Photos
Lucas Serme 3-1 Tom Richards (Eng) 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 (57m)
Gregoire Marche 3-0 Mohamed ElSherbini 11-8, 11-7, 11-5 (42m)
[6] Marwan ElShorbagy (Egy) 3-0 [wc] Gregory Gaultier 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (40m)
[4] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-0 Baptiste Masotti 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 (38m)
Lucas
“I have had a few games, in Egypt and Manchester, where I felt good physically, and that I could go to five games easily. Now it is all about my squash, my technique, my tactics, it has to come into place.
“It was hard to go six months without competition. It is good to have already had a couple of tournaments so to come here, I knew what to expect from myself. Every match, I am learning and I feel like I am getting stronger.”
Greg M
“I’m quite pleased with the whole performance today. I managed to be focused at the crucial times, like in the middle of every game where it was 4-4, 5-5 and I pushed a little bit more. I wasn’t sure about how I was going to react today physically because I haven’t played for the last five days. I couldn’t do a practice game or anything, so I was a bit scared about my body and how it would react. I feel good, at least I’m fresh and ready to compete here.“Since the lockdown in March, we had two months lockdown in France, so I decided to take a big break. I was a bit tired last year and for me, it was the right time to take a proper break. I think I hadn’t played for four months and I was a little scared to come back and how I was going to feel. I trained hard all summer physically and I think it’s paid off now.”
Simply magnificent from @maelshorbagy & Gregory Gaultier!! 👏
This rally just went on and on! 😲#QatarClassic pic.twitter.com/BsdkVrvlCb
— PSA World Tour (@PSAWorldTour) November 2, 2020
Marwan parle de Greg:
“When I saw the draw, I knew that playing him would be really tough. Mentally, it is the toughest first match you can get because of what he has achieved. Iwatched him in 2006 when he played the World Championships and he is someone who really inspired me. He was my role model, he still is my role model.
“I admire what he has done for the game and just seeing the way he moves, the way he plays.. For me, he is one of the greatest players of all time! I am really happy to be on court with him. It is a pleasure for me and I hope that we see him for many years to come.
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