Eye On The Prize

Eye Rackets players Paul ‘Superman’ Coll and Mostafa ‘The Raging Bull’ Asal lifted the biggest titles of their careers to date during what was a spellbinding six-week spell for the Eye sponsored duo.

Coll, who wears Eye’s market-leading S-Line shoes, has cemented his place inside the World’s top four during the past season and underlined her desire to reach the top with a majestic run to the final of the prestigious British Open in August.

The New Zealander defeated World No.2 Mohamed Elshorbagy in straight-games to reach the final and then came from behind to defeat World No.1 Ali Farag to secure the title and add his name to an iconic list that includes Eye Ambassador Jonah Barrington.

“I’ve always said that when I win my first major tournament that I wanted to beat the best of the best and Mohamed and Ali are definitely the top two,” said Coll.

“It’s always rewarding to win a title like the British but to take down No.1 and No.2 along the way really added to it.

“I have had a lot of nice messages and Rob and I spoke to Jonah [Barrington] on the way home after the final and we had a great 40-minute chat with him, and it was great to hear what he had to say, and he was very complimentary about my game and that meant a lot.

“Jonah’s brain just does not miss a beat! The first thing he said was that I put two serves on Ali’s racket, and he rolled them in the nick! So, he is a very special guy to talk to.”

That win came just weeks after Coll had reached the World Championship semi-finals and he continued to show his world class level by reaching the final at both the Oracle NetSuite Open and Qatar Classic tournaments over the past month.

Asal meanwhile, after impressing en route to an injury-thwarted semi-final finish at the NetSuite Open, secured one of the biggest titles on the tour when he triumphed at the US Open in September - becoming the youngest player ever to win the event.

“I don’t believe it!” said Asal after the match.

“I was having problems before the tournament, whether I would enter or if I couldn’t, but I managed to win the title - it was unbelievable.”

Asal defeated Coll, Diego Elias and Tarek Momen on his way to glory, which he sealed in dramatic fashion - coming from 0-2 down to defeat Momen in a thrilling decider. Asal makes history becoming the youngest ever US Open Champion at the age of 20.