Motor City Open, Round of 16: Top seeds roll, Coll survives test, USA’s Khan bounced

by Andrew Graham
The Motor City Open

Birmingham, Michigan — Chalk won the day in the Second Round of the Motor City Open Presented by Sturbridge Capital as all eight seeds moved on to the quarterfinals. But not before top seeds Paul Coll and Diego Elias got serious tests.

Elias dropped a resurgent Abouelghar, 3-1. (MCO photo)

Earlier this year, Coll lost to Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi in Qatar. In a rematch on Thursday, the World #3 avenged the loss, but it didn’t come without a serious test.

“It’s very hard when we’re both trying to impose a completely different game plan,” said Coll after the match. “He’s very quick, very tricky, so I’ve got to be careful where I put the ball. It’s a very tough match for me.”

Coll clearly wanted to use size and power to his advantage while Al Tamimi tapped into every bit of skill and guile he had to make the Kiwi move and work and think. It was highly effective early on, even as Al Tamimi dropped two games.

Abouelghar (right) picked up the first game on defending champ Elias. (MCO photo)

Coll won the first, 15-13, as Al Tamimi would inch back every time Coll opened a gap. An 11-7 second game result for Coll looked dire for Al Tamimi. But the Qatari responded and Game Three, 11-8.

“I was a little bit annoyed in that third set, I let a lead slip,” Coll said. “I mean he’s so skilled. He’s probably one of the most skillful players on tour. It’s always hard to get in a rhythm. There’s shots and balls and flicks coming from everywhere. So it’s kind of hard to get settled in there and he does a great job of mixing it up.”

But after that third set win, it seemed Al Tamimi was tapped out. Coll, nicknamed “Superman” for his fitness in long matches, cruised, 11-1, to take the match.

Coll’s path won’t get any easier as he next faces, Fares Dessouky of Egypt who was a finalist a the MCO a year ago. The fifth-seeded Egyptian beat Mexico’s Cesar Salazar in four highly entertaining games Thursday: 9-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-6.

Dessouky (rt) beat Salazar in four entertaining games. (MCO photo)

Second-seed Elias of Peru, who downed Coll in the semifinals on the way to winning the Tournament of Champions in New York last week, dropped the first game of his Fourth Round match against Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar. Abouelghar is on his way back up the ranks after knee surgery, and beat Elias in the MCO final back in 2019.

But the big Peruvian settled in and was businesslike in dispatching Abouelghar, 3-1.

Sixth-seed Youssef Soliman of Egypt, made light work of his opponent. Soliman won 3-0 over Englishman Adrian Waller. Columbia’s Miguel Rodriguez — the #7 seed here — overcame a slow start and a feisty opponent to secure a spot in the quarters. After dropping the first stanza against Aly Abou Eleinen in 20-minutes, Rodriguez took three-straight games — including a 21-minute long second set that finished 11-9 — and a 3-1 match win.

Hot Rod. Rodriguez ran through Eleinen in four games. (MCO photo)

The lone American left in the tournament, #28 Shahjahan Khan, fell victim to veteran Frenchman and World #15 Gregoire Marche, but not without a fight.

Marche took the first game, using his power and positioning to force Khan to run from corner to corner. It was a strategy that served Marche well given the circumstances — he revealed after the match win that he’d been battling a cold before the tournament.

“It was a tough match,” said Marche. “I was kind of sick the last few days. So today I felt better, this morning when I woke up. I just didn’t know how my body was going to react. I felt good in the first but then I was a bit maybe, too passive, in the second.”

After letting the second game slip away, 11-7, Marche navigated his way to an 11-8 third stanza win. But Khan was desperate to force a fifth set. The American nearly did, getting to game point at 10-9 in the fourth.

But a flurry of clutch shots by Marche — including a floater flipped to the back corner of the court that died on the bounce— swung the game back in his favor before the Frenchman pulled it out, 14-12.

Marche ended American Khan’s (left) hopes in four games. (MCO photo)

“Yeah. I had a good start, I feel, in the fourth,” said Marche. “And then he came back. I didn’t know how to finish it and I was pretty tired at the end. I just fought mentally and that win’s going to be a good step.”

The victors will play in a loaded quarters Friday at the Birmingham Athletic Club with matches starting at 6 PM EST.

Full Round 2 results:

Miguel Rodriguez (7) def. Aly Abou Eleinen, 3-1 (9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6)

Mazen Hesham (4) def. Mohamed El Sherbini, 3-1 (11-8, 11-3, 3-11, 11-6)

Fares Dessouky (5) def. Cesar Salazar, 3-1 (9-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-6)

Paul Coll (1) def. Mohd Al Tamimi, 3-1 (15-13, 11-7, 8-11, 11-1)

Gregoire Marche (8) def. Shahjahan Khan, 3-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 14-12)

Diego Elias (2) def. Mohamed Abouelghar, 3-1 (10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9)

Tarek Momen (3) def. Youssef Ibrahim, 3-1 (11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 13-11)

Youssef Soliman (6) def. Adrian Waller, 3-0 (11-4, 12-10, 11-2)