Diego Downs Coll To Make Egyptian Open Final

Diego Elias will join Hania El Hammamy, Amina Orfi and Mostafa Asal in the finals of the CIB Egyptian Open 2026 after the third-seeded Peruvian upset world No.2 Paul Coll on semi-finals night at the Diamond-level event in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Elias, who arrived in Cairo this week on the back of a shock opening-round exit to Timothy Brownell in Qatar, produced an impressive turnaround to defeat the in-form Coll in four games.

After dropping the opening game and falling 6-1 behind in the second, the Peruvian flipped the match on its head with a remarkable shift in momentum. Over the course of the next game-and-a-half, Elias won 21 of the next 23 points to assume a 2/1 lead.

Coll continued to struggle with his accuracy in the fourth, conceding five strokes in the game alone. Elias capitalised to complete an emphatic 4-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-3 victory after 68 minutes.

After the match, Elias said: "I enjoyed the match tonight. I got into a really good rhythm. I always enjoy playing Paul and it was a great match today.

"I went straight from Qatar to Argentina for the South American Games, I played 25 matches in one week. I think that helped me, being on court three times a day, playing singles, doubles and teams. I think that helped a lot. I had a week to get my body right and then came here."

In a repeat of the 2025 final, the 29-year-old from Lima will now face top seed Mostafa Asal for the title after the defending champion continued his quest for a third consecutive Egyptian Open crown following a flawless 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 victory over world No.4 Karim Gawad.

The reigning World Champion was in complete control throughout the 39-minute encounter, combining power with precision to secure his place in a 31st final on the PSA Squash Tour.

In the women's event, defending champion El Hammamy overcame World No.5 Sivasangari Subramaniam in yet another five-game epic between the pair, with the Egyptian repeating her 12-10 deciding-game victory at last month's Qatar Classic.

Their enthralling semi-final encounter in Doha was widely regarded as one of the best matches of 2026, and the latest instalment in their rivalry lived up to all expectations.

After twice falling behind, El Hammamy recovered from 2/1 down to clinch a thrilling 6-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-0, 12-10 victory after 86 minutes of play.

The win keeps El Hammamy on course for a third Egyptian Open title and sets up a fifth meeting in 2026 with teenage sensation Amina Orfi.

"I'm definitely so proud to be taking part in all these brilliant battles with Siva," El Hammamy said after the match. "Obviously, they've been very long matches, all five gamers, and what I'm really proud of is how clean they are, barely any decisions, and if they are, then they're little ones.

"I'm a fighter. If I'm going to lose, I'm going to give every single thing I can on court. I think that's a strength, that mindset. I'm very tough. Siva is the same as well. Maybe a few years ago she wasn't pushing all the way into those fourth and fifth games, but now what's so hard is that she's pushing me really hard mentally and tactically all the way."

In the other women's semi-final, newly-crowned world No.1 Amina Orfi battled back to defeat Egyptian compatriot Nouran Gohar in a high-quality four-game encounter.

Gohar, who recently returned to competitive action following the birth of her first child, pushed Orfi throughout the 71-minute contest, forcing the No.2 seed to produce some of her very best squash.

However, 19-year-old Orfi, the reigning World Champion and British Open winner, rose to every challenge Gohar threw her way, maintaining her unbeaten start to the season with a 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-6 victory.