Mighty Momen Removes Mosaad In ToC Upset
by Howard Harding
photos PSA
January 14, 2017
- Unseeded Egyptian Tarek Momen despatched No.7 seed Omar Mosaad in
today's second round of the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions to end a
two-year losing streak to his closest national rival in the first PSA
World Series of the event of the year at Grand Central Terminal in New
York.
Both 28, the pair have been competing against each since they were
eight years old – appearing on the international stage for the first
time in the British Junior U13 Open final in 2001, then two years later
contesting the U15 final in England, on both occasions Momen emerging
victorious.
Momen was in sensational form in today's encounter on the all-glass
court in the Vanderbilt Hall, beating former world No.3 Mosaad 11-5,
11-8, 11-1 in 34 minutes – his first straight games Tour victory over
his rival.
"I'm over the moon with my performance – it's been a while since I've
been trying to come back," said the Cairo-based world No.8. "Last
year I lost to him three times, so this is unbelievable.
"The change came at the Al-Ahram event last September. I was training hard but not performing well.
"I had to take time off and change a few things. In addition to
my squash coaches Haitham Effat and Mohamed Abbas, I'm now working with
a new fitness coach Samy Farrag."
Recalling the early days with Mosaad, Momen admitted: "There was
much greater pressure in our matches then. For a long time, we
didn't even speak to each other!
"We are good friends now. For the past 20 years, there has never been more than an inch between us!"
Momen will now face Gregory Gaultier, the third seed from France who was champion in 2009 and twice a runner-up.
But the world No.3 dropped the opening two games as unseeded Fares
Dessouky looked set not only to deny Gaultier a place in the last eight
for the first time since 2004, but also set up an all-Egyptian top half
of the draw.
Undeterred, the experienced Frenchman – a former world number one who
lost his most recent battle with the Egyptian world No.12 – held his
nerve to take the next two games to draw level before clinching the
decider to close out the match 9-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 after 81
minutes.
"Today I was really focussed," said Gaultier. "It was a good
fight and I'm glad I was able to come back. I raised my game.
"I could see at the end of each game he was struggling."
The quarter-final crowd will be treated to an all-Elshorbagy clash
after Egyptian brothers Mohamed and Marwan Elshorbagy prevailed in
today's second round.
Fifth seed Marwan overcame a first game deficit – and an inferior
career head-to-head record – to beat South African Stephen Coppinger
and earn a place in the quarter-finals for the third time.
"I knew how hard this match would be," said the 23-year-old Egyptian
after his 4-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-7 victory in a minute less than an
hour. "So I'm very happy with the way I played."
It was in the last match of the day that older brother Mohamed
Elshorbagy battled to an 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 win in 44 minutes over
US-based Australian Ryan Cuskelly to take one step nearer to a
successful defence of his 2016 title.
It will be the pair's seventh meeting on the PSA World Tour – with
world No.1 Mohamed currently holding an unbeaten 6-0 record over his
younger sibling.
"I know he'll get me some time and I'll be very proud of him when he
does," Elshorbagy senior told event MC Will Carlin. "But I don't
want it to be at this tournament!"
Defending women's champion and top seed Nour El Sherbini eased into the
second round after seeing off Hong Kong's Joey Chan 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 in
30 minutes.
The 21-year-old from Egypt won the title for the first time last year
and four months later began her nine-month reign as world number one.
"It's never easy to play against Joey," said the title-holder.
"There is more pressure coming into the event as defending champion – it's really hard and it's a challenge
"But it's nice too. I try not to put too much pressure on myself – I just want to enjoy it."
El Sherbini will now face surprise opponent Salma Hany Ibrahim after
the 20-year-old qualifier, a compatriot, twice came from behind to
claim the scalp of England's 9th seed Alison Waters.
Londoner Waters, a runner-up in 2015, went down 8-11, 11-1, 11-13,
11-9, 11-2 in 62 minutes to hand a second round berth to Ibrahim for
the first time.
Malaysia's former world number one Nicol David took the shortest route
through to round two - beating career-long rival Jenny Duncalf, the
one-time world No.2 from England, in just 24 minutes.
David, the record eight-time world champion who topped the world
rankings for an unprecedented 109 months in a row, experienced the
worst year of her career last year when she failed to reach a single
final for the first time ever.
"2016 was my biggest learning year," explained 2014 champion David
after her 11-3, 11-3, 11-4 win. "You learn a lot about yourself
after a year like that – you find out what makes you you.
"I was happy with my performances in the last part of last year – things started to come together. I really enjoyed it."
Three months after winning the US Open title against expectations,
France's fifth seed Camille Serme was back in winning form to overcome
Welsh opponent Tesni Evans 11-4, 11-5, 11-7.
"Tesni is such a fighter – she gave everything," said the world No.4
from Creteil who is bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the third
year in a row.
"I'm loving playing here in this great location – I'm happy to be back in the US."
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY January 14, 2017
