Australian No.1 Cameron Pilley has given squash sensation Ramy Ashour a torrid battle before succumbing in the third round at the world championships in England.
The Egyptian world No.1 is unbeaten in almost 18 months, but Pilley had three chances to take their match to a fifth game as Ashour won 9-11 11-8 11-4 12-10 - chalking up his 48th straight victory.
"Cameron played so well, he was finding nicks from everywhere - I was under so much pressure. My shots weren't going in at all today," said 26-year-old Ashour.
"I had to rely on my fitness to win, and I'm so glad it worked. That win against Cameron gives me a lot of confidence."
Pilley admitted he made a few poor decisions during the match, but was overall happy with his performance.
"Apart from a few periods, I played nice lines and lengths, killing the ball at the front as soon as I had the opportunity, keeping the pace up. And against Ramy, you've got to vary the pace as well," he said.
"I did that in patches, but I feel that I had the wrong choice selection at the end of the fourth.
"I was playing like I was playing at 3-3 in that game, instead of 10-8. I should have taken the initiative I guess - but then again, I just kept on doing what I did to get me there."
Ashour next plays Saurav Ghosal, the first Indian to reach the quarter-finals.
The winner will meet the survivor of a clash of two former world champions, Amr Shabana of Egypt and Nick Matthew of England, in Saturday's semi-final.
Meanwhile, James Willstrop booked his spot in the quarter-finals with a straight games win over ninth seeded Spaniard Borja Golan.
The former world No.1 from England is seeking to become a father and world champion simultaneously, with his pregnant partner - and former world champion - Vanessa Atkinson several days overdue.
Willstrop next faces England-based Egyptian Mohammed El Shorbagy, who upset him when he was top-seeded in the world championships in Doha last year.
Shorbagy earlier breezed past 12th seeded German Simon Rosner 11-1 11-9 11-7.
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