[11] Joel Makin -12- (WAL) def Mohamed El Sherbini -51- (EGY)
[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-check-circle”] Round-2 Score: 11-3, 6-11, 11-9, 14-12 (74m)
Match recap from Squash Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the 2019 PSA Mens World Championship.
Awkward ending to this one. With pressure mounting in a tight 4-game tiebreak – as often happens in squash, Joel Makin and Mohamed El Sherbini found themselves at odds with each other’s movement on court. Several referee decisions later, Joel Makin emerged the victor – however, Mohamed was insistant on a review of the final point. Because the referee had already called the match, his request was denied…repeatedly.
El Sherbini argued with the referee for several minutes, but in the end, conceded defeat after Mohamed Abouelghar’s compassionate intervention.
Look, it’s understandable. At 27-years-old, this was only Mohamed’s second World Championship. Years back, unlike a lot of Juniors who turn professional – his family didn’t have the resources to fly him all over the world in pursuit of titles. So, El Sherbini went to work, put himself through Grand Canyon University in the United States, and busted his tail to fund his own career. He’s a self-starter, which is inspiring.
Still an assistant coach at Harvard University in Boston, this is Mohamed’s first full season on Tour – and he was playing well against the World #12. It was frustrating to have the match come down to half dozen reviews in fourth game.
Announcer Corner | Player Introductions
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[11] Joel Makin -12- (WAL)
The #1 Player from Wales, this 25-year-old is competing in his 4th PSA World Championship – and returns to Doha with a career-high ranking of World #12. Last season, he reached his first Platinum Quarterfinal right here at the Qatar Classic – and just 9-days-ago, he reached his first Major Semifinal in front of the Pyramids of Giza. His career-best season last year saw him crack the PSA’s top-15 for the first time, and was emphatically punctuated by his triple-tiebreak upset of World #1 Mohamed Elshorbagy at the St. George’s Hill Classic. This season, he picked-up right where he left off – starting his campaign by reaching his 11th career PSA Final in Nantes. From Wales, he is the Golden Tiger, Joel Makin.
► At the Egyptian Open, after a 1st-Round Bye, he upset World #3 Tarek Momen in the 2nd-Round. It was his first career victory over Momen. The two met in last year’s Qatar Classic Quarterfinals, where Momen won in 4-games.
► His Semifinal in Egypt versus eventual champion Karim Abdel Gawad was his 200th PSA World Tour match.
▲ R1 — def Richie Fallows -61- (ENG) | Score: 11-9, 11-2, 15-13 (49m) | RECAP
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Mohamed El Sherbini -51- (EGY)
Competing in just his second PSA World Championship, this 27-year-old is making his Doha debut. Though he joined the PSA World Tour in 2013, he didn’t commit full-time to the sport until the 2016-17 season. And when he did, he was tremendous – capturing 4 consecutive titles, climbing nearly 300-spots in the PSA-rankings. In just 3 seasons, he is now an 11-time Finalist on Tour, and has captured the title in 10 of those championship matches. This is his first full-season on Tour, and he’s off-to-the-races again after reaching his 15th career Semifinal at Hong Kong’s FC International, and comes into this year’s World Championship with a career-high ranking of World #51. From Egypt – he is Mohamed El Sherbini.
► Mohamed ElSherbini is the cousin of 4-time World Champion Nour El Sherbini, who just captured her 4th World Championship title in Giza with a 4-game victory over Tarek Momen’s wife, Raneem El Welily.
▲ R1 — def Karim Ali Fathi -46- (EGY) | Score: 11-4, 3-0 RET (12m) | RECAP
