PSA World Championships Cairo 2022 - Men's QF Roundup [Pt.1]

Highlights from the Museum glass court in Cairo.
0:00 - [1] Paul Coll (NZL) v [6] Tarek Momen (EGY)
5:56 - [8] Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
Watch all the glass court action LIVE and ON DEMAND between 13th and 22nd May 2022 on Squash TV: psaworldtour.com/tv/live?KZbin
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[@tridash932]

What a game between coll and Momen , simple exceptional

[@storydeconstructor1922]

Wow, what a match! Best I've seen Tarek Momen play. It seems like no one else on tour can tire out Paul Coll like he can (i remember the Qatar Classic 2016 when he had to literally help Coll hobble off court after). Thats not easy to do! Also fantastic sportsmanship and respect from both players. Love it. A real credit to the sport. Could have gone either way, should have been a final! I feel for the refs, decision fatigue is a real thing and it must be so exhausting and hard making so many split second decisions in that atmosphere without any of the love or credit that the players get. It's such an important job so I think they deserve a bit more respect and less abuse from players and fans. Was this the longest world champs match ever?

[@arnaud78]

Couldn't agree more!

[@ewallt]

They used to be longer with the old rackets and old scoring system. It was much more of an attritional game. This match was a bit of a throw back. The tin used to be higher, which contributed to the games taking longer. Also refs were much more generous giving lets. Googling it, it looks like the longest match was 3hrs 10 min, although there was a 3 hr match in 1983 or so that only went 4 games, to give an idea of how long those games used to go.

[@georgekrumm1857]

If it makes people feel better about that stroke call, Momen's ball may have clipped the tin at 10-8. Doesn't look like it from the camera, but look at how he reacts at 4:57 before realizing the ref hasn't called it. Both people on court clearly saw that ball down.

[@Molton11]

You are so right!!!

[@lostinenglish8585]

Indeed, lol!

[@dompricemusic2701]

Yeah but then on the replay you can see it was clearly up 😂, Coll also got a let at 10-9 in the fifth which Lee and the commentary team didn't agree with. That would have taken it to 10-10 in the fifth before the shocking decision at the very end.

[@Everbrooks]

Thats actually so unsportsmanlike from Momen. Glad Coll won that match. He should have won right then and there

[@lostinenglish8585]

@@dompricemusic2701 on the replay, you look from the angle way above players. And they both see and hear the ball much better. Moreover, they are way more experienced than any of us, so yep, Momen's reation gives it all away.

[@georgekrumm1857]

Love it or hate it, that stroke at the end of the Coll-Momen match is consistent with how the PSA has been treating these situations recently. It's a bad but not awful straight drive, but Momen clears immediately back to the T instead of letting Coll go in front of him on a volley-able shot. It's not intentional, but that is being treated as a stroke for lack of effort to clear these days.

[@rajatkashyap19]

Agreed but could have been referred to the video referee and that too at such a crucial point. Really happy for Coll though. Big fan of him since his diving days

[@ewallt]

I thought it was a stroke as well, but it’s match point. If she’d let the video ref make the decision, there’s no room for controversy. At least it’s not like the old days when there was no video ref, and many refs would call a let if there was even 1% (or sometimes 0%) chance of it being a let because they didn’t want the match to be decided by a stroke. James Willstrop lost a British Open because of that.

[@StoreyBen]

@@ewallt I think it's a pretty clear stroke, it shouldn't matter if it's match point out first point. I don't see why it becomes a controversial point just because it's last point, if this was mid way through the game and Coll is awarded the stroke and goes on the win the match, no one will look back at that stroke and think it controversial.

[@ewallt]

@@StoreyBen Match points have a long history of being treated differently, even if theoretically you’re correct and the points should be treated the same. There’s a reticence to end the match on a stroke being awarded. More recently refs have moved more in your direction, but John Mazerelli (not sure of the last name) is an example of the old school where he’ll ask for the video ref if there’s any shadow of a doubt. I’m not saying the ref did anything wrong, just that I can understand why some might be upset and calling for the video ref could mitigate that. Also there have been some instances where the refs have made the wrong call wrongly costing a player the match when the video ref could have been summoned.

