Top seed Karim Abdel Gawad defeated compatriot Youssef Ibrahim in an 80-minute clash to keep his hopes alive of a third Pittsburgh Open title, while World No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy defeated No.3 seed Youssef Soliman in a testing five-game affair in the second semi-final.
The points in the first game of Gawad and Ibrahim’s clash were almost exclusively won through drops, cross-courts and strokes which is a perfect indication of the rapid, aggressive squash on show between the two Egyptians. Gawad got the better of the early stages and Ibrahim showed visible frustration as the former World No.1 pulled away to 10-3 on the scoreline.
The 24-year-old managed to fend off three game balls, but the lead was too significant as the 32-year-old fired an irretrievable cross-court shot into the back right corner to secure a 1-0 lead.
The World No.6 began the second gain in a similar vein of form as he amounted an 8-3 advantage, but soon Ibrahim looked sharper, attacking the ball higher up the court and volleying more often, as he battled back to parity at 8-8.
A well-disguised backhand drive, a cross-court and a forehand drive in quick succession earned the younger Egyptian the second game after winning eight consecutive points.
The No.1 seed rediscovered his first-game dominance, taking an early 6-2 lead in game three. Ibrahim looked to have a way back into the game as Gawad miscalculated a trickle boast without any pressure from his opponent, but the older Egyptian pushed on from there, winning the game 11-4 with a pin-point accurate drop into the front right corner.
The ‘Gunslinger’ showed some flair in the start of the fourth game as he won a point by deploying a behind-the-back shot, and battled to a 7-6 lead. Ibrahim maintained his slim lead to 10-9, but Gawad forced the tie-break. The pair battled through four lets, one of which saw Gawad on the floor after a collision, until finally Ibrahim found his way through, winning the game 12-10 to level the match.
The experience of the 2016 World Champion proved too much in the fifth as he fought to an 11-8 win to secure a place in the the final, the match finishing with a stroke.
“I’m a bit tired of course after a long match, but I’m happy and glad to be in the final here in Pittsburgh,” said Gawad after the match, “I’m looking forward to the final tomorrow.
“Playing Youssef is always hard, he’s a very talented player, a great mover on court and the way he’s playing, it’s very hard to play against especially for me and for many top players.
“Today I had to push mentally until the very last point. I was down 6-4 and 7-6 but I had to push to the last point of the match and I’m glad I managed to win today.
On Ibrahim’s second game resurgence, Gawad said, “It’s always not nice when you’re leading, especially in a crucial game and winning 8-3 and then you lost eight points in a row it’s hard and to come back, obviously you’re a bit mentally down after losing a game in that way, but I had to refocus and just try and forget about that game and try to start from the beginning, and luckily I managed to regroup.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s final, it would be great to win a tournament after coming back from my injury. First tournament of the year for me so it would be good to win tomorrow, I just had to recover well today, sleep well, eat well and study whoever wins today for tomorrow’s match.”
In the second semi-final, England’s Marwan ElShorbagy faced a difficult opponent in World No.12 Youssef Soliman. The two players met in last year’s semi-final, where the then-29-year-old won 3-1 in 83 minutes.
The No.3 seed started the match in emphatic fashion, going from 5-4 to 11-5 after a series of dramatic, close-fought rallies, with the game ball being won through ElShorbagy hitting the tin with a rash return.
The Englishman came into the second game looking refreshed and traded points with his opponent to 10-10. A backhand drive from Soliman gave him a chance to take a two-game advantage, but a trickle boast from ElShorbagy followed by a tight squeeze along the left wall gave the 30-year-old a chance to level the match, which he claimed after a stroke.
The match was marred by refereeing decisions throughout, as the two players pushed hard for a chance to face the No.1 seed in the final.
Game three brought about a second tie-break, as the pair remained inseparable to 7-7, but the 27-year-old earned the opportunity to retake the lead with two game balls.
The World No.10 upped his game and showed his mettle as he won four consecutive points to take a 2-1 lead, encapsulated by an accurate forehand drop at game ball.
It was the Englishman that had a quick start in the next game, accruing a 6-1 lead over the Egyptian, but Soliman soon found his form as he levelled the match to 8-8.
An unforced error from the No.2 seed, followed shortly by a stroke and a particularly gentle drop from the Egyptian in the front right corner brought the match back level at 2-2.
The decisive fifth game saw a different story as ElShorbagy took control of the match, quickly picking up points as he sped from 4-2 to 10-2, ending the match by forcing Soliman into the front corner with a backhand drop before unleashing a straight drive to the opposite corner of the court.
“Another tough one, I’m happy to win,” said ElShorbagy after the match, “It was quite close. I was lucky to win that second game. I had a couple of game balls, he had a couple of game balls in the third.
“I felt I was a bit in control in the second game. I played him here last year, and he’s really hard to play here. I think the court suits the way he plays. He surprised me a bit with the way he rushed me in the first game, but I knew it would be difficult to play like this for five games so I knew he would maybe break down after the first so I’m glad.
“I played well. I thought I was in control for most of the match. It’s hard to win a point on this court, you have to accept that you have to be patient, you can’t win it on the first, second, third opportunity so you have to be patient.
“When I played in New Zealand, I remember I was able to play two matches that went to five, and when I lost to Paul [Coll], surprisingly I wasn’t tired. So I know tomorrow I’ll be fine if I do the right recovery, I’ve got some more experience now with that stuff and I know what to do, so I’m just going to do what I know.
“Recovery’s really important now, I’m just going to recover, watch a bit of TV and sleep.”
The final of the Pittsburgh Open commences at 12:00 (GMT-5) on Sunday, 11th February, with action from court two live on SQUASHTV.
Results: Pittsburgh Open 2024 Semi-Finals
[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-8 (80m)
[2] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) bt [3] Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-2: 5-11, 14-12, 12-10, 8-11, 11-2 (74m)
Draw: Pittsburgh Open 2024 Final
12:00 [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [2] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG)
