Rochester ProAm SF: Hussein and Elshafei Meet Again

The Egyptian pair of Yassin Elshafei and Aly Hussein will do battle in the final of the Rochester ProAm, meeting in a final for the second time in 11 days.

Elshafei came into the Challenger 5 level competition as the top seed, and he was yet to drop a game prior to the semi-finals. He took on unseeded Indian Veer Chotrani in the last four, and it was a match that went the distance.

Chotrani led after winning the first game 12-10, only to see the Egyptian fight back to level the match. The same pattern occurred across the third and fourth games, with Elshafei having to win the latter on a tie-break to keep the match alive. He did so, and then went on to win the fifth game 11-5 to advance to the final.

Hussein took on Argentina’s Jeremias Azana in the opening semi-final of the day’s play. Azana was coming off a tough five-game battle in the last eight, and it showed somewhat. The Egyptian was able to run away with the match in the end, winning the third game 11-1 to seal the deal.

Elshafei and Hussein will meet once again, following the former’s victory over Hussein in the final of the UCNY PSA Classic last week. Elshafei has won both of their previous encounters, including a four-game victory at the Egyptian Challenger Tour #1 back in March 2021.

The Rochester ProAm concludes on Sunday, April 23 as Yassin Elshafei and Aly Hussein take each other on in the final. You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook. 

Semi-Final Results: Rochester ProAm
[2] Aly Hussein (EGY) bt [3] Jeremias Azana (ARG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-1 (56m)
[1] Yassin Elshafei (EGY) bt Veer Chotrani (IND) 3-2: 10-12, 11-6, 7-11, 12-10, 11-5 (57m)

Final Draw: To Be Played Sunday, April 23
[2] Aly Hussein (EGY) v [1] Yassin Elshafei (EGY)