[6] Karim Abdel Gawad -10- (EGY) def Eain Yow Ng -42- (MAS)
Match recap from Squash Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the Qatar Classic.
[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-check-circle”] Round-2 Final: 9-11, 11-13, 11-3, 11-4, 11-4 (61m)
Eain Yow Ng is just 20-years-old. Over the Summer, he went undefeated at the Asian Games Team Championship. Yesterday, in front of a packed house, he tactically dissected the World #24 and crowd-favorite Abdulla Al-Tamimi in straight sets. Today, competing in the 2nd-Round of a PSA Platinum event for the very first time, he delivered a memorable performance against 2016 Qatar Classic and World Champion, Karim Abdel Gawad.
Some would argue Gawad simply had trouble finding his rhythm in the first two games. But truthfully, Ng played tremendous squash, forcing Gawad to dig deeper into his bag of tricks. Squash fans know Gawad typically starts slow, and excels at coming from behind. But fans have also learned over the past year that Karim’s in-match resurgences are not always guaranteed. Last year, Simon Rösner went up 2-games on the Baby Faced Assassin in Round-2 here in Doha, and ultimately defeated the Egyptian (11-9) in game-4.
But today, Ng couldn’t find the German Tree Chopper’s punishing angles. Karim Abdel Gawad completed the comeback in just over an hour, advancing to Round-3 of the Qatar Classic for the 4th time.
Each player’s announcer introduction for today’s Round-2 match…
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[6] Karim Abdel Gawad -10- (EGY)
The season before last, this 27-year-old was simply unbeatable. He won the World Championship, then captured his first two PSA Platinum-level titles here in Qatar and at the Tournament of Champions. He went undefeated for over 3-months, winning 20 consecutive matches; and by season’s end, claimed the World #1 ranking for the first time. He now owns 18 career PSA titles, has reached 29 Finals, and his remarkable consistency has landed him in the PSA World Tour Finals two years running. Competing in his 8th Qatar Classic Squash Championship, he is a 4-time Platinum Finalist, and captured his first Platinum-level title on this court, with a 3-game victory over World #1 Mohamed ElShorbagy. From Egypt, please welcome 2016 Champion and the #10 Player in the World – The Baby-Faced Assassin – Karim Abdel Gawad.
▲ R1 — Bye
Karim Abdel Gawad’s unforgettable 2016-17 PSA Season
Karim Abdel Gawad’s 2016-17 season was extraordinary. He won the World Championship, earned his first two Platinum-level titles (including the Qatar Classic), and ultimately won 5 PSA titles in 8 championship matches. Crazy stuff, and tough for an announcer to highlight it all during a warm-up. Here are the highlights:
Aug-16 | F | 1st Platinum Final at Hong Kong Open
Sep-16 | W | Won 14th PSA title at the Al-Ahram International in Giza
Oct-16 | SF| US Open (3rd career Platinum SF), 1st career victory over Gregory Gaultier
Nov-16 | W | World Championship, 1st career victory over Mohamed ElShorbagy in the SF
Nov-16 | W | 1st Platinum title at the Qatar Classic, defeats ElShorbagy in the Final
Jan-17 | W | 2nd Platinum title at the Tournament of Champions, defeats Gaultier in the Final
Feb-17 | F | 26th Tour-level Final at the Swedish Open
Feb-17 | * | 20-match win streak through the Swedish Open SF (Lasted over 3-months)
Apr-17 | F | 4th Platinum Final at the El Gouna International
Apr-17 | W | 18th PSA title at the Houston Open
May-17 | * | Claims the World #1 Ranking
Jun-17 | * | 1st appearance in the World Tour Finals, where he reaches the Semifinals
Eain Yow Ng -42- (MAS)
Remarkably, last month this 20-year-old went undefeated at the Asian Games Team Championship, winning 7 consecutive matches, and lifting his country to the Gold Medal with a 3-game victory over Hong Kong’s Leo Au. He owns 3 PSA titles, is a 7-time Finalist on Tour, and comes into Doha with a career-high ranking of #42 in the World. Earlier this month, he made his PSA Platinum main draw debut at the US Open – and on Saturday, upset World #24 Abdulla Al Tamimi to reach the 2nd-Round of a Platinum event for the first time. Competing in his 2nd Qatar Classic Squash Championship – From Malaysia, please welcome Asian Games Team Championship Gold Medalist, Ng Eain Yow.
▲ R1 — def Abdulla Al Tamimi -24- (QAT) | Score: 11-3, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 (40m) | RECAP
