QF: Joel solid against Mo 3/0

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[4] Joel Makin (WAL) 3-0 [6] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 11-3, 11-4, 11-8 (48m)

Dejected. Mohamed was really not happy getting older tonight. Despite working his racquet off, he didn’t manage to score more than 7 points in two games. And the fact that each game was 15m didn’t impress him a bit. “I think my quality is better than 11/4, 11/4, Fram. Even on an off day, I can win more than 4 points per game.”

As I saw him in Optasia giving Paul a heck of a ride in the semis, nearly taking the NZ out of the event, I see why he would be disappointed with tonight performance. Long rallies, but errors at the end of them, I counted 7 unforced errors in the 2nd alone.

But did he throw the towel? Down 2/0, he took the game to his opponent, producing some sublime squash, stepping up the court, volleying more, findind perfect winners at the back, and taking a good lead in that third, 4/1, 7/3.

I guess a bit of fatigue at that point, he rushed two points, getting Joel back in the game, and the Welsh just strung the points nicely to 10/7, 7 in a row. Mohamed used his incredible reflexes to save one match ball but bowed to the second, 11/8 in 15m…

Mohamed : He was just really sharp today. I had an off day, to be honest, I’m getting older, and I have to accept it.

It’s weird, because I was really great this week, I was feeling I was moving really well, even in my head in the morning, I was feeling good. I really didn’t expect to find myself down 11/4, 11/4. I think my quality is better than 11/4, 11/4. Even on an off day, I can win more than 4 points per game.

No, the score says the real story: 11/4, 11/4, 11/7, 3/0.

He was so much better, he was so much sharper and up for it. I was also up for it, but what I wanted to do on court didn’t really happen. And I need to accept that last week, I could play like I did against Paul, I can play that way, and then, days like today, it can happen like that.

Still, even with a day like this, I’m still dangerous. He still had to play really well to do that. And when I’m saying I had an off day, it doesn’t mean my level is 50 in the world. My level is still pretty high, I’m still top 10, top 15. My bad days are still very much better than a lot of players good days!

He still had to be really sharp to finish me off this way. It’s actually the sharpest I’ve seen him against me. He is playing the best season of his career, and I’m really happy to see that with him. I get along really well with him now, over the years we grew close together, so I’m really happy to see him play that well.

I think it’s the first time he is top 4 in a Platinum, he is taking his chances very very well, he made the semis, nothing gets bigger than playing Ali here in the semis. I hope he can play a good match with Ali.

Joel : “I dialled in a lot more there.

“I was very very happy with my lines. Mohamed is very, very clever, that’s why he is who he is. I knew he’d switch it in the third. I’ve never seen someone attack the back wall nick like that, that was quite bizarre. But he has a skill level where he can be disrupting with it, so I’m very happy in the end.

“He was tidying up really well on the backhand side so he wasn’t giving me any chance to step forward. If I had space around the ball then I was attacking much better than I have been in the last few days. That’s an attacking brand of squash but doing it are the right times.

“I play the sport to challenge at the top of the game. Ali [Farag] has established himself as a great of the game. All the World’s he’s won and all the time he’s been at No.1. I have massive respect for him but these are the matches I want to get stuck into and hopefully get another win.”