In the second semi-final of the night Englishman James Wilstrop defeated the Egyption Amr Shabana 11-5, 11-6, 11-1.
After the match James commented "I've not made it a secret that I am a big fan of Amr's - he is a legend of the game," Willstrop told the packed crowd at Sportcity after his sensational win. "He is a very difficult player - and to beat him here in Manchester in the British Open is very special.
"I was very consistent from the start - I started well and this set the tone," added the two-time national champion who lost to Shabana in straight games only eight days ago in the US Open in Chicago.
"Last week he trounced me - I was half a yard off the pace and he was sublime. But tonight was one of those performances when I kept consistently tight."
Lifelong coach Malcolm Willstrop was delighted with his son's performance. "He played extraordinarily well - but you have to play well to beat the best player in the world on current form."