Elshorbagy Stages Stunning Fightback to Beat Makin in Texas Open Shock

Marwan Elshorbagy staged a stunning fightback to upset Joel Makin on quarter-finals day at the Cotidie Texas Open 2025, while Tinne Gilis also came from behind to make the PSA Squash Tour Gold event semi-finals in Houston.

Elshorbagy and Makin were bringing the curtain down on the day's play at Houston Squash Club, with Mostafa Asal awaiting the winner in the semi-finals having beaten Aly Abou Eleinen in his own five-game duel earlier in the day.

Makin came into this event having won the Pittsburgh Open just a few days ago and looked to be heading for the final four after two games of this one, only for Elshorbagy to turn the match on its head.

The referee had been heavily involved in game one, with six stroke decisions in total, and the contact continued throughout game two with another four strokes, one of which came on game ball.

Game three started the way game three had ended, with a stroke to Makin, but it finished with Elshorbagy getting himself on the scoreboard to keep the match alive, volleying more and playing some accurate squash towards the front of the court.

There was no request for a new ball from Makin to start game four, a decision he may have been regretting 12 minutes later, as the players headed back off court locked at two games apiece, with Elshorbagy holding the momentum and looking the fresher of the two players.

The opening rallies of game five were long and patient - more akin to what we'd seen in game one - with both players fully aware of the situation and perhaps unwilling to take unnecessary risk.

Never once was there more than three points between the two players, but it was Elshorbagy who was celebrating at the end having closed out the game 11-8 on a no-let decision, letting out a huge roar of emotion after the decision was announced.

"I don't feel I did much wrong in the first two games," Elshorbagy said after his win.

"It was pretty close and he played the big points pretty well and he was pretty positive as well, so when I was 2/0 down I had the belief that I could come back.

"I felt physically fine, so I had the belief to come back. I changed my tactics a little bit, adapted a couple of things and I'm glad they worked.

"I felt I was physically better than him, even when I was 2/0 down. Even during the first two games I was looking at him and he pushes hard, but I felt he was very tired. Even some of the mistakes he made, I think they were based on how tough it was the first two games."

In the day's first match, Gilis had come back from 2/1 down to beat Egypt's Nada Abbas, her second five-game win this week after going the distance with Hana Moataz in round two.

"Nada is such a fighter, she fights for every point," Gilis said after her win.

"She's been playing her best squash so far and it was up and down from both of us. I think the fifth game was just [a case of] who could keep their focus the longest.

"When I was 2/1 down I was just trying to say some positive things to myself, to fire myself up.

"Obviously that's when you have to be tough. I didn't show that the whole match so I'm a bit disappointed with that, but I am proud of myself that I kept fighting until the end to win this match."

Gilis' reward is a semi-final showdown with world No.1 Nouran Gohar, who joined compatriots Nour ElSherbini and Hania El Hammamy in recording 3/0 wins.

Meanwhile, the other semi-final in the men's draw will see Harvard alumni Ali Farag and Victor Crouin face off after respective wins over Eain Yow Ng and Gregoire Marche.