Hong Kong Squash Open: Gohar seals title and world No 1 spot with win, Farag falls short
Nouran Gohar beats Nour El Sherbini to claim first title in city in eight years, while Ali Farag’s miserable run continues in men’s final
Reigning women’s world champion Nouran Gohar battled back to beat fellow Egyptian Nour El Sherbini in the final of the Hong Kong Squash Open on Sunday – ending an eight-year drought in the process.
Victory will also earn Gohar a return to the world’s top spot, but there was no way through for Ali Farag in the men’s final, with top seed losing 3-1 to Mostafa Asal, leaving him to settle for the runner-up spot again in yet another disappointing outing in the city.
Gohar began her day in fine form, and was leading 6-3 in the opening game before world No 1 El Sherbini reeled off eight points in a row. The world No 2 then regrouped to pull off three straight games to take home the title with a 6-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 win in 55 minutes.
“I didn’t play badly in the first game but I lost concentration and went off my game plan a bit, the execution was off,” Gohar said. “Going off the first game, I was angry at myself a bit.
“I knew I messed it up, but I knew at the same time that I was playing well, and I had a solid game plan. So I told myself, I need to start the second game very well and work hard digging.”
The 27-year-old last won a title in Hong Kong in 2016, and her win at Edinburgh Place was her second consecutive final victory over El Sherbini, after their US Open Championships final in October.
