Veer Chotrani (Ind) 3-0 Moustafa Elsirty (Egy) 11-7, 11-5, 11-3 (33m)
I knew coming into this match that it was going to be tough. Mustafa is one of the most physical guys. He dominates the court with his body. Let’s put it that way. So I needed, of course, to stretch him out around the court, move him around, and be accurate. But I also knew he’s going through a tough injury right now. Clearly, I think he has a tear in his hamstring, which is a brutal injury. I knew coming into the match that he was struggling with something, but I wasn’t sure of his level. He actually played okay in the first game, but towards the end of it I could see he stopped moving on his right leg. It was all on the left. After that, of course, he was just not in it. I wish him a quick recovery, but nevertheless I’m happy: I won in the second round.
Tomorrow, I’m very, very excited. I’m playing Mohamed Shorbagy, for the first time. Alhamdulillah. He’s one of the greatest of all time, and I’ve looked up to him ever since I was a kid. But tomorrow I don’t want to think about who I’m playing. I just want to play my game and enjoy it. I’ve trained with him a few times in the summer in Prague, so we know each other pretty well. But I’m just going to recover tonight, have some fun, and then focus on my match tomorrow. I’m very, very excited.
