[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) 3-0 [8] Marwan ElShorbagy (Eng) 15-13, 13-11, 11-7 (43m)
A back-and-forth first-game goes the way of fourth seed Gawad. At 9-4 up, the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ looked in complete control, but ElShorbagy fights back with six of the next seven points to force a tie-break. Three game balls subsequently come and go for the Englishman, before Gawad turns the tables to take the opener 15-13.
The second will be on the same wavelength, back and forth, with Karim closing the game 13/11. The third saw Marwan still trying at the start of the game, but Karim was so confident by then he was not to be stopped.
“Every time I had a lead, I dropped a few points. But I’m really pleased how I managed to close out the match. I’m looking forward to the semi-finals.
“I know Marwan can come back from anywhere. That’s exactly what happened in no time. I just had to keep my cool.”
