Cairo, Egypt – Egypt’s stars continued their brilliance in the El Gouna International Squash Championship, after the quartet of Mostafa Asal, Hania El Hammamy, Amina Orfi and Fairouz Abou El Kheir secured their qualification for the quarter-finals, in a tournament that has not witnessed any surprises so far.
The tournament is being held in El Gouna from April 4th to 10th, with 64 players from 24 countries competing for a prize purse of $410,000, reflecting the event’s prestige as one of the season’s premier tournaments.
The round of 16 matches are expected to conclude this evening, Monday, to complete the list of those qualified for the quarter-finals, amidst strong confrontations in both the men’s and women’s categories.
Upcoming matchups in the round of 16
In the women’s draw, Nour El Sherbini will face French player Melissa Alves, while Farida Mohamed will meet American Olivia Weaver, and Sana Ibrahim will have a tough match against England’s Georgina Kennedy.
In the men’s competition, Youssef Ibrahim will face India’s Abhay Singh, while Mohamed Zakaria will take on Wales’ Joel Makin. The competition will also feature an all-Egyptian clash between Karim Abdel Gawad and Youssef Soliman.
Quarter-final Road
In the quarter-final matches, Mostafa Asal will face Mexico’s Leonel Cárdenas, while Amina Orfi will take on Japan’s Satomi Watanabe.
The women’s competition also features a strong Egyptian showdown between Hania El Hammamy and Fayrouz Abou El Kheir, in a match that guarantees the presence of an Egyptian player in the semi-finals.
Final round dates
The quarter-final matches will be held on April 7 and 8 on the glass courts, with the tournament concluding with the semi-finals and final on April 9 and 10, amid great anticipation for deciding the title.
The absence of the heroine and the presence of the heroes
The title in the previous edition was won by the duo Mostafa Asal and Nouran Gohar, who is absent from the current edition due to pregnancy. Asal continues his successful run to defend his title.
Continued Egyptian control
The results of the tournament so far reflect the continued Egyptian dominance in the sport of squash globally, with a strong presence of players in various stages, which keeps the chances of winning strongly alive before the decisive stages.
