Mazen Hesham produced another sensational five-game performance to knock out Mohamed Elshorbagy and reach the HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open final, where he will play Ali Farag. 

Hesham had spent almost 90 minutes on court in his thrilling 3-2 win over Mostafa Asal in the quarter-finals late last night, while Elshorbagy had needed just half an hour to beat Miguel Rodriguez 3-0 in a dominant display. 

The opening rallies of this one suggested that Elshorbagy might put in a repeat performance, as he raced into a 6-0 lead in game one, closing it out 11-5 in just six minutes. 

But if the crowd inside the Houston Squash Club were expecting another one-sided affair, they were in for a surprise, as Hesham upped the pace in game two, giving himself an 8-3 advantage. 

Ever relentless, Elshorbagy battled back to 9-9, putting some serious work into Hesham’s legs, but the Egyptian held his nerve, winning the game 11-9 when an improvised flick from Elshorbagy fell short. 

The English No.1 then reversed the scoreline in game three, taking it 11-9 on a soft forehand volley into the nick. 

But backed by the vocal crowd, Hesham took control of the match from there, winning game four 11-5 in less than 10 minutes, even drawing applause from his opponent on a particularly sweet three-wall boast. 

He then opened up a 5-1 lead in the decisive fifth, and continued to draw cheers from the audience when attacking the nick on the backhand side. 

5-1 soon turned into five match balls at 10-5 up, but only one was needed, with another tin from Elshorbagy handing victory to the Egyptian. 

“It was physically very tough, mentally very tough,” Hesham said after his win. 

“Playing Mohamed is always a tough match. He’s a legend of the game and he pushes you to the max, so I’m very, very pleased with how I fought back. 

“He didn’t give it to me easily and I had to push for it, and luckily it really went my way this time.” 

Discussing what he felt was key to turning things around in games three and four, the Egyptian said: “I was just trying to dig deep, make it harder for him to win a point and wait for my opportunities better.  

“If I was going to go short, I needed to be careful because he can be deadly if the ball stays a little bit up and he’s going to go for it. So, I had to be very careful and very cautious with where I was hitting the ball, I had to hit my targets to get him deep in the court and to move him around.” 

Hesham’s thrilling win followed a comfortable victory for World No.1 Ali Farag, who beat a struggling Karim Abdel Gawad 3-0 in the first semi-final. 

Gawad only returned from injury at last week’s Pittsburgh Open, and came into this encounter having gone to five in each of his first two matches here. 

That workload appeared to have taken its toll, as he struggled to match the top seed early on, with Farag extending the rallies and pulling his compatriot around the court. 

After losing game one 11-7, game two was when the No.4 seed really began to show his discomfort, but Farag was in no mood to be charitable. 

He continued to dominate proceedings, soon clinching victory when Gawad hit the tin on a forehand, with Farag continuing his record of having reached the final of every PSA Tour event he’s played in this season. 

“I’m very pleased,” he said after victory. 

“I knew Karim was going to come in not at 100%. He’s had an injury, he was out for over a month and a half and barely had any practice matches under his belt. Then he came and won a Silver event playing four matches back-to-back, then having to back it up here and play two five-setters is not easy, so credit to him for reaching the semis in the first place. 

“But I didn’t want to lose the first game quickly, because adrenaline can do wonders if you’re winning and you get going, so I tried to elongate the rallies from the very beginning and maintain my focus all the way through, which I’m very pleased I managed to do for the most part.” 

The final of the HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open takes place at 16:00 (GMT-6) on Sunday, 18th February and will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV.  

Results: HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open Semi-Finals 

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 (27m) 
[5] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt [2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-2: 5-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 (62m) 

Draw: HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open Final 

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [5] Mazen Hesham (EGY) 

World No.20 Iker Pajares delivered a defiant performance to conquer top seed Victor Crouin in an 89-minute classic at the Squash On Fire Open, clinching a fifth-game tie-break 14-12 to advance to the final.

The Spaniard, who saved two match balls on his way to victory in the deciding game, will play Egypt’s Youssef Soliman in the final of the PSA World Tour Bronze event, while Tinne Gilis and Amina Orfi will face each other in a repeat of last year’s title decider after coming through their respective matches in straight games. In what was the final match of the afternoon, it was Pajares who started the quicker of the two players, pushing Crouin into the back two corners with some immaculate lines before looking to find winners in the front two corners. A number of soft errors into the tin from the French No.1 helped Pajares on his way to an 11-5 opening game.Crouin bounced back in the second, regaining his accuracy down both wings and putting away any loose cross-court shots from his opponent to level the match after 19 minutes. The defending champion subsequently took the lead in the match for the very first time after rattling off six straight points from 8-5 down to claim the third. Despite the disappointing nature of defeat in the third game, Pajares continued to apply pressure on his opponent in the fourth, moving to an 11-10 lead with some aggressive squash. The No.3 seed pulled out a miraculous dive followed by a backhand drive winner to take the match to a deciding game.The see-saw nature of the match continued in the fifth, with Pajares chancing his arm with a string of outrageous winners to go 3-0 up, but Crouin taking six straight points to retake command of the decider. A set of brutal rallies then followed, which left both players doubled over in exhaustion on several occasions.Crouin moved to match ball at 10-9 up and again at 11-10 up, but on both occasions, Pajares pulled off sublime winners to keep himself in the match. The Spaniard, who saw a match ball from his own racket repelled by Crouin, finally claimed victory when a straight backhand drive passed beyond the reach of the defending champion. After the match, Pajares said: “It was third time lucky. This is my third time here at the Squash On Fire semi-finals, I finally made it to the final with some of the best squash of my career.”I’ve been in these moments so many times in my career, just playing to the back the whole time and losing 11-6 in the fifth or something, so I wanted to attack today, be brave and sharp and I just went for it. I train all of my life for these moments, I have played these kind of [attacking] shots so many times in training, so why not in the match.”I think I played three or four winners in the fifth game, and it made the difference today.”Pajares will play Youssef Soliman in the final after the No.2 seed saw off the challenge of Youssef Ibrahim in an entertaining all-Egyptian affair. As was the case when the pair contested a five-game thriller at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions last month, the match was well fought throughout, but it was Soliman’s consistent lines and clever use of height on the front wall that proved key, with the 27-year-old prevailing by an 11-5, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9 scoreline.In the women’s draw, 16-year-old Amina Orfi produced a superb display to knock out home favourite Sabrina Sobhy in three games.Right from the off, the Egyptian played the match on her own terms, with her straight hitting down the backhand wall causing Sobhy particular issues. The Egyptian raced into a 6-0 lead and never let the American back in, taking a ten-minute opening game by an 11-6 scoreline. The pair traded points to 5-5 in the second, but a Sobhy error into the tin at 5-6 down proved costly. Another drop shot into the tin from the World No.15 gave Orfi four game balls, and at the second time of asking, the teenager doubled her advantage in the match. Sobhy came out firing in the third, progressing into a 5-3 lead, but Orfi remained composed, sticking to her tight lines to win five points on the bounce.The 2023 runner-up moved to 10-8 up, but Sobhy refused to give up without a fight, finding two winners to force a tie-break. Despite the No.2 seed saving a third match ball at 11-10 down, Orfi eventually prevailed, winning an incredible final rally with a backhand volley drop. After progressing to the final, Orfi said: “I’m so happy because she is such a good player, and last time I won 3-2, so I knew it was going to be tough. The first game was very crucial. In my last two matches, the start in my first game wasn’t the best, so today I just focused on that. “I tried not to open up the court too much because she volleys a lot and she has great skills, so I tried to close the court and make it a bit bigger for her. “[In the third] I lost my focus a bit and it was important to win it, because if I lost it I knew she would make a comeback.”Meanwhile, defending champion Tinne Gilis continued her impressive run in Washington DC with a confident and composed display against No.4 seed Tomato Ho. Although pushed into a second-game tie-break by the Hong Kong player, which Gilis eventually edged 13-11, the Belgian always looked in control, playing aggressively into the front two corners whenever given the opportunity and coming away with a straight games win after just 37 minutes of action. The finals of the Squash On Fire Open 2024 commence at 13:30 (GMT-5) on Sunday, 18th February and will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV.Results: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Men’s Semi-Finals [3] Iker Pajares (ESP) bt [1] Victor Crouin (FRA) 3-2: 11-5, 5-11, 8-11, 12-10, 14-12 (89m)[2] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt [4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-1: 11-5, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9 (65m)Draw: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Men’s Final [3] Iker Pajares (ESP) v [2] Youssef Soliman (EGY)Results: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Women’s Semi-Finals[3] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt [2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 13-11 (45m)[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [4] Tomato Ho (HKG) 3-0: 11-3, 13-11, 11-6 (37m)Draw: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Women’s Final[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [3] Amina Orfi (EGY)

Tournament wildcard Menna Walid fought back from 2-0 down and four match balls down to claim a remarkable victory over No.5 seed Lucy Turmel and progress to her maiden PSA World Tour quarter-final at the Squash On Fire Open 2024. 

