Coll Stages Dramatic Comeback To Reach Motor City Semis

New Zealand's 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 in Detroit.

Coll, a runner-up at the PSA Squash Tour Silver 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 breathtaking action.

After a brutal 28-minute opening game went the way of the Swiss underdog, 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 capitalise on this 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 No.4 seed Aly Abou Eleinen, who battled past Egyptian 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 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 the Mexican world No.18 dominating the 'T' through his pinpoint lines and lengths.

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, 11-3, 11-6 scoreline.

Cardenas' opponent in the next round 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 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.