Doha — Mostafa Asal seems hungry for a first QTerminals Qatar Classic of his career.
During his quarter-final match with Youssef Soliman, the world No.1 twice complained to the referee that he could smell from the food court, which even Roy Gingell admitted to with a smile.
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Asal then tasted victory en route to Friday’s semi-finals, courtesy of a lengthy 3-0 victory. He was made to work, however, in this quarter-final workout as Soliman opened up an 8-5 lead before Asal stepped on the gas with accuracy and mistakes from his opponent.
Asal never let slip a lead thereafter as we saw three tweeners from the back of the court from the Egyptian as Soliman continued to accrue workmanlike rallies.
Asal’s athleticism shone through as he caressed a delicate forehand deep to secure a final four berth after 52 minutes.
He will play a resurgent Fares Dessouky, who has somehow failed – mainly through injuries – to reach a PSA semi-final for four years until reaching into his powerful armoury to see off Youssef Ibrahim.
Dessouky saw himself as the underdog playing a world top 10 player but you would never have guessed.
“I’m going to play my best squash, but I have to focus and make it as clean as possible. I hope it will be a good match for both of us,” he said of the Asal clash.
World No.2 Hania El Hammamy and world No.5 Amina Orfi will meet in a mouthwatering semi-final clash in the women’s event following convincing wins over Malaysian duo Sivasangari Subramaniam and Aira Azman.
El Hammamy and Orfi have been the form players in the early stages of the 2025-26 season, with Orfi winning the London Classic earlier this month before losing to El Hammamy in the final of the CIB Egyptian.
El Hammamy, who moved up to World No.2 following that win in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza, won this event in 2023 and continued her title challenge with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 win over Sivasangari.
“She kept coming back and every time I gave her an opening she went for those opportunities, I just kept reminding myself to stay solid every time I made errors,” said El Hammamy.
“I have my visuals of what I want to do this season and I hope this is not the end. It’s a prestigious event and I love it here in Qatar, we’re always getting pampered by the organisers. I’m very excited and hopefully I can produce a good level of squash.”
Meanwhile, Orfi downed Azman by an 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 scoreline to reach her first semi in Qatar.
Results – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half): 2025 QTerminals Qatar Classic
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt [7] Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 12-10 (52m)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 6-11, 11-5, 11-5 (50m)
Draw – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half): To Be Played October 2nd
Jonah Bryant (ENG) v Abdulla Mohd Al-Tamimi (QAT)
Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)
Draw – Men’s Semi-Finals (Top Half): To Be Played October 3rd
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Fares Dessouky (EGY)
Results – Women’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half): 2025 QTerminals Qatar Classic
[2] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [7] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 (34m)
[4] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt Aira Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 (34m)
Draw – Women’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half): To Be Played October 2nd
Farida Mohamed (EGY) v [6] Tinne Gilis (BEL)
Melissa Alves (FRA) v [1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY)
Draw – Women’s Semi-Finals (Top Half): To Be Played October 3rd
[2] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [4] Amina Orfi (EGY)