Impressive squash from Paul Coll as he despatches Marwan ElShorbagy in three
[4] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-0 [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (Egy) 11-7, 11-9, 11-3 (45m)
WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH PAUL COLL???
Jzzz, what a display today. The boy is oozing with confidence at the front of the court. No seriously, he is playing with such a natural racquet swing, it was pretty incredible to watch. I cannot BELIEVE the transformation in the New Zealander’s game in a couple of years.
First game, not that close, 10/4 game ball Paul, Marwan giving it a big push but Superman closing it 11/7 in 13m.
The second is a classic. Each rally is a battle, from first strike to the last. Marwan is a bit unlucky to get the wrong end of a few enormous rallies, but at 8/8 it’s anybody’s game, and we feel, with the way Paul’s exuding confidence, that Marwan has got to take that crucial second. But it wasn’t to be for the Egyptian, who bows 11/9 in 20 long minutes.
The last game sees a very positive start from Marwan, 2/0, then, 2/2, 3/3 but not a single more point on Marwan’s scoreboard, and it’s 11/3 for Superman in 7m…
Incredible display of squash tonight from Paul. Truly.
Winning the British Open gave me a lot of confidence. I’ve struggled with Marwan in the past and he’s beating me in the head-to-head. I was extremely happy with that performance tonight. I had a tough one a couple of days ago but I’m really happy to come through that in three against a really classy opponent.
I’ve been working on using the front of the court a lot. My coach is one of the best in that area I think. In the last month we’ve done a lot of work on it, some sharp work at the front and it really paid off tonight. It was tricky conditions out there, a lot of wind blowing, but I was timing it really well and was comfortable taking it short. It was one of those performances that just clicks tonight.
