King wins NZ Open squash title but Coll beaten in final

Joelle King has won the women’s title at the New Zealand Squash Open in Tauranga but Paul Coll couldn’t make it a Kiwi double, going down to England’s Mohammed el Shorbagy in the men’s final.

Joelle King in action at the Nations Cup tournament in Tauranga.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Waikato’s King ran out a relatively comfortable winner in straight games, 11-4, 11-6 11-5 over Tesni Evans to improve her head-to-head record against the Welsh player to 5-3. King showed the greater composure on the big points, having the edge in tour finals experience.

English-based King, 34, was emotional as she lifted the Murphy Rosebowl on which her name will be etched alongside illustrious squash greats in Australians Vicki Cardwell, Michelle Martin and eight-time New Zealand winner, Susan Devoy.

Speaking of her Evans, King said: “We’ve been through some tough times, it’s a lonely sport, so when you find someone you get along with, you stay tight. We’re in each other’s corner and I’m very happy to come off the winner today.

“It was a tournament I’ve been waiting for so long to play in front on my fans and family who haven’t seen me play since I was a little girl.”

El Shorbagy took just over an hour to beat Coll 9-11 11-8 11-4 11-7, playing a more disruptive game in the final three sets after dropping the first.

He became the first British player to lift the Bruce Brownlee trophy on his 500th Professional Squash Association match.

The men’s final was at times brutal as two of the world’s best went at it for the title.

Coll, 30, from Greymouth who has had two stints heading the world rankings this year, faced formidable opposition from the multiple title-winning El Shorbagy, seeded second and ranked four in the world.

“Paul is one of the most inspiring players on tour, he’s a big champ, he’s won two golds for his country and deserves all the respect he gets. It’s an honour for me every time I go on court with him,” El Shorbagy said.

“Paul is a great rival and we have had great matches over the years and as good rivals we don’t get to win every time. I might win sometimes, he might win sometimes. The crowd support has been amazing, you’ve given the players such great memories and I will be back next year.”

Commonwealth Games singles and mixed champion Coll was disappointed but could see some positives in the sport returning to New Zealand.

“It’s not my moment but I want to thank from the bottom of my heart, everyone who made this happe. Getting squash back to New Zealand is amazing. It’s not how I wanted the two weeks to go but I want to thank all my family and everyone who came to support me.”

– Reuters