Nour El Sherbini beat fellow Egyptian Nouran Gohar today to move within one victory of successfully defending her PSA Women’s World Championship crown in El Gouna ©Getty Images

Top seed Nour El Sherbini beat fellow Egyptian Nouran Gohar today to move within one victory of successfully defending her Professional Squash Association (PSA) Women’s World Championship crown in El Gouna.

The defending champion and world number one secured her place in the final after registering an 11-4, 11-4, 13-15, 11-9 over her fourth-seeded opponent at the Abu Tig Marina. 

"It was a very tough match - Nouran is very young and very tough," El Sherbini said.

"It would mean everything to become world champion here playing in front of an amazing crowd.

"They always come to support us and watch us and I'm really glad that we're having the World Championship in El Gouna. 

"It's really amazing I've reached the final and I'm going to give it everything I have to win the title here."

Standing between El Sherbini and a second successive crown is compatriot and third seed Raneem El Welily, who defeated second seed Camille Serme of France 11-6, 2-11, 12-10, 11-5 in the other semi-final.

The final is scheduled to take place tomorrow.

Egypt's Karim Abdel Gawad beat team-mate Fares Dessouky to reach the final of the men's El Gouna International Squash Open at the Abu Tig Marina ©PSA
Egypt's Karim Abdel Gawad beat team-mate Fares Dessouky to reach the final of the men's El Gouna International Squash Open at the Abu Tig Marina ©PSA

In the men's El Gouna International Squash Open, world champion Karim Abdel Gawad of Egypt beat countryman Fares Dessouky to reach the final and ensure he will become the new world number one in next month’s rankings.

Gawad recovered from a game down against Dessouky to triumph 7-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-8 and become the fifth Egyptian to top the world rankings.

"Today is extra special for me, reaching the finals here in El Gouna in front of this amazing crowd is a great pleasure for me," Gawad said.

"It makes me very happy.

"I didn't want to think about it [the battle for world number one] because I've been thinking about it a bit in the last two tournaments and it affected my way of playing so much.

"Today I just wanted to go on court, do my best and reach the finals here in El Gouna."

Awaiting Gawad in tomorrow’s final is the man he will dethrone as the world number one, France’s Gregory Gaultier.

Gaultier extended his unbeaten run today to 18 matches with a 12-10, 11-4, 11-4 win over world number five Marwan El Shorbagy of Egypt, earning himself a place in a fifth successive PSA World Tour final.

The last man to defeat Gaultier was Gawad in January’s Tournament of Champions final.