Today, the 2024 China Squash Open enters its semifinal stage. Against the dazzling nightscape of Pudong's Lujiazui with the typhoon gone, the four thrilling matches left the audience feeling they got their money's worth. On the men’s side, defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy showed his mastery, defeating his opponent with ease. He will face this year's biggest surprise, Mohamed Abouelghar, in the final tomorrow. On the women’s side, 6th seed Rachel Arnold secured an easy win and will challenge 3rd seed Farida Mohamed, who made a stunning comeback tonight.

At 6:30 pm, the semifinals of the 2024 China Squash Open commenced at the Moon Bay of the Pudong Bank Oriental Sports Center. The first match was between two Malaysian players, with women’s 6th seed Rachel Arnold facing off against 8th seed Aira Azman. Both players had impressive momentum from eliminating the top and fourth seeds the day before. Arnold took the initiative right from the start, creating a 5-0 lead. Azman rallied back to 7-9, but the 6th seed held her ground, winning the first game 11-7. The second game was similarly close, with Arnold leading 6-2 before Azman nearly equalized at 9-10. Arnold clinched the second game at 11-9. The continuous chasing in the first two games took a toll on Azman’s energy, and while she kept the score close at 4-4 in the third game, she eventually lost 11-7, making Arnold the first finalist in this year’s event.

The second match featured the men’s top seed and defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy against 7th seed Iker Pajares of Spain. The first game was neck-and-neck up to 7-7, but the top seed then strung together four points to win. The 7th seed took an early lead in the second game at 5-1, but the champion calmly fought back to 7-7 before pulling off another four-point streak to secure an 11-7 victory. Pajares adapted his attack strategy in the third game, taking advantage of a dip in the top seed’s stamina, and after reaching 9-7, took the game at 11-7. In the fourth game, ElShorbagy showed why he has held the world’s top ranking six times. Despite fatigue, he efficiently managed the game, taking a 10-3 lead before forcing his opponent to hit the tin on the final point. After the match, the champion expressed his gratitude to the enthusiastic crowd, saying he was excited to be back in Shanghai and amazed at how squash in China has grown significantly over the past five years.

In the third match, Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam faced Egypt’s Farida Mohamed. As the tournament’s 2nd and 3rd seeds respectively, they were evenly matched, with the advantage shifting with each point. Subramaniam started strong in the first game, playing flawless on both offense and defense to secure a 9-3 lead and took the game 11-6. She continued her dominant performance in the second game, winning 11-4 in just six minutes, and led 10-2 in the third. However, Mohamed made an astounding comeback, saving all eight match points and winning 12-10 in a miracle turnaround. This sparked a resurgence in her morale, and she went on to win the fourth game 11-8 after an intense back-and-forth. In the deciding game, the two players were evenly matched again, with scores tied at 7-7 and 9-9. Subramaniam suffered a brow injury, causing a brief pause. Upon resuming, Mohamed secured the final two points to advance to the women’s final.

In the last match, Egypt's Mohamed Abouelghar, this year's biggest surprise, took on men’s 3rd seed, Malaysian star Eain Yow Ng. Abouelghar continued his winning streak, taking the first game after a 7-7 tie and winning the second game 11-8. Ng fought back to win the third game 11-6 and put up a fierce challenge in the fourth, but Abouelghar remained unfazed, closing it out 11-6 for a 3-1 victory. He will challenge the two-time tournament champion, Mohamed ElShorbagy, in the final tomorrow. Will the former world champion, ElShorbagy, successfully defend his title, or will the underdog Abouelghar pull off a historic upset? Stay tuned!

Men's Final: #1 seed Mohamed ElShorbagy (England) vs. Mohamed Abouelghar (Egypt)

Women's Final: #3 seed Farida Mohamed (Egypt) vs. #6 seed Rachel Arnold (Malaysia)