[9] Marwan ElShorbagy -10- (EGY) def [7] Mohamed Abouelghar -08- (EGY)
[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-check-circle”] Round-of-16 Score: 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 (30m)
Match recap from Squash Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the 2019 PSA Mens World Championship.
Let’s be perfectly clear, Marwan Elshorbagy does not live in the shadow of his older brother. The human brain is programmed to constantly create comparisons — and because Marwan and Mohamed share the same blood, the casual fan can’t control the impulse to view their careers side-by-side.
They are two completely different talents who employ diverging tactics – yet remarkably, both have rocketed to the top of the sport. Think “Venus and Serena Williams,” Mohamed once told me. Two competely seperate styles of play, yet two tremendous atheletes who transcend the sport.
Marwan is a World Championship Finalist. Poetically, his Finalist run came 2-years-back in Manchester – where he faced Mohamed in the title match. The man is flexible – physically and mentally – and is most dangerous when he makes adjustments mid-match to counter the tactics of his opponent. He doesn’t muscle through opponents – he outwits them – which is highly entertaining to witness live.
After a 30-minute victory over Mohamed Abouelghar – who’s still finding his legs after injury kept him sidelined for the first two months of the season – Marwan will get another shot at outwitting his older brother. It will be their 23rd meeting since Marwan graduated from Juniors as the World #1 — their 18th meeting on the PSA World Tour. Marwan has won three of those 18 meetings, most recently in the Semifinals of El Gouna 2-seasons back – where he went-on to capture his first PSA Platinum title.
Marwan Elshorbagy remains undefeated against Mohamed Abouelghar
This was the 5th PSA World Tour meeting between Elshorbagy and Abouelghar. Last season at the Platinum event in El Gouna, their 2nd-Round match came down to a 5th-game tiebreak. And as Juniors, 7-years-ago, they met right here on this court in their second consecutive World Junior Championship Final.
► Nov’19 | Elshorbagy def Abouelghar | R3 World Championship – Score: 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 (30m)
► Apr’19 | Elshorbagy def Abouelghar | R2 El Gouna International Open – Score: 5-11, 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 13-11 (62m)
► Dec’17 | Elshorbagy def Abouelghar | FF Pakistan Open – Score: 11-3, 7-11, 11-5, 11-6 (38m)
► May’16 | Elshorbagy def Abouelghar | FF Houston Open – Score: 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3 (51m)
► Jul’12 | Elshorbagy def Abouelghar | FF *World Junior Championship (Qatar) – Score: 11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8 (48m)
► May’12 | Elshorbagy def Abouelghar | QL British Open – Score: 13-11, 11-4, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9 (59m)
► Jan’12 | Elshorbagy def Abouelghar | FF *British Junior U19 Open – Score: 11-3, 11-2, 11-7 (30m)
► Jul’11 | Elshorbagy def Abouelghar | FF *World Junior Championship – Score: 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (45m)
► Jan’10 | Elshorbagy def Abouelghar | FF *British Junior U17 Open – Score: 11-9, 12-10, 5-11, 11-4 (36m)
Announcer Corner | Player Introductions
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[9] Marwan ElShorbagy -10- (EGY)
He is a PSA World Championship Finalist. Two seasons back, in Manchester – he defeated defending World Champ Karim Abdel Gawad, then Ali Farag – before facing older brother Mohamed in the championship Final. That season, he went on to win 3-titles, including his first PSA Platinum in El Gouna – where he defeated brother Mohamed in the Semis, and Ali Farag in the Final. By season’s end, he leapt to a career-high ranking of World #3. Now a 20-time Finalist on Tour, he owns 10 PSA titles in all, and has reached the championship match of the Egyptian National Championship twice. Competing in his 9th PSA World Championship – He captured the World JUNIOR Championship title on this court 7-years-ago. From Egypt – He is Marwan Elshorbagy.
► Marwan is a 3-time Platinum Finalist: 2017 and 2018 Windy City Open and 2018 El Gouna Champion.
► He made his World Championship debut in Rotterdam-2011 as an 18-year-old qualifier ranked outide the top-50. He won both qualifiers, his Round-1 match, then upset Daryl Selby in a 92-minute, 5th-game tiebreak to reach the Quarterfinals…where he fell to James Willstrop.
► In 2012 here in Doha, he won both the World Junior Championship and the World Junior Team Championship for Egypt.
► Did not play for 7-months after the 2018 British Open, then made his return in January of 2019. In that abbreviated season, he reached the Semi’s of the Motor City Open, the Quarterfinals of the World Championship, the Semifinals in Toronto, then captured his 10th PSA title at the Wimbledon Club Open. After 7-months away, he dropped out of the PSA’s top-20 for a single month, before jumping right back up to World #11.
▲ R2 — def Nicolas Müller -27- (SUI) | Score: 5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 (40m) | RECAP
▲ R1 — def Arturo Salazar -41- (MEX) | Score: 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 (22m) | RECAP
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[7] Mohamed Abouelghar -08- (EGY)
He is an Egyptian National Champion (2015), and last season – delivered his best year on Tour. He started the season by earning his first career victory over Gregory Gautier, won titles at the China and Motor City Opens; and at the Platinums, reached the Quarterfinals four-times – climbing to a career-high ranking of World #7. He qualified for the PSA World Tour Finals for the first time, where he battled-through to the title-match in his year-end championship debut. A 16-time Finalist on Tour, he owns 10 PSA titles in all – and this afternoon, is making his 2nd conscutive Round of 16 appearance in his 8th PSA World Championship. The Finalist at the World Junior Championship here in Doha 7-years-ago – From Egypt, he is The Bullet, Mohamed Abouelghar.
► Before his Round-2 loss at the Egyptian Open 2-weeks-ago, Mohamed Abouelghar hadn’t played a match on Tour since last June’s World Tour Finals in Cairo. In Giza, after a 1st-Round Bye – he fell to Chris Simpson in 5-games.
► Mohamed Abouelghar had some huge wins last season:
- He defeated Gregory Gaultier for the first time, then Paul Coll to win the China Open.
- He knocked Karim Abdel Gawad out of the US Open, and earned a win over the 2016 World Champ at the World Tour Finals.
- Defeated Diego Ellias in the Final of the Motor City Open
- Upset World #1 Ali Farag at the Grasshopper Cup
▲ R2 — def Leo Au -30- (HKG) | Score: 3-2: 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 4-11, 12-10 (68m) | RECAP
▲ R1 — def Tayyab Aslam -60- (PAK) | Score: 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (25m) | RECAP
