British Open

Finals

[1] Nouran Gohar 3-2 [2] Nour ElSherbini  9-11, 12-10, 7-11, 13-11, 11-4 (79m)

[2] Diego Elias (Per) 3-1 [1] Mostafa Asal 11-4, 11-9, 3-11, 11-4 (54m)

In the women’s final, another thrilling chapter in the ongoing Gohar-El Sherbini rivalry was penned as the defending champion came from behind twice to win her third British Open title.
The match between the Egyptian pair, who have dominated the top of the PSA World Rankings for much of the last decade, was the 40th between them on tour and was another classic.
Eight-time World Champion El Sherbini made the stronger start, looking relaxed in a quick first game to take the opener 11-9.
Gohar struck back 12-10 in game two but fell behind again 7-11 in game three as El Sherbini pushed on.
Disaster struck for El Sherbini in game four. At 8-7 up and just three points from the title, the Egyptian landed hard on her shoulder after diving for the ball.
After an injury break the World No.2 returned to court, but could not prevent Gohar from levelling 13-11 to take the match into a decider.
El Sherbini looked to have regained her rhythm when she opened up a 4-1 lead in game five, only to be undone by a sudden surge from Gohar, with the World No.1 upping the pace as she rattled off the next ten points to complete a stunning comeback.

“This is the best crowd I’ve played in front of,” said Gohar afterwards.
“Nour El Sherbini is incredible and I was thinking about this rivalry we’ve shared. Not a lot of people know this but the first major we played against each other was 2016 when we were 18 and 20. That’s just crazy to think about and sharing this rivalry is a big honour for me, she brings the best out of me and I miss these big matches. I wanted to give everything today.”

Semis

[1] Nouran Gohar 3-0 [4] Amina Orfi  11-6, 11-8, 11-2 (37m)
[2] Nour ElSherbini 3-1 [3] Olivia Weaver (USA)  11-9, 11-8, 5-11, 11-3 (42m)

[1] Mostafa Asal 3-1 [4] Joel Makin (WAL) 4-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-7 (78m)

 

Quarters

[1] Nouran Gohar 3-0 [5] Tinne Gilis (BEL)  11-9, 11-7, 11-3 (39m)
[4] Amina Orfi 3-1 [9/16] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)  11-2, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9 (59m)
[2] Nour ElSherbini 3-0 [8] Amanda Sobhy (USA)  11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (30m)

[1] Mostafa Asal 3-0 [9/16] Youssef Ibrahim  11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (54m)

In the first match of the evening, World No.1 and two-time British Open champion Nouran Gohar of Egypt recorded her fifth straight win over Belgian World No.6 Tinne Gilis.

Much had been made before the match about what World No.6 Gilis needed to do to break into the top five, with the Belgian’s record against the current top five a dismal 41 defeats from 42 matches.

To change that, the 27-year-old would need to do something she was yet to manage: take a game off Gohar, with the Egyptian winning all four of their previous meetings without dropping a game.

Gilis had chances to capitalise on periods of ascendency, but could not find the sure touch when she needed it most, with Gohar taking the opener 11-9.

‘The Terminator’ only improved from here, controlling proceedings as she took game two 11-7 and then breezed through game three 11-3.

“It’s quite tough [to keep up the intensity when you’ve achieved your major goals] but then obviously you try to keep on having goals, small goals, to keep you motivated every single match, not just tournaments. Because if you look at the big picture you’re like ‘Oh my God, that’s a lot of matches, a lot of tournaments! But for myself, I try to be more performance oriented than results. That takes away the pressure and makes me play better.”

When asked about the possibility of facing 17-year-old Egyptian compatriot Amina Orfi in the next round, Gohar said: “I’ve no messages for her, but obviously I was in her shoes, a long time ago, over ten years!

“It’s crazy to think about it that way, because I was always told to be the younger player coming up and obviously now I’m more on the older bracket side of things. It’s good, because I know how she feels like going into matches like this. And obviously it’s a danger, but then you try to use all the experience and learn from what I did wrong when I was younger with these top players. And I just use it, but the other way around. Whether it’s Amina or Siva, who obviously is playing very well and is a very talented player, it’s going to be a tough match either way!”

 

In a gripping contest, 17-year-old World No.5 Amina Orfi of edged past World No.9 Sivasangari Subramaniam of Malaysia to reach the semi-finals of her maiden British Open

Despite their close ranking, there was nothing even about the opening game. The teenager played every shot to perfection, giving the Malaysian no chances to play her attacking game as she took the lead 11-2.

As the ball softened up in game two, Sivasangari took advantage, playing well into the front to open a 6-1 lead. Orfi pulled some points back, but the Malaysian held firm, avoiding the errors of the first game to level 11-4.

