Egypt’s Mohamed El-Shorbagy will compete against France’s Gregory Gaultier in the 2016 El-Gouna International Squash Open final on Friday.
On Wednesday the squash tournament celebrated the completion of the quarterfinal matches.
In the opening match, Colombia’s Miguel Angel Rodriguez defeated Egypt’s Omar Mosaad, with scores of 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 12-10, and the final result of 3-1. Rodriguez qualified for the semifinals.
The second match was between El-Shorbagy and Germany’s Simon Rosner. The victory went to El-Shorbagy, with the scores of 11-8, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4, and the final result of 3-1, pushing El-Shorbagy to the semifinals.
El-Shorbagy said performing in El-Gouna’s weather was not by any means easy, as the weather was windy and dusty.
The third and most exciting match was between two Egyptian players, Fares Dessuki and Marwan El-Shorbagy. Dessuki won against his compatriot, with the following scores: 10-12, 11-13, 11-3, 14-12, 12-10. The final result of 3-2 went in Dessuki’s favor, leading him to the semifinals.
Dessuki was persistent on winning, despite losing the match’s first two games. During the match, he stumbled and fell to the floor, but was resilient and stood up and continued to play.
As both players were Egyptian, the audience was divided between fans in favor of Dessuki and Marwan El-Shorbagy, which added spirit to the match.
The final match was between Egypt’s Ali Farag and France’s Gregory Gaultier. The victory was for Gaultier, due to the following scores: 4-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-4, 11-4. Gaultier qualified for the final, thanks to the final result of 3-2, which went in his favor.
Although Farag lost, the result is prestigious for him, as he is ranked 11th internationally, while Gaultier is ranked 2nd.
On Thursday, El-Gouna concluded the two semifinals matches.
The first match was between El-Shorbagy and Rodriguez, where the victory went to El-Shorbagy, with the scores of 11-7, 11-4, 11-5, and the final score of 3-0.
Both players also faced each other in the 2016 Allam British Open’s quarterfinals, where El-Shorbagy defeated Rodriguez with a score of 3-0.
El-Shorbagy also defeated Rodriguez with a score of 3-0 in the 2016 Windy City Open’s semifinals.
In El-Gouna’s tournament, the semifinal’s second match was between Dessuki and Gaultier.
Dessuki lost to Gaultier, with the following results: 11-7, 4-11, 7-11, 3-11, and the final result of 3-1. Despite his loss, the result is significant for Dessuki, as he is ranked 21st internationally.
