Mueller Ousts Hesham at Qatar Classic To End Two-Year Wait for Platinum Quarter-Final

Switzerland's world No.24 Nicolas Mueller scored the biggest upset on day two of the QTerminals Qatar Classic as he took out No.5 seed Mazen Hesham in four games to reach the quarter-finals of a PSA Squash Tour Platinum event for the first time since April 2022.

Mueller had not beaten Hesham in his last nine attempts, but had the bit between his teeth in a remarkable performance to complete a 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6 victory at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

The 35-year-old, who reached his first Platinum quarter-final at this very event 13 years ago, will go up against world No.1 and defending champion Ali Farag next for a place in the last four.

"Nobody is going to beat me 10 times, apart from maybe Simon Rösner," said Mueller afterwards.

"We both had very tough matches yesterday and I felt pretty good out there today. I was hitting my lines and a lot of straight balls, which is quite unusual for me. But it's the new me and I have to be playing like this.

"I have a lot of good memories here and beating Amr Shabana here was quite epic and one of my first big wins, I think about that often. It was a very good win for me today, so I'm very much looking forward to the quarter-finals."

Also through to the next round is World Champion Diego Elias, who dispatched Germany's Raphael Kandra. The Peruvian will play Egyptian veteran Tarek Momen - who lifted his World Championship trophy in Doha five years ago - for a place in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, reigning women's champion Hania El Hammamy booked her last eight spot following victory over fellow Egyptian and wildcard Salma Eltayeb.

World No.3 El Hammamy played at an unrelenting pace, constantly putting her countrywoman under severe pressure, to secure a comprehensive 11-7, 11-5, 11-9 victory.

El Hammamy will take on world No.6 Tinne Gilis in the last eight after the Belgian fought back from a game down to beat England's Jasmine Hutton.

"I'm not that familiar with her game, we've played a couple of times in training, but it's different in a match and real tournaments," said El Hammamy.

"It was a bit tricky not knowing what to expect. She's very attacking and very powerful, so I had to be alert and ready for her shots. I'm glad I got through in three.

"I played better today [compared to the first round against Satomi Watanabe]. I got more used to the court and started to find my length a bit better. There is only one way forward, I guess."

World No.1 Nour El Sherbini is also through after beating Sana Ibrahim. The seven-time World Champion will play world No.7 Georgina Kennedy, who beat Wales' Tesni Murphy.