The British Open semi-finals in Birmingham on Saturday will be played out between the top four seeds across both men’s and women’s competitions. Moreover, the eight players who will contest the Rep showdowns have done so by losing just two games between them in the last eight to get there.
Only home hope left Joel Makin and Egypt’s Amina Orfi dropped games (both are No.4 seeds), leaving the statistic as 24-2 (games won and lost). Disparity at the top of the game, or authoritative matches played by the sport’s top seeds?
In all, the eight players on show on Saturday have dropped only seven games between them since their opening matches – two of those from Mostafa Asal.
The quarter-finals were largely one-way traffic, barring Makin and briefly Orfi’s matches. There was little resistance in the other clashes.
USA’s World No.4 Olivia Weaver moved easily through to the semi-finals for the first time after defeating Belgian World No.13 Nele Gilis-Coll in straight games – but was tested in her opening game.
Philadelphia-born Weaver has enjoyed a excellent season on the PSA Squash Tour this year, picking up three titles and strengthening her grip on the World No.4 position.
The Belgian made an excellent start tonight, leading for most of game one as she kept the ball away from Weaver’s strength in the centre.
Gilis-Coll had two game ball opportunities at 10-8 but couldn’t convert, with the American taking full advantage to force a tie-break and then move into the lead with a 12-10 win before pressing on to take game two 11-8 and game three 11-5.
Afterwards, Weaver said: “I feel really confident coming out of that match and beating Nele 3-0 and I’m really happy with how I finished that match. I can’t wait for the next round!”
Facing Weaver in the next round is World No.2 and reigning World Champion Nour El Sherbini, with the Egyptian taking out Weaver’s compatriot Amanda Sobhy in straight games to reach the last four of the British Open for the eighth time in her career.
In the men’s event, the last two English representatives remaining, brothers Mohamed and Marwan ElShorbagy, both suffered heavy defeats.
Three-time British Open champion and England No.2 Mohamed went down 3-0 in 39 minutes to World No.2 Diego Elias of Peru, while England No.1 Marwan was defeated by New Zealand’s World No.3 Paul Coll in 42 minutes.
Coll looks somewhere back to his world-beating best as he seeks another British Open title.
Those defeats for the English duo leave Wales’ Makin as the last British representative in the competition, with the World No.4 taking on World No.1 and reigning World Champion Asal in the semi-final.
Results: GillenMarkets British Open Women’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half)
[3] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt [9/16] Nele Gilis-Coll (BEL) 3-0: 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 (47m)
[2] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) bt [8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (30m)
Results: GillenMarkets British Open Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half)
[3] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [6] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-2 (42m)
[2] Diego Elias (PER) bt [5] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (39m)
Draw: GillenMarkets British Open Women’s Semi-Finals (To be played Saturday 7 June)
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [4] Amina Orfi (EGY)
[3] Olivia Weaver (USA) v [2] Nour ElSherbini (EGY)
Draw: GillenMarkets British Open Men’s Semi-Finals (To be played Saturday 7 June)
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v [4] Joel Makin (WAL)
[3] Paul Coll (NZL) v [2] Diego Elias (PER)