Mostafa Asal (left) in action against Marwan ElShorbagy.
Doha: World No.1 Mostafa Asal stormed into his third consecutive Qatar Classic final with a crushing straight-games win over England’s Marwan ElShorbagy at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha yesterday.
The top seed needed just 33 minutes to dispatch the seventh seed ElShorbagy, securing a dominant 11-3, 11-1, 11-3 win while dropping only seven points in his pursuit of a maiden Qatar Classic title.
“I’m pleased. Marwan, it’s amazing to see him in the semis. I just produced squash today. I was heated up after the last match,” Asal said after the win.
The Egyptian added: “I was living my best life and came straight back in. I’m really pleased with my performance today. It was sharp, it was accurate and I’m looking forward to the final.”
Standing between Asal and the title is France’s Victor Crouin, who reached his first major PSA final since the 2022 Qatar Classic after defeating former champion Karim Abdel Gawad 11-2, 11-7, 9-11, 14-12 in 75 minutes.
World No.5 Crouin made a strong start, taking the opening game in just seven minutes and establishing a commanding advantage against fourth seed Gawad who won the title in Qatar 10 years ago.
Gawad tried to make a comeback in the third game with a 11-9 score, but the Frenchman sealed the deal despite a strong resistance in the fourth game to book his place in the title-clash.
“I felt pretty good this morning waking up. I felt good and it gave me the edge at the beginning of the match, to come out super strong, which I even surprised myself with,” Crouin said.
“I missed the Qatar Classic the last two years, so I’m not going to miss it again because I clearly play well here. I’m looking forward to a good final again tomorrow against Mostafa. It’s one more push, it’s a final, it’s a special day and I’m going to give it my all.”
In the women’s final, defending champion Hania El Hammamy will face compatriot Amina Orfi, with the Qatar Classic title and the World No.1 ranking both at stake.
Top seed and World No.1 El Hammamy survived an 87-minute five-game thriller against Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam, winning 8-11, 11-9, 15-13, 9-11, 12-10.
Orfi booked her place in the final with a 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 victory over England’s Jasmine Hutton to book a place her maiden Qatar Classic final.
