[6] Diego Elias -07- (PER) def [13] Fares Dessouky -13- (EGY)
[vector_icon icon=”fas fa-check-circle”] Round-of-16 Score: 10-12, 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (56m)
Match recap from Squash Announcer Andy Taylor, Voice of the 2019 PSA Mens World Championship.
The Peruvian Puma earned his first Platinum Semifinal run on this court a year ago, upsetting World #1 Mohamed Elshorbagy in the Quarterfinals of last season’s Qatar Classic. Last month at the US Open, with wins over Joel Makin and Karim Abdel Gawad, he reached the Final-4 of a Platinum for the second time.
After an early exit at the Egyptian Open just 2-weeks-ago, Diego returned to Doha determined to prove he can consistently battle deep into the sport’s most prestigious draws – specifically the World Championship, where before tonight he’d never made it past Round-2.
Standing in his way – “Fearless” Fares Dessouky. The two have a contentious history.
Where the rift began…
Their most talked-about dust-up happened two seasons back in El Gouna. It was a Quarterfinal clash, interrupted by a rare Egyptian thunderstorm – with lightening that rivaled the fireworks on court. After a long delay, the match moved indoors – where the storm continued. Both grew increasingly irritated with each other’s movement. After 2-hours and 7-minutes, Dessouky emerged the victor in a 4th-game tiebreak – but the on-court entanglements left their mark. Even today, the two maintain a distant relationship in the locker room.
After tonight’s win, Diego acknowledged his ongoing “rift” with Fares – but concluded that perhaps the conflict was healthy from a competitive perspective. It’s hard to disagree. In individual athletics, the most memorable battles are between talents who have a history of authentic disdain.
Elias now owns a 3-2 record against Dessouky.
From a fan perspective, this is a rivalry worth following
► Nov 2019 | Diego Elias def Fares Dessouky | R3 World Championship – Score: 10-12, 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (56m)
► Sep 2017 | Diego Elias def Fares Dessouky | R1 NetSuite Open – Score: 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 (54m)
► Apr 2017 | Fares Dessouky def Diego Elias | QF El Gouna International Open – Score: 11-7, 7-11, 12-10, 12-10 (127m)
► Mar 2016 | Diego Elias def Fares Dessouky | R1 Windy City Open – Score: 7-11 11-3, 11-6, 11-9 (57m)
► Oct 2015 | Fares Dessouky def Diego Elias | R1 US Open – Score: 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-5 (72m)
Announcer Corner | Player Introductions
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[6] Diego Elias -07- (PER)
On Saturday, this 22-year-old earned a 5-game victory over Greg Lobban to reach the Round of 16 at the PSA World Championship for the first time. Over the Summer – at home in Peru – he captured Individual Gold at the Pan American Games, defeating the “Colombian Cannonball” Miguel Rodriguez in the championship match. And just last month, became the first South American Semifinalist in the history of the US Open, defeating World #4 Karim Abdel Gawad to reach the Final-4. At last year’s Qatar Classic, he earned the biggest win of his career – upsetting Mohamed Elshorbagy in 5-games to make his Platinum Semifinal debut. He owns 6 PSA Tour titles, is a 13-time Finalist on Tour, and is back in Doha with a career-high ranking of World #7. He is the Peruvian Puma, Diego Elias.
▲ R2 — def Greg Lobban -29- (SCO) | Score: 6-11, 11-3, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4 (59m) | RECAP
▲ R1 — def Ivan Yuen -44- (MAS) | Score: 11-8, 11-9, 14-12 (45m) | RECAP
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[13] Fares Dessouky -13- (EGY)
A 3-time Platinum Semifinalist – and Quarterfinalist at the 2016 World Championship – this 25-year-old owns 2 PSA titles, has reached 6 career Finals, and has been ranked as high as World #8. And his…is a story of tremendous perseverance. 2-years-ago, while playing the best squash of his career, a knee-injury took him away from the game for 14-months. But this past January, he made his return at the CCI International in India – where remarkably, he reached the championship match in his first event back on Tour. But he wasn’t done – At El Gouna, he upset Mohamed ElShorbagy to reach the Semifinals – and by season’s-end, he reclaimed his spot in the PSA’s top-15. Competing in his 6th PSA World Championship, he’s back in the Round of 16 for a 4th time. From Egypt, this is Fearless Fares Dessouky.
► Dessouky just reached his 9th career Platinum Quarterfinal at the Egyptian Open with wins over Rösner and Ghosal
▲ R2 — def Edmon Lopez -56- (ESP) | Score: 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 (23m) | RECAP
▲ R1 — def Eain Yow Ng -32- (MAS) | Score: 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 (58m) | RECAP
