Elias Beats Hesham to Reach his second QTerminals Qatar Classic Men’s Final

Diego Elias moved through to his second Qatar Classic final as he got the better of training partner Mazen Hesham in a 3-0 win.

No.6 seed Hesham came into the game after a seedings upset in the quarter-final, with the Egyptian upsetting World No.4 Mohamed ElShorbagy to record a first win against ‘the Beast’ after 11 consecutive defeats.

No.2 seed Elias, meanwhile, downed former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad 3-1.

The first game proved to be an interesting clash between ‘the Peruvian Puma’ and ‘the Falcon,’ as Elias looked to limit space for the maverick talents of Hesham.

The Egyptian was at his best and matched up to the World No.2, but Elias’ superior control of the rallies gave him the edge has he won the first game 11-9.

Hesham continued to cause issues for Elias in game two, but the Egyptian struggled to convert enough chances despite putting immense pressure on the No.2 seed. 

Elias stayed consistent and came out of the game unscathed, capitalising on a series of unforced Hesham errors to go 2-0 up.

The World No.7 pushed Elias hard in game three, varying his shots well and staying within a few points of the 2021 champion, but Elias pulled away at the end of the game to win 11-8 and earn his spot in the final.

Elias will face the winner of the second semi-final where World No.1 Ali Farag faces Welsh No.1 Joel Makin.

After the match, Elias talked about what a danger Hesham can be: “I was very edgy. Mazen is so talented and can hit winners from anywhere.

“I thought I knew him a little but I was still going the wrong way every shot! He comes up with many different shots from anywhere.

“We’re good friends but it’s a tournament and that’s very different. On court, we hate each other but off court we’re very good friends.

“[After the match] I told him he’s so talented and makes me go the wrong way and I hate that!”

Elias will face either Egypt’s Ali Farag in tomorrow’s final, which will be shown at 18:00 (GMT+3) on SQUASHTV and the channels of PSA’s broadcast partners.

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Result: QTerminals Qatar Classic Men’s Semi Final

[2] Diego Elias (PER) bt [6] Mazen Hesham (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 (49m)