Delighted Dessouky Comes Back From The Dead To Take Black Ball Title

Egypt's world No.11 Fares Dessouky completed a stunning comeback from 2/0 down to overcome world No.1 and favourite Ali Farag in the final of the men's CIB Black Ball Open to win the PSA Gold event.

It was the 200th PSA Tour match of the ninth seed's career - and, after seeing off the event's top three seeds, Dessouky's reward was landing the biggest PSA World Tour title of his career.

Dessouky, 26, came through a 75-minute battle against World Champion Tarek Momen, the No.2 seed, 24 hours previously, while he also beat defending champion Karim Abdel Gawad, the third seed, 3/2 in round two.

He found it tough going in the opening stages of the final as Farag - also a runner-up in 2018 - played some scintillating squash to take a two-game lead.

Dessouky looked down and out - but suddenly the winners started flowing from his racket as he fought back to take the next two games in impressive fashion and force a decider.

Farag was the man in form after winning a career-best 14 successive matches coming into the match - he had also beaten Dessouky in all five of their previous matches. But the top seed was powerless to respond to Dessouky's brilliance in the decider as the man from Alexandria closed out an 5-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 victory to capture the fourth - and most significant - title of his career.

"It feels amazing, this is the biggest final of my career so far, and today I got the win, so I'm very lucky," Dessouky said afterwards.

"I didn't have any plan for today, to be honest. I just went on court to give 100 per cent so people could enjoy the match. The last match I played in Qatar, I gave up in the semi-final and I didn't want to do the same at this tournament.

"I wanted to grab the win for my family and all my friends who came here to support me, so thanks a lot to them. I have a new mental coach now, I know the people wanted something like that, and it's working step-by-step."

Farag said: "I'm disappointed but not in myself, I left it all out there and that's something I can be proud of. Sometimes you come up against an opponent who is playing really well and tactically he got it spot on.

"When you're playing well in the first two games and you lose it, it can be hard to regain it. All credit to Fares, winning so many great battles back-to-back is a testament to who he has become, so I want to congratulate him."

Dessouky wins over $16,000 for his title win in the last PSA World Tour tournament of 2020. England's world No.6 Sarah-Jane Perry won the women's title, which concluded on Saturday December 12, the day before the men's tournament began. Perry also came back from 2/0 down in her final against Egypt's Hania El Hammamy.