World No.70 Walid, who secured her spot in the main draw of the Bronze-level event after winning the Squash On Fire 2024 Wild Card Challenge last week, looked destined for defeat when 10-6 down in the third game, but managed to flip the match on its head with a clinic of powerful, attacking squash. 

After staving off all four of Turmel’s match balls and clinching the third in a subsequent tie-break, the 19-year-old moved from strength to strength and soon found herself level at two games a piece. 

Despite finding herself 5-2 down in the fifth, Walid once again showed maturity beyond her years to work her way back into the game and eventually prevail by an 11-7 scoreline. 

“I’m literally over the moon,” she said after the match. “I started to play my shots when I was 2-0 down and 10-6 down. I had nothing to lose and I gave it my all. 

“I think that when I was 2-0 down I didn’t play my best squash, but there was still a lot to play, so I just tried to control myself. I kept telling myself to play my best squash because I had nothing to lose because I was playing the World No.24, and then I managed to come back.”

On her upcoming quarter-final tie against No.4 seed Tomato Ho, she added: “I’m super excited for tomorrow. I want to give it my all and prove to myself that I’m competing and I’m here to win.” 

Meanwhile in the men’s draw USA No.4 Todd Harrity progressed to a career-first PSA World Tour quarter-final after upsetting No.7 seed Omar Mosaad in straight games.

Defending champions Tinne Gilis and Victor Crouin also got their campaigns underway with straight game wins over Haya Ali and Ben Smith, respectively. 

Day three of action from the Squash On Fire Open 2024 commences at 12:00 (GMT-5) on Friday, 16th February and will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV. For more information on the Squash On Fire Open 2024, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

Results: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Women’s RD2

Aira Azman (MAS) bt [7] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 (29m)

[3] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt Ainaa Amani (MAS) 3-0: 11-9, 11-4, 11-5 (30m)

[6] Rachel Arnold (MAS) bt Jessica Turnbull (AUS) 3-0: 11-4, 12-10, 11-5 (25m)

[2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Salma Eltayeb (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 (27m)

[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Haya Ali (EGY) 3-0: 11-1, 11-1, 11-8 (18m)

[8] Hana Moataz (EGY) bt Malak Khafagy (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (27m)

[4] Tomato Ho (HKG) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 (32m)

[WC] Menna Walid (EGY) bt [5] Lucy Turmel (ENG) 3-2: 5-11, 5-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-7 (58m)

Draw: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Women’s Quarter-Finals 

[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [8] Hana Moataz (EGY)

[WC] Menna Walid (EGY) v [4] Tomato Ho (HKG)

[3] Amina Orfi (EGY) v [6] Rachel Arnold (MAS)

Aira Azman (MAS) v [2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA)

Results: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Men’s RD2

[4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 (33m)

[5] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) 3-2: 11-9, 6-11, 3-11, 11-7, 13-11 (77m)

[2] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-2 (33m)

Todd Harrity (USA) bt [7] Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 (29m)

[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Ben Smith (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-1, 11-1 (28m)

[6] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Spencer Lovejoy (USA) 3-1: 4-11, 11-8, 11-4, 13-11 (58m)

[8] Nathan Lake (ENG) bt James Willstrop (ENG) 3-1: 13-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-6 (44m)

[3] Iker Pajares (ESP) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 3-1: 11-2, 11-13, 12-10, 11-9 (68m)

Draw: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Men’s Quarter-Finals 

[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) v [6] Saurav Ghosal (IND)

[8] Nathan Lake (ENG) v [3] Iker Pajares (ESP)

[4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v [5] Greg Lobban (SCO)

Todd Harrity (USA) v [2] Youssef Soliman (EGY)

Miguel Rodriguez gained revenge on Sebastian Bonmalais while Mostafa Asal kicked off his title defence in style, as the quarter-final line-ups were set on day three at the HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open. 

Bonmalais stunned the Colombian with an outstanding performance at the SmartCentres Kinetic Florida Open in January, but there would be no repeat in Texas, as Rodriguez came out on top. 

Knowing that game one would likely be key, Rodriguez battled back from 8-5 down to take it 11-9, with a Bonmalais backhand finding the tin to end a 60-shot rally on game ball. 

The Frenchman began to find his rhythm in game two, giving Rodriguez fewer angles to work worth on his way to levelling the match, but that would be as good as things got for the World No.34. 

He won only five points across the next two games, despite some long and punishing rallies, with his fate being sealed when a Rodriguez lob hit the back-wall nick on match ball. 

“He’s playing his best squash this year, and I wanted to take revenge,” Rodriguez said, when asked about the defeat in Florida. 

“I was out of rhythm and all credit to him because he played very well in the tournament in Florida. Then I played a couple of tournaments – TOC and Detroit, where I made the semis – and I’m in the rhythm again, I have more stamina in my legs so I felt the difference today. 

“I started picking up the pace even harder, because the ball was softer and it was very spongy, so I either had to play higher or very hard to the deep corners, and then it worked.” 

Victory for Rodriguez was followed by a ruthless performance from defending champion Asal, who needed just 31 minutes to sweep aside Juan Camilo Vargas. 

The ‘Raging Bull’ displayed his trademark power throughout, crunching the ball deep into the corners on his way to a comfortable win. 

“It’s just amazing to step on court here in Houston once again,” Asal said after his win. 

“I have lots of good memories here. Last year I was World No.1 after this event so to come here again is just amazing. 

“Vargas is an amazing player, and you don’t know what to expect with someone you didn’t play with before. He was amazing with his speed and his power on court, so I’m happy to go through and happy to be playing again on this court.” 

Mohamed Elshorbagy and Mazen Hesham also recorded 3-0 wins to reach the quarter-finals. 

The quarter-finals of the HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open take place from 17:00 (GMT-6) tomorrow, February 16th. Watch the action live on SQUASHTV.

For updates from the PSA World Tour, follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok  and YouTube.

Results: HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open RD2 (bottom half)

[2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 3-0: 11-5, 14-12, 11-8 (35m) 
[7] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) 3-1: 11-9, 5-11, 11-2, 11-3 (54m) 
[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 (31m) 

[5] Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-2 (28m) 

Draw: HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open Quarter-Finals

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [6] Tarek Momen (EGY) 
Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) v [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 
[7] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) v [2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 

[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v [5] Mazen Hesham (EGY)

Former World No.1 James Willstrop rolled back the years to recover from 2-1 down to defeat Portugal’s Rui Soares on the opening day of the Squash On Fire Open 2024. 

The Englishman, 40, hadn’t taken to the court competitively on the PSA Tour since mid-December, but there were few signs of rustiness as he raced into a one-game lead in the first round of the PSA World Tour Bronze event in Washington DC. 

Despite Soares settling into the match and progressing into a 2-1 lead with some physical squash, Willstrop’s experience came to the fore as he set up a deciding game and moved into a slender lead in the fifth. 

The 22-time PSA Tour winner, who delighted the packed house with two of his trademark windmill shots in the latter stages of the match, brought up match ball after 53 minutes of action, and at the second time of asking, claimed victory with a forehand winner. 

After the match, Willstrop said: “I haven’t played for so long, so I didn’t know what to expect. But it was great, I loved every minute of it. I’m constantly seeing how I’m doing with my playing. Obviously, with my coaching, there’s much less playing going on, but it was nice to feel good out there and to know why I still want to play out there. To get a win and a good result was a bonus. 

“I think I knew before the match that I had to start well and not get embroiled in too many physical rallies. The physicality is a little bit of a doubt, I’m not sure how much of an engine I’ve got at the minute, so getting that first game quickly was good. 

“I just got a run in the fourth and completely changed the match. I’m slightly surprised at myself, but I’ll take it.”

Elsewhere, American duo Todd Harrity and Spencer Lovejoy both fought back from two-game deficits to progress to the second round. World No.54 Harrity defeated Israel’s Daniel Poleshchuk in a 51-minute encounter, while World No.69 Lovejoy came away victorious from his 70-minute clash against Malaysia’s Addeen Idrakie. 

Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, tournament wildcard Menna Walid recorded her maiden PSA World Tour victory following a back-and-forth five-game duel with Kenzy Ayman. The 19-year-old, who claimed her spot in the draw thanks to victory at the Squash On Fire Open 2024 Wild Card Challenge event on Sunday, defeated her compatriot by a 6-11, 13-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6 scoreline. 

Day two of action from the Squash On Fire Open 2024 commences at 12:00 (GMT-5) on Wednesday, 15th February and will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV.