[@davesmith826]

Just watched the final stroke on 0.25 playback speed. It's a tight call but I think it is the correct one. Momen did not clear a path to the ball and was directly in front of Coll when Coll was in position to play a volley counter. The height was perfect for that shot and Momen prevented Coll from playing it because he returned back to the tee in a straight line, which was precisely where Coll was, rather than cutting around. Coll knew this as soon as he touched Momen - he was smiling from ear to ear!

[@watching99134]

I agree it was a stroke but it would have been nice to see it from the front--also Coll was smiling from ear to ear on the previous point too when he (mistakenly) thought Momen's shot was down (although from Momen's initial reaction he may have thought it was down himself).

[@kalawadda988]

On point👍

[@gmaq1315]

Definitely not a stroke. This is a classic example of where a Let should be given. There was interference but neither was Momen in the direct swing of the racquet nor was it going to be a winning stroke for Coll. Very poor decision in such a high quality game.

[@dompricemusic2701]

Looked like Momen was nowhere near it to me. He was hard done by there, Coll got a let at 10-9 in the fifth that Lee and the commentary team disagreed with as well. Felt so bad for Momen, he deserved that fifth game and was all over Coll at the end.

[@georgekrumm1857]

@@gmaq1315 The argument is that Momen did not make sufficient effort to clear, which is also cause for a stroke. Whether his effort was insufficient or he just misinterpreted the situation is up for debate.

[@jacobeliosoff1264]

Now these are (finally) some battles! Love to see El Shorbagy take a moment to acknowledge Dessouky's shot at 8:26 in the middle of a hyper-intense and heated game. These are squash lovers at heart.

[@777greglee]

I agree with those who called "Stroke". Momen's shot had little pace on it. It also clip the side wall, so that it was coming back to the centre of the court. Coll was definitely in a position to volley. Momen hadn't cleared. I think the ref was hesitating because of the significance of the point. I do think she should have referred it.

[@ahmedhafez6876]

4:58 Momen holds his head repenting the error before he realises that the referee call is giving him a point....

[@ewallt]

Good eye.

[@dompricemusic2701]

Except he celebrates before the ref makes the call, then on the replay you can see the ball is good.

[@cookesam6]

I saw that too.... seemed very suspicious/dishonest of him

[@gamolly]

Video replay looks up though, no?

[@martincollins6632]

That is exactly what I thought as well. The ball clips the leading edge of the tin after coming off the front wall. Ball was not good.

[@glebkachur8033]

The stroke should've gone to a video referee but it isn't as much of a howler as some of y'all are saying it is

[@AnaLiTube]

What a match !! I still can't beleive that last stroke...

[@TheAhmd4ever]

I feel that Coll looking for Stroke in a cheap way

[@bmanti5]

@@TheAhmd4ever after 2 hours of squash, you would be too pal

[@arnaud78]

@@TheAhmd4ever It looked to me like Momen was actively blocking to an extent in the last game, so I wouldn't place it all on Coll.

[@wittos8237]

it was clear stroke! come on!

[@stevehughes1510]

It'll be interesting to see if Paul Coll can recover sufficiently for the next match, it'll be a guts effort to that's for sure, he looks spent after this one.

[@kaycejay2168]

Hell of a match. Well done Paul, hard luck Tarek.

[@ralphbuschmann740]

What a brutal match between Coll and Momen.

