Yesterday morning, Amr Shabana must have been thinking that he probably would have a pretty easy task in beating India No 1 Saurav Ghosal.
Yesterday morning, Amr Shabana must have been thinking that he probably would have a pretty easy task in beating India No 1 Saurav Ghosal. But the picture was completely different in the evening at the picturesque Bombay Gymkhana. The Egyptian had to strain every sinew to eventually eke out a pulsating 11-6, 6-11, 11-5, 12-10 victory to move into the quarter-finals ofu00a0 the USD 152,000 Punj Lloyd PSA Squash Masters.
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Saurav Ghosal awaits a return from Amr Shabana during their Punj Lloyd PSA Masters match at Bombay Gym yesterday. pic/sameer markande |
Ghosal especially used the angles well, but it was the more experienced Shabana who had the answers in the end as he eventually prevailed with forceful strokes.
Shabana of course has always sung paeans of the Indian's ability. "Saurav is extremely talented and if he works hard it'su00a0 likely he can go places. Yes, it was a struggle and I did have a bit of luck in the end,'' emphasised the Egyptian.
The threeu00a0 referees at timesu00a0 made controversial calls especiallyu00a0 in the fourth game. One such call awarding a 'stroke' to Shabana when it should have been a 'let' led to Shabana moving to match ball, which he gleefully converted.
Saurav Ghosal was bitterly disappointed after the defeat. "I came so close, it was just a matter of few points,'' he said. The smile though was back on his face when asked to pick a winner at the 2011 FIFA World Cup. "I'd say it will be between Brazil, Portugal and England. I only fancy the Portuguese because of Ronaldo. He's a fantastic player," he said.