Results: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Men’s RD1 

Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 3-0: 15-13, 11-5, 11-5 (32m)

Lucas Serme (FRA) bt [WC] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) 3-1: 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 (43m)

Bernat Jaume (ESP) bt Tom Walsh (ENG) 3-1: 9-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-8 (56m)

Todd Harrity (USA) bt Daniel Poleshchuk (ISR) 3-2: 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1, 11-8 (51m)

Spencer Lovejoy (USA) bt Addeen Idrakie (MAS) 3-2: 7-11, 6-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-3 (70m)

Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) bt [WC] Mark Broekman (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-2 (22m)

James Willstrop (ENG) bt Rui Soares (POR) 3-2: 11-5, 5-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-9 (54m)

Ben Smith (ENG) bt Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 3-1: 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7 (46m)

Draw – Squash On Fire Open 2024 Men’s RD2: To Be Played February 15th

[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) v Ben Smith (ENG)

Spencer Lovejoy (USA) v [6] Saurav Ghosal (IND)

[8] Nathan Lake (ENG) v James Willstrop (ENG)

Bernat Jaume (ESP) v [3] Iker Pajares (ESP)

[4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v Lucas Serme (FRA)

Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) v [5] Greg Lobban (SCO)

[7] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v Todd Harrity (USA)

Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) v [2] Youssef Soliman (EGY)

Results: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Women’s RD1 

Aira Azman (MAS) bt Saskia Beinhard (GER) 3-2: 9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 6-11, 11-2 (37m)

Salma Eltayeb (EGY) bt Marta Dominguez (ESP) 3-0: 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 (30m)

Ainaa Amani (MAS) bt Nardine Garas (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 (23m)

Jessica Turnbull (AUS) bt Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) 3-2: 9-11, 12-10, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8 (51m)

Menna Hamed (EGY) bt Ineta Hopton (LAT) 3-1: 10-12, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4 (32m)

[WC] Menna Walid (EGY) bt Kenzy Ayman (EGY) 3-2: 6-11, 13-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6 (38m)

Malak Khafagy (EGY) bt [WC] Anna Serme (CZE) 3-0: 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 (23m)

Haya Ali (EGY) bt Danielle Ray (CAN) 3-0: 11-5, 11-2, 11-6 (16m)

Draw – Squash On Fire Open 2024 Women’s RD2: To Be Played February 15th

[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) v Haya Ali (EGY)

Malak Khafagy (EGY) v [8] Hana Moataz (EGY)

[5] Lucy Turmel (ENG) v [WC] Menna Walid 

Menna Hamed (EGY) v [4] Tomato Ho 

[3] Amina Orfi (EGY) v Ainaa Amani (MAS)

Jessica Turnbull (AUS) v [6] Rachel Arnold (MAS)

[7] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v Aira Azman (MAS)

Salma Eltayeb (EGY) v [2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA)

Karim Abdel Gawad avoided a major upset in round two of the HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open, coming from two games down to beat the USA’s Timothy Brownell. 

The No.4 seed, who moved back inside the top five of the world’s rankings this week, came into this event after picking up the Pittsburgh Open title a few days ago, but was far from his best against the American lefty here. 

Brownell had described the prospect of facing Gawad as a ‘dream’ after his round-one win, and he started the match with intent, displaying the free-spirited style of a player with little to lose. 

He was bouncing around the court with energy and took game one with a backhand drive which wrong-footed Gawad, winning game two with a deep forehand beyond the Egyptian’s reach a few minutes later. 

That winner came on Brownell’s fourth game ball, with Gawad having saved the first three, and perhaps that helped to tilt the momentum back in the fourth seed’s favour. 

He established an early game-three lead that he would never relinquish, and controlled much of game four too, despite Brownell requesting a change of ball at its start. 

A misjudged boast into the tin from the Brownell racket on Gawad’s third game ball ensured a decider would be needed, and it was the experience of the Egyptian that shone through in the end, winning a somewhat scrappy fifth on forehand drop, with Brownell’s calls for a video review falling on deaf ears, his own reviews already used up. 

“I had a very slow start,” Gawad said after his win. “In the first two games, I couldn’t read him at all, I couldn’t see the ball very well, so I was moving a bit slowly.  

“After the second game, I had to re-focus again and I tried to push mentally as much as I could, tried to forget about the score and play the match as if it was the first game. 

“Starting from the third, I started moving better, started to read him much better than at the beginning and luckily it went my way at the end.” 

His opponent in the last eight will be fellow Egyptian Aly Abou Eleinen, who came from a game down to beat Baptiste Masotti in the final match of the day. 

There was little to separate the two players through the first two games, which were shared one apiece, but the Egyptian ran away with victory in the end, winning 17 of the last 19 points across games three and four. 

“It was an exciting match,” he said after victory. 

“There was a lot of fast-paced, slow-paced, all-court squash, so I’m super happy and proud of myself that I got through today.” 

World No.1 Ali Farag and sixth seed Tarek Momen also won, completing the Egyptian clean sweep on day two. 

The remaining matches in round two of the HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open take place from 17:00 (GMT-6) tomorrow, February 15th. Watch the action live on SQUASHTV.

Results: HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open RD2 (top half) 

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Farkas Balazs (HUN) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 (27m) 
[6] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Leung Chi Hin Henry (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (31m) 
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Timothy Brownell (USA) 3-2: 6-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (70m) 
Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt [8] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 9-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-2 (66m) 

Draw: HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open RD2 (bottom half) 

Cesar Salazar (MEX) v [2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 
[7] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) v Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) 
[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 
Karim El Hammamy (EGY) v [5] Mazen Hesham (EGY) 

Leung Chi Hin Henry staged an impressive fightback to beat Ramit Tandon in five games, as action got underway at the PSA World Tour Gold event HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open. 

Tandon had won the pair’s only two previous matchups on the PSA Tour without dropping a game, but it was a different story on the glass court at the Houston Squash Club, as Leung battle back from 2-1 down to reach round two. 

It was Tandon who took game one, but Leung – playing his first match since getting married a fortnight ago – increased his tempo in game two, playing at a higher pace and showing off some impressive retrieval skills to level the score. 

The Indian regained control in game three, winning it with a forehand drive that sent Leung the wrong way, but just as he done in game two, Leung upped the pace in game four, sending the match into a decider with a deep squeeze on the backhand side. 

Perhaps feeling the physical strain, Tandon let Leung out to an early lead in game five, and while he threatened to stage a comeback of his own, it was too little, too late, as the 28-year-old wrapped up victory on a forehand smash down the line. 

“I’m very happy to get a win today,” Leung said after his victory. 

“My opponent, Ramit, is a very talented player but today I was also playing well, and I just tried to make it physical. 

“I tried to go forward more, to attack more, push up the court a little bit, so it’s amazing. 

“It’s my first time here in Houston, and the court is very good. I’m happy to get the win today and it’s a good New Year for me.” 

Leung was joined in round two by Egypt’s Karim El Hammamy, who came through a five-game test of his own, beating England’s Simon Herbert. 

Like Leung, El Hammamy had to fight back from 2-1 down, showcasing his speed and movement around the court along the way.

Never was that more noticeable than at 2-2 in game four, when he followed a sprawling dive at the back of the court with a delicate dropshot winner at the front, setting the tone for his comeback. 

“In the beginning, I was struggling to find a little bit of length,” El Hammamy said, speaking on court after his win. 

“When it’s not going your way and you’re not feeling your shots, you just have to run, so that was my thought, and credit to Simon. He was playing really well, and he was taking the middle of the court from me, so I’m glad I managed to get through this. 

“I will have to improve for the next round.” 

Unseeded trio Farkas Balazs, Juan Camilo Vargas and Cesar Salazar also progressed, beating Yahya Elnawasany, David Baillargeon and Rory Stewart respectively. 

The second round of the HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open commences at 17:00 (GMT-6) on Wednesday, 14th February, with action live on SQUASHTV.

For more on the PSA World Tour, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Results: HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open RD1

Farkas Balazs (HUN) bt Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 3-1: 11-5, 8-11, 14-12, 11-6 (59m) 
Leung Chi Hin Henry (HKG) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-2: 5-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6 (56m) 
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Rory Stewart (SCO) 3-1: 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 11-1 (48m) 
Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Andrew Douglas (USA) 3-1: 11-6, 12-14, 11-6, 11-3 (51m) 
Timothy Brownell (USA) bt [WC] Muhammad Huzaifa Ibrahim (PAK) 3-0: 12-10, 11-2, 11-6 (31m) 
Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt Faraz Khan (USA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-2, 11-7 (35m) 

Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bt David Baillargeon (CAN) 3-1: 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (52m) 

Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bt Simon Herbert (ENG) 3-2: 6-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 11-7 (64m) 

Draw: HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open RD2 (top half – to be played February 14th)

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Farkas Balazs (HUN) 
Leung Chi Hin Henry (HKG) v [6] Tarek Momen (EGY) 
Timothy Brownell (USA) v [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 
[8] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) v Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) 

Draw: HSC 2024 Houston Men’s Squash Open RD2 (bottom half – to be played Februry 15th)

Cesar Salazar (MEX) v [2] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 
[7] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) v Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) 
[3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 

Karim El Hammamy (EGY) v [5] Mazen Hesham (EGY) 

Top seed Karim Abdel Gawad defeated compatriot Youssef Ibrahim in an 80-minute clash to keep his hopes alive of a third Pittsburgh Open title, while World No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy defeated No.3 seed Youssef Soliman in a testing five-game affair in the second semi-final.