[@mattpeterson6571]

All these people calling the point on match ball a bad call LOL. Get your eyes tested and go read the rules. It was clear as day. Mom gave absolutely no room, no clear line to the ball and when he did attempt to clear (he felt Coll trying to play through his interference and made a half assed attempt to clear, he knew he was in the wrong place), it was far too late. The ball was loose, in the right place and the right height for Coll the make a shot. Right call, everyday of the week. Bad luck to Mom great player, both of them, but the right call

[@martincollins6632]

100% agree

[@Jardalkoholik]

So Elshorbagy is allowed to talking through the ralley? Interesting

[@brucetucker4365]

I thought the commentators questioning of the last two calls in this match were both wrong and out of line. The first 'No Let' was correctly overturned and to suggest the last Stroke was wrong was laughable! The Ref got that exactly right given the way that situation has been rebuffed for years now. Momen knee he had been trapped as could be seen by his reaction spinning away to the rear of the court. If he had done that in the first place he would never have got to a Volley/Drop shot in the front left. These Refs do a bloody great job and thankfully the review option is there unless players use it unwisely. Great game though. I think Momen is the ONLY player who can test coll every time.

[@kalawadda988]

Wonder whether the results would have been different if dessouky had won at least 1 set in the 1st three. With El Shorbagy's recent fitness issues

[@jojuraza1462]

Coll and momen both champs

[@peterhammer4644]

great match between Coll and Momen. Does Coll have some juice left for the semifinal?

[@ingamarsiegruhn9101]

He has a day's rest :)

[@ewallt]

@@ingamarsiegruhn9101 Good thing for him.

[@cookesam6]

4:57 momen hits the shot, starts to put his face thinking it was down, but then changes his mind? What the hell was that??

[@myzozoa8382]

It was a clear stroke for Coll to me. Although it may be true that there is a problem with how 'the rules' treat players shaping up for a volley, waiting for the ball to go towards the back wall where their opponent is and then asking for a stroke as they bump into their opponent as the ball nears the back wall..., that wasn't what happened in the Coll-Momen match imo. Coll shapes up to play the shot and Momen is in front of him, between Coll and the ball. So while it's so disappointing and Momen is v deserving, it was an unlucky thing that can happen. Hate to say it too, as I felt Momen was outplaying Coll. But I also can't understand comments related to the way 'the rules' (notice they never say which rule) are written. I hope Momen will be back into the late rounds of these big events soon.

[@ricardoborges4637]

I desagree. Momen never had the chance to clear. See it again. Look how soon Coll makes contact with Momen. It was a high ball no need to start this contat so early. I would have give a let ball.

[@ewallt]

@@ricardoborges4637 He had plenty of chance to clear. He just didn’t. Actually he did clear, but poorly, into Cole. He should have cleared diagonally backwards to avoid the stroke. If his length had been good, his clear would have been ok. If you hit a mid length rail, you have to be very, very careful in how you clear.

[@tascolino538]

Definitely a stroke on the Coll match. Ball was still up, Momen couldn't get out of the way on time. If you don't make those stroke calls, players wouldn't make enough effort to clear for opponents once they see their shot isn't tight.

[@jj9749]

Definitely a stroke, but hilarious how the lady referee said it 🤣

[@Wesselvanwyk]

What an epic match. Dont understand why no video review. Poor momen, thats rough

[@dennishorsthuis1507]

Referring is ?

[@blckdmnd1]

why is nobody talking about elshorbagy shouting DURING the rally and the refs just ignoring it? not just that, he made no attempt to clear the straight drive at the end. ridiculous refereeing in that rally.

[@ElectricSheep1]

It is a stroke on re-watch, hell of a call though.

[@ricardoborges4637]

You are looking only to the ball, look how soon Coll starts to hold Momen.

[@joshywatkins1]

Brutal

[@victorkhong7654]

I read comment about Coll v Momen. Then I re-watched at 0.25 speed. At real speed, I felt it was a let. At 0.25 speed it was a stroke. Momen failed to clear and permit a straight path for Coll. Remember that has been a renewed emphasis by PSA to provide a clear path to the ball during this era of Mustafa Asal. I do not think Momen did it intentionally, I think the fatigue of the match and a slightly loose ball which came back too close to him as he intended cause the incident.

