Egypt’s Marwan El Shorbagy (right) in action against Mohammed El Shorbagy in yesterday’s PSA World Championship quarter-final at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
Ninth seed Marwan El Shorbagy stunned elder brother and top seed Mohammed El Shorbagy to emerge on top in the battle of El Shorbagy brothers and make it to the semi-finals of the PSA World Championships.
Twenty-six year-old Marwan, won the one hour battle for supremacy winning it 11-6, 2-11, 11-6, 3-11, 11-8.
He started in a brilliant fashion winning the first one and the third one while but in the second and fourth, Mohammed bounced back to win in a comfortable fashion to tie the score at two-all.
In the decider, Marwan again called the shots to put his experienced brother under pressure to win the fourth time in the 18 times they have met so far on the PSA circuit.
“In the second and fourth I had no answer to his game,” said Marwan after the match.
Marwan has been working with one of Mohamed’s biggest rivals - the now retired three-time World Champion Nick Matthew - since the summer and said the 37-year-old, alongside coach Haitham Effat, has been one of the key reasons for his superb form in this tournament.
“I have so much experience in my corner here, in Haitham and Nick and the way they speak to me between games, it motivates me and it pushes me,” Marwan said afterwards.
“It was five games in less than an hour, but I know it was really tough mentally for me.
“You need to be mentally tough to win matches against him. He has ten different game plans and he changes his game plans all the time, which makes it so difficult for his opponents,” he added.
“It is always a pleasure to win against him, not because he is my brother but he is one of the best player I have played against. He has played so many players of different generations and the experience has made him into a top player,” added Marwan, who list a world Championship final held in Manchester two years back.
Marwan joins compatriot World N0.3 Tarek Momen, who along with Paul Coll of New Zealand and Simon Rosner of Germany complete the last four line up in Doha.
Yesterday at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, the two-time world champion and top seed of the tournament went down by three games to two to the ninth seed of the championship.
He will take on Coll, who became the first Kiwi since the legendary Ross Norman in 1988 to reach the semi-finals after the World No.5 overcame Egypt’s Zahed Salem in straight games.
Coll came through a brutal 119-minute epic against 2015 runner-up Omar Mosaad in the previous round but showed very few signs of physical comfort as he completed an 11-8, 11-9, 11-6 victory in 47 minutes.
“I’m very happy to be in the semi-finals of a World Champs, it was something that was a minimum goal going into the tournament,” Coll said.
“I’ve got to put that behind me now, even though I’m very happy to be in the semi-finals, I don’t want to stop there. I’ve just got to regroup after this, enjoy the moment while it lasts and watch the match later.
In the other semi-final, Germany’s World No.6 Rösner will take on Momen.
The Egyptian got the better of World No.7 Diego Elias 11-6, 13-11, 11-6 in 36 minutes.
The Peruvian was making his first appearance in the quarter finals of the sport’s premiere event, and the nerves seem to get a hold of him in the opening exchanges, as Momen was the on to win the short, sharp rallies that started the match off.
“I know that Diego has been into a few semi finals before but maybe the World Championship is a little bit different. He has the experience of making it to the latter rounds, but maybe the good start that I had made the difference,” Momen said.
“I am really looking forward to playing Simon (Rösner) again, and I am hoping for another win to make it to another final at the World Championships. It would be unbelievable for me to make two finals in a row at the Worlds,” he added.
Earlier, Rosner reached his second successive World Championship semi-final after ending the charge of England’s James Willstrop 14-12, 11-6, 11-3.
“It’s mentally such a big difference whether you’re 1-0 up or down, especially when it’s that long and it goes to the tie-break,” Rösner said afterwards.
“I knew if I could win that first game, keep the intensity up and play fast squash then I would be able to push through and that’s exactly what happened.
“I was able to keep the intensity up, didn’t drop down and I’m glad I was able to work it out.
PSA World Championships: Yesterday’s results
(5) Simon Rösner (GER) bt James Willstrop (ENG) 3-0: 14-12, 11-6, 11-3
(2) Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [6] Diego Elias (PER) 3-0: 11-6, 13-11, 11-6
(4) Paul Coll (NZL) bt (14) Zahed Salem (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-9, 11-6
(9) Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt (1) Mohamed ElShorbagy (Egy) 11-6, 2-11, 11-6, 3-11, 11-8
Today’s semi-final matches
(5) Simon Rösner (GER) vs (2) Tarek Momen (EGY)
(4) Paul Coll (NZL) vs (9) Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
