Hania El Hammamy (Photo PSA)
Defending champion Hania El Hammamy overcame Sivasangari Subramaniam in yet another five-game epic between the pair, replicating the 12-10 deciding-game victory at last month’s Qatar Classic to advance to the Egyptian Open final.
El Hammamy and Sivasangari delivered one of the matches of the year in Doha last month, and the two players were at it again in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza, with El Hammamy taking the enthralling 86-minute win by a 6-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-0, 12-10 scoreline.
In the opening stages of the match, Malaysia’s Sivasangari picked up where she left off in her quarter-final comeback win over Fayrouz Aboelkheir, dictating large portions of the opening game and half and poised to lead 2-0 when 7-4 up in the second.
However, El Hammamy stuck in gamely and produced some of her best squash to overturn two game balls and level the match at 1-1 in the subsequent tie-break.
The back-and-forth contest continued over the next two games, with Sivasangari taking the third in another dramatic tie-break and standing within a game of her first Diamond-level final.
The defending champion refused to go down without a fight though, delivering a faultless 11-0 fourth game which saw the momentum swing heavily in the Egyptian’s favour.
An epic fifth game followed, with Sivasangari rallying from 7-4 down, and later saving two match balls from 10-8 down to force a thrilling tie-break.
The comeback wasn’t to be for the No.4 seed, though, with El Hammamy delivering two clinical points to advance to the Diamond-level final and keep her title defence alive.
After the match, El Hammamy said: “I’m definitely so proud to be taking part in all these brilliant battles with Siva. Obviously, very long matches, all five gamers, and what I’m really proud of is how clean they are, barely any decisions, and if they are, then they’re little ones.
“I’m sure everyone is excited to watch our matches every time we play. I think it must be hard for Siva losing both matches 12-10 in the fifth, but I’m very happy and proud to get the win.
“I’m a fighter. If I’m going to lose, I’m going to give every single thing I can on court. I think that’s a strength, that mindset. I’m very tough. Siva is the same as well. Maybe a few years ago she wasn’t pushing all the way into those fourth and fifth games, but now what’s so hard is that she’s pushing me really hard mentally and tactically all the way.
“I like to feel I’m winning the mental battle when I leave the court. That’s the way I like to push myself.”
In the other women’s semi-final, newly-crowned World No.1 Amina Orfi battled back to defeat Nouran Gohar in a high-quality four-game encounter.
Gohar, who recently returned to competitive action following the birth of her first child, pushed Orfi throughout the 71-minute contest, forcing the No.2 seed to produce some of her very best squash.
However, 19-year-old Orfi, the reigning World Champion and British Open winner, rose to every challenge Gohar threw her way, maintaining her unbeaten start to the season with a 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-6 victory.
In the men’s draw, World No.1 Mostafa Asal and World No.3 Diego Elias set up a repeat of the 2025 Egyptian Open final after recording commanding victories over Karim Gawad and Paul Coll, respectively.
Elias, who arrived in Cairo this week on the back of a shock opening-round exit to Timothy Brownell in Qatar, produced an impressive turnaround to defeat the in-form Coll in four games.
After dropping the opening game and falling 6-1 behind in the second, the Peruvian flipped the match on its head with a remarkable shift in momentum. Over the course of the next game-and-a-half, Elias won 21 of the next 23 points to assume a 2-1 lead.
Coll continued to struggle with his accuracy in the fourth, conceding five strokes in the game alone. Elias capitalised to complete an emphatic 4-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-3 victory after 68 minutes.
After the match, Elias said: “I enjoyed the match tonight. I got into a really good rhythm. I always enjoy playing Paul and it was a great match today.
“I went straight from Qatar to Argentina for the South American Games, I played 25 matches in one week. I think that helped me, being on court three times a day, playing singles, doubles and teams. I think that helped a lot. I had a week to get my body right and then came here.”
Meanwhile, defending champion Mostafa Asal continued his quest for a third consecutive Egyptian Open crown following a flawless 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 victory over World No.4 Karim Gawad.
The top seed and reigning World Champion was in complete control throughout the 39-minute encounter, combining power with precision to secure his place in a 31st final on the PSA Squash Tour.
Results – Men’s Semi-Finals
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt [4] Karim Gawad (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (39m)
[3] Diego Elias (PER) bt [2] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-1: 4-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-3 (68m)
Results – Women’s Semi-Finals
[1] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [4] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 3-2: 6-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-0, 12-10 (86m)
[2] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt [6] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-6 (71m)
