Home Favourite Kennedy Upsets Watanabe to Reach London Classic Semis

England No.1 Georgina Kennedy booked her place in the semi-finals of the London Squash Classic after upsetting No.4 seed Satomi Watanabe at Alexandra Palace.

London-based Kennedy hadn't beaten Watanabe in their three previous meetings on the PSA Squash Tour but produced a fantastic performance in front of her home fans to complete a 12-10, 11-4 victory.

"I've lost to her three times in a row and they've been frustrating losses," said Kennedy afterwards.

"When we're playing [in practice] we're battling it out for over an hour, so it confused me a bit why I wasn't as good when I got into those PSA matches. It's a barrier I've overcome today by taking the win.

"I've got a bit of a different mindset and I'm understanding what's happening in the rallies better. When she went 10-7 up, I was aware I was playing really good squash and she did get a few lucky bounces. By remembering that instead of worrying that I was losing, I was able to decipher and understand what was happening. That allowed me to play my game and have a clear understanding of what I'm doing."

World No.1 Hania El Hammamy was tested hard in her quarter-final match with USA's Amanda Sobhy, before eventually pulling through to win 13-11, 7-11, 11-6.

Sobhy put El Hammamy under serious pressure, but the 2024 runner-up managed to find another gear in the third game to seal her spot in the last four, where she will play Kennedy. No.2 seed Amina Orfi and No.3 seed Sivasangari Subramaniam are also through to the last four.

"It was definitely very tough for me, a best of three against Amanda is very hard mentally," El Hammamy said afterwards.

"She was going for her shots and I think I lost my length a bit in the middle. She was really keen and hungry today and I could feel the vibes on court, so it made it extra tough. I'm really happy I gained the momentum back in the third and found a way to get through it. I might have looked calm, but it wasn't how I felt inside."

There will also be a home player in the men's event as England No.1 Marwan ElShorbagy won a thriller against Egypt's Kareem El Torkey.

El Torkey played some creative shots and wowed the crowd with his speed and athleticism, but he was generally forced into doing that by the control that ElShorbagy exhibited on court. The experienced 33-year-old kept his head as the business end of the match came around and his reward will be a mouthwatering semi-final battle with No.2 seed Victor Crouin.

"It was very hard playing Kareem today and it was a different test to yesterday," ElShorbagy said.

"I wanted to test myself against the younger generation, especially him because he has that energy that he wants to beat everyone. I like that, but it's always annoying to play against."

Defending champion Paul Coll advanced after his opponent - Marwan's older brother Mohamed - retired from their match in game two due to a glute issue.

The No.1 seed forced 35-year-old ElShorbagy into some brutal movements and the Englishman responded in kind to put on a show for his home crowd. However, he was forced off court at 8-2 down in the second game, bringing a premature end to the match for the former World Champion.

"I knew he would come out at a hundred miles an hour, but I've been working on something with Rob [Owen, Coll's coach] this week and it's relaxed everything," Coll said afterwards.

"I'm feeling really confident, actually. I'm working on some simple things technically, but I love that. When he's playing like that with so many different angles and changes of pace, I can get a bit tense. I was really happy with how smooth I stayed throughout the game, I was very proud of that."

Coll will play Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng in the next round after the world No.18 got the better of world No.12 Youssef Soliman.