[@sghazi]

Finally shitty games festival is over ....was waiting for good games...these were well worth the wait

[@philipsoulos3569]

Tough way to lose. Only a let on last point surely. Amazing players.

[@shahg25]

Stroke!!

[@tetrisertetriser]

I really recognize the achievements of Coll and how he worked on his game consistently but honestly he's not a player that I would pay for to see him play live in comparison to players like Mohamed El Shorbagy or Elias.

[@nigelkasmirapeterson3671]

your obviously not from New Zealand

[@tetrisertetriser]

Guilty. :D

[@andytheo6236]

The general sitting like a boss 😎😎

[@MrPatrick1414]

That let on Match Ball not a stroke... and I'm a Paul Coll fan

[@mattpeterson6571]

Just because its match ball it should be called anything different that what it actually is. Clear stroke, was the right call regardless of match ball or not

[@MrPatrick1414]

@@mattpeterson6571 Never said that match ball made a difference ...it was a clear let regardless

[@ewallt]

@@MrPatrick1414 Why should it be a let? He cleared into Coll’s line. That’s virtually always a stroke (a winner being the exception).

[@MrPatrick1414]

@@ewallt Its not as simple as that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYK2k597bJifm7c Refereeing section

[@ewallt]

They could have game points be automatically decided by the video ref.

[@ajayiomololaadebimpe2911]

Good refree decision

[@Hellrun]

The worst thing was, I actually thought the refereeing was half decent through the match but that stroke on match ball is an absolute howler. I felt so bad for Momen, highlights can't do any justice to the effort he put in and the squash he was playing. Only criticism I had of him was that he was stopping too often rather than playing through any interference. Unbelievable squash match.

[@lambvision8496]

Game 2 stroke was not a stroke IMO

[@trinerd]

Ahhh squash. One of the best matches between two of the best players ever. Yet, again, it got ruined for most educated fans by an unqualified or biased reffing. When are we going to learn that this kind of scenarios are ruining the sport and setting us further behind sports such as badminton or even padel which is fairly new. Fans don't want drama, nor controversy, they want to see athleticism and nothing else.

[@teamzissou2321]

The Coll Momen issue is why i never liked umpiring at squash. i would call it as i see it from a fair point of view but the rules didnt always back me up. hated umpiring and always tried to score.

[@ewallt]

You need to see it how the rules are!

[@iberofernandez7888]

More weapons than a nuclear war ! what a game Paul Coll !!!!

[@TheN00bPolice]

Well, technically a nuclear war only has one weapon, i.e the nuke. Probably better saying more weapons than WW2 or something

[@albertwesleyable]

It is such an anti climax when any game ends on a stroke :(

[@SoundHumility]

It was a LET..... if you watch it over and over you will see.... coll went for the man instead of going round him and they was a distance between Mormen and the shot.... Coll is now the new elshobagy I can't wait for him to lose now..... His being favoured

[@lambvision8496]

Game 3 stroke was not a stroke

[@rodeolo1]

Paul Coll is stuck in the ancient Egyptian Cobra snake nest...good luck

[@topddingle6881]

Great match but that last call between Coll and Momen cost us a good game

[@SoundHumility]

Well done Mormen.... Sorry you were robbed..... The referees where bad gosh..... They need to get unbiased refs..... Mormen was making the wrong shot selections and giving Coll an in alot..... He could have won this if he was selecting the right shots.... driving instead of cross courting.... boasting instead of dropping.... it was to predictable for coll

[@benm6831]

Shorbagy yelling out that "he pushed me" is rich. Shorbagy hits a shot and doesn't clear, Dessouky plays through the interference shorbagy created, and shorbagy thinks that he's the victim? Sadly in line with how good he is at "taking space" (playing the the edge of blocking and getting away with it).

[@fern6114]

What a Stuff, my deep respects to the refs and the worst has yet to come….

[@oojy5412]

Dirty game..

[@skyjockbill]

referee should have awarded a stroke against Elshorbagi when he shouted in the middle of the rally, ffs! Dreadful decision.

