Fourth-seeded Saurav Ghosal got past Egyptian youngster Amr Khaled Khalifa in just 20 minutes to reach the semifinals of the $35000 PSA Kolkata International squash tournament at the Calcutta Racket Club here on Friday.
Ghosal's intensity in a high-paced quarterfinal left the reigning World junior champion Khalifa gasping for breath before forcing him to concede the match. Ghosal was 11-8, 6-2 ahead when the Egyptian called it quits complaining of breathlessness, which he later attributed to a bout of flu.
Making a sluggish start, Ghosal found his rhythm as the first game progressed. Trying to assess his opponent's ability, Ghosal indulged in long rallies initially but broke free later. From 7-7, the Indian raised his game a few notches. Ghosal proved his maturity on the big points while his opponent went weak in the second game.
Biggest challenge
Ghosal's biggest challenge will come in the semifinal when he takes on former World No. 1 and top-seeded Karim Darwish of Egypt. Darwish ended the stay of his unseeded compatriot Mohammad Ali Anwar Reda, quelling a late comeback from his opponent in an interesting duel.
The other semifinal will be an all-Egyptian affair with second-seeded Omar Mosaad taking on unseeded Karim Abdel Gawad.
The latter produced a big upset, downing third-seeded Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia.
The unseeded Gawad displayed his skill and agility while showing the door to Beng Hee. The 19-year-old Egyptian, who is playing in his second year on the professional circuit, played an all-court game to tire out Beng Hee.
Tight contest
The first game witnessed a tight contest as the experienced Malaysian's crafty placements found no response from the young Egyptian. Gawad slowly found his way back into the match but squandered a two-point lead towards the end of the game as Beng Hee made a late recovery and snatched the game 14-12.
Altering his approach in the second game, Gawad forced his opponent into longer rallies and successfully broke through the 31-year-old Malaysian's defences.
Gawad, with a few international junior crowns and two PSA titles under his belt, showed good technique and control while hitting some spectacular winners.
The Egyptian took the second game 11-6 and dominated the rest of the match, booking a semifinal berth by clinching the next two 11-6, 11-9.
The results:
Quarterfinals: Karim Darwish (Egy) bt Mohammad Ali Anwar Reda (Egy) 11-4, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10; Saurav Ghosal (Ind) bt Amr Khaled Khalifa (Egy) 11-8, 6-2, concd.; Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) bt Ong Beng Hee (Mas) 12-14, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9; Omar Mosaad (Egy) bt Robbie Temple (Eng) 11-8, 11-6, 11-7.
