Makin Beats ElShorbagy in London Classic Thriller to Reach Semis

September 5, 2025 2025, HOME, NEWS, PSA

Welsh World No.4 Joel Makin overcame fellow Briton Mohamed ElShorbagy in a gripping contest inside the spectacular Alexandra Palace Theatre as he booked his spot in the semi-finals of the London Squash Classic presented by Bassim Haidar.

Spectators were treated to a high-quality clash, with Makin fighting back from 6-2 down in the third game to finally vanquish the former World No.1.

ElShorbagy, 34, was cheered on by his home crowd and played some incredible winners to nullify Makin, drawing level after initially conceding the first game. Makin kept making the rallies physical and put the Englishman under unrelenting pressure, eventually taking nine of the final 11 points on offer to bring an end to a gripping contest.

“Mohamed was being very disruptive,” said Makin afterwards.

“It was tough to play against. He’s got every trick in the book, and he’s full of disruptive tactics that he does mentally, he’s done it to people for years. I will have a bit of a joke because we played for years, and we’ve done that to each other for a long time. I was just saying how I enjoyed it, even though it was that close.

“There wasn’t an inch given there, but then it’s good to laugh about it afterwards when it’s been that close and I’ve managed to nick it. I don’t know if I’d have been smiling if I’d have lost it, though!”

Makin will go up against World No.2 Diego Elias for a place in the final. It will be a repeat of their contentious semi-final match at June’s PSA Squash Tour Finals – an event Makin went on to win – and Elias earned his spot in the last four courtesy of a 13-11, 11-5 win against Egyptian No.7 seed Youssef Ibrahim.

Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng caused the day’s only upset according to the seedings after he defeated England No.1 Marwan ElShorbagy, claiming his first ever win over the World No.5 at the fifth attempt.

“I played him twice this year and I didn’t manage to get a game,” said Ng.

“I was looking at getting one game and then seeing how it goes. I put in so much work over the summer and I just had to execute it. I was down in both games, but I believed in myself and knew I could push through.”

Defending champion Paul Coll is also through and will play Ng after a commanding win over Egypt’s Youssef Soliman.

Women’s reigning champion Sivasangari Subramaniam booked her spot in the semi-finals courtesy of an 11-9, 11-5 victory over England’s Jasmine Hutton.

Sivasangari has fond memories of the London Classic after beating three of the world’s top four en route to winning it in April last year and she will take on the current World No.5 Amina Orfi in the semi-finals.

“She’s improved a lot and she’s a very dangerous player,” said Sivasangari afterwards.

“I stuck to my game plan well and stayed as focused as I could until the end. Yesterday [against Tomato Ho], I was a bit unsettled, especially in the second. I was prepared today and understood how the court works a bit more. She [Amina] is still young but she’s up there, she’s amongst the best players now. It’s going to be a tough battle.”

World No.5 and No.2 seed Amina Orfi dispatched Scotland’s Georgia Adderley in straight games to advance, while Japanese No.3 seed Satomi Watanabe and Belgium’s No.8 seed Nele Gilis will go head-to-head in the other women’s semi-final match.

Watanabe came from behind to beat Wales’ Tesni Murphy, while Gilis received a walkover after top seed Olivia Weaver from the United States pulled out due to an adductor injury. Watanabe and Gilis will play for the first time since the 2024 Optasia Championships final, which saw Watanabe win her first Gold-level title.

“It’s definitely an open draw, but at the same time Nele or anyone in women’s draw these days is really tough anyway,” said Watanabe.

“I know it’s going to be a tough one tomorrow against Nele and I haven’t played her in a while. Hopefully this season I can get into the top five. I know it’s only one ranking away, but that one ranking is really hard to pass through and the top five are so solid.”

The semi-finals of the London Squash Classic presented by Bassim Haidar take place tomorrow (Saturday September 6), with the action getting under way from 15:00 (GMT+1) at Alexandra Palace. The format switches to best of five games and matches will be streamed live on SQUASHTV as well as by PSA’s broadcast partners.

For updates on the London Classic, visit the event website or follow the PSA on X , Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, WhatsApp and LinkedIn.

Results – Men’s Quarter-Finals: 2025 London Squash Classic presented by Bassim Haidar

[1] Diego Elias (PER) bt [7] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 2-0: 13-11, 11-5 (34m)

[3] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [5] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) 2-1: 11-7, 5-11, 11-8 (49m)

[8] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt [4] Marwan ElShorbagy (ENG) 2-0: 11-9, 11-9 (36m)

[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [6] Youssef Soliman (EGY) 2-0: 11-2, 11-4 (26m)

Draw – Men’s Semi-Finals: 2025 London Squash Classic presented by Bassim Haidar (To Be Played September 6th)

[1] Diego Elias (PER) v [3] Joel Makin (WAL)

[8] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)

Results – Women’s Quarter-Finals: 2025 London Squash Classic presented by Bassim Haidar

[8] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [1] Olivia Weaver (USA) w/o

[3] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt Tesni Murphy (WAL) 2-1: 6-11, 11-8, 11-5 (38m)