The finals of the Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open will both be contested by the world’s top two players after semi-final victories from Nour El Sherbini and Nouran Gohar, Ali Farag and Mostafa Asal.
In the Women’s final the World #1 spot will also be on the line, while in the men’s Farag will be looking to claim the sole major title that has so far eluded him.
Check out the reports, reaction and photos below the results …
Women’s Semis :
[1] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) 3-0 [4] Olivia Weaver (Usa) 13-11, 9-2 rtd (31m)
[2] Nouran Gohar (Egy) 3-1 [3] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 (71m)
Men’s Semis :
[1] Ali Farag (Egy) 3-1 [4] Diego Elias (Per) 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-8 (64m)
[2] Mostafa Asal (Egy) 3-0 [8] Joel Makin (Wal) 11-8, 11-3, 11-2 (57m)
Mostafa storms into the final
[2] Mostafa Asal (Egy) 3-0 [8] Joel Makin (Wal) 11-8, 11-3, 11-2 (57m)
Mostafa Asal reached his second HK final with a commanding performance against Joel Makin, who had looked so impressive last hight against defending champion Paul Coll.
But Makin could make no impact tonight as Asal moved through the gears with increasing authority to set up a final against Ali Farag.
“Playing with Ali is such a joy and I’m always happy to be sharing a court with him,” he said.
“We’re having a final against each other and then straight away we switch our heads to be one team for Egypt, it’s a hard feeling but we’ll be giving it our best and it’s going to be a good squash match tomorrow.”
Gohar sets up Sherbini Showdown
[2] Nouran Gohar (Egy) 3-1 [3] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 (71m)
World Champion Nouran Gohar won the latest edition of her rivalry with Hania El Hammamy, making it six wins in a row as she downed the two-time defending champion, also setting up a showdown with Nour El Sherbini in the final – the winner of that match will become Hong Kong Champion and World Number One!
Gohar was on top for most of the first game, but the tables were turned in the second as Hammamy levelled.
The third was close, but the difference was Hammamy’s tins from good positions – four or five times in this game alone. The fourth was similar, with Hammamy getting in position to challenge before unforced errors cut the comeback in its tracks.
There were moments of altercation, with Gohar remonstrating with the referee at the door, but emotions were mostly held in check until the end of the match.
“I didn’t really keep my composure,” Gohar admitted afterwards. “But thanks to Roy [Gingell, referee] who told me to take a minute, it really helped. Sorry, Roy!
“It’s tough, we train so hard and give up on a lot in our lives to be here. When you look back and review you think ‘why was I complaining?’ “It’s just tough, Hania is a fighter and won this tournament the last two years.
“I’m very proud of myself for that last game in how I came back.”
“It has been the case on a couple of occasions where the winner could get World #1. We both have been used to that, but I’m not focused on that, I’m focused on every single point and every game.”
Ali downs Diego to reach fourth HK final
[1] Ali Farag (Egy) 3-1 [4] Diego Elias (Per) 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-8 (64m)
World #1 moved to one game away from winning every major squash title on offer as he came from a game down to beat world champion Diego Elias and move into his fourth HK final in five years.
The match was a repeat of last month’s Singapore Open final where Farag came from two games down to win. Elias once again took the opening game but this time Farag’s recovery started sooner as he took the next two games to wrestle back the lead.
Elias led 7-5 in the fourth, but Farag forced the Peruvian into a couple of errors before winning a mammoth final rally to claim the win.
“I was hitting the ball into the back corners without much purpose and he was sharper and hunting the volley and that caught me off guard.
“I re-strategised and Karim Darwish told me to use all four corners and put effort into his body.
Sherbini through as Weaver retires injured
[1] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) 3-0 [4] Olivia Weaver (Usa) 13-11, 9-2 rtd (31m)
Injury cruelly cut short what could have been a fascinating first semi-final. Top seed Nour El Sherbini had squeezed home in the first game against Olivia Weaver, saving two game balls on her way to taking the lead 13-11.
Sherbini started the second well, but midway through Weaver looked to have injured her back. She carried on a little, took an injury break, came on to try to continue but had to concede almost immediately.
“I’m really sorry for her. It’s tough when something like that happens, you don’t know if she’s going to come back [on court] or not. It’s tough, but she has to listen to her body. That’s the main, important thing. Hopefully it’s not bad. I thought it was a really good match we were playing,” El Sherbini said.
“During TOC I had a back spasm. I’m the sort of person who, when I know it’s not a dangerous pain, I can adapt to it and push myself. But if it’s something I’m not used to or something I know is bad, I stop immediately.”
Preview :
First up top seed Nour El Sherbini is aiming to reach a third HK final against USA's first-time semi-finalist Olivia Weaver. The Egyptian has won all 11 previous encounters, but the last two have been close.
Ali Farag v Diego Elias is a repeat of last month's Singapore final which saw Farag come from two down to win. The Egyptian has a massive 26-5 H2H lead, but Elias has two of those wins in the last six meetings.
Nouran Gohar and Hania El Hammamy meet in what has become one of the most compelling rivalries of modern times, including the longest women's match ever in the 19-9 tally. World Champion Gohar has won each of the last five meetings though, but Hammamy will be motivated by the desire to claim a third HK title in a row.
Last up, 2022 HK Champion Mostafa Asal has won the last five meetings with Joel Makin, but the Welshman will be boosted by yesterday's win over defending champion Paul Coll.
