Elias beats Momen to set up enticing semis with Farag

Reigning World Champion Diego Elias earned his place in the semi-finals of the 2024 QTerminals Qatar Classic after getting the better of former World Champion Tarek Momen at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex on Thursday.Elias, the 2021 Qatar Classic winner, has struggled against Momen in the past, winning just five of their previous 18 matches on the PSA Squash Tour. It was their second meeting of the season after Momen had retired injured during their match at September’s CIB Egyptian Open, and Elias came through to seal an 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4 victory in Qatar today.Elias will play World No 1 Ali Farag for a place in the final, two weeks after their epic 95-minute battle in the last four of Paris Squash.Earlier, World No 9 Joel Makin reached the semi-finals in Qatar for the third time after battling past Egypt’s Fares Dessouky to set up a match with either Mostafa Asal or Karim Abdel Gawad. The World No 17 made a fast start as he took a 4-1 lead, but Makin soon reeled him in, taking 10 of the next 11 points on offer to go ahead. The second game saw Makin double his lead, but Dessouky came alive in the third.He began to hunt the front corners more often and used his impressive racket skills to halve the deficit. Makin remained calm though and went toe-to-toe with Dessouky as he ground out an 11-8 win in the fourth to earn his spot in the last four.Ali Farag navigated a tricky quarter-final against Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller in the day’s first men’s match winning 14-12, 11-5, 11-6. Farag, a Qatar Classic champion in 2018, 2020 and 2023, almost fell victim to an explosive first game from Mueller, who was appearing in his first Platinum quarter-final in over two years.After Farag took the second game, there was no let up for Mueller as he continued to be moved into all four corners of the court, and the pressure soon told as the No.1 seed closed out the win to avoid a giant-killing. He will play Elias next.World No 2 Mostafa Asal made it 13 wins on the bounce after he defeated former World No 1 Karim Abdel Gawad in the last quarter-final match winning 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7.Weaver wins 5-game thrillerOlivia Weaver battled through to semi-finals of the QTerminals Qatar Classic for the first time with a fighting win over Belgium’s Nele Coll.Weaver hadn’t beaten Coll in their five previous matches, but managed to outlast her today in a thrilling 72-minute clash to earn an 11-8, 2-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6 victory.World Champion Nouran Gohar got the better of World Junior Champion Amina Orfi to reach the semi-finals of QTerminals Qatar Classic for the first time.Gohar, who at 27 is 10 years Orfi’s senior, started the better of the two as she varied the pace of her hitting and always put Orfi under pressure, particularly in the back corners.After taking the opening game, an improved Orfi started to push Gohar back a bit, but Gohar still had the edge in the accuracy department to double her advantage.Quarter-final Results Men: [1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt. Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-0: 14-12, 11-5, 11-6 (34m); Joel Makin (WAL) bt. Fares Dessouky (EGY) 3-1: 11-5, 11-5, 5-11, 11-8 (59m); [4] Diego Elias (PER) bt. [7] Tarek Momen (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4 (54m); [3] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt. [6] Karim Gawad (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (60m)Women: [1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) bt. [6] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 3-1: 11-6, 7-11, 14-12, 11-5 (40m); [3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt. [7] Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-0: 11-6, 12-10, 11-5 (30m); [5] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt. [4] Nele Coll (BEL) 3-2: 11-8, 2-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6 (72m); [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt. Amina Orfi (EGY)3-1: 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7 (60m).