R2: Ali 3-2 Greg

[4] Ali Farag (Egy) 3-2 Greg Lobban (Sco) 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 (60m)

OF COURSE, this match, like the one next door Tarek/Pat was bound to go to five.

Greg Lobban manage to contain the World Champion during long periods and it’s a “I am not losing in the first round of El Gouna” Farag that managed to close up the 5th…

Anywhere else, I feel he might have let go of that match, it’s the end of a very long season…

Ali

I am very very proud to be honest. I came out, I thought I was tired, but that I was up for it mentally. I didn’t play my best squash, but all credit to Greg, he came out with a plan, he slowed the ball down, he didn’t give me a lot of opportunities to attack, or to put pressure on him. He kind of nullified all of my strength. 

He was taking his shots very very well, and very clinically. I was telling Nour and Engy between games, sorry about the fight today, I can’t find my best squash, but still, I’m going to run, I’m going to make  it hard physically, and then if I lose I lose but then.

The fact I ended up winning against the kind of squash he was playing is something I’m very proud of. 

No, no rest day tomorrow, the last match on, probably around midnight…

I’m playing Youssef Soliman on the glasscourt. It’s very different conditions of course, in Gouna, it’s quite cold here (in the squash centre), and warm on the glasscourt. So the court take more the shots than outside!

It’s a completely different tournament starting tomorrow, different court, different conditions, someone I’m very familiar with, who is very familiar with me. Another tough one, again he knows how to nullify my strength, I like to think that I do as well, so a very interesting match, who is going to implement the game plan better. But I hope I can do well.