In the women’s draw, defending champion Nouran Gohar battled past English No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry to keep her chances of retaining the prestigious trophy strong.
The Egyptian was dominant in the opening two games to take a comfortable lead, before World No.6 Perry, who reached the final back in 2017, saved three match balls before converting her own game ball in the third as she looked to mount a comeback against the Egyptian.
Opportunities to draw level in the fourth went begging for Perry though as she squandered two game balls and Gohar was able to take the win in four games.
“I knew even if I was 2-0 up and won the second game 11-2 that wasn’t a reason to win the whole match,” said Gohar. “I was pretty happy with the way I dealt with the fourth game even though for the whole game I was down, I went for my shots and maybe she plays good shots, but I can as well. I’m happy with the mental side of it more than anything else.”
Gohar will face compatriot Hania El Hammamy in the semi-finals after she came from 2-1 down against New Zealand’s World No.8 Joelle King to advance and reach the last four at the event for the first time in her career.
“It’s definitely a relief, I lost before to Joelle in three,” said El Hammamy. “Today I knew it was going to be a tough game. She had a very tough match yesterday, but she’s a very strong player and I knew I shouldn’t take that for granted. I’m so happy I was able to get through this and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.
“I think playing against Nouran is definitely a challenge for me. Going on court with her I have to be carrying a whole different plan, she’s one of the strongest, maybe the strongest, on the women’s tour. She hits the ball really hard. That kind of player needs to have a different kind of game plan.”
The other semi-final will see World No.1 Nour El Sherbini and USA’s World No.5 Amanda Sobhy battle it out after they claimed respective wins over Egypt’s Nadine Shahin and Rowan Elaraby earlier in the day.
The two recently faced each other at the PSA World Championships in Chicago and Sobhy admitted that she was keen to redeem herself after that performance, which saw her beaten in 25 minutes on El Sherbini’s way to her fifth World Championship title.
“I’m looking forward to playing Nour again,” said Sobhy, who reached the last four after being 2-0 up before Elaraby was forced to retire from their match due to injury.
“She gave me quite a lesson at the World Champs, so I’ll be trying to redeem myself tomorrow if I do play her.
“The British Open is second tier to World Championships, it’s such a prestigious event. I’ve never made it to the semis of the British before and I’m pleased to be able to get to the semis and to continue the form I’ve been in.”
El Sherbini, meanwhile, was in dominant form to comfortably dispatch compatriot Shahin as she looks to get her hands back on the British Open trophy, which she last won in 2018.
“I’m really happy with my performance and trying to be confident with my body this week,” said El Sherbini. “I’m playing another semi-final, so until now it’s going good.
“It’s our fourth meeting this season and we’ve been playing in big stages in Platinum events now, so I think [the way she’s playing in] every tournament she’s really in good form this season. She’s playing her best squash ever. Every time is a good and tough match. I’ll try to forget all the past matches and just think of tomorrow’s match.”
The semi-finals of the British Open will take place tomorrow (August 21) and play starts at 14:00 (GMT+1). Action from the Allam Sport Centre will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV, the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian subcontinent only) and multiple broadcasters around the world.
For updates on the Allam British Open, please visit the official tournament website or follow the event on Twitter.
Results – Quarter Finals: Women’s 2021 Allam British Open
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-2, 11-4 (19m)
[6] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 12-10 retired (24m)
[4] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [7] Joelle King (NZL) 3-2: 6-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4 (65m)
[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [5] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 11-2, 11-13, 13-11 (46m)
Draw – Women’s Semi-Finals: To Be Played August 21st
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [6] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
[4] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
