Paul Coll reaches final of Tour of Champions
- editor59343
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Squash world No.2 Paul Coll progressed to the final of the Tournament of Champions for the first time in his career after beating Diego Elias in a hard-fought battle 3-1.
A two-time semifinalist, Coll arrived into the tournament off the back of winning the Squash in the Land in Ceveland, and was able to continue his solid form into this year’s Tournament of Champions only dropping one game throughout.
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While his opponent Elias, who has made a strong start to 2026 since the return from his injury sustained in September, arrived into the tournament after reaching the final at the Motor City Open where he lost in the final to Marwan ElShorbagy.
Elias, who was looking to book his place in the final for the third consecutive time, started the better of the two, fighting hard against the Kiwi to win the opener 11-7.
However, this lead didn’t last long as the No.2 seed was able to claw his way back into the contest in another 13-minute battle, winning the second 11-6.
Momentum favoured the Kiwi, with his fitness and on court sharpness seemed to benefit him as he took control of the contest, winning the third game 11-2.
Despite the disappointing third game from Elias, it seemed that he wasn’t prepared to go down without a fight, as he pushed Coll to his limit in the fourth. And with the scores level at 7-7, it seemed that a potential fifth game was on the cards.
However, Coll was able to find another gear and widened the points gap to two points and eventually win 11-8 in the fourth.
“It is awesome, it is my first final here in New York, so I am very happy to be there. I am happy to see Diego [Elias] back on court, but it reminded me how hard it is to play when he is changing pace and holding me and stuff.
“It is good to see him back, and I am sure he will only get better and better. It was just about finding the balance between being patient and not being too passive, and attacking at the right times.
“He slowed it down in the fourth and it was a lot more harder to adjust it, not try to force it and yeah I am very happy.”
Coll will face top-ranked Mostafa Asal for the title.
The Egyptian has a 14-7 head-to-head lead over the West Coaster including winning their last three matches.
