[5] Simon Rösner -06- (GER) def [11] Joel Makin -12- (WAL)
[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-check-circle”] Round-of-16 Score: 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (47m)
Match recap from Squash Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the 2019 PSA Mens World Championship.
No question, today’s Round-3 win was another huge Doha victory for Simon Rösner.
Two years back, the German Tree Chopper reached his first Platinum Semifinal on this court — and just 2-months later, captured his first Platinum title at the Tournament of Champions. At last season’s Qatar Classic, he faced Ali Farag in the championship match – just 3-weeks after facing Mohamed Elshorbagy in the US Open Final. Serious results that sprung from his Quarterfinal upset of Marwan Elshorbagy at the 2017 Qatar Classic.
That said, results have been tepid this season. He fell early in Nantes and San Francisco. Up a game on Tarek Momen in the US Open Quarters, Rösner lost the next 3-games and was sent packing. At the Egyptian Open, Fares Dessouky defeated the German in four games – knocking Rösner out of the season’s second Platinum in Simon’s opening match. Still inside the top-10, over the past 11-months he’s watched his ranking fall from a career high #3 to World #6.
Meanwhile, Joel Makin has become one of the sport’s “next big studs.” Back in Doha with a career-high ranking of World #12, the top-ranked Welshman just reached his first Platinum Semifinal in Giza – after upsetting Tarek Momen in his opening match. Derailing Joel’s relentless momentum – especially in straight-games – must be an adrenaline-fueled confidence boost for Rösner.
Rösner still undefeated against Makin
This afternoon’s match was only the second tour-level meeting between Simon and Joel. Their last PSA World Tour clash was a 71-minute, 4-game battle in the Quarterfinals of last season’s China Open. Joel has been able to take down top Egyptians like Tarek Momen and Mohamed Elshorbagy, but has yet to scalp the determined German.
► Nov 2019 | Simon Rösner def Joel Makin | R3 World Championship – Score: 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (47m)
► Sep 2018 | Simon Rösner def Joel Makin | FF European Club Championship – Score: 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8 (55m)
► Sep 2018 | Simon Rösner def Joel Makin | QF China Open – Score: 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6 (71m)
► May 2018 | Simon Rösner def Joel Makin | — European Team Championship – Score: 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 (49m)
Announcer Corner | Player Introductions
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[5] Simon Rösner -06- (GER)
A Semifinalist last season at the World Championship in Chicago, this 32-year-old owns 9 PSA Tour titles and has made tremendous runs at the Majors – after a career break-through on this court 2-years-ago. At the 2017 Qatar Classic, he defeated World #6 Marwan Elshorbagy to reach his 1st-career Platinum Semifinal. That spark, turned into a raging inferno. 2-months later, he captured his first Platinum title at the Tournament of Champions. Now a 3-time Major Finalist, he’s been ranked as high as World #3, is the reigning World Games Gold Medalist, and has reached the season-finale PSA World Tour Finals 6-times. Back in Round-3 in his 12th PSA World Championship – He is the German Tree Chopper, Simon Rösner.
► Last season, Rösner reached back-to-back Platinum Finals at the US Open and Qatar Classic
► Should it happen, a Quarterfinal victory this week would be Simon Rösner’s 300th career match victory on the PSA World Tour.
▲ R2 — def Declan James -22- (ENG) | Score: 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 (70m) | RECAP
▲ R1 — def Ben Coleman -53- (ENG) | Score: 12-10, 4-11, 11-2, 11-2 (55m) | RECAP
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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 is back in 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 11-days-ago, 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. In his first event this season, he picked-up right where he left off – reaching his 11th career PSA Final in Nantes. From Wales, back in Round-3 of the World Championship for a second-time – 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 versus eventual champion Karim Abdel Gawad was his 200th PSA Tour match.
▲ R2 — def Mohamed El Sherbini -51- (EGY) | Score: 11-3, 6-11, 11-9, 14-12 (74m) | RECAP
▲ R1 — def Richie Fallows -61- (ENG) | Score: 11-9, 11-2, 15-13 (49m) | RECAP
