JOEL MAKIN FROM WALES STUNS THE SQUASH WORLD TO REACH CIB EGYPTIAN SQUASH OPEN SEMI-FINAL

Draw – Semi-Finals: Results – Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half): 2019 CIB Egyptian Squash Open [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-1: 4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (68m) Joel Makin (WAL) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 11-3, 12-14, 11-8, 11-2 (57m) Draw – Semi-Finals: To Be Played October 31st [1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [5] Paul Coll (NZL) [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Joel Makin (WAL) The semi-finals take place on Thursday October 31, with play getting under way at 18:30 (GMT+2). Action will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian subcontinent). Welshman Joel Makin has reached his first PSA Platinum semi-final after overcoming French giant-killer Baptiste Masotti 11-3, 12-14, 11-8, 11-2 in the men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open, which is taking place alongside the women’s tournament at the Pyramids. Masotti was appearing in the quarter-finals of a Platinum event for the first time after successive upsets against former top five players Borja Golan and Miguel Rodriguez, while he also upset Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng to earn his place on the glass court in front of the Pyramids. He looked overawed by the occasion in the opening stages, taking just three points as he went a game down, but he struck back to take the second on the tie-break, and put the World No.12 under serious pressure in the third with some impressive shot-making. However, Makin’s experience saw him over the line in the third, and that seemed to drain his opponent’s confidence, with a comfortable fourth game victory seeing Makin advance to the last four. “He was attacking freely and going in short and the ball was quite dead,” said Makin. “Credit to him in the middle, the first two games he was clinical in the middle. The third game was crucial, I had to get the length across the backhand, and once I did that it took the middle away and I had a few more chances.” World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad will play Makin in the semis after beating World No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy 4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 to continue his 100 per cent record in front of the Pyramids. He became the first man in a decade to win a trophy in front of the iconic landmark when he beat current World No.1 Ali Farag to win the 2016 Al Ahram Open, and he will look to make it back-to-back finals when he takes on Makin next. “I had to take care of every shot and in the first game I couldn’t even get past him in the middle, so I had to focus on that and put him in the back corners and attack from the middle a little bit more,” said 28-year-old Gawad. I’m really happy to get through to the semi-finals at my favourite tournament ever. I love playing in my home country and in front of the audience here. You get a lot of support here, and I feel like I’m just practicing, driving to the venue and then going back home, so I feel like it’s just practice and not a tournament.” The semi-finals take place on Thursday October 31, with play getting under way at 18:30 (GMT+2). Action will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian subcontinent). Draw – Semi-Finals: Results – Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half): 2019 CIB Egyptian Squash Open [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-1: 4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (68m) Joel Makin (WAL) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 11-3, 12-14, 11-8, 11-2 (57m) Draw – Semi-Finals: To Be Played October 31st [1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [5] Paul Coll (NZL) [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Joel Makin (WAL) GOOD LUCK JOEL!