Paul Coll Wins London Classic
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.
Afterwards, Coll said: “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 [Tournament Promoter] 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.
“Thanks to Rory and GillenMarkets for putting this together.
“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 [Owen, Coll’s coach] 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.”
Coll concluded with thanks to his coaches and friends who had been supporting him, as well as the Alexandra Palace crowd.
Result: [1] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [2] Mostafa Asal (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 8-1 retired (66m)
The next event on the PSA World Tour is the Bronze-level German Open 2024 – Presented by Sportwerk, which takes place in Hamburg, Germany between 03-07 April.
Result: 1] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [2] Mostafa Asal (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 8-1 retired (66m)
The next event on the PSA World Tour is the Bronze-level German Open 2024 – Presented by Sportwerk, which takes place in Hamburg, Germany between 03-07 April.