Egyptians set for titanic clash at Hong Kong Squash Open as No 1 Ali Farag survives scare to meet controversial Mostafa Asal
- Farag ‘so relieved to see that going my way’ after he scrapes past compatriot Mazen Hesham, while Asal is left short of court time as Tarek Momen retires ill
- Women’s world No 1 Nour El Sherbini also comes through a stern test to reach the last four
Saturday’s Hong Kong Squash Open semi-finals feature an intriguing all-Egypt clash between the defending champion and the world No 1 as Ali Farag and Mostafa Asal meet in the men’s draw.
Their showdown looked in peril during Friday’s quarter-finals, as top-ranked Farag hung on in the face of a fightback by compatriot Mazen Hesham, but he regained control to set up the clash with 2022 winner Asal.
Farag was 9-3 and 10-6 down in the second game but managed to surge back to seal the game and eventually the match 11-3, 12-10, 11-7 at Hong Kong Squash Centre.
“I didn’t think I did much wrong, but [Mazen] was just firing in winner after winner,” he said.
“I wanted to put as much work into his legs as possible, into his head as well, so that I could capitalise on it in the following game, and then obviously I was so relieved to see that going my way.”
World No 3 Asal, meanwhile, was on court for only 16 minutes before his opponent – another Egyptian, Tarek Momen – was forced to retire through illness when trailing 11-5, 4-0.
