Movement continues to be a major issue as Ramy concedes to fellow Egyptian Omar Mosaad in Zurich
By NATHAN CLARKE in Zurich. Pictures by IRENA VANISOVA
World Champion Ramy Ashour’s hopes of winning back-to-back PSA World Tour tournaments came crashing down as he limped off court against compatriot Omar Mosaad during the quarter-finals of the 2015 Grasshopper Cup in Zurich’s Puls 5 venue.
Ashour defied all logic to come from two-games down to beat home favourite Nicolas Mueller in his first round match and Mosaad showed his intent from the opening point, taking the ball short at every opportunity to test Ashour’s movement following his first round battle, and it was a tactic that paid dividends.
The imposing World No.9 played with composure to take a two-game lead and while Ashour mounted a fightback to claw one game back, an awkward looking lunge during the third game left him anguishing and it proved to be the final nail in his tournament coffin, with the three-time World Champion and winner of last week’s El Gouna International conceding the match with Mosaad dominantly ahead 11-3, 11-8, 7-11, 9-4.
“Of course I am happy to reach the semi-finals but that is not the way I want to win and it is hard for me,” said Mosaad.
“I’m really sorry for what happened to Ramy. He played amazing in El Gouna last week but had a tough match against Nicolas Mueller last night, where I think he got injured, so I hope he has a speedy recovery.
“Tomorrow I play Simon Rösner and I will do my best and hopefully play well.”
Mosaad’s last four opponent came through a tough match against Indian qualifier Saurav Ghosal to book his berth in the semi-finals, struggling to find his best form during the encounter but managing enough to keep the Indian pocket rocket at bay, whilst top seed Gregory Gaultier, the World No.3, was in commanding form against England’s Daryl Selby.
The Frenchman controlled proceeding from the start in a scintillating performance, winning 3-0 in 45 minutes.
“Daryl is a great mover and he absorbs pressure really well so you always have to be on your toes and control the court against him and break his rhythm,” said Gaultier.
“I managed to move a little better today than the first round and play more accurately. I had a little bit more confidence today as well after the first round and I feel like I played quite well today.”
Gaultier will take on World No.5 Miguel Angel Rodriguez in the last four. The acrobatic Colombian No.3 seed overcame Mathieu Castagnet, recovering after losing the first game to beat the Frenchman 3-1 in 69 minutes.
Grasshopper Cup, Puls 5, Zurich (PSA International 70)
Results – Quarter-finals:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Daryl Selby (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (45m)
[3] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [8] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 3-1: 8-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-2 (69m)
[5] Simon Rösner (GER) bt [Q] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-1: 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 (71m)
[6] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) 11-3, 11-8, 7-11, 9-4 (Ashour retired)
Semi-finals:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [3] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
[5] Simon Rösner (GER) v [6] Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Pictures by IRENA VANISOVA