Mohamad Zakaria makes first Platinum final (Photo PSA)
Eighteen-year-old World Junior champion Mohamad Zakaria advanced to his first Platinum semi-final on the PSA Squash Tour after overcoming third seed Karim Gawad at the El Gouna International Squash Open.
Following his statement three-game win over No.5 seed Joel Makin in the previous round, Zakaria made it back-to-back upsets on the stunning all-glass court at the El Gouna Conference and Culture Center, as he took down the World No.4 by a 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 scoreline.
In a scrappy match which saw regular stoppages due to traffic in the middle of the court and constant dialogue with the match referee, it was Zakaria who managed to overturn a one-game deficit to clinch his second successive win over Gawad after 81 minutes of play.
“It feels amazing,” Zakaria said after the match. “To do it in front of my family is amazing as well. It’s the first Platinum semi-final of my career.
“Maybe I didn’t play my best today, but all credit to him, he put me in terrible positions and I wasn’t as free on court. I’m really pleased to have gotten out of a situation like this and it’s nice to fight another day on this court.”
Zakaria will face fellow Egyptian Youssef Ibrahim in tomorrow night’s semi-finals after the World No.7 put aside an ongoing shoulder injury to take down World No.2 Paul Coll with an inspired four-game display.
Ibrahim entered the contest with uncertainty about the condition of his left shoulder, which he has dislocated on court on three separate occasions this season and almost forced his withdrawal before the El Gouna International started this week.
But the No.6 seed showed few signs of weakness throughout his 65 minutes on court, delivering a scintillating display of attacking squash to defeat No.2 seed Coll 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8 and advance to his third Platinum semi-final of the season.
“It feels incredible,” Ibrahim said after the match. “I think it was my goal this season to push those top guys and get some wins against them.
“I’ve just tried to take my shoulder day by day,” he added. “I think high on the backhand, it is still very sore. I had to pull out of those backhand volleys a couple of times. I tried to change my swing a little bit, not playing too much with my shoulder, so I think I did that pretty well.”
In the women’s draw, World No.2 Nour ElSherbini and World No.4 Olivia Weaver set up a blockbuster semi-final tie after impressing in straight-game victories over Sivasangari Subramaniam and Georgina Kennedy.
Former El Gouna International champion ElSherbini held off the attacking threats of World No.6 Sivasangari with some accurate squash in the pressure moments of their contest. The eight-time World Champion moved away in the back-end of all three games to record a hard-fought 12-10, 11-8, 11-9 victory after 35 minutes of play.
Meanwhile, Weaver had to fend off a strong start from No.8 seed Kennedy before eventually advancing to her 13th consecutive major semi-final on the PSA Squash Tour.
The U.S. No.1 overturned an early deficit in the first game to take a crucial 1-0 lead, before upping the ante and stepping up the court as the match progressed. Despite Kennedy having periods of strong squash, it was Weaver who maintained a consistent level throughout to advance by an 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 scoreline.
Weaver will look to overturn a torrid 0-17 head-to-head record against ElSherbini when the pair face off in Thursday’s semi-finals by the Red Sea.
On the upcoming battle, the U.S. No.1 said: “I can’t wait to play Nour. She’s obviously an amazing player and has played on this court many times.
“We played about six weeks ago and I lost out in a tight one in Houston, but I really enjoyed the match. I’m really looking forward to getting some revenge.”
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s: Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) bt [3] Karim Gawad (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 (81m); [6] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt [2] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-1: 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8 (65m)
Women’s: [4] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt [8] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (37m); [2] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) bt [5] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 3-0: 12-10, 11-8, 11-9 (35m)
