Zakaria Triumphs Over Makin In Commanding El Gouna Display

World No.8 Mohamad Zakaria stamped his authority in the latest instalment of his gripping rivalry with Joel Makin, avenging his Australian Open defeat with a supreme straight games victory over the No.5 seed at the El Gouna International Open in Egypt.

The 18-year-old World Junior Champion delivered a performance of great maturity to overcome the Welsh world No.5 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 on a thrilling day of action at the Platinum-level event at the El Gouna Conference and Culture Center.

After blockbuster 125-minute and 107-minute battles last month between the pair at the New Zealand Open and Australian Open had left the 2026 head-to-heads at one win apiece, it was Zakaria who clinched the trilogy contest in commanding fashion.

All throughout, Zakaria picked his punches smartly, building pressure with tight lines down both wings before electing the right times to go in short. The teenager rallied from 5-1 down to clinch the crucial second game with a string of 10 straight points, before closing out the match in the subsequent third in composed style.

"I'm very happy with how I played today," Zakaria said after setting up a quarter-final tie with No.3 seed Karim Gawad. "The level was very good. I worked on so many things [after Australia]. I had JP [Jonathon Power] come over to stay with me in Egypt and we did some really good work.

"Last time in Australia, he was in front of me a lot. When I kept throwing in the drop, he was able to counter me. So I was just thinking about staying in front of him and only dropping when I was in front. I just liked how I was alert for it and ready for the tactical changes."

Elsewhere, on day three of play, world No.4 Karim Gawad prevailed in a 109-minute thriller with Egyptian compatriot Youssef Soliman.

In what was Gawad's longest match on the PSA Squash Tour since 2013, the 34-year-old managed to hold his nerve to come from 2/1 behind and defeat the world No.12 by a 5-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9 scoreline.

Meanwhile, fellow Egyptian Youssef Ibrahim once again battled through an ongoing left shoulder injury to defeat Abhay Singh in five games, and world No.2 Paul Coll proved too strong for Eain Yow Ng.

In the women's draw, world No.4 Olivia Weaver overcame an early scare to defeat Egypt's Farida Mohamed in four games on the all-glass court at the El Gouna Conference and Culture Center. The US No.1 will face close friend and No.8 seed Georgina Kennedy in the last eight, after the Englishwoman saw off Sana Ibrahim in three games.

Eight-time World Champion Nour ElSherbini was the final player to clinch victory, easing past French No.1 Melissa Alves after just 30 minutes of play.