FINALS DAY : Subramanian and Coll claim the titles
Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam and New Zealand’s Paul Coll have been crowned the GillenMarkets London Squash Classic champions after Sivasangari upset World No.2 Hania El Hammamy and Coll overcame Mostafa Asal at Alexandra Palace.
[7] Siva Subramanian (Mas) 3-2 [2] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 12-14, 11-8 (81m)
[1] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-1 [2] Mostafa Asal (Egy) 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 8-1 rtd (66m)
Siva does it again to take the title !!!
[7] Siva Subramanian (Mas) 3-2 [2] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 12-14, 11-8 (81m)
Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam completed a hat-trick of spectacular wins as she overcame second seed Hania El Hammamy in five thrilling games to claim her first ever Gold level title.
The opening game was a preview of what was to come as the players traded points, both finding winners aplenty but it was the Malaysian who made the first move, going from 4-all to 7-4 up and holding a slight advantage for the rest of the game as she took the lead 11-9.
El Hammamy struck back in the second, moving ahead from 2-all to 9-3 and levelling the match 11-5.
Subramaniam was back on the attack in the third, moving from 7-all to 10-7 with three brilliant winners. Hammamy saved all three and earned a game ball of her own but two errors cost her as Subramaniam regained the lead 13-11.
The Malaysian carried that momentum into the fourth, maintaining the lead throughout and securing two match ball opportunities. Again the Egyptian dug in to save them, and two more at 10-11 and 11-12, finding three winners to take the game 14-12 and set up a decider.
In the fifth the first real daylight between the players opened up as Subramaniam raced into a 6-1 lead. El Hammamy started pegging back the advantage, getting as close as 6-8 then 8-9, but another stunning winner from the Malaysian#s racket set up championship balls at 10-8.
A let was given when Siva’s racket clipped Hania when many expected a stroke to be given, but she didn’t have to wait long as she finished off the next rally with a sublime dropshot and sank to the floor having secured the biggest title of her life.
“There are no words really to summarise. I’m really pleased with how I handled myself this week, beating three of the the top four players. They are all really good players.
“Hania has been my rival since juniors, I had those match balls in the fourth game but couldn’t convert and in the fifth I tried to stay composed. She was fighting and coming back with every point but I’m just happy with how I managed to win it!
“It’s huge. The last time I played a Gold event, I lost in the quarter-finals. To even make it to the final is a crazy feeling. This time, to win the tournament I’m so pleased and proud of how I made it.
“I wouldn’t have done it with out my coaches and sponsors. Without them I wouldn’t’ be here right now. I’m very proud of my journey.
“I’m going to call my family and coaches now. It’s because of them that I’m winning tournaments and it’s been an unbelievable journey after what happened two years ago.”
Coll adds London Classic title to Optasia crown
[1] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-1 [2] Mostafa Asal (Egy) 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 8-1 rtd (66m
Paul Coll is the GillenMarkets London Classic Champion after winning an injury-curtailed final against Egypt’s Mostafa Asal.
In a one-sided first game, Paul Coll took the lead with an 11-8 win, with the top seed stepping up the court and taking the game two Asal, who made too many errors with the racket.
The Egyptian started game two better, forcing Coll onto the defensive as he began to find his marks on the attack. Despite trailing for most of the second game, Coll was able to adjust, moving to 9-8 as he looked to double his lead.
Asal responded well though, going game ball up at 10-9 before allowing Coll into a tie break with another error. Next it was Coll’s turn to have and lose game ball, with Asal taking the score to 11-11.
This time, Asal kept his momentum, taking the game 13-11 to wipe out Coll’s lead. The Kiwi reset well in the third game, taking the first four points in a fast start.
Asal began to find his way back into the game, but could not stop Coll from putting together scoring runs, with the former World No.1 reclaiming the advantage as he took the third game 11-7.
In a disappointing ending, Coll quickly moved into the lead, with Asal clearly struggling. The Egyptian initially tried to continue, but was eventually forced to retire hurt with the score at 8-1 to Coll, handing the title to the top seed.
“I’m stoked! Very happy to back it up, all the consistency I’ve been looking for this season.
“I really enjoy playing in London. I get a really good home feeling playing here. I’ve got my coach, family and friends here. The atmosphere was wicked all week.
“Congrats to Tim Garner for finding a new location and giving it the same vibe as the Canary Wharf Classic. That was one of my favourite events on tour and it was a shame to see it go, but to have this as a replacement is amazing.
“I hope Mostafa’s Ok. We’ve got some big events coming up at the end of the season. It was a real battle today and he really took it to me and I had to be on my mettle. It was hard, fast squash. Injuries like that happen and I hope it’s not bad. I’m sure we’ll have another battle in a couple of weeks.”
“Rob told me to keep my energy levels up and my foot speed up.
“Today was all about keeping my energy up and the attacks and aggression.”
