It’s semi-finals day at the GillenMarkets British Open, with Birmingham’s Rep Theatre playing host to four incredible matches this afternoon as the stars of the PSA Squash Tour bid to reach the final of the sport’s longest-running tournament.
Reigning women’s champion Nouran Gohar and World No.4 Amina Orfi get proceedings under way at 13:00 (GMT+1) and they are followed onto court by World Champion Nour El Sherbini and USA’s Olivia Weaver in a repeat of their blockbuster clash at the same stage of last month’s PSA World Championships.
Defending men’s champion Mostafa Asal clashes with World No.4 Joel Makin at 15:00, with the latter aiming to become the first British player to reach the title decider in eight years.
Then two former World No.1s will go head-to-head in the final match of the afternoon, with Diego Elias and two-time winner Paul Coll battling it out for the final spot in the title decider.
All of the action will be shown live on SQUASHTV and via PSA’s other broadcasters, while live scoring is available here.
For more on the GillenMarkets British Open, visit the tournament website or follow the PSA on X,Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, WhatsApp or LinkedIn.
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Today’s British Open Schedule
(All times are local GMT+1)
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Global Start Times
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Nouran Gohar v Amina Orfi
Kicking off this afternoon’s entertainment are Nouran Gohar and Amina Orfi, who will lock horns for the fifth time on the PSA Squash Tour.
Their last meeting came in the final of the El Gouna International in April – Orfi’s first Platinum final appearance – where Gohar came back from a game down to seal the trophy.
That marked a fourth successive win for Gohar over the 17-year-old, and she has so far managed wins against Jasmine Hutton, Marina Stefanoni and Tinne Gilis to reach the final, with only Hutton able to trouble ‘The Terminator’ in any meaningful way.
Orfi has also been impressive throughout the week here in Birmingham, with wins against Georgia Adderley and Sivasangari Subramaniam sandwiching a victory over Nada Abbas, which saw Orfi gain revenge for her defeat to her fellow Egyptian during last month’s World Championships.
Gohar is now one win away from what would be her seventh British Open title, which would put her joint fifth with Nicol David on the list of all-time women’s British Open final appearances, behind legendary figures such as Heather McKay, Janet Morgan, Nancy Cave and Susan Devoy.
For Orfi, this represents an opportunity to reach the title of a Diamond-level event for the first time, but she will need to turn the form book on its head if she is to get the better of the world’s best female player.
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Olivia Weaver v Nour El Sherbini
During last month’s World Championships, Olivia Weaver looked destined to become the first American in the history of the sport to reach the final of the most prestigious tournament in squash.
She led El Sherbini by two games to one and was 8-3 up in the fourth game before ‘The Warrior Princess’ mounted an incredible comeback to take the win en route to her record-equalling eighth World Championship triumph.
Now, Weaver has the chance to put that missed opportunity behind her as she aims to become the first American since Natalie Grainger in 2004 to reach the British Open final.
Her route to the final could hardly have gone better, with three dominant performances yielding three 3-0 wins over Zeina Mickawy, Fayrouz Aboelkheir and Nele Gilis-Coll to book her maiden spot in the semi-finals of this tournament.
El Sherbini – a four-time British open champion – dropped a game to home favourite Sarah-Jane Perry in round two but showcased the best of her squash ability in the next round to dismantle Weaver’s compatriot, Amanda Sobhy.
The head-to-head record doesn’t make great reading for Weaver, who has lost all 13 of her matches against El Sherbini on the PSA Squash Tour. With two of their last three matches going all the way to five games though, will this be the time that Weaver finally gets a win over the Egyptian legend?
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Mostafa Asal v Joel Makin
It’s World No.1 versus British No.1 in the third match of the day as Mostafa Asal and Joel Makin compete in front of a packed crowd at The Rep.
Those spectators should expect fireworks as Asal – one of the most charismatic and talked about players on the tour today – and Makin – one of the steeliest and forthright characters in the men’s game – always bring their ‘A’ game when they go head-to-head.
Not since the 2023 Canary Wharf Classic has Makin been able to get the better of his adversary, with Asal enjoying eight unanswered wins in the intervening two years.
Their most recent clash saw Makin squander a 2-0 lead at the Optasia Championships, but in front of his local crowd – Makin has called Birmingham his home for over a decade now – the Welshman will be hoping to ride the wave of support to make history.
There hasn’t been a British finalist since 2017, and you have to go back to David Evans’ 2000 victory to find a Welsh finalist.
Makin will be up against it as he looks to outmanoeuvre the current World Champion but, if he can produce his best squash, then history could beckon for the 30-year-old.
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Paul Coll v Diego Elias
New Zealand’s Paul Coll and Peru’s Diego Elias close out the day’s matches in what promises to be an exciting clash at The Rep.
Elias, the mercurial Peruvian, was in sublime form to see off the threat of three-time champion Mohamed ElShorbagy in the previous round, taking the Englishman out in straight games.
A former World No.1 and a runner-up in 2023, Elias will be looking to return to the final for a second time as he chases his second title of the season.
Standing in his way will be two-time champion Paul Coll, who is the only man from New Zealand ever to lift the iconic trophy. Coll has impressed in Birmingham this week, scything through a tricky run which included matches against Fares Dessouky, Moustafa Elsirty and Marwan ElShorbagy without dropping a game.
Coll and Elias will meet for the 17th time on the PSA Squash Tour, with eight wins apiece. Their last meeting went the way of the ‘Peruvian Puma’ as he overturned a two-game deficit to prevail in the last four of November’s Singapore Open.
All eyes will be on Birmingham today though as the world’s best players look to book their spots in tomorrow’s finals – watch all of the action on SQUASHTV from 13:00 (GMT+1) or enjoy greater flexibility with SQUASHTV’s new pay-per-view offering.