The points in the first game of Gawad and Ibrahim’s clash were almost exclusively won through drops, cross-courts and strokes which is a perfect indication of the rapid, aggressive squash on show between the two Egyptians. Gawad got the better of the early stages and Ibrahim showed visible frustration as the former World No.1 pulled away to 10-3 on the scoreline.

The 24-year-old managed to fend off three game balls, but the lead was too significant as the 32-year-old fired an irretrievable cross-court shot into the back right corner to secure a 1-0 lead.

The World No.6 began the second gain in a similar vein of form as he amounted an 8-3 advantage, but soon Ibrahim looked sharper, attacking the ball higher up the court and volleying more often, as he battled back to parity at 8-8.

A well-disguised backhand drive, a cross-court and a forehand drive in quick succession earned the younger Egyptian the second game after winning eight consecutive points.

The No.1 seed rediscovered his first-game dominance, taking an early 6-2 lead in game three. Ibrahim looked to have a way back into the game as Gawad miscalculated a trickle boast without any pressure from his opponent, but the older Egyptian pushed on from there, winning the game 11-4 with a pin-point accurate drop into the front right corner.

The ‘Gunslinger’ showed some flair in the start of the fourth game as he won a point by deploying a behind-the-back shot, and battled to a 7-6 lead. Ibrahim maintained his slim lead to 10-9, but Gawad forced the tie-break. The pair battled through four lets, one of which saw Gawad on the floor after a collision, until finally Ibrahim found his way through, winning the game 12-10 to level the match.

The experience of the 2016 World Champion proved too much in the fifth as he fought to an 11-8 win to secure a place in the the final, the match finishing with a stroke.

“I’m a bit tired of course after a long match, but I’m happy and glad to be in the final here in Pittsburgh,” said Gawad after the match, “I’m looking forward to the final tomorrow.

“Playing Youssef is always hard, he’s a very talented player, a great mover on court and the way he’s playing, it’s very hard to play against especially for me and for many top players.

“Today I had to push mentally until the very last point. I was down 6-4 and 7-6 but I had to push to the last point of the match and I’m glad I managed to win today.

On Ibrahim’s second game resurgence, Gawad said, “It’s always not nice when you’re leading, especially in a crucial game and winning 8-3 and then you lost eight points in a row it’s hard and to come back, obviously you’re a bit mentally down after losing a game in that way, but I had to refocus and just try and forget about that game and try to start from the beginning, and luckily I managed to regroup.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s final, it would be great to win a tournament after coming back from my injury. First tournament of the year for me so it would be good to win tomorrow, I just had to recover well today, sleep well, eat well and study whoever wins today for tomorrow’s match.”

In the second semi-final, England’s Marwan ElShorbagy faced a difficult opponent in World No.12 Youssef Soliman. The two players met in last year’s semi-final, where the then-29-year-old won 3-1 in 83 minutes.

The No.3 seed started the match in emphatic fashion, going from 5-4 to 11-5 after a series of dramatic, close-fought rallies, with the game ball being won through ElShorbagy hitting the tin with a rash return.

The Englishman came into the second game looking refreshed and traded points with his opponent to 10-10. A backhand drive from Soliman gave him a chance to take a two-game advantage, but a trickle boast from ElShorbagy followed by a tight squeeze along the left wall gave the 30-year-old a chance to level the match, which he claimed after a stroke.

The match was marred by refereeing decisions throughout, as the two players pushed hard for a chance to face the No.1 seed in the final.

Game three brought about a second tie-break, as the pair remained inseparable to 7-7, but the 27-year-old earned the opportunity to retake the lead with two game balls.

The World No.10 upped his game and showed his mettle as he won four consecutive points to take a 2-1 lead, encapsulated by an accurate forehand drop at game ball.

It was the Englishman that had a quick start in the next game, accruing a 6-1 lead over the Egyptian, but Soliman soon found his form as he levelled the match to 8-8.

An unforced error from the No.2 seed, followed shortly by a stroke and a particularly gentle drop from the Egyptian in the front right corner brought the match back level at 2-2.

The decisive fifth game saw a different story as ElShorbagy took control of the match, quickly picking up points as he sped from 4-2 to 10-2, ending the match by forcing Soliman into the front corner with a backhand drop before unleashing a straight drive to the opposite corner of the court.

“Another tough one, I’m happy to win,” said ElShorbagy after the match, “It was quite close. I was lucky to win that second game. I had a couple of game balls, he had a couple of game balls in the third.

“I felt I was a bit in control in the second game. I played him here last year, and he’s really hard to play here. I think the court suits the way he plays. He surprised me a bit with the way he rushed me in the first game, but I knew it would be difficult to play like this for five games so I knew he would maybe break down after the first so I’m glad.

“I played well. I thought I was in control for most of the match. It’s hard to win a point on this court, you have to accept that you have to be patient, you can’t win it on the first, second, third opportunity so you have to be patient.

“When I played in New Zealand, I remember I was able to play two matches that went to five, and when I lost to Paul [Coll], surprisingly I wasn’t tired. So I know tomorrow I’ll be fine if I do the right recovery, I’ve got some more experience now with that stuff and I know what to do, so I’m just going to do what I know.

“Recovery’s really important now, I’m just going to recover, watch a bit of TV and sleep.”

The final of the Pittsburgh Open commences at 12:00 (GMT-5) on Sunday, 11th February, with action from court two live on SQUASHTV.

Results: Pittsburgh Open 2024 Semi-Finals

[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-8 (80m)
[2] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) bt [3] Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-2: 5-11, 14-12, 12-10, 8-11, 11-2 (74m)

Draw: Pittsburgh Open 2024 Final

12:00 [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [2] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG)

World No.6 Olivia Weaver defended her title at the DAC Pro Squash Classic and made it two titles on the PSA World Tour in as many weeks after a sublime straight-game victory over the in-form Rowan Elaraby. 

USA No.2 Weaver, who arrived in Detroit this week on the back of victory at the Cincinnati Gaynor Cup, settled into her groove from the very first point at the Detroit Athletic Club, finding her length and forcing Elaraby into some tough movements in the back two corners. 

The defending champion took an early 4-1 lead and continued to cause Elaraby issues as the game progressed, hitting the ball on the rise and creating pressure with her tight lines. Despite some counter-punches from the Egyptian in the latter stages of the game, Weaver took a one-game lead by an 11-8 scoreline. 

Weaver continued to mount the pressure on Elaraby as the match entered the second, refusing to give away any cheap points from her own racket. The No.2 seed raced into a 5-1 advantage and refused to let her opponent back into the game, doubling her lead in the match after 22 minutes of action. 

No.3 seed Elaraby, who claimed a momentous five-game victory over top seed Nouran Gohar in the semi-finals, continued to throw her all at Weaver, but the impressive movement of the American was forcing Elaraby into hitting two or three rally-winning shots before securing a point on the board. 

Any potential of a comeback for the World No.10 was squashed at the beginning of the third as Weaver raced into a 5-0 lead – with the 28-year-old starting to fire the ball in short with the luxury of her two-game buffer. Weaver powered her way to nine championship balls, and at the second time of asking, sealed victory when Elaraby drifted a forehand drop into the tin. 

After claiming her seventh title on the PSA Tour, Weaver said: “I’m really happy with my performance today. I knew that Rowan would be feeling so good after yesterday, so I knew was going to have to be on it from the very first point and make a statement that I was ready to be out there all day long. 

“Fortunately, I think I managed to play some of my best squash and I’m super happy with how I played. I maintained my focus throughout the course of the match, Rowan is so dangerous and can beat anyone on her day, so I’m really pleased. 

“This is the first time that I have ever defended a title, so I knew this was an exciting challenge. I think the quick start was super important today. I wasn’t sure whether Rowan might be a little flat because she and Nouran had such a tough match yesterday. I just wanted to come out, hit my targets and play more consistently towards the back and find my length. I felt from the get-go I executed that. 

“I’m trying not to focus on results, but instead on the squash I’m playing. I’m constantly learning and improving and evolving as a player. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season and the challenge of continuing to play this way and improving.”

Result: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 Final 

[2] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt [3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-2 (29m)

In a Pittsburgh Open quarter-final that included five tie-breaks, England’s Marwan ElShorbagy came back from the brink as he defeated World No.35 Sebastien Bonmalais after the Frenchman squandered match balls in the third and fourth game.

Their last encounter was in Singapore and saw Bonmalais retire early after suffering a thigh injury in the fourth game.

The two players were inseparable as they began their match in Pittsburgh, staying within two points of each other for the whole first game. Both players were hitting a good length, but the hot ball made it difficult to play for winners at the front of the court.

Bonmalais earned the first chance to win game one at 10-9, but hit the tin on a drop attempt at the front of the court to push the match to its first of many tie-breaks.

It was another error from the Frenchman, hitting the tin from further back on the court this time, that gave the Englishman his chance at a lead in the match. After a no-let decision against ElShorbagy, two cross-courts from Bonmalais, the first of which buried itself deep into the corner, and the other that sped past the out-stretched racket of ElShorbagy, gave the No.6 seed the lead in the match.

