Coll ousted in British Open semis
New Zealand squash No 1 Paul Coll has been beaten by Egypt’s Mostafa Asal in the British Open semifinals.
Asal showcased his determination as he came from behind to defeat two-time champion Coll in five games at Birmingham.
Coll was brilliant in the opening stages, controlling the tempo and hitting his targets at the front of the court to go a game ahead.
The second game initially looked to be going the same way as Coll took a 4-1 lead but Asal hit some quick winners to come back into the fixture and knocked Coll off his rhythm to draw level.
Coll recovered brilliantly, pushing on to restore his lead as Asal appeared to tire, with the Egyptian looking to go short and avoid playing long rallies with his opponent.
Asal made a dream start in the fourth as he took the first four points. A flurry of errors initially opened the door for Coll, but after eradicating those misses, Asal pulled away to level the scores at two games apiece.
Coll’s accuracy deserted him in the fifth game as he gave away a series of strokes and Asal powered ahead to win 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6.
Up next for Asal was a clash with world No 1 Ali Farag in the final.
“It’s a nightmare [to play Coll] but we have had some tough battles over the past four or five years and he’s an unbelievable athlete,” said Asal.
“He picks up every single ball and I have to hit five crosscourt nicks to win a rally. All credit to him and I can’t believe I won this match.
“He was unbelievable in the first game and you start thinking about other things that aren’t on the court.
“Jimbo [James Willstrop, Asal’s coach] said to give it one more push, and I fought until the end.
“It’s a big stage and it’s my second semifinal here at the British Open,” Asal said.