Mohamed El Shorbagy (right) of Egypt and compatriot Karim Darwish during their quarter-final match of the PSA World Squash Championship at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, yesterday. Shorbagy won 11-9, 12-10, 11-9. RIGHT: James Willstrop of England in action against Spain’s Borja Golan. Willstrop won 11-7, 11-7, 11-5. The two semi-finals will take place today at 6.30 and 7.30pm. PICTURES BY: SYED OMAR
Doha: Egypt’s 21-year-old Mohamed El Shorbagy - the youngest player in the world top 25 - upset fourth-seeded compatriot Karim Darwish in yesterday’s quarter-finals of the PSA World Squash Championship to reach the semi-finals of the premier PSA World Tour championship for the first time.
Boasting a $325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport’s history, the Qatar PSA World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
The world No.6 from Alexandria celebrated his sensational 11-9, 12-10, 11-9 upset win over the former world number one, by tweeting: “I’m out of words right now, I’m in the semis of the Worlds!!!”
The eighth-seeded underdog now faces top seed James Willstrop for a place in the final. The world number one from England, bidding to win the crown for the first time, ended Spaniard Borja Golan’s run - beating the surprise quarter-finalist 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 in 65 minutes.
“We clashed out there,” admitted the 29-year-old from Leeds after his match.
“It wasn’t pretty and not the best match to be involved in. People have had recent issues with movement but I’m not meaning to block. Sometimes squash brings out these issues. But you need to win these scrappy matches. People think I am a rhythmical player - but I showed I can win scrappy too,” said the Englishman.
Golan, who had become the first Spaniard for 20 years to reach the world quarter-finals, added: “I was playing the world No.1 so I tried one hundred per cent on each point, but today he was better than me. But this is the best I have done in my career, and I am pleased about that,” said the world No.13.
The other semi-final will also be an England-Egyptian clash - between defending champion Nick Matthew and 2008 champion Ramy Ashour.
Fifth seed Ashour overcame French rival Gregory Gaultier, the number three seed, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3 in an 92-minute encounter in which the Egyptian saved five game points in the first game and Gaultier saved five in the second.
In the final match of the day Matthew, the world No.2 from England bidding to become the first player since Pakistan legend Jansher Khan to win the world title three times in a row, faced illustrious Egyptian Amr Shabana, a four-time winner of the trophy. It was the pair’s 21st PSA Tour match over the past 11 years, with the head-to-head poised at 11-9 in the Englishman’s favour before they went on court. It took more than an hour for Matthew to extend the record, winning 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4 in 64 minutes to reach his fourth semi-final since 2007.
The Peninsula
