RESULTS: Santiago Open, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Quarter-finals:
[1] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Stephen Coppinger (RSA) 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 (45m)
Mohammed Abbas (EGY) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 11-5, 3-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8 (72m)
[3] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt [8] Arturo Salazar (MEX) 6-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5 (41m)
[2] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [5] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (33m)
Spaniard Borja Golan's bid to win a second PSA World Tour title in two years in his home town ended today at the Central Area Shopping Center in the city of Santiago de Compostela when he was beaten by fellow non-seed Mohammed Abbas in the quarter-finals of the $31,175 Squash Santiago Open - Santiago City Trophy.
In a see-saw match lasting 72 minutes, it was Egyptian Abbas who finally prevailed 11-5, 3-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8.
Both players are fighting back after injury layoffs - 27-year-old Golan, a former world No10, making his Tour comeback after knee surgery, and 29-year-old Abbas, a one-time world No13, bidding to rediscover his former form after a long-term foot injury.
Giza-based Abbas now lines up against top seed Adrian Grant, the 2009 runner-up from England who was extended for 45 minutes by Stephen Coppinger before beating the unseeded 26-year-old from Cape Town 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6.
There is Egyptian interest in the other semi-final where Omar Mosaad takes on Flying Finn Olli Tuominen. Mosaad, the second seed from Cairo, despatched Colombia's Miguel Angel Rodriguez 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 while Tuominen, the third seed from Helsinki, held off a stern challenge from eighth seed Arturo Salazar before beating the 22-year-old Mexican 6-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5.
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Mohammed Abbas (EGY)
[2] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [3] Olli Tuominen (FIN)