20 Feb 2016
World No.1 Mohamed Elshorbagy and World No.4 Omar Mosaad will line up in an all-Egyptian final of the Taeq Squash Colombia PSA Open after claiming wins over compatriots Marwan Elshorbagy and Tarek Momen, respectively, in the semi-finals of the inaugural PSA M100 event at Plaza de la Aduana in Cartagena, Colombia.
In the fifth Tour battle against his younger brother Marwan, Mohamed adopted an aggressive, attacking tactic from the outset to take the opening two games - but Marwan found his way back into the match after coming out on top in a scrappy third.
However, 25-year-old Mohamed responded by ramping up the pace and eventually prevailing to claim a hard fought 11-4, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8 victory and seal his spot in a 32nd career PSA World Tour final.
"The hardest person I can play is my brother," said Mohamed.
"Today was so difficult. Trying to beat my brother is emotionally difficult and it takes so much out of both of us. I thought he played so well, it's the best he has ever played against me.
"I thought I had him a little bit in the third but then he played a lot better at the end of that game and he made it so difficult in the fourth game. I knew that the longer the match was getting, the better he was playing and the more my energy was dropping. He has been in good form at the start of this year and, once he gets things right mentally, he is for sure one of the top guys now."
Mosaad, meanwhile, fought fatigue and humid conditions to mount a stunning comeback against compatriot Momen.
The 27-year-old was put under immediate pressure by a ruthless Momen in the opening exchanges and looked to be struggling physically as he succumbed to a two-game deficit.
'The Hammer of Thor' fought back though in a virtuoso display full to the brim with tenacity and determination as he triumphed courtesy of an 8-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 scoreline.
"This is the third time I have played Tarek in the last year," said Mosaad.
"He played really well in the first two games and I thought that the match would be ending soon but in the third game I started to play well and I started to lead in the game. I changed my style and my tactics a little bit and it worked in the third and fourth games.
"After the fourth I started thinking that, now it was 2/2, I could go on and win the match so I started to focus again and take things step-by-step, point-by-point and I'm happy to make it and reach the final."