[@The_Regular_Player]

Referring in tight matches need not be shy to seek assistance of technology. At 10-9 in the Fifth game, Video referral should have been taken by the Referee. Poor show, denied Momen a possible 10-10 deuce and viewers a true climax. PSA wake up

[@ewallt]

It would have been a possible 10-9.

[@philsmith5421]

I don’t understand why they wouldn’t have a more experience ref for these matches

[@cindymeintjes1500]

Terrible decision to end a great match

[@ahmedrafique5996]

Just finish referees, and introduce automated refereeing. Will makes things a whole lot better.

[@kennyg1358]

How the hell would that be done?

[@ahmedrafique5996]

@@kennyg1358 PSA should incorporate some statistical and mechanical models of the player's movements and coupled with high quality cameras, I think it could be done. Still pretty difficult since every decision varies.

[@ewallt]

They used to have a 3 ref system. Now they have a video ref, but if you use it up, it’s just one ref. Maybe they could make it like football where every scoring play is automatically reviewed (the analogy being if it’s game point). It looked like an easy stroke to me, but I still would have referred it to the video ref.

[@amimahmad9699]

Poor calls on game balls to , against momen!!! Refrees again robbing him..

[@monarakudumbiya957]

Daylight robbery

[@robertpitot200]

dirty shorbagy at it again. constant blocking, talk crap during the game, plays victim and gets away with it

[@amimahmad9699]

Asal is required to teach coll a lesson for stokes, lets n boxing!!

[@petercipriano5659]

Unbelievably bad call to end that first match.

[@felipegaitanotessi1267]

Le robaron el partido a Tarek Momen

[@foreverhary]

Momen was robbed. He is a clear winner. Paul is best too but bad decisions from referee on multiple occasions, made Momen loose the game. In my eyes Momen is the winner for today!

[@hokicoki]

poor poor decision...... after 2 hours to give a stroke was very unfair.

[@kylannaidoo4141]

It wouldn’t be fair to coll if he lost the point

[@hokicoki]

@@kylannaidoo4141 Video ref was an obvious call for a referee that hesitated giving the decision.

[@jugutierrez]

@@hokicoki Indeed.

[@JK-jr1gs]

Anti Egyptian bias?? Interesting to see what people think. At such a crucial stage to not call a video ref decision is extremely strange. Hope the PSA look into this but realistically unlikely as they’re a corrupt organisation

[@davesmith826]

It looked like a stroke to me. This is the first time I'm hearing of corruption in the PSA. Any evidence to back that claim up?

[@JK-jr1gs]

@@davesmith826 chairman of the PSA is the ceo or at least former ceo of ATCO who sponsored Ali farag for a while. Shorbagy tried to mention this on Instagram once but I believe he was silenced

[@kylannaidoo4141]

They were all pretty obvious strokes. I mean even momen knew he tried to play off the first one by celebrating lol

[@dompricemusic2701]

No obvious strokes at all, 9/10 times you'd see that given as a let. To make that split second decision was wrong either way, you can tell by the hesitation from the ref that she should have gone to the video

[@Orbituation]

@@JK-jr1gs I don't think that's relevant to biased refereeing at all. It was regarding the decision to not penalize with 0 points for Shorbagy not appearing in platinum tournaments (since top 10 have to make every effort to appear in premium events) in Egypt (due to national service reasons), not referees making biased decisions (which would be really bad for the sport, since it's almost tantamount to match fixing).

[@rh7686]

Awful decision in the final point Momen vs. Coll.

[@TheAhmd4ever]

Coll every time looking for Stroke in a cheap way what a con man .

[@rnv2529]

Ah nothing as sour as an Egyptian crowd. Keep crying habibis

[@ciaster]

That ref is way out her depth with this QF for Coll and MoMo..again on match point when it's a YRS LET at most....he made no effort to get to ball...it was pretty tight and Momen clears well in time...she should have gone to video ref to take the pressure off herself....ruined the match basically.