MCO Quarters: Coll comes back to defeat Steinmann; Eleinen, Cardenas, Ng advance

MCO Quarters: Coll comes back to defeat Steinmann; Eleinen, Cardenas, Ng advance

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan – World No.4 Paul Coll staged a dramatic comeback to close out quarter-finals day at the DR21 Motor City Open 2025, saving three match balls on his way to a thrilling victory over Swiss No.1 Dimitri Steinmann.

Coll, a runner-up at the Silver-level event last year, had to display all of his battling abilities at the Birmingham Athletic Club, fighting back from 10-8 and 11-10 down in the fourth game before eventually claiming a five-game victory after 85 minutes of breathless action.

After a brutal 28-minute opening game went the way of Steinmann, Coll looked in deep trouble at 9-6 down in the second, but the No.2 seed claimed five straight points to level the match. Game three went the way of Steinmann, and the World No.19 looked on the brink of the biggest win of his career with two match balls on his racket in the fourth.

However, back-to-back tins from Steinmann offered Coll a route back into the match, and after saving a third match ball in the tie-break, the New Zealander managed to force a deciding game. From point one of the fifth game, Coll always led Steinmann on the scoreboard, managing to capitalize on this brief period of momentum to eventually seal an 11-13, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 11-5 victory.

Coll’s opponent in the semi-finals will be Egyptian No.4 seed Aly Abou Eleinen, who battled past compatriot Mohamed ElSherbini in four games. After a well-contested opening game, which ElSherbini clinched 13-11 after almost 20 minutes of play, Eleinen only grew in the ascendancy as the match progressed. The World No.13 dropped just seven points over the next three games, moving through to the semi-finals after 49 minutes of play.

Elsewhere, Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas progressed to his maiden Silver-level semi-final on the PSA Squash Tour after winning an all-South American duel with Colombia’s Juan Camilo Vargas in straight games.

Vargas, who received a walkover in round two after the withdrawal of top seed Diego Elias, struggled to match the accuracy of Cardenas throughout the 33-minute encounter, with World No.18 Cardenas dominating the ‘T’ with his pinpoint lines and lengths and taking the ball in short to great effect.

After overturning an early deficit in the first game, Cardenas moved through to take the match in dominant style, advancing to the last four in Detroit by an 11-7, 11-13, 11-6 scoreline.

Cardenas’ opponent will be No.3 seed Eain Yow Ng, who ended the impressive run of Baptiste Masotti in four games. The Malaysian No.1, a winner at the Ace Malaysia Cup earlier this season, produced an accomplished performance to negate the attacking threats of Masotti on his way to an 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 victory.

The semi-finals of the DR21 Motor City Open get underway at 6 PM on Friday, 7th February. Watch the action unfold live on SQUASHTV.

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Results: Quarterfinals

[7] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (33m)

[3] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 (62m)

[4] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-1: 11-13, 11-3, 11-2, 11-2 (49m)

[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [6] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-2: 11-13, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 11-5 (84m)

Draw: Semi-Finals

[7] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) v [3] Eain Yow Ng (MAS)

[4] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)

(Coverage courtesy PSA)