Kiwi top seeds Joelle King (second from left) and Paul Coll will both compete in the NZ Squash Open finals at Trustpower Arena today. Photo / Supplied
Kiwi top seeds Joelle King (second from left) and Paul Coll will both compete in the NZ Squash Open finals at Trustpower Arena today. Photo / Supplied
It's two from two for Kiwi top seeds Joelle King and Paul Coll who have both reached the New Zealand Squash Open finals with the support of 1000 enthusiastic fans last night.
King with play good friend Tesni Evans from Wales for the Murphy Rose Bowl at the Trustpower Arena in Tauranga this afternoon, followed by Coll's dream final against England's Mohamed El Shorbagy for the Bruce Brownlee Trophy.
These are the first co-sanctioned Professional Squash Association (PSA) tournaments in New Zealand since 1993.
King booked her place in the final with an emphatic win last night over the Belgian fifth seed Tinne Gilis to continue her unbeaten run on the state-of-the-art glass court.
The fired-up Waikato player and world no 5 started strong and didn't let up and showed superior court craft to take the match in straight games, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 in 36 minutes.
Kiwi top seed and world number 5 Joelle King (left) into the final of NZ Squash Open after beating Tinne Gilis from Belgium in the semi-finals. Photo / Supplied
King was delighted to take the match in straight games, which will be great preparation for her final against good friend Evans.
"It's a small tour; at these sized events, we tend to play all the same people. I'm a student of the game, I watch all the matches. Even if I'm not at the event, to see who's improving, and who's doing what.
"Tesni has been playing phenomenally in the last couple of months so it's going to be a tough match for sure. The final is a new day, a new tournament really, so they'll be bringing their best and I'll be bringing my best," said King.
"Absolutely I'm thrilled. I get on really well with Tinne and when you draw someone you like, it's hard to beat them. She's such a talent who'll be here on tour for a long while yet, so really I'm very relieved as I didn't want to let you guys down. I was super nervous today [Saturday ] so to come out and play like that was something special."
Wales' Tesni Evans will play Joelle King (NZ) for the women's Murphy Rose Bowl trophy at the Trustpower Arena on November 13. Photo / Supplied
Meanwhile, Evans ranked 14th took on world number 13 Belgium's Nele Gilis in their semi-final last night and after a battle dropped the first set 8-11.
But Evans forced her way back into the match with her trademark shot making to take the match in three games to one, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5 11-3 in 52 minutes.
"I'm a slow burner, I get better as I play more matches and last year I didn't play that many so I got worse. So It's really nice to get to play one more match; it's very special.
"Joelle is literally my best friend and it's always special to be in New Zealand. I'll try to win this but, win or lose tomorrow, that's OK with me," said Evans.
Their head-to-head record favours King 4-3. However, they haven't played in PSA tournaments since 2019.
The crowd continued its raucous support for Greymouth's 30-year-old Coll against Qatar's Abdulla Mohd al Tamimi.
Al Tamimi, the victor against Coll in Qatar in September, once more brought his sublime racquet skills to the proceedings.
And Coll didn't have things all his own way as the talented al Tamimi displayed a variety of shots and at times kept Coll guessing.
Kiwi men's top seed and world number 2 Paul Coll reaches the final of 2022 NZ Squash Open. Photo / Supplied
Coll, however, was not to be outdone by the underdog on the bounce and brought his renowned athleticism to the fore in a flawless display of determination under pressure.
"I have a game plan for every opponent but there's always something that can disrupt your play, so I had to reset every rally. There was no flow in the match, he's got some outrageous feel, so if you go wandering [mentally] you can lose some very quick points.
" I was very happy with that today. I felt good, felt sharp, the best I've felt in a while.
"His deception is what makes him so hard. He kept peppering me with the bloody boast then a volley drop and I was wondering what the hell was going on here.
"Luckily I warmed up well, but it's more mentally that you've got to be sharp for that."
An emotional Coll savoured the win in front of close and extended family from Greymouth and beyond.
"It was impossible to settle [against al Tamimi]. The way I was feeling in the first couple of rallies I thought I was in trouble, but I was seeing it really clearly. I'm so happy with my performance today [Saturday]. Big thanks to the crowd; they got me through that one."
Coll now faces long-time rival El Shorbagy who has won the majority of their 16 matches. However, in the past year, they are 2-2 in PSA events.
England's Mohammed ElShorbagy (left) will play World number 2 player Paul Coll for the Bruce Brownlee Trophy today (Nov 13). Photo / Supplied
El Shorbagy defeated French third seed Victor Crouin 11-9, 11-8, 11-4 in 40 minutes in a comprehensive effort which saw the former world No 1 keep the tenth-ranked Crouin, 23, guessing at times.
"It's my duty to make it tough for these guys when they challenge me. When I beat the next generation for the first time I don't want them to have it easy, they need to do it the hard way. I don't want my name to be in the draw to make up the numbers, I want to be in the draw to be a contender," he reflected.
King's match against Evans starts at 2 pm, followed by Coll's fierce battle against El Shorbagy which is due to start at 3 pm.
