World No.3 Diego Elias completed the semi-final line-up at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions 2025 after a hard-fought four-game victory over No.5 seed Joel Makin in the Grand Central Terminal, New York.
The last three matchups between Elias and Makin had totalled exactly four hours of squash, headlined by a 100-minute epic in Paris in 2023, which was won by the Peruvian.
And the early stages suggested it wouldn’t be any different this time around, with a brutal 23-minute opening game going the way of No.3 seed Elias after a tense tie-break.
Both players had put plenty of work into their legs in game one, but it was Elias who looked to be in worse condition, losing a one-sided second game and still struggling with his movement early in the third.
However, the current World Champion used his superb court craft to manoeuvre himself into a 2-1 lead and edge ahead in the latter stages of the fourth game to seal a thoroughly deserved victory after 62 minutes of gruelling play.
“I had to stay very focussed right until the end,” Elias said after the match. “Joel is such a fighter right until the end, but he had a very long match a couple of days ago, so I knew he might be a bit tired. I knew that I had to fight until the last point.
“It’s a great feeling [to be into the semi-finals]. I have made the final for the past three years, so I love playing here and playing on this court. I just want to enjoy the moment and look forward to tomorrow’s semi-final.”
Elias’ opponent in the last four will be World No.2 Mostafa Asal, who continued his blemish-free campaign with a powerful 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 victory over No.7 seed Tarek Momen.
Asal, who can go to World No.1 this week if he reaches the final and current World No.1 Ali Farag were to fall in the semi-finals, was made to work hard throughout the somewhat scrappy encounter, but ultimately had too much quality for the 36-year-old.
Meanwhile, in the women’s event, World No.2 Nour El Sherbini and World No.3 Hania El Hammamy set-up a semi-final clash after coming through their respective quarter-finals with No.7 seed Rowan Elaraby and two-time British National champion Jasmine Hutton.
Five-time champion El Sherbini survived a second-game wobble to record an 11th straight win over good friend Elaraby, eventually taking the match by an 11-8, 2-11, 12-10, 11-7 win.
At 10-9 down in the third game, El Sherbini’s title defence looked to be hanging in the balance, but ‘The Warrior Princess’ kept her composure to reclaim the lead and subsequently move through to a 31st straight Platinum semi-final appearance on the PSA Squash Tour.
“I’m just happy that I won to be honest,” El Sherbini said after the match.
“I’m happy that at the crucial times, I held myself [together], played the crucial points in a good way and maybe that’s what made the difference today.
“Rowan was playing amazing. I think this was one of the best matches she’s played against me and it’s hard to play her.”
No.3 seed El Hammamy will be the player tasked with dethroning El Sherbini in the semi-finals after she ended the run of unseeded Hutton by an 11-2, 11-7, 11-2 scoreline.
El Hammamy, who is on the hunt for her first PSA title since December 2023, put down a marker of intent with a flawless display on the all-glass court in New York, wrapping up the win in just under half an hour of play.
Results: Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half)
[2] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt [7] Tarek Momen (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 (45m)
[3] Diego Elias (PER) bt [5] Joel Makin (WAL) 3-1: 13-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-7 (62m)
Results: Women’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [7] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 2-11, 12-10, 11-7 (49m)
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-7, 11-2 (29m)
Draw: Men’s Semi-Finals (To Be Played January 29)
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [4] Paul Coll (NZL)
[3] Diego Elias (PER) v [2] Mostafa Asal (EGY)
Draw: Women’s Semi-Finals (To Be Played January 29)
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [4] Olivia Weaver (USA)
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)