Coll downed in final by Asal once again
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
World No 2 Paul Coll has been beaten in the final of the Windy City Open in Chicago by top ranked Mostafa Asal in an 84 minute contest in straight games.
The conclusion to the tournament in Chicago saw Coll and Asal meet for the 23rd time in their careers, with their last three meetings coming in a final. Asal, who had got the better of Coll 15 times was able to take a commanding 4-1 lead in the first.
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Despite Coll’s best efforts, bringing the game back to 4-4, Asal was able to reaffirm his control of the contest, winning seven of the next eight points, to claim the first 11-5 after 21 minutes.
The second game seemed to follow a similar pattern to the opener, with Asal once again taking a 4-2 lead. However, unlike the first, the Kiwi was able to battle back against the World No.1 to take charge of the second, holding an 8-5 advantage.
With momentum in the New Zealand No.1’s favour, his run would be cut short, with the second game taking a 15-minute pause, due to a contributed injury, following a collision between the two players.
Asal, who took the brunt of the injury to the knee and received treatment during the stoppage, did not require the entire break to return to play. With play resuming, Asal was able to use the stoppage to his advantage. The World No.1 was able to win the next four points to reaffirm his dominance in the contest, leading 9-8.
Frustrations began to appear for the World No.2, who let out a yell, with numerous referee interferences – stopping momentum from building.
An additional stoppage would occur, with Asal requiring treatment once again for a blood injury, requiring the World No.1’s knee to be wrapped up, totalling the time stopped in the second to 13 minutes.
Asal was able to return to play, and despite a challenge from Coll, who took it to a tie break, the Egyptian overcame the pressures to maintain his 19-match streak without dropping a game, winning 12-10.
Moving into the third, it seemed that Coll was able to regain his focus, taking a commanding 4-2 lead. However, the gap proved once again not to be great enough, with the World No.1 bouncing back to level the scores to 4-4.
Coll would once again take a two-point lead, 6-4, but Asal would once again be able to regain control of the contest, leading 9-7. Asal would then power through to continue his winning streak and clinch his fifth major of the season.