RESULTS: Jena Real Estate Championship, Hawally, Kuwait
Quarter-finals:
[1] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [7] Andrea Torricini (ITA) 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 (29m)
[8] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) 9-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9 (72m)
[6] Abdullah Almezayen (KUW) bt [4] Waqar Mehboob (PAK) 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 11-2 (46m)
[5] Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) bt [2] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) 11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 4-11, 11-2 (56m)
Kuwaiti Abdullah Almezayen provided unexpected local interest in the semi-finals of the Jena Real Estate Championship following an impressive four-game upset over fourth-seeded Pakistani Waqar Mehboob in the quarter-finals of the inaugural $10,000 PSA World Tour squash event at Qadsia Sporting Club in Hawally.
The promising left-hander, ranked 120 in the world, battled for 46 minutes to overcome Mehboob, ranked 14 places higher, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 11-2.
Almezayen, aged 22, will now face fifth seed Andrew Wagih Shoukry after the Egyptian claimed the event's biggest scalp to date with an 11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 4-11, 11-2 win over England's No2 seed Jaymie Haycocks.
The other semi will be an all-Pakistani affair between Peshawar city compatriots Farhan Mehboob and Danish Atlas Khan. Event favourite Mehboob, 21, beat seventh-seeded Italian Andrea Torricini 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 while 16-year-old Khan, the No8 seed, recovered from a game down to overcome Kuwaiti outsider Bader Al Hussaini 9-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9 in a 72-minute marathon.
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) v [8] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK)
[5] Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) v [6] Abdullah Almezayen (KUW)