LAURA Massaro believes she is playing herself into the sort of form that can take her all the way to the title in the Tournament of Champions.

The East Lancashire squash star battled through the opening two rounds but was somewhere close to her best in a convincing last eight win over Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy.

That has set up an all English semi-final with Sarah Jayne Perry who upset world number three Raneem El Welily.

And Massaro, in the last four in New York for the first time in two years, is confident she can reach her first major final since last year's world title defeat.

The 33-year-old said: "I firmly believe I'm capable of winning any event I enter.

"Any opponents will have to put me through all my paces to take me out so I'm looking forward to the next battle and I'm excited to see how far I can go."

Massaro had struggled in the last 16 against New Zealand's Joelle King but the Hoghton ace believes that battle helped her in an 11-4, 12-10, 11-6 victory over Kawy which came in just 35 minutes.

She added: "I was pleased just to get through (against King) - it wasn't a good performance but it made me ultra wary today and extra focused," said Massaro.

"And I needed that intensity against a dangerous player like Omneya - if you drop off she has the ability to punish you - so I feel much happier with how that went.

"It's not been an easy event for any of the top seeds, the girls below the top eight in the rankings have all stepped up and made it super competitive, which just shows how much the game is growing and how the level is rising.

"But for me, to get through those matches and reach a semi-final is really pleasing. I lost in the quarters last two times out and I'm very motivated - this is a title I haven't won and I'd love to do so."

Massaro now faces Perry who, having already knocked out home favourite Amanda Sobhy, saw of El Welily in a five game thriller winning 11-7, 12-10, 10-12, 5-11, 11-5.

But the Birmingham-based world No.11 knows she is in for another tough test against Massaro.

“I’ve played Laura many times and it’s a massive match," she said. "I’m just going to focus on trying to play how I want to play and do my best.”

The other semi-final sees world No.1 Nour El Sherbini face Camille Serme.