Egyptian teenager Ali Farag scored the biggest upset in the quarter-finals of the Jena International Championship when he claimed his first victory over higher-ranked compatriot Omar Abdel Aziz to reach the semi-finals of the PSA World Tour Challenger 15 squash event at Qadsia Sporting Club in Hawally, Kuwait.
Unseeded Farag, the 19-year-old world No79 from Cairo, overcame a third game fightback by fourth seed Aziz to beat the experienced 27-year-old, ranked more than 30 places higher, 11-7, 11-9, 12-14, 11-1 in 44 minutes.
Farag, now in his first Tour semi-final since January, will meet favourite Aamir Atlas Khan for a place in the final.
Khan, eager to reclaim his status as Pakistan's top-ranked player, battled for 47 minutes to overcome England's reigning World University champion Joel Hinds 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6.
Khan, the 20-year-old world No29 from Peshawar, is celebrating his first Tour semi-final appearance for a year.
Local hero Abdullah Al Muzayen, who upset No2 seed Farhan Mehboob in the opening round, continued to delight the Kuwait crowd by defeating fellow qualifier Harinder Pal Sandhu to earn a surprise place in the last four.
The Kuwaiti number one despatched his Indian opponent 13-11, 11-5, 11-5 to set up a semi-final clash with third seed Simon Rosner.
The German number one saw off Malaysian Muhd Asyraf Azan 11-4, 11-6, 11-8.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 15 Jena International, Hawally, Kuwait
Quarter-finals:
[1] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Joel Hinds (ENG) 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6 (47m)
Ali Farag (EGY) bt [4] Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) 11-7, 11-9, 12-14, 11-1 (44m)
[3] Simon Rosner (GER) bt Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 (39m)
[Q] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) bt [Q] Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) 13-11, 11-5, 11-5 (38m)
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) v Ali Farag (EGY)
[Q] Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) v [3] Simon Rosner (GER)