R1: Asal 3/0 Curtis

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[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) 3-0 Curtis Malik (ENG)  11-7, 11-4, 13-11 (59m)

PSA Report

World No.1 Mostafa Asal stretched his winning run to 25 matches on the PSA Squash Tour after defeating England’s Curtis Malik in a tricky three-game encounter.

The top seed, who has already picked up five major titles to his name this season, kick-started his quest for a third El Gouna title, a feat which would bring him level with legends Ramy Ashour and Ali Farag as the most decorated players in the event’s history.

The Egyptian was rarely troubled by World No.23 Malik over the opening two games, easing through 11-7 and 11-4 wins to sit within a game of the second round.

Malik upped his levels considerably in the third game, though, pushing up the court and going blow for blow with Asal. The Englishman’s more aggressive, front-footed game plan helped him earn an 8-5 lead and later save two match balls to send the third to a deserved tie-break.

As the clock ticked over the 30-minute mark for the third game, it was Asal who eventually managed to edge out Malik, clinching his fourth match ball to win 11-7, 11-4, 13-11 after 59 minutes of play.

Asal

“Curtis played some great tactics in the third. He came back strong – mentally, he is really strong. From 2-0 down, he came back, and I expected that, but not as much as he did in the third.

“It’s nice to be back in El Gouna and playing in front of my supporters. I was just enjoying the squash today. It’s good to have a good first round against a tough opponent.

“I’m just going to take it match by match, point by point. I’m really happy to be here and competing for the title again this year. El Gouna has been really nice to me in the past.”