Gohar Shocks Long-Time Rival ElSherbini on Interrupted Quarter-Final Night At Egyptian Open

Former world No.1 Nouran Gohar produced a vintage performance to defeat long-time rival Nour ElSherbini and advance to the semi-finals of the CIB Egyptian Open on an interrupted night of action in Cairo.

Following adverse weather conditions on the all-glass court at the Great Pyramids of Giza, play was moved to the traditional courts at O West Sporting Club, where Gohar overcame the eight-time World Champion in their 42nd meeting on the PSA Squash Tour.

Gohar, who only returned to competitive squash last month following the birth of her first child, produced a power-packed performance reminiscent of the form that previously took her to the top of the women's world rankings and helped her become World Champion in 2024.

The 29-year-old defeated ElSherbini 11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 11-4 to set up a semi-final showdown with newly-crowned world No.1 Amina Orfi.

After the match, Gohar said: "I feel very lucky to have shared this rivalry with ElSherbini. It has made me improve as a player, as a person, everything. And coming back to that familiar person, we have huge respect for each other. It felt very enjoyable to be a part of.

"If this [the court change] had happened 10 years ago before I got married, I think I wouldn't have hit a ball because I'm a very structured person. When I got married, I learned how to adapt.

"Being a mum, all your plans go out the window. So today was just a funny situation for me, but I think I have really matured as a person and I just saw the positives out of it."

Meanwhile, reigning World Champion Amina Orfi powered past Georgina Kennedy in three games to stretch her unbeaten start to the 2026/27 season to 12 matches.

The match was moved from the glass court to the traditional courts just eight points into the opening game, and following the resumption, Orfi proved a cut above her English opponent, securing an 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 victory after 53 minutes of play.

In the men's draw, world No.2 Paul Coll continued his faultless Egyptian Open campaign with a supreme three-game victory over world No.5 Victor Crouin.

The No.2 seed, who is chasing his first Egyptian Open title, delivered a statement performance to book a tantalising semi-final match-up with world No.3 Diego Elias, defeating Crouin by an 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 scoreline.

"It was obviously surprising," Coll said after the match. "I walked to the glass, and they told me we were basically moving. So I just had to get my head in the right space to compete and just get my tactics right. Some slight adjustments to playing on here rather than outdoors.

"So I just had to make sure my head was in a good space and yeah, I'm proud of myself for doing that.

"I've been enjoying my squash this whole season so far. I think I'm hitting the ball really well. So today was just purely mental and as long as I got my head in a good space, I was confident my squash was going to be good."

Elsewhere, 2025 Egyptian Open runner-up Elias advanced to the semi-finals after his opponent Joel Makin withdrew from the tournament earlier in the day due to injury.