Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation President Nasser Al Khelaifi presents the QTerminals Qatar Classic trophy to Mohamed ElShorbagy.
Doha: Egypt-born World Number 5 Mohamed ElShorbagy clinched his fourth QTerminals Qatar Classic title, first since he switched his nationality to England, as he defeated Frenchman Victor Crouin 3-1: 11-4, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8 in the final yesterday.
The victory, which came in 48 minutes at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, was the former World No.1’s first Platinum title since May 2021.
“I can’t express how I feel right now. It’s the first tournament of the season and Qatar has a special place in my heart,” ElShorbagy said after receiving the prestigious trophy from the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation President Nasser Al Khelaifi.
“It was the first ever Platinum event I won, here in 2013. Now, almost 10 years later, I’m winning my fourth title. It’s the place I’ve had the most success in my career and will always have a special place in my heart,”
ElShorbagy, who won the Qatar Classic title in 2017, 2015, and 2013, stepped onto the court yesterday as the clear favourite with a 2-0 head to head record against the Frenchman.
Incidentally, the duo has faced each other during the opening round of the 2019 PSA World Championship at the same venue where ElShorbagy advanced with a 3-0 win.
“I was speaking [to my coach, France’s former World No.1 Gregory Gaultier] before the match and I could hear how proud he was of Victor for making the final and how well he played. But at the same time I was reminding him ‘OK, we need a plan to beat him,” ElShorbagy said.
“To Victor [Crouin], I can’t express how happy Greg felt for you. As I said yesterday, France needed a superstar after [Thierry] Lincou and Greg. Victor is here for the long run and an amazing talent. I’m 100 percent sure this isn’t going to be the last time. He’s going to win this title many times, I’m sure,” ElShorbagy praised the fighting spirit of his opponent, who defeated Joel Makin and Tarek Momen alongside Patrick Rooney and Qatar’s Abdulla Mohamed Al Tamimi on his way to the final.
Yesterday, Crouin started positively by taking the first point and then trading rallies with ElShorbagy to go to level at 2-2 in the first game, but ElShorbagy’s experience and brilliance came into play thereafter as he stormed into a one game lead with an 11-4 win in eight minutes.
ElShorbagy continued to disrupt Crouin’s rhythm in game two as he went on to take the 2-0 game lead with a 11-6 scoreline.
Crouin fought back in the third game and tried to fight his way back to the encounter with his impressive attack in the third game by winning at 11-7. He tried to do the same in the fourth game, but ElShorbagy was determined for an early finish.
ElShorbagy had almost sealed the title by going 10-6 up, but Crouin continued to push the 31-year-old to his limit with longer rallies by playing positively to save two championship balls.
ElShorbagy then made a perfect drop to seal the win with an 11-8 score for his 45th overall title.
Crouin said: “It’s been a fantastic week. I’d never gone past the third round of a Platinum event, then reached my first quarter-final, the next day a first semi-final and today a final! Of course I wanted to go for the title today, but Mohamed (Al Tamimi) showed me the way for the next time I reach the final,”Crouin said after the match.
“I’ll learn a tonne from this match and the whole event. I’m especially proud of the way I played this week. If I can keep that level of squash up during the whole season I can really go up in the ranking, which is my goal now as a full-time professional. It’s been an amazing week and I want to thank the sponsors and organisers for this event,” he said.
“It’s only my second time playing it but I hope I’ll have many more events to play here in the future. I also want to thank the volunteers, welcoming us, making us comfortable in the lounge and joking between matches.”