The two players remained level again in the second game up to 10-10, but Bonmalais earned a second game ball by forcing his opponent to the right of the court before hitting a snap-shot in the other direction, and the Frenchman sealed his two-game advantage with a stroke as ElShorbagy blocked the line for Bonmalais after a counter-drop.

Again the pair exchanged points evenly at the start of the third game, but this time the match was on line after Bonmalais caught his opposition out with a thin cross-court to go 10-9 up.

The 26-year-old couldn’t get out the way of his own straight drive as a stroke brought the game back to parity, then a well-placed boast from the Englishman and a well-timed straight drive from the Frenchman brought the score to 11-11.

The No.2 seed got the better of a counter-drop battle in the front-left corner, then secured his first game of the match after forcing Bonmalais into a mistake.

Again ElShorbagy and Bonmalais were evenly matched, but the Englishman pulled away at the end as he gave himself three game balls. The Frenchman forced the match’s fourth tie-break with a beautiful drop into the nick after ElShorbagy hit the tin twice in a row.

The No.6 seed set up his second match ball of the day, however an immaculately accurate kill shot from ElShorbagy off of Bonmalais’ serve levelled the game, and two errors from the Frenchman forced the thrilling affair to a fifth game after 65 minutes.

ElShorbagy earned his first match ball of the encounter at 10-7, but the 30-year-old hit the tin three successive times to drag the match to yet another tie-break.

The fatigued Frenchman guessed the wrong way as ElShorbagy’s cross-court earned his second match ball, and the match was won by a soft shot into the centre of the front-court that Bonmalais, despite a desperate yet spectacular dive, couldn’t reach, calling an end to the 79-minute thriller.

“It was tough coming back from two games down, especially as I lost two tie-breaks in the first two games and I felt like I was in control, but he kept coming back,” said ElShorbagy after the encounter, “Every shot I played he kept coming back so I had be patient and calm.

“I knew I was doing the right thing, sometimes I was impatient, sometimes I was losing my focus a little bit, but overall I’m happy to come back. It wasn’t easy out there.

“I was telling myself to be patient, I didn’t feel like I was doing the wrong thing, I just needed to keep doing it for as long as I could. It was tough because sometimes I got the opportunity to go for a winner, but then I would think about it too much because I knew it had to be inch-perfect.

No.1 seed Karim Abdel Gawad continued his Pittsburgh Open campaign with a strong performance over England’s Adrian Waller.

The World No.6 always felt in control of the encounter, despite Waller staying close on points. Gawad won his first game at the first time of asking after an unforced error from the 34-year-old.

The former World No.1 found himself at 10-9 again in the second game, and swiftly converted the opportunity with a shot towards the on-rushing Waller that the Englishman couldn’t react to quickly enough.

The No.2 seed finished his quarter-final clash in style with a quick cross-court at 10-8 to win the match and set up a semi-final clash with compatriot Youssef Ibrahim.

Speaking after the match, Gawad said, “Adrian Waller is a great player. Playing against him is always hard, and I tried as much as possible to put pressure on most of the points and rallies but it was hard because he also has very good ball control and movement on court. It was hard to put the pressure on him, but I tried my best today.”

In the first match of the day, Ibrahim earned a place in his first semi-final of the season with a convincing win over India’s Velavan Senthilkumar. The Indian found his spot in the quarter-finals after a second round upset over No.8 seed Faraz Khan, but struggled in the early stages of his last-eight match as the in-form Egyptian played fast, aggressive squash.

Ibrahim kept a lot of the early rallies on his back-hand and stretched the 25-year-old with cross-courts, earning himself a healthy 10-2 lead, taking the first game with the tightest of squeezes along the left wall.

Senthilkumar looked stronger in the second and third games, but Ibrahim always looked a step ahead as he surged to the semi-final with a comfortable 3-0 win.

“I’m very happy, a 3-0 win is always good. I haven’t been used to winning 3-0 for a while so it feels good. Velavan is such a good player. We’ve played so many times and he’s always given me a hard time on court so to win like that and be so mentally consistent throughout the games is a really positive thing for me and I’m just glad I held it together and did well.

In the final match of the day, No.3 seed Youssef Soliman defeated Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi, who earned his place in the quarter-finals with a dramatic comeback win over Mexico’s Cesar Salazar.

The World No.12 looked in form in the early stages, covering the court well and quickly, amounting a 10-5 advantage. The Egyptian won the first game by forcing an error from the Swiss player with a tight squeeze on the left wall.

Soliman continued his dominance in the second game and quickly found himself with six game balls. The Egyptian took the game with his first chance as his shot sailed past the out-of-position Wilhelmi.

The Egyptian carried his momentum into the third game as he quickly earned his first match ball. Wilhelmi clung on, finding the nick at 10-6, then producing a pin-point accurate drop at 10-7 before hitting the tin attempting another drop to concede the match to the World No.12.

After the match, Soliman said, “I just had to be solid. It’s tricky to play someone when you have no idea what to expect from them. I had the same thing with Simon [Herbert] yesterday and it was the same with Yannick. You don’t know what to expect, you have to be solid from the beginning and that’s pretty much what I did.”

The semi-finals of the Pittsburgh Open commence at 13:00 (GMT-5) on Saturday, 10th February, with action from court two live on SQUASHTV.

Results: Pittsburgh Open Quarter-Finals
[4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-8 (30m)
[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [5] Adrian Waller (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 (31m)
[2] Marwan ElShorbagy (ENG) bt [6] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) 3-2: 11-13, 10-12, 13-11, 13-11, 12-10 (79m)
[3] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 (36m)

Draw: Pittsburgh Open Semi-Finals
13:00 [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)
13:45 [3] Youssef Soliman (EGY) v [2] Marwan ElShorbagy (ENG)

Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby came from 2-1 down to claim her first-ever victory over compatriot and World No.3 Nouran Gohar in a thrilling 61-minute semi-final at the DAC Pro Squash Classic in Detroit.

The World No.10, who had lost all seven of her prior encounters against Gohar, progressed to the title decider of the PSA World Tour Silver event with a performance full of quality and determination in equal measure. Defending champion Olivia Weaver will be Elaraby’s opponent in the final after the American defeated Hollie Naughton in four games. 

The all-Egyptian affair began in feisty fashion, with the opening game littered with refereeing decisions and interference in the middle of the court. Both players attempted to assert themselves at the T, but it was Gohar’s powerful strokes into the back two corners that gave her the edge in the opening exchanges. Despite spurning three game balls, the ‘Terminator’ made no mistake at the fourth time of asking, moving into a 1-0 lead thanks to a stroke decision.

Despite holding a one-game advantage, Gohar re-entered the court in edgy fashion, with Elaraby capitalising on a couple of soft early errors. The No.3 seed moved Gohar around the court well and hit her targets with devastating effect, sailing into a 9-0 lead and subsequently levelling the match.

The match flipped emphatically back in Gohar’s favour in the third as the top seed cruised into a 6-0 lead, with Elaraby visibly struggling with some of her movement towards the latter stages of the game. After the top seed claimed a one-sided third game to move 2-1 up, Elaraby called for the physio.

Despite this issue, Elaraby raised her levels again in the fourth, rediscovering her impeccable length from the second game. Strokes were awarded to both players as the game progressed, but it was Elaraby who moved into an 8-5 lead. The 23-year-old’s impressive execution into the front two corners and ability to keep the ball away from Gohar’s volley was evident in the latter stages as she forced a decider following a tight 11-9 fourth game.

Elaraby continued to force Gohar into a number of tough retrievals in all four corners of the court as the match entered the fifth, racing into an early 5-3 lead. From there though the No.3 seed claimed five out of the next six points to hold six match balls on her own racket. Gohar hit some quick-fire counter-punches to save four match balls in a flash and pile the pressure back on her opponent, but at the fifth time of asking, Elaraby finally sealed victory, screaming in delight after claiming one of the biggest wins of her career. 

After the match, Elaraby said: “I’m really, really happy. I’ve been waiting for this win for so long and I think I worked very hard to get this win today. I’ve been playing my best squash ever since the start of the season so I just needed a win like that to prove to myself that I can beat the top players.

“One thing I wanted to do today was not be very passive. My game plan was to just move her around, keep the ball away from her volleys and don’t be afraid to attack.

“I need to calm myself down now for tomorrow because the tournament is not done yet, so I’ll be happy for the next couple of hours and then go back to grounding myself for tomorrow. It’s another match tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it.”

In the second semi-final of the evening, World No.6 Weaver kept her title defence alive in Detroit following a hard-fought victory over Naughton.

The No.2 seed started the match in an impressive manner, finding her length and pushing Naughton into the back two corners. The American moved through a strong first game to take the opener by an 11-6 scoreline after nine minutes of action.

Naughton bounced back in the second game, managing to get more of a grip in the middle of the court and moving Weaver well with some powerful strokes. Despite missing out on three game-balls when 10-5 up, the Canadian No.1 successfully levelled the match at the fourth time of asking.

With the match firmly in the balance at the beginning of the third, both players were happy to engage in some lengthy rallies before looking for an opening to attack; trading points up to 4-4. However, from that point, it was Weaver who began to assert her dominance, taking seven of the next eight points to retake the lead in the match.

