The 2025 Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships semifinal lineup is set after all top four seeds progressed through the bottom half of the draw Thursday, October 23, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.
The second half of the quarterfinals were a dominant display by the top seeds as all but one advanced by a 3-0 scoreline.
Eight-time world champion and top seed Nour El Sherbini opened proceedings with a signature performance, dispatching Team USA’s Amanda Sobhy 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 in twenty-four minutes.
The former prodigy, who won the world junior championships at thirteen years old will take on the current generation’s prodigy in Amina Orfi, who became the youngest player to reach world No. 3 earlier this month. Orfi, the four seed, extended her head-to-head record to 4-1 against Belgium’s world No. 7 Tinne Gilis in three games to reach her first U.S. Open semifinal.
“I’m really happy to get through that match in three games,” Orfi said. “I started training with Omar Mosaad in the summer. I think we have been working on a couple of things. I think at the beginning of the season, they might not have been coming together, but now they are, and it’s great to have him with me here. I saw Nour ElSherbini’s match from the side, and obviously, she played really well today. She’s back in form–the last two tournaments, she might not have been playing her best, but she’s back to her best now. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
2023 U.S. Open champion Paul Coll continued his tear through the draw without dropping a game as he took out France’s world No. 19 Baptiste Masotti. Coll will face Egyptian veteran and four seed Karim Abdel Gawad, who overcame eighteen-year-old world No. 15 Mohamed Zakaria in a close five-game encounter. In the final match of the night, Gawad nearly squandered a 2-0 lead against the two-time reigning world junior champion, but pulled through in the fifth 14-12, 11-7, 3-11, 7-11, 11-5 after eighty-one minutes.
“I started very well in the first two games and then I had a mental shutdown for quite some time and you can’t have those against tough opponents like Zakaria,” Gawad said. “I’m glad I came back in the fifth game and was able to take a good lead and keep it until the end of the match. But all the credit goes towards Zakaria, he’s 18 years old and he’s already in the top 15, the hunger he has for the game and the time he spends to improve his squash, he is an incredible player.”
All but one men’s or women’s top four seeds will comprise a blockbuster semifinal lineup Friday night. Those not able to attend in person can tune in live on Peacock.