot-making abilities to absorb the pressure and take
a 2-1 lead. It was not enough though as Hesham regained his composure to
take the match in five and will now face Peru’s Diego Elias in the last
16.
“I’m really happy to be stood here,” said Hesham following his win. “I
really love playing and I cherish every moment now to be honest. I’ve
started to really enjoy my game and I think I’ve started to find my
range a bit more, I’m playing faster and getting better each
tournament.”
Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng and France’s Mathieu Castagnet were the other
victors of the day as they overcame Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi and
Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu respectively, to advance at the English
tournament.
The second round of the Channel VAS Championships begins tomorrow
(Wednesday November 20) at 17:30 local time (GMT) when the top half of
the draw – including World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy and Peru’s World No.7
Diego Elias – begin their tournaments. |
ElShorbagy and Gawad Seeded to Meet in Blockbuster
Channel VAS Championships Final
World
No.2 and 2017 winner Mohamed ElShorbagy is set to face World No.4 Karim
Abdel Gawad in a mouthwatering title decider during the Channel VAS
Championships at St. George’s Hill, which takes place in Weybridge
between November 19-24.
This will be the fifth edition of the PSA World Tour Gold tournament,
which will be staged at the St. George’s Hill Lawn and Tennis Club,
where a total prize fund of $106,000 will be on offer.
ElShorbagy is the No.1 seed for the tournament once again, with fellow
Egyptians Gawad, Mohamed Abouelghar and Marwan ElShorbagy also featured
in the draw.
The World No.2 has been drawn to meet Peru’s Diego Elias in the semi
finals, while Gawad is seeded to meet 2016 winner Paul Coll in the
bottom half of the draw.
The Kiwi caused a shock when he rose through qualifying to take the
title, and he will return to Weybridge in November, where he will face
either Arturo Salazar or Daryl Selby in the second round after receiving
a first round bye.
Selby is one of seven Englishman to feature in the event alongside World
No.20 Declan James, World No.23 Tom Richards, World No.40 George Parker,
World No.42 Chris Simpson, World No.50 Richie Fallows and the
tournament’s wildcard, Joe Lee, a former World No.29 who is set to make
his first PSA appearance since May 2017.
India’s Saurav Ghosal and Welshman Joel Makin are the No.7 and No.8
seeds, respectively, and they are expected to face ElShorbagy and Coll
in the quarter finals.
All matches will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World), Eurosport
Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World
Tour (excluding Europe and Japan).
Tickets can be purchased from
Ticketmaster, with prices starting at
£16.85.
Squash fans can follow the tournament on
Twitter and
Facebook and also at the
official tournament website.
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