After the impressive end to the third game, Weaver continued to grow in confidence, not just relying on her renowned physicality but also using a smart variety of shots to upset the rhythm of Naughton. After racing into a 7-2 lead in the fourth, the match never looked in doubt, with Weaver booking her spot in the final after 39 minutes of action.

After the match, Weaver said: “I’m really happy. I feel Hollie played great today, it was a battle out there and I feel like I had to fight for every single point. Obviously, in the second game I felt like I lost my length a little bit, but I’m really proud with how I bounced back and really pleased with how I finished the match.

“Every opponent you come up against, you know some of their strengths and some of their weaknesses, but I have just been looking at myself and playing my game and trusting that. So that was my plan, and for phases of the match, I executed it again.

On her upcoming final against Elaraby, she added: “Rowan has been in incredible form. She had a great run at ToC and obviously taking out Nouran is going to be massive for her confidence. I haven’t played Rowan in a while, so I’m looking forward to it. It’s a big opportunity for both of us, so I’m looking forward to it.”

The final of the DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 commences at 16:30 (GMT-5) on Saturday, 10th February and will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV.

Results: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 Semi-Finals 

[3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt [1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 11-1, 1-11, 11-9, 11-8 (61m)

[2] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt [6] Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-1: 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 11-3 (39m)

Draw: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 Final 

16:30 [3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) v [2] Olivia Weaver (USA) 

Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi survived match balls in the fourth and fifth games to beat Mexico’s Cesar Salazar in a 70-minute classic at The Pittsburgh Open and progress to his maiden quarter-final on the PSA World Tour.

The first game saw dominance from Salazar as he took an early 9-5 lead, controlling the tempo of match as the inexperienced Wilhelmi struggled to keep up, finally sealing the first game 11-6 as the Swiss player’s back-court boast hit the tin.

Wilhelmi earned his first game ball of the match at 10-9, but a mis-judged straight drive came back to him, earning the Mexican a stroke and two quick points moved Salazar within a game of victory.

The Swiss player’s fightback began by catching Salazar out with a thin backhand cross-court as he came out of the break in play looking sharper. Salazar battled to 5-5, but the 23-year-old ran away with the game from there to give himself four chances to halve the deficit, taking the game on fourth time of asking.

Wilhelmi claimed the vital fourth game with a reverse angle shot, punctuating the momentum shift in the match with a celebratory fist-pump towards the crowd as he left the court.

The final game saw Salazar take a seemingly decisive 7-1 early lead, but Wilhelmi rallied, and soon the game looked as close as the end of the fourth, and the two players found themselves level at 9-9. Wilhelmi earned his first match ball of the encounter at 10-9, however Salazar found an important kill shot off of his opponent’s serve to prolong the match.

Wilhelmi finally put an end to the dramatic final game, stretching his opponent with a drive after a front court boast to force the mistake and earn his first quarter-final place on the World Tour, surviving three match balls in the process.

“I had a bit of a bad start, he played well, I struggled a bit with his game in the beginning, but the ball got colder and I think that was a bit better for me and I’m just happy I fought through all the games, especially the fourth and fifth tie breaks,” said Wilhelmi after the match.

“I just kept on going point-for-point. Like my dad always says, ‘it’s not over until it’s over’, so I just kept on fighting and it was good.

In the other seedings upset of the day, India’s Velavan Senthilkumar won out in a thrilling 3-1 encounter against home favourite and No.8 seed Faraz Khan.

Senthilkumar took an impressive early lead over the American, and cruised to an 11-6 first-game win. Khan regrouped, showing the World No.63 his strength as he levelled the match at 1-1.

The Indian reacted, storming to a 10-5 lead and Khan struck the tin on his return to put the 25-year-old within a game of his maiden Silver-event quarter-final.

The American pulled ahead in the fourth game as he took a 6-1 lead, but Senthilkumar upped his game, playing quick and accurate squash to level the game at 8-8. The Indian continued his late resurgence and won the fourth game 11-8 to secure the match, ending with a mistake from Khan on match ball.

“It was really good. First of all, Faraz is a really good player. I’ve seen him play recently and he’s been having some really good results so going into the match I was a bit nervous, but at the same time really excited to be here competing. I was just there, enjoying my squash and enjoying myself,” said Senthilkumar after the match.

On achieving his maiden Silver-event quarter-final, he said, “I’m really happy, it’s something that I’ve always pushed for, and I’m always going to keep pushing for it as much as I can.”

The quarter-finals of the Pittsburgh Open commence at 17:00 (GMT-5) on Friday, 9th February, with action from court two live on SQUASHTV.

Results: Pittsburgh Open RD2
[4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt Andrew Douglas (USA) 3-2: 11-7, 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-7 (58m)
Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) bt [8] Faraz Khan (USA) 3-1: 11-6, 5-11, 11-5, 11-8 (46m)
[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-9 (30m)
[5] Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (39m)
[2] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) bt Aly Hussein (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-7 (32m)
[6] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt Addeen Idrakie (MAS) 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-9 (35m)
[3] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Simon Herbert (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-3 (29m)
Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt [7] Cesar Salazar (MEX) 3-2 6-11, 10-12, 11-9, 13-11, 14-12 (70m)

Draw: Pittsburgh Open Quarter-Finals
17:00 Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) v [4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)
17:45 [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [5] Adrian Waller (ENG)
18:30 [6] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) v [2] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG)
19:15 [3] Youssef Soliman (EGY) v Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI)

Canada’s Hollie Naughton fought past No.4 seed Nada Abbas in four games to reach the DAC Pro Squash Classic semi-finals and set up a third meeting of the season with World No.6 Olivia Weaver. 

No.6 seed Naughton displayed her battling qualities to come from behind in three separate games – notably 10-6 down in the opener – to book her spot in the last four of the PSA World Tour Silver event. 

After Naughton claimed six consecutive points to steal the first game in a 12-10 tie-break, Abbas sharpened up her game in the front two corners and brought the scoreline level in what was a back-and-forth encounter at the Detroit Athletic Club. 

Despite Abbas having another game ball to move clear at 11-10 in the third, Naughton once again saved her best squash for the pressure moments, clinching two consecutive points to re-take the lead in the match. 

The fourth followed a similar pattern of play, with Egypt’s Abbas edging the middle phase of the game to move 10-8 up but Naughton reeling off three straight points to earn a match ball, and claiming victory at the first time of asking. 

The Canadian No.1 will play No.2 seed Weaver for the third time in her last four events on the PSA World Tour, with their last two meetings having both gone to five games, and each player winning a match a piece. 

After the match, Naughton said: “I’m relieved to get through that to be honest. I think every game I won I was down in and had to fight back in. I’m really happy with my mental strength to push on through in those key moments. 

“I just tried to tell myself to stick to the game plan. I just needed to make it tough and trust my short game. I felt hesitant to put the ball in short and then Nada can then start to do things, so I just tried to tell myself to swing through and get that ball into the back corners. 

“I’m just trying to enjoy getting back on court. I took a bit of time off over Christmas and told myself I wouldn’t come back on court until I wanted to, and I’m starting to enjoy it now.”

Naughton’s opponent in the semi-finals, Olivia Weaver, was in sublime form to record her sixth straight win on the PSA World Tour, defeating No.7 seed Melissa Alves in straight games. 

The USA No.2 found an immaculate length early on in her encounter, moving into a 9-2 lead in the first and never looking back throughout the match. Weaver’s impressive movement forced Alves to search for winners in the front two corners, but with this came the risk of unforced errors. The No.2 seed dropped just nine points on her way to victory, walking off court after 27 minutes of action. 

“I’m really pleased,” Weaver reflected after her match. “Melissa is not only an amazing player, extremely dangerous, but she’s also one of my best friends on tour which is always tricky. I just tried to get that out of my head today and focus on hitting my targets, my movement and finding my game. 

“I think the consistency of my hitting, the consistency of my length and then just my decision-making is just continuing to get better and better. I’m finding that balance of being patient but also aggressive and starting to trust myself more and more.” 

World No.3 Nouran Gohar looked in ominous form during her quarter-final victory against England’s Jasmine Hutton, needing just 19 minutes to book her spot in the last four. 

The ‘Terminator’ flew out of the blocks in an 11-2 first game that lasted just four minutes, hitting powerfully into the back two corners before cutting the ball in short. Hutton grew into the game in the second, using more height on the front wall and asserting herself in the middle of the court, but Gohar always held a significant buffer, doubling her advantage through an 11-8 scoreline.

Gohar looked ever more confident as the match progressed, freeing her arm and taking on winners from all areas of the court in the third. The top seed sealed victory with a thumping forehand winner to move one step closer to claiming her second title at the Detroit-based event. 

After progressing to the last four, Gohar said: “Jasmine is a very tricky player because she has really good hands and has some really good results, so obviously I was very well prepared for this match and wanted to give it a good performance today. 

“I’m known for being a good starter, so it’s something that I do well. Obviously, against a tricky player you try to do this even more, and then having a 1-0 lead makes you much more comfortable on court.”

