Coll’s 12-10, 11-7, 11-6 win over the Egyptian was his first win in six attempts and now has him playing world No4 Karim Abdel Gawad, of Egypt), for a place in the final.
There was an unusual sequence to start the match. Coll won the first five points, then El Shorbagy won the next five.
But from then on it appeared the tactics of the 27-year-old from the West Coast were spot on.
He won the last four points of the first game and then looked confident throughout the rest of the match while his opponent struggled at times and became frustrated with Coll’s persistence.
“I’m just trying to do my best out there and really enjoying the battle. I felt really relaxed out there. I was seeing it like a beach ball which helped,” world No5 Coll said.
When asked about his record against El Shorbagy, the Kiwi was realistic about the challenges against a player with such a great record.
‘‘He’s been top of the game for the last five years. I'm not ashamed of that record ...
‘‘I've been chipping [away] slowly ... trying to improve day by day and challenge these top guys.
‘‘They come from serious pedigree ... come from a small town called Greymouth, so I’m loving being out here and this life,”
In the semifinals this afternoon, Coll has a record of two wins and four losses against Gawad.
