Mohamed ElShorbagy made history by becoming the first three-time winner of the Qatar Classic after his 3-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7) defeat of his compatriot Tarek Momen, the world No. 7, in an all-Egyptian final at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha on Friday.
Appearing in his fourth consecutive final, it took the 29-year-old world No. 3 just a little more than an hour (64 minutes) to emerge the most decorated player at the PSA World Series tournament, since its inception in 2001, as he added to his 2013 and 2015 trophy collections in Doha.
The event was attended by dignitaries including Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF) President Nassser bin Ghanim al Khelaifi and PSA CEO Alex Gough.
Playing against an opponent who was appearing in the final of a tournament of such importance for the first time in his career, ElShorbagy's counted on the day as he was all calm and composure taking the first game in about 10 minutes.
Momen staged a dramatic comeback in the second but could not sustain the momentum as he capitulated in the third and fourth to gift the right-handed former world No.1 the golden trophy as well as the $24,225 winner's prize money.
After dropping the second game to Momen, ElShorbagy looked to be up against it in the third as Momen, utilising his speed and agility in the mid-stages to string together a series of punishing rallies which seemed to sap the energy from ElShorbagy.
But the Bristol-based player showed just why he has won 28 PSA World Tour titles 14 of which have come at World Series level as he dug in with dogged determination to come through a crucial stage of the match and complete the win.
With a massive $165,000 tournament's total purse, Momen will definitely find consolation in going home with his $14,820 runner's up cash as well as the joy of being a finalist in Doha for the first time in his career.
The road to the final took different routes for the two Egyptians. While ElShorbagy had to find his way past 'giants' including World No.8 Fares Dessouky, World No.4 Ali Farag and World No.1 Gregory Gaultier, Momen was a bit luckier in the draws as his most noted opponent was Nick Mathew, the 2009 champion, whom he sent packing in the quarters before setting up a last-four clash against another semis debutant, Simon Rosner of Germany.
"I'm extremely proud of how I performed this week at this event," said ElShorbagy."When I saw the draw pre-event I knew it would be tough. I had to play the World No.9, the No.5, the No.1 and the No.7 to win, but playing tough opponents is the challenge that I live for. To be the best you have to beat these players.
"At the end of the day you want to challenge yourself against the best. Backing it up mentally each day was not easy but I'm really happy. Last season I didn't play like a winner this week I feel like I played at my best level and that was my focus coming here," the champion added.
Momen said,"It's been an incredible week for me. I didn't know what to expect coming here and making my first ever World Series tournament final was very special. Obviously I'm disappointed to lose but think it was a good match."
Khelaifi, the QTSBF president, said,"It's been a great week of squash and I'll like to applaud the players for providing the fans with such wonderful excitement. The event has further showcased our commitment to sport and our reputation as a major sports hub. I'm sure this tournament will grow further in the years to come."
SCORELINE
[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [8] Tarek Momen (EGY) 3-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7) (64mins).