The final match of the night saw No.3 seed Rowan Elaraby end the impressive run of Egyptian compatriot Hana Moataz in three games of entertaining action. Despite powering through the opening two games by dominant 11-4 and 11-3 scorelines, Elaraby was made to fight right until the end for victory, with Moataz saving five match balls in a tight third game.

The World No.10 was dragged into a lengthy third-game tie-break by Moataz, but eventually sealed victory at the sixth time of asking when a stroke was awarded in her favour. 

After the match, Elaraby said: “I’m glad with my performance today. I started really strongly and I think I was glad with my game plan and how I played. It is always tough playing a good friend. I think in the end, I was dragged into her game plan, and I almost forgot what I was doing. Once I remembered, I started playing well again and I’m glad I’m through in three. 

On her upcoming semi-final against top seed Gohar, she added: “I’m really excited for this one, we just played recently and I have a good game plan for tomorrow. I just want to play my best squash and see how it goes.”

Day four of action from the DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 commences at 17:00 (GMT-5) on Friday, 9th February, with every second of action available to watch live on SQUASHTV.

Results: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 Quarter-Finals 

[6] Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt [4] Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-1: 12-10, 5-11, 13-11, 12-10 (55m)

[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-8, 11-2 (19m)

[2] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt [7] Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-0: 11-2, 11-2, 11-5 (27m)

[3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Hana Moataz (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-3, 16-14 (30m)

Draw: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 Semi-Finals 

17:00 [1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)

17:45 [6] Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [2] Olivia Weaver (USA) 

Egypt’s Aly Hussein avenged his recent loss to Rui Soares as he defeated the Portuguese player in three games on the opening day of the Pittsburgh Open 2024.

Hussein, who was defeated by the World No.58 at the Motor City Open exactly seven days ago, couldn’t be separated from Soares in the first game, as the pair stayed within two points of each other for all but one point of the opener.

In an opening game marred by 15 separate refereeing decisions, Soares earned himself the first game ball. Hussein got the better of a counter-drop battle and had Soares on his heels after a well-timed cross-court shot, eventually levelling the score with a backhand drop.

From there, Soares saw the lion’s share of the game balls, but the two were still inseparable to 15-15. A well-disguised straight drive caught Soares out to give the Egyptian a chance to claim the colossal first game, and quick trickle boast earned Hussein a hard-fought 1-0 lead.

From there, Hussein looked to be in command of the encounter, claiming the second game 11-6. Soares rallied in the final game, but Hussein ultimately proved too strong and finished his Motor City Open redemption by forcing a mistake from the World No.58 with a tight squeeze along the right wall to win the third game 11-8 and claim his place in tomorrow’s second round.

After the match, Hussein said: “It feels awesome, he just beat me last week, in Detroit, and honestly I didn’t lose to him twice, in two tournaments in a row,” said Hussein after the match.

“I’m really happy with the way I played, I implemented the game plan just as I wanted and it payed off, I stayed tough throughout the three games and managing to win in three feels special.

“I was really getting on annoyed at myself for not getting any game balls, he was just getting all the game balls and I was trying to equalise. I think I played well as soon as I got the chance to go a game ball up and I managed to convert.

“I’m just going to go in and have fun; I have nothing to lose,” said Hussein on his upcoming match with No.2 seed Marwan ElShorbagy. “Marwan is a really good friend of mine, I love him so much so I’m just going to enjoy my time and hopefully play well, maybe win. We’ll see how that goes.”

Elsewhere, Malaysia’s Addeen Idrakie beat out home favourite Todd Harrity in a five-game thriller.

The Malaysian had a fast start as he charged to a quick 11-6 first-game win. From there, Harrity found parity at 1-1, winning by an 11-8 scoreline after Idrakie’s backhand effort struck the tin.

The American won an equally-close third game to take the lead, but Idrakie responded with a strong performance in game four to take the match the distance, and pushed on to win the match 11-6, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9.

“First of all I think I played quite well,” Idrakie said after the match. “What I did good today is I really prepared for a tough match. A good win for me, and credit to Todd that he pushed me until the last set.”

Earlier in the session, home favourite Andrew Douglas defeated India’s Abhay Singh in 25 minutes in the first match of the tournament, while India’s Velavan Senthlikumar, after a emphatic 11-2 first game, began the action on court three with a strong 3-1 win over Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue.

Day two of the Pittsburgh Open begins at 16:00 (GMT-5) on Thursday, 8th February, with action from both courts live on SQUASHTV. For more information on the Pittsburgh Open, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Results: Pittsburgh Open RD1
Andrew Douglas (USA) bt Abhay Singh (IND) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-2 (25m)
Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) bt Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) 3-1: 11-2, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8 (41m)
George Parker (ENG) bt Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 (31m)
Aly Hussein (EGY) bt Rui Soares (POR) 3-0: 17-15, 11-6, 11-8 (65m)
Addeen Idrakie (MAS) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-2: 11-6, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9 (79m)
Simon Herbert (ENG) bt [WC] Asser Ibrahim (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 (28m)
Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-0: 13-11, 11-9, 11-5 (45m)
Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bt Yannik Omlor (GER) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-3 (20m)

Draw: Pittsburgh Open RD2
16:00 Andrew Douglas (USA) v [4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)
16:45 [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v George Parker (ENG)
17:30 Aly Hussein (EGY) v [2] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG)
18:15 [3] Youssef Soliman (EGY) v Simon Herbert (ENG)
16:15 [8] Faraz Khan (USA) v Velavan Senthilkumar (IND)
17:00 Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) v [5] Adrian Waller (ENG)
17:45 [6] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) v Addeen Idrakie (MAS)
18:30 Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) v [7] Cesar Salazar (MEX)

Egypt’s Hana Moataz shocked compatriot and No.5 seed Farida Mohamed in straight games to progress to her maiden PSA World Tour Silver-event quarter-final at the DAC Pro Squash Classic. 

Moataz, who sits 19 spots behind Mohamed in the current world rankings, backed up her opening-day victory over Marta Dominguez in impressive style, running away with an 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 victory in 25 minutes. 

In a match that was dominated by traffic in the middle of the court and required regular interjections from the referee, it was the World No.36 who came out on top, setting up a tie against Rowan Elaraby in the last eight. 

“I’m really happy with today’s win,” Moataz said after the match. “I think it is my first win against a top 20 player and I’m really happy I could win in three. 

“I played Farida in El Gouna last season and there was a lot happening, and I lost my focus and lost that match, so today I was just trying to focus on my game and not get caught up with whatever is happening with my opponent. I’m glad I was able to stick to my plan and not get distracted by anything. 

“In the third, I think I was 8-4 up and my mind was going, ‘Oh my gosh, you are winning’, so I then told myself to calm down and stick to whatever I was doing because it was working. I’m just glad I was able to stick with it mentally.”

Elsewhere, reigning champion Olivia Weaver and 2021 winner Nouran Gohar both cruised into the last eight at the Detroit Athletic Club. Weaver, who is currently boasting a career-high rank of World No.6 and arrives on the back of claiming the Cincinnati Gaynor Cup title last week, needed just 21 minutes to defeat Nadine Shahin, including a perfect final game, while top seed Gohar powered past compatriot Menna Hamed. 

Meanwhile, No.4 seed Nada Abbas avoided a scare against Egyptian compatriot Kenzy Ayman, coming from two games down to book her spot in the quarter-finals. 

Day three of action from the DAC Pro Squash Classic commences at 16:45 (GMT-5) on Thursday, 8th February, with every second of action available to watch live on SQUASHTV. For more information on the DAC Pro Squash Classic, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

Results: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 RD2

[7] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Cindy Merlo (SUI) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 11-3 (21m)

[4] Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Kenzy Ayman (EGY) 3-2: 11-13, 4-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 (48m)

[2] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-0 (21m)

Hana Moataz (EGY) bt [5] Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (25m)

[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 (26m)

[3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Aira Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (23m)

Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt [8] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 (28m)

[6] Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Alicia Mead (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (24m)

Draw: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 Quarter-Finals 

[4] Nada Abbas (EGY) v [6] Hollie Naughton (CAN)

[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)

[7] Melissa Alves (FRA) v [2] Olivia Weaver (USA)

Hana Moataz (EGY) v [3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)

USA No.2 Olivia Weaver defeated a resilient Sivasangari Subramaniam to book her place in the semi finals of the Bahl and Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup.

Both the Malaysian and the American played along the left wall in the first game, but good lengths weren’t enough as the players dug the ball well out of the back left corner, and instead the first phase of the match was decided by Subramaniam’s mistakes. Weaver edged a lead after the No.6 seed hit the tin on several occasions, and the advantage was enough to carry the American through to a 11-7 first game.

The encounter remained close, with the majority of play remaining on both of the players’ backhands. Weaver played accurately and doubled her lead in an evenly-matched second game.

Weaver continued on the front foot and earned herself two match balls. The Malaysian rallied back, and with four consecutive points had a game ball over the American at 11-10, then again at 12-11 and 13-12 before the home favourite, spurred on by the Cincinnati crowd, pushed on to win the tie break at 15-13 and book the first spot in the semi finals.

