Asal Makes Qatar Classic Semis After Contentious 91-Minute Eleinen Clash

Egypt's world No.1 Mostafa Asal continued his quest for a first Qatar Classic title in dramatic style, overcoming compatriot Aly Abou Eleinen in a contentious 91-minute affair at the Platinum-level event in Doha.

Asal, a beaten finalist in the last two editions of the Qatar Classic, had to see off a determined comeback from the world No.13 to win a four-game encounter which was punctuated by repeated interference issues.

Across the opening two games, Asal was dominant and rarely troubled by Eleinen. However, midway through the third, a conduct stroke penalising Asal seemed to change the complexion of the contest.

Visibly frustrated by constant traffic issues, Eleinen fired himself up to save two match balls in a monster 32-minute third game, which he eventually clinched 14-12.

The 26-year-old then pushed Asal deep into a fourth-game tie-break, but the top seed held his nerve when it mattered most, converting his fourth match ball to seal an 11-5, 11-4, 12-14, 12-10 victory.

After the match, an animated Asal said: "Yeah, I mean, it was a good game the first two games and I then don't know what to say, to be honest.

"I mean, it's the first time for me to be this emotional. But it [these traffic issues] just has to be an easy let and simple let. Sometimes it can be a proper squash match, and then it turns into a feast of decisions.

"You know, every time I get tripped, I could milk it every single time. And that is what some other players are doing right now."

In the other match of the evening's play, world No.9 Marwan ElShorbagy advanced to his first major semi-final since the 2024 Egyptian Open after surviving a back-and-forth five-game duel with France's Gregoire Marche.

Elshorbagy, who admitted to experiencing dizziness during the 52-minute contest, surrendered a two-game lead in dramatic fashion, losing a two-minute third game before Marche brought the match level just seven minutes later.

The English No.1 though, managed to steady the ship when it mattered most, getting ahead in the fifth game before closing out an 11-5, 11-9, 1-11, 3-11, 11-7 victory.

"I don't know what happened," ElShorbagy admitted after the match. "After the first game, I felt a little bit dizzy; I didn't know why. That's why I had the bananas and the dark chocolate with me, but nothing worked. I told Haitham [Effat] that I was seeing black and I couldn't see anything at times.

"Haitham was able to push me and help me. I really needed him. He played a huge part in today's win."

In the women's draw, Nouran Gohar and Tinne Gilis' injury withdrawals before play saw world No.1 Hania El Hammamy and world No.5 Sivasangari Subramaniam receive walkovers into the semi-finals.

Thursday's match with the top seed El Hammamy will be Sivasangari's first-ever appearance in a Platinum semi-final.