IN two huge GillenMarkets London Squash Classic shocks, Malaysian World No.16 Sivasangari Subramaniam stunned Egyptian World No.1 Nour El Sherbini, while in the men’s draw English wildcard and World No.76 Declan James beat Egypt’s former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad to reach the last four at Alexandra Palace.
Subramaniam, who prior to today’s contest had never taken a game off the seven-time World Champion, let alone beaten her, set alarm bells ringing in El Sherbini’s camp when she outfought the top seed on the way to an 11-9 win in game one.
In an incredible repeat, the Malaysian continued to cover every inch of the court in game two, cutting off El Sherbini’s attacks as she sent shockwaves through the squash world by finishing the match with another 11-9 win.
That win for Subramaniam represents the first time a player outside the top 10 in the PSA World Rankings has beaten Nour El Sherbini since Annie Au in 2015.
Afterwards, Subramaniam said: “I’m still speechless. That went really quick and I don’t know what was happening on court, beating the World No.1!
“I respect Sherbini a lot, she’s the best on tour and is really talented. To beat a player like that, I came in with my A Game today.”
Subramaniam will face No.4 seed Nele Gilis in the next round after the Belgian World No.4 came from behind to beat English No.5 seed Georgina Kennedy 2-1.
The second women’s semifinal will be an all-Egyptian clash between No.2 seed Hania El Hammamy and her fierce rival and No.3 seed Nouran Gohar after El Hammamy came from behind to beat Fayrouz Aboelkheir 2-1 and Gohar overcame England’s Sarah-Jane Perry 2-0.
In the men’s event, James continued to astound with a stunning win over World No.5 Gawad.
The Englishman, who this week is playing his first World Tour event in over a year due to a serious achilles injury, has been in incredible form in London, recording wins over World No.19 Mohamed ElSherbini in round one and World No.14 Baptiste Masotti in round two.
Today, though, he found another level, attacking well and stretching the court as he recorded a thrilling 11-8, 14-12 win.
Afterwards, James said: “What an incredible venue and incredible crowd, it’s weeks like this where our sport looks unbelievable, what a showcase.
“It’s been a long road back, a long 18 months, jeez, a lot of hard work and suffering. Nights like tonight make the suffering worth it.
“I’m not at the point of my career where I want to make up the numbers, I’m here to do some damage.”
James will face the No.2 seed, former World No.1 Mostafa Asal, in the semi-final after the 22-year-old won an all-Egyptian match against Aly Abou Eleinen.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, Wales’ Joel Makin fought back to beat England’s Marwan ElShorbagy in a thrilling clash.
Makin, who lost out to ElShorbagy the last time they played, recovered from being match ball down to beat the No.5 seed 8-11, 12-10, 12-10 in 64 minutes.
Makin will face top seed Paul Coll of New Zealand after the World No.2 came back from one game down to beat England’s George Parker 2-1.
The semifinals of the GillenMarkets London Squash Classic take place tomorrow, 31 March, with all the action streamed live on SQUASHTV and on partner channels from 15:00 (GMT+1)
Results - Women’s Quarterfinal: GillenMarkets London Squash Classic
[7] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) 2-0: 11-9, 11-9 (24m)
[4] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [5] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 2-1: 6-11, 11-6, 11-3 (46m)
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 2-0: 11-7, 11-2 (19m)
[2] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [8] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) 2-1: 9-11, 11-8, 11-4 (41m)
Results - Men’s Quarterfinal: GillenMarkets London Squash Classic
[1] Paul Coll (NZL) bt George Parker (ENG) 2-1: 8-11, 11-6, 11-3 (42m)
[4] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (ENG) 2-1: 8-11, 12-10, 12-10 (64m)
[WC] Declan James (ENG) bt [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 2-0: 11-8, 14-12 (37m)
[2] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt [7] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) 2-0: 11-9, 11-4 (39m)
Draw - Women’s Semifinal: To be played 31 March
[7] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [4] Nele Gilis (BEL)
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [2] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
Draw - Men’s Semifinal: To be played 31 March
[1] Paul Coll (NZL) v [4] Joel Makin (WAL)
[WC] Declan James (ENG) v [2] Mostafa Asal (EGY)