“The last two times I played her she ended up having match balls, so they were real battles,” Weaver reflected after the match. “She’s incredibly dangerous. I feel like she could take any player out on the PSA Tour when she’s playing her best squash so I knew I had to come out here and play my best squash to take her.”

“I came here and I want to get to the final. I fell short at the last event and I just want to turn around and feel good about the squash I’m producing.”

In the second match of the day, top seed and England No.1 Georgina Kennedy defeated Wales’ Tesni Murphy in three games.

The Englishwoman had a particularly bright start, going 7-0 up in just three minutes with her usual physical brand of squash. Murphy picked up the pace at the final phase of game one, but the deficit was too big to overcome as the World No.6 took the lead. Despite taking a 3-1 lead at the start of the second game, the Wales’ no.1 struggled to find a consistent weak point in Kennedy’s game and conceded the second game 11-5.

Kennedy kept up the strong attacking squash and though Murphy was strong in the final game, returning some difficult balls from the back of the court, the Englishwoman stormed on to a 3-0 victory after an 11-7 final game.

“I knew how I wanted to play and what I wanted to do on there. She doesn’t make any rally easy so I’m really proud to get off in three,” said Kennedy afterwards.

“I work a lot on my fitness, so I’m definitely not afraid of those hard, longer matches and that’s usually my game plan going in and I can kept a bit carried away with going in short. But I’m definitely happy to come off sooner rather than later.

“[Tomorrow] is going to be a massive challenge. One of Olivia’s strengths is her physicality and her fitness so I’m expecting really tough battle”

No.4 seed Rowan Elaraby took on compatriot Kenzy Ayman in the third match of the day, after the latter’s upset victory over Wales’ Emily Whitlock in round 2.

The 23-year-old was quick around the court and played consistently good length, but any loose balls were dealt with definitively by Ayman. Elaraby earned an early lead as she took the first game 11-7. The second game was marred by referee interference as multiple decisions disrupted the flow of the game. The stop-and-start nature worked in the 19-year-old’s favour as she played accurate winners and levelled the match in a close-fought tie break win.

The World No.12 pushed on from that point, getting the better of the longer rallies and not giving Ayman any loose balls to work with. Elaraby quickly won the final two games in quick succession 11-5, 11-4 to book her place in tomorrow’s semi finals. The No.4 seed looked back on her performance after the match.

“I don’t think I played my best squash today, but it’s always messy when you play an upcoming opponent. She’s young, she’s got nothing to lose so I think she played her best squash and I was caught in the middle with the messiness of her game plan.

“When I lost the second game, I tried to get back to my original game plan, do some tight work and I’m glad it worked. It’s tough to keep yourself focused all the time, so I did my best today to keep myself in the moment and keep it together.”

In the last quarter final match of the tournament, No.2 seed Tinne Gilis defeated 17-year-old Fayrouz Aboelkheir. The Egyptian came into the match after a strong performance to beat No.5 seed Sarah-Jane Perry.

The Belgian kept her nose slightly ahead in an evenly-matched first game, and despite a very late fightback from Aboelkheir, Gilis took the lead on her fourth game ball. The World No.8 propelled on in the second game; from 2-2, Gilis won nine points to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.

The Belgian carried on her run in the third, claiming another seven consecutive points before the Egyptian put an end to Gilis’ 16-point streak. Aboelkheir struggled to recover from that point and the No.2 seed went on to win the third and final game 11-3.

The semi-finals commence at 17:00 in Cincinnati with top seed Kennedy facing USA’s Weaver, available to watch live on SQUASHTV.

Results: Bahl and Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup Quarter-Finals

[3] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt [6] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 15-13 (43m)

[1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt [7] Tesni Murphy (WAL) 3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 (32m)

[4] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Kenzy Ayman (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 10-12, 11-5, 11-4 (34m)

[2] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-2, 11-3 (25m)

Draw: Bahl and Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup Semi-Finals 

17:00 [1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) v [3] Olivia Weaver (USA)

18:00 [4] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) v [2] Tinne Gilis (BEL)

Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez battled past No.7 seed Adrian Waller in a hard-fought four-game encounter to ensure that the top four seeds all progressed to the Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open semi-finals.

In the pair’s first meeting on the PSA Tour since 2014, it was No.3 seed Rodriguez who showed his wealth of experience to claim key points at crucial junctures in the match, in what was an otherwise even contest. 

After trading points in the opening game on their way up to a 9-9 scoreline, it was Waller who blinked first, hitting a backhand volley drop into the tin when well placed to win the rally. Rodriguez took the subsequent game ball at the first time of asking and again moved away towards the latter stages of the second to double his lead. 

As Rodriguez began to lose his lines early in the third, Waller took the initiative, closing off his opponent’s cross-court options and punishing any balls which fell short in the court. The Englishman reduced the deficit by taking the third 11-9 and went toe-to-toe with Rodriguez up to 7-7 in the fourth. However, from there, it was the 38-year-old who claimed four consecutive points to close out the match and walk off court after 56 minutes of action. 

After the match, Rodriguez said: “He has been playing very good recently, he is very solid and he likes to play a high pace and low on the front wall. He reached my cross-courts very easily so I was very aware of my cross-courts today. Overall though, I think I played much better than yesterday, the pace and accuracy of my shots were much better. 

“I think in the third game I was leaving the ball too much in the middle of the service box on his forehand, and he was hitting winners from there. Credit to him because he fought back and he was next to me in the score in every game, but at the end of each game I managed to do something different and that was the difference in the match.”

Rodriguez’s opponent in the last four, Paul Coll, didn’t have it all his own way in his clash against lucky loser Rui Soares, despite eventually prevailing in straight games. 

The World No.3 started the match strongly, finding a consistent length on the traditional court at the Birmingham Athletic Club and racing into a 9-5 lead. However, a broken string on Coll’s racket proved a catalyst for a Soares comeback. The World No.60 rattled off five straight points to hold a game ball, but Coll remained composed to eventually fight-back and take the subsequent tie-break by a 15-13 scoreline.

The New Zealand No.1 continued to trade points with the winner-heavy Soares early in the second, but moved through the gears at the business end of the game to double his lead. From there, the physical efforts exerted by Soares earlier in the match started to tell, with Coll happy to pin his opponent to the back two corners before cutting the ball in short, eventually finishing off the match after 35 minutes of action. 

“Rui was a good with the racket, he hit a few winners, and I left the ball short on a few too many occasions,” Coll said following his victory. “I wanted to focus on playing how I wanted to play throughout the tournament and keep building on yesterday. 

“I was up 9-5 in the first and I was a little annoyed that I let him back in, I just had to sort of keep my focus after that. I got a bit sloppy there after I broke my string and I lost concentration and let him back in. He’s got good racket skills, so I had to be on my mettle.”

Meanwhile, No.1 seed Diego Elias continued his quest for a fourth consecutive title thanks to a commanding victory over No.6 seed Nicolas Mueller. 

The ‘Peruvian Puma’ flew out of the blocks, unsettling Mueller in a string of fast-paced rallies and racing into an early 6-1 lead, which was subsequently converted into the first game. 

Although Mueller threw everything at his opponent in the second, including an eye-catching behind-the-back shot which drew applause from those in attendance, it was Elias who kept his cool at the business end of the second to double his advantage. From there, Elias moved from strength to strength, forcing the Swiss player into some brutal movements and taking the third 11-5 to record his 12th consecutive win at the Motor City Open. 

After booking his spot in the last four, Elias said: “I’m very happy to win again today in three. It was a very tough match, very fast-paced. With Nicky it is always fun to play him and get through. 

“It’s always difficult if you give him the first few points in games like that, so I just wanted to start really strongly and I’m very happy I did that.”

Former finalist at the Motor City Open, Fares Dessouky, will be the man charged with trying to break Elias’ incredible winning streak in Detroit after he claimed an impressive straight-game victory over compatriot and No.5 seed Mohamed ElSherbini. 

The World No.15 dropped just 15 points on his way to an 11-3, 11-8, 11-4 victory in just 33 minutes of action. 

“I’m happy to be in the semi-finals again because I love this tournament,” Dessouky said after the match. “ElSherbini is a very good friend of mine and he is playing unbelievably well these days. 

“It was a very tricky match so I had to keep my focus and I am happy with the way I played today. A quick start is very important in any match, but especially when playing an Egyptian because it will be tight and you never know what will happen the next point. You have to keep pushing hard until the match is done.”

Results: Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open Quarter-Finals

[4] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt [5] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-8, 11-4 (33m)

[1] Diego Elias (PER) bt [6] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-0: 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 (30m)

[3] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt [7] Adrian Waller (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7 (56m)

[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Rui Soares (POR) 3-0: 15-13, 11-7, 11-6 (35m)

Draw: Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open Semi-Finals 

17:00 [1] Diego Elias (PER) v [4] Fares Dessouky (EGY) 

18:00 [2] Paul Coll (NZL) v [3] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)