Paul Coll Scores Top Win To Make Semis In London

Another win for Kiwi world squash No.7, Paul Coll at the Canary Wharf PSA Gold tournament in London.

The man from the West Coast of the South Island defeated Welshman Joel Makin to earn his place in the semi-finals of this tournament for the second time. Coll got the better of Makin in a brutal 106-minute encounter in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games last year and their encounter at East Wintergarden at Canary Wharf today was similarly tough.

This time, the match was held under a best-of-three games format, which is being trialled at this tournament for a second successive year and Coll recorded an 11-9, 12-10 triumph in 47 minutes to book his semis berth.

“I knew it was going to be so tough to win a point,” said Coll. “Credit to him, he is a fighter, and he is a quality player already. He is only going to get better. [It was] very fair, and I enjoyed the match, as tough as it was. I was a bit off the pace, but I knew what I had to do. I just had to stay calm and I started attacking a lot more down my backhand where I was feeling comfortable, and it paid off.”

Coll now plays Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet for a place in the final. Castagnet has proved the upset merchant of the tournament by beating the second and seventh seeds on his way to the semis. They have never faced each other in a competition match before.

The match is set to be played live on Skysport Popup 5 Channel 59, 7.30am Friday NZT.