Orfi & Elias Set Up El Gouna Semi-Final Showdowns With World No.1s

World No.3s Amina Orfi and Diego Elias set up tantalising semi-final showdowns with world No.1s Hania El Hammamy and Mostafa Asal at the El Gouna International Open 2026, after the quartet claimed commanding wins on day four of the Platinum event in Egypt.

Twelve months on from reaching her first Platinum final at the El Gouna International, 18-year-old Orfi continued her hunt to go one better and lift her maiden major title on the PSA Squash Tour with an impressive 11-8, 11-6, 13-11 win over No.6 seed Satomi Watanabe.

Orfi, who hadn't played an event for seven weeks coming into El Gouna, looked sharp and highly motivated as she powered through to her fifth major semi-final of the 2025/26 PSA Squash Tour after 57 minutes of play.

"I think I played really well today," Orfi said after the match. "I'm just happy with how I dealt with it in the third game. I think I'm calmer in this event and I think it is helping get me through these pressure moments in these matches.

"I've been off tournaments for seven weeks now, so I've had plenty of time to add things to my game. Power is obviously one of my strong suits; it puts players under pressure, but adding helps me not get tired more easily, and brings more variety to my game."

The four-time World Junior Champion will take on Hania El Hammamy in the semi-finals after the top seed claimed an imposing three-game victory over No.7 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir.

El Hammamy, who lifted the El Gouna title in 2022, delivered a clinical performance to defeat the rising Egyptian star by an 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 scoreline and extend her record this season to 35 wins from 38 matches.

El Hammamy will look to extend her three-match winning streak against compatriot Orfi, with the former having claimed respective wins at the Egyptian Open, Qatar Classic and US Open this campaign.

Meanwhile, in the men's event, Mostafa Asal and Diego Elias will renew their gripping rivalry in the semi-finals after the pair defeated Leonel Cardenas and Marwan ElShorbagy in three games apiece.

Defending champion Asal's 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 victory over the Mexican No.1 extended his unbeaten run on the PSA Squash Tour to 27 matches. This achievement brings him level with Greg Gaultier on the all-time men's winning streak list, with only Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Ramy Ashour and Peter Nicol ahead of the 24-year-old in the record books.

"I'm really pleased with the record, but I don't normally think about the record stats - I need to focus on my stats and my game," Asal said after the match.

"Sometimes when you are leading 2/0 up, in the third, you cannot play your best when you're seeing the finish line. This is what I've been struggling with this event, and I think it is done. But it isn't.

"Leonel continued playing until the very last point, so I'm very happy to get through in three in the end."

In the last match of the night, Elias eased into the semi-finals after his opponent, England's Marwan ElShorbagy, withdrew from their contest due to an injury at the end of the second game.

Despite the injury-curtailed clash, Elias will take plenty of confidence heading into his upcoming battle with Asal after oozing quality throughout his 21 minutes on court, dropping just four points across the two games played.