Colombia Update: Elshorbagy Axes Richards to Become First Semi-Finalist

The World No.1 was at his scintillating best to keep his opponent at arm’s length for the duration of the encounter and he pulled through with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 triumph to reach the last four where the man from Alexandria could be reunited with his brother, Marwan, who takes on local hero Miguel Angel Rodriguez in his quarter-final fixture.

“I had to change my tactic every point,” said Elshorbagy.

“The outside court makes the sport more interesting and it makes it more exciting. I absolutely love outdoor courts because I think that it makes things interesting with regards to how other players are going to deal with it mentally. I’m really happy with how I adapted today.

“Tom had a really good win against Ryan [Cuskelly] in the first round because Ryan has been playing so well. He [Richards] has had injuries and is just making his way back. He’s outside of the top 20 now but I’m sure he will be back inside the top 20, where he deserves to be, very soon.”