For the first time in history, a Kiwi squash player has won the men’s British Squash Open. ‘Superman’ Paul Coll joins Susan Devoy and Leilani Joyce as only the third ever New Zealander to lift the illustrious British Open title. He took down the World Champion Ali Farag in a thrilling 3-1 victory.
Hull, England. Sunday 22 August 2021.
Paul Coll has won the British Open. In a hard fought tournament that saw him take out rising superstar Youssef Ibrahim, the ‘Black Falcon’ Mazen Hesham, the ‘Peruvian Puma’ Diego Elias, the world #1 Mohamed Elshorbagy, and the current World Champion Ali Farag.
An unbelievable string of results has seen the Kiwi superstar cement his name in New Zealand squash history. He’s now the first male player, and only the third ever New Zealander to have their name engraved on the trophy.
It’s Paul’s first tournament win since he lifted the Open de Nantes trophy on 14 September 2019. Since then, he’s reached four quarter finals, five semi finals and six finals (always the bridesmaid, finally the bride!).
We interviewed Paul earlier this year, where he laid out his ambitions for the 2021 season. You can read our interview here.
Paul won the tournament using his signature Head Speed 120 Slimbody. He uses Head’s Adaptive Fan Pattern, strung at 11kg (24lbs). Read our review of Paul Coll’s racket here. It’s also his first tournament win while wearing his own clothing line – IWI Athletica.
Purchase Paul’s signature racket:
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Paul Coll’s journey through the 2021 British Open
Paul took out the rising Egyptian star Youssef Ibrahim in his opening round encounter, winning in three close games (11-8, 11-7, 12-10).
In his next match, Paul avoided an upset with a close 3-2 against Mazen Hesham. Coll went 2-1 down, however his attritional style of squash prevailed, with his enviable stamina seeing him win the final two games in comfort (5-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-2, 11-4).
A quarter final match with an on-form Diego Elias had all the potential for a shock result, with Diego recently taking the Manchester Open in the week prior. Paul won in three, with only two points separating the two players in each game (13-11, 11-9, 13-11).
A semi final upset against the world #1
A semi final against Mohamed ElShorbagy is about the last thing any player wants. ‘The Beast from Alexandria’ had gotten the better of Coll on nine out of their ten previous encounters.
However, ElShorbagy looked to be out of ideas as Paul’s unbelievable retrievals soaked up every attack he could muster. After a tough route into the semi-final, Shorbagy looked comparatively fatigued next to Coll.
Paul took the crowd by surprise as he downed The Beast in three (11-8, 11-7, 11-5).
Taking out the world champion to win the British Open
As Sunday came around, all eyes were on Paul Coll with the hope of a potential upset.
Paul didn’t disappoint. Farag put up his best fight, but it wasn’t enough to unsettle the Kiwi Superman. After a nervy start, where Ali won the first game 11-7, Paul fought back, winning the following games 11-6, 11-6, 11-8. Paul’s attritional style of squash countered the attacking Egyptian style of Farag, keeping him pinned to the corners and taking the opportunity to drop the ball in short when it presented itself.
After the match, an emotional Coll thanked his coach Rob Owen, the new Zealand squash fans who’d woken up at 2am to watch him, and those who’d travelled to Hull to see him play.
A huge congratulations to Paul Coll, a well deserved victory and marking a new era in the world of squash.
Well done Paul Coll,
congratulations