Top two seeds turn up the power to come through in Cartagena
By SEAN REUTHE
World No.1 Mohamed Elshorbagy lines up against No.4 Omar Mosaad in an all-Egyptian final of the 2016 Taeq SquashColombia PSA Open final. Elshorbagy had to overcome the tough mental challenge of beating his brother, Marwan, while Mosaad had to negotiate the equally difficult challenge posed by the talented Tarek Momen in an open-air arena in Cartagena.
Mohamed adopted an aggressive, attacking tactic from the outset to overpower the younger Elshorbagy in the opening two games but Marwan found his way back into the match after coming out on top in a scrappy third.
However, Mohamed responded by ramping up the pace and eventually prevailed to claim a hard fought 11-4, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8 victory and seal his spot in a 32nd career PSA World Tour final.
“The hardest person I can play is my brother,” said Mohamed. “Today we had to play against each other which was so difficult. Trying to beat my brother is emotionally difficult and it takes so much out of both of us. I thought he played so well; it’s the best he has ever played against me.
“I thought I had him a little bit in the third but then he played a lot better at the end of that game and he made it so difficult in the fourth game. I knew that the longer the match was getting, the better he was playing and the more my energy was dropping.
“He has been in good form at the start of this year and, once he gets things right mentally, he is for sure one of the top guys now.”
Mosaad, meanwhile, fought fatigue and humid conditions to mount a stunning comeback against compatriot Momen.
The 27-year-old was put under immediate pressure by a ruthless Momen in the opening exchanges and looked to be struggling physically as he succumbed to a two-game deficit.
The tall Mosaad (right), known as The Hammer of Thor, fought back in a virtuoso display full to the brim with tenacity and determination as he triumphed courtesy of an 8-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 scoreline.
“This is the third time I have played Tarek in the last year,” said Mosaad.
“He played really well in the first two games and I thought that the match would be ending soon but in the third game I started to play well and I started to lead. I changed my style and my tactics a little bit and it worked in the third and fourth games.
“After the fourth I started thinking that, now it was 2-2, I could go on and win the match so I started to focus again and take things step-by-step, point-by-point and I’m happy to make it and reach the final.”
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Mohamed Elshorbagy later posted on Facebook: “Never easy to play your brother..I guess it’s a feeling not many people would understand trying to beat your brother at a top level…We both gave it everything and my brother showed why he is now considered as one of the top guys on tour and I am very proud of him.
“One day he is going to beat me and I will have to accept that, but as for now I have the final this evening against a good friend who showed his strong character last night that I admire and inspires me.
Hopefully Mosaad and me can give something special to the Colombian crowd this evening!”
$115,000 Men’s Taeq PSA Squash Colombia Open 2016, Plaza de la Aduana, Cartagena, Colombia
Semi-Finals:
[1] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) bt [5] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8 (61m)
[2] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [4] Tarek Momen (EGY) 3-2: 8-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 (98m)
Final:
[1] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) v [2] Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Pictures courtesy of PSA