Karachi, Pakistan (Sports News): Former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy held off an inspired comeback from Pakistan No.1 Noor Zaman to clinch a five-game thriller and advance to the semi-finals of the Rich Venus Karachi Open 2026.
No.5 seed ElShorbagy was forced to show all his years of experience to negate both an attacking onslaught from Zaman and the vocal crowd inside DA Creek Club to prevail by an 11-2, 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9 scoreline.
After a nervy start to his first Gold quarter-final appearance in which he fell 2-0 down in a flash, Zaman began to find his marks as the third game got underway, firing in a string of high-tariff winners.
The World No.38 rode the wave of momentum to force a decider, and moved his way into the latter stages of the fifth level-pegging with the Englishman.
However, ElShorbagy's big-match experience came to the fore in the subsequent deciding moments of the match, with the 34-year-old edging ahead from 8-8 to clinch a thrilling win after 58 minutes of play.
"I felt quite comfortable in the first two games, maybe he got caught up with the stage a little bit," ElShorbagy said after the match. "Definitely, the vibe of the match changed at the start of the third game. He started motivating himself. He was like a train - it was really hard to stop him.
"Of course, I did doubt myself. I haven't won tough matches like this in a while. So to get a win is great. I'm just really glad to get through and to be into the semis."
No.5 seed Mohamad Zakaria was the other men's winner on day four after he put Hong Kong's Alex Lau to the sword with a clinical 29-minute victory.
The two-time World Junior Champion looked in top form as he set up a semi-final showdown with top seed Karim Gawad by an 11-0, 11-3, 11-6 scoreline.
In the women's event, World No.33 Aifa Azman claimed one of the biggest wins of her career as she stunned No.3 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir to reach her maiden Gold-level semi-final on the PSA Squash Tour.
No.8 seed Azman had won the pair’s last meeting on tour at the 2025 Australian Open, and made it two wins from their last two meetings with a brilliant attacking display on the all-glass court in DA Creek Club.
The Malaysian produced some gutsy squash, in particular, to come from two game balls down in the second to take the subsequent tie-break, before racing through to a three-game win against an under-par Aboelkheir after 32 minutes of play.
After the match, Azman said: “I don’t know how to describe my feelings right now! I’m just so thankful for my team and my family. I’m so happy to win 3-0 this time.
“[My sister] and I have both seen each other go through our ups and downs with injuries. So I’m just happy that we are starting 2026 really well – she made the quarter-final as well – but I’m really happy I got one step further than her! I’m really grateful for all her support and I’m proud of both of us.”
Azman will face fellow Malaysian Sivasangari Subramaniam in the semi-finals, after the No.2 seed overcame a slow start to defeat England's Lucy Turmel.
Despite falling 7-2 down early on in the first game, World No.7 Sivasangari maintained a cool composure to battle her way back into the match and clinch a 13-11, 11-7, 11-9 victory over the World No.30.
Results – Men’s Quarter-Finals: Rich Venus Karachi Open 2026
[5] Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) bt Alex Lau (HKG) 3-0: 11-0, 11-3, 11-6 (29m)
[4] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt Noor Zaman (PAK) 3-2: 11-2, 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9 (58m)
Results – Women’s Quarter-Finals: Rich Venus Karachi Open 2026
[8] Aifa Azman (MAS) bt [3] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 13-11, 11-3 (32m)
[2] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [7] Lucy Turmel (ENG) 3-0: 13-11, 11-7, 11-9 (35m)
Draw – Men's Semi-Finals: To Be Played January 10
[1] Karim Gawad (EGY) v [5] Mohamad Zakaria (EGY)
[4] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) v [6] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY)
Draw – Women's Semi-Finals: To Be Played January 10
[1] Amina Orfi (EGY) v [4] Nada Abbas (EGY)
[8] Aifa Azman (MAS) v [2] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
