RESULTS:    Men's Indian Squash Challenger No7, Kolkata, India


Semi-finals:
[3] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [8] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 5-11, 11-9, 11-3, 14-12 (58m)
[7] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [2] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-13, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6 (59m)

Women's WISPA Indian Challenger No5, Kolkata, India

Semi-finals:
[4] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [1] Sharon Wee (MAS) 8-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9 (39m)
[2] Emma Beddoes (ENG) bt [3] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 (28m)


Egyptian teenager Mohamed El Shorbagy ended the dream run of local hero Saurav Ghosal in today's (Friday) semi-finals of the Men's Indian Challenger No7 to set up a surprise all-Egyptian final of the $50,000 PSA World Tour squash event at The Calcutta Racket Club in Kolkata.

Ghosal, the seventh seed who was born in Kolkata, achieved a career-best win 24 hours earlier when he ousted top seed Adrian Grant, the world No13 from England.

The 23-year-old dominated the first game, producing winners against a tentative El Shorbagy, the No3 seed.  Ghosal, enjoying his best international ranking at 29 – the highest-ranked Indian of all-time - looked to be at ease with his all-court game and led the second game 7-4 against the 19-year-old.

Things turned the other way thereafter as El Shorbagy turned to his front game and successfully finished a series of returns to make it 7-10 before levelling the match.

Playing in his first semi-final of a five-star PSA Tour event, Ghosal started feeling the heat of El Shorbagy’s command on the front-court game - which came at its best in the third game, won by the Egyptian for the loss of just three points.

The home hero, who had a record of winning both his matches in the previous two meetings against the Egyptian, was back in contention in the fourth game, managing an 8-4 lead.  But repeating his move in the second game, El Shorbagy showed why he is the world No17 as he won five consecutive points to make it 9-8.  

Ghosal salvaged a match ball and earned two game balls as the game slipped into a tie-break.  But El Shorbagy held his nerve to produce successive winners to clinch the match 5-11, 11-9, 11-3, 14-12 in 58 minutes.

Now in his third PSA Tour final, El Shorbagy will be hoping that it will be 'third time lucky' as he bids to win his maiden Tour title.

His opponent also produced an upset to earn his place in the climax:  Tarek Momen, the No7 seed from Cairo, overcame a single game deficit to beat second-seeded Australian Cameron Pilley 11-13, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6 in just a minute longer.  

Like his fellow countryman, Momen is also hoping to make his Tour title breakthrough after finishing as runner-up in three previous finals.

Dipika Pallikal carried Indian hopes in the $8,000 Women's WISPA Indian Challenger No5 after beating top-seeded Malaysian Sharon Wee.  The 18-year-old No4 seed from Chennai recovered from a game down to defeat Wee, ranked eight places higher in the world, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9.

Pallikal’s doubles partner Joshna Chinappa was not so fortunate, crashing out of the event 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 in only 28 minutes to Emma Beddoes, the second seed from England.

Beddoes, the world No34 from Nottingham, is celebrating her eighth WISPA Tour final and looking for her fourth win – while Pallikal is marking her second final appearance, with sights on her maiden title success.