Coll reaches semifinals at Hong Kong Open
- editor59343
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
New Zealand squash pro Paul Coll has won his way into the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open after beating sevneth rankedMarwan ElShorbagy in straight games.
Coll, who won the Hong Kong Open in 2023, was in flawless form as he raced through to win his quarterfinal by an 11-5, 11-1, 11-6 scoreline.
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Second ranked Coll controlled the opening two games, peppering the front left corner with a series of accurate drop shots after opening the court up and pushing ElShorbagy deep into the back two corners.
Coll raced into a two-game lead after just 15 minutes of play, with ElShorbagy struggling to match the intensity of his opponent.
England No.1 ElShorbagy put up more resistance in the third game, managing to get a foothold on the ’T’ and move into the mid stages of the game at 6-6. However, it was Coll who came on strong from this point on, claiming five straight points to book his spot in the semi-finals of the Platinum event.
“It was a bit annoying to do what I did the other day, but I didn’t need to drastically change anything, I thought I was playing well there so I’m happy,” said Coll.
“I love Hong Kong. There are a lot of Kiwis out here, so I always enjoy playing here. I’m looking forward to another semifinal here.”
The Greymouth player will face Yousseef Ibrahmi in the last four in Hong Kong.
A couple of weeks ago Coll was beaten by the Egyptian in the quarterfinals of their last tournament, the China Open in November