In arguably the pick of the day’s matches, which were contested over the best of five games, defending champion Fares Dessouky knocked fellow Egyptian and current world number one Farag out in a contest that went all the way.

In a rematch of December’s Black Ball Open final, Dessouky recovered from two games to one down, saving three match balls in the process to triumph in five games.

Dessouky rattled off a string of winners in the decider as he emerged victorious 11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-4 in a match that lasted 67 minutes.

Second seed ElShorbagy was the day’s other big casualty, with the Egyptian losing out to Welshman Joel Makin, the eighth seed, in another five game encounter.

Makin came back from two match balls down to triumph 10-12, 11-3, 11-6, 7-11, 13-11 and will now aim to beat another member of the ElShorbagy family in the next round.

He will face sixth seed Marwan ElShorbagy in the last four, after the Egyptian knocked out New Zealand’s Paul Coll, the fourth seed, in what the PSA described as "one of the matches of the season so far."

A high-quality affair, and the longest of the day at 96 minutes was won by ElShorbagy 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 3-11, 11-9.

The highest remaining seed in the draw is third seed and world champion Tarek Momen of Egypt, after he beat compatriot and 18^th seed Zahed Salem in four games.

Momen triumphed 12-10, 15-13, 9-11, 11-7 and will now face Dessouky on the Glass Court in the day’s opening semi-final, scheduled to begin at 6pm local time tomorrow.