RESULTS: METROsquash US Open, Chicago, USA
2nd round:
[2] Wael El Hindi (EGY) bt [9] Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3
[13] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt [7] Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7
[4] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [10] Tom Richards (ENG) 11-8, 11-8, 11-7
[8] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt [12] Julian Illingworth (USA) 14-12, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9
Mohammed Abbas (EGY) bt [5] Alister Walker (ENG) 3-11, 11-4, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9
[3] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt [11] Simon Rosner (GER) 11-6, 7-11, 11-1, 9-11, 11-2
[6] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [16] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-3
[1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 11-5, 11-3, 11-1
Egypt's former world No13 Mohammed Abbas scored another notable win in his comeback bid after a long injury layoff when he beat fifth seed Alister Walker to reach the quarter-finals of the METROsquash US Open, the $80,000 5-star PSA World Tour squash event at the University Club of Chicago in Chicago.
Walker, the world No17 from England, took the opening game - then had to save two match balls in the fourth to take the match into a decider.
But unseeded Abbas was more mentally solid in the fifth and closed out the match 3-11, 11-4, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9 to reach the last eight of a major PSA World Tour event for the first time in more than two years.
The 29-year-old from Giza now faces Laurens Jan Anjema after the third-seeded Dutchman also survived a five-game battle, beating Germany's rising star Simon Rosner 11-6, 7-11, 11-1, 9-11, 11-2.
There will be unexpected Swiss interest in the quarter-finals after 13th seed Nicolas Mueller upset Hisham Mohd Ashour, the No7 seed from Egypt, 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7.
Following some disappointing recent results, the 21-year-old from Zurich will be pleased to have made the last eight of a five-star PSA Tour event - where he takes on a second Egyptian, Wael El Hindi.
New York-based second seed El Hindi defeated Canada's Egypt-born Shahier Razik 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3 to move one step closer to his anticipated place in the final.
Flying Finn Olli Tuominen ended US interest in the event when he beat 12th seed Julian Illingworth. Hoping to become the first American to reach the last eight of his country's leading international event since 1993, New Yorker Illingworth went down 14-12, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9.
Quarter-final line-up:
[2] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v [13] Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
[4] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v [8] Olli Tuominen (FIN)
[3] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Mohammed Abbas (EGY)
[1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v [6] Omar Mosaad (EGY)
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