Game three was an intriguing tactical battle, with little to choose between the attacking flair of Sivasangari and the metronomic steadiness of Orfi. At 7-7, the game was anybody’s for the taking. Back-to-back errors from the Malaysian handed the initiative back to Orfi, though, and the Egyptian made no mistake, pressing on to reclaim the lead with an 11-7 win.

When Orfi took an 8-3 lead in game four, the contest looked over, only for the Malaysian to dig in to reduce Orfi’s lead to a single point at 8-7. The World No.5 created some breathing room again to earn three match balls at 10-7, but had to endure a nervy finish as the Malaysian saved the first two match balls. When it mattered most, though, Orfi was able to secure the crucial final point, playing a perfect drive to the back beyond the despairing reach of Sivasangari.

Round Three

[3] Olivia Weaver (USA) 3-0 [9/16] Fayrouz Aboelkheir  14-12, 11-9, 11-4 (37m)
[9/16] Nele Gilis-Coll (BEL) 3-1 [9/16] Sana Ibrahim  12-10, 11-4, 6-11, 11-9 (61m)
[8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-0 Hana Moataz 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (27m)
[2] Nour ElSherbini3-1 Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)  10-12, 11-3, 11-6, 11-3 (36m)
[1] Nouran Gohar 3-0 Marina Stefanoni (USA)  11-4, 11-4, 11-4 (24m)
[4] Amina Orfi 3-0 [9/16] Nada Abbas  11-4, 11-4, 11-8 (36m)

[3] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-0 Moustafa Elsirty  11-4, 12-10, 11-3 (38m)
[6] Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-1 [9/16] Youssef Soliman  11-9, 11-4, 7-11, 11-6 (52m)
[5] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 3-0 [9/16] Mohamad Zakaria  11-5, 13-11, 11-6 (53m)
[1] Mostafa Asal 3-0 Miguel Rodriguez (COL)  11-4, 11-4, 11-4 (27m)
[9/16] Youssef Ibrahim 3-1 Kareem El Torkey  12-14, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 (56m)

Sarah-Jane Perry ended her professional squash career with an entertaining battle as the former World No.5 lost out to World No.2 Nour El Sherbini in her last match on the PSA Squash Tour.

The Englishwoman made a perfect, crowd-pleasing start the match in front of her home fans. In a typical display of grit and brilliantly deceptive shotmaking, the 35-year-old saved two game balls in the opener before clinching the tie-break 12-10 to take a shock lead.

The reigning world champion dampened the crowd’s expectations quickly in game two, though, racing into an 8-1 lead en route to a four-minute 11-3 win to level. The Egyptian continued to dominate in game three, starving the Englishwoman of attacking opportunities as she moved into the lead with an 11-6 win.

Perry, a British Open finalist in 2017, threw everything at ‘the Warrior Princess’ in the fourth game in a desperate bid to force a fifth. El Sherbini, though, was able to stifle Perry’s resistance, hitting her targets immaculately to take the fourth game 11-3 and reach the last eight, where she will face No.8 seed Amanda Sobhy.

After the match, El Sherbini said: “I was a bit nervous playing her in what might be her last match on tour. We know how amazing and skilful she is. Playing in front of her home crowd. I’m really proud to have been the last one to play her on tour and I’m glad it’s a good one for the crowd to have watched.

“She’s given a lot of top players a very hard time. She’s such a strong person and fighter and an amazing person too!

“I wish her all the best in her next chapter. We’ll definitely see her again and good luck to her.”

“Lucky loser” and World No.52 Kareem El Torkey tested World No.12 Youssef Ibrahim in an entertaining encounter that pitted coach against protege.

El Torkey had enjoyed a dream run in Birmingham. After being brought back into the competition as a “lucky loser” following a defeat in the qualifying event, El Torkey has grabbed the opportunity with both hands, defeating Yahya Elnawasany in round one and Sam Todd in round two.

The 20-year-old had spoken ahead of today’s match – his sixth of the tournament already – of his respect for Egyptian compatriot Ibrahim, who has helped coached El Torkey and been a mentor figure to him at their home club.

Any fears that the younger Egyptian’s game may have been tempered by respect for his mentor were quickly quashed, though, with El Torkey’s ultra-high-tempo play style disrupting Ibrahim’s rhythm as the World No.52 took a shock lead via a 14-12 win.

Ibrahim was able to weather the storm in the second game, though, with ‘the Gunslinger’s’ elite racket skills on full display as he levelled 11-7.

Ibrahim took advantage as El Torkey tired in game three, with the older Egyptian moving into the lead for the first time with an 11-5 win, before completing the job with an 11-6 victory after a series of thrilling attacking rallies.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, I didn’t enjoy that one bit! Kareem and I have been playing in the same club for about 15 years, he’s like a younger brother to me and there’s a lot of emotions,” Ibrahim said afterwards.

“It was hard and I couldn’t get too aggressive with my attitude; I was a little flat but goodness me! He’s such a good up-and-coming player. He’s super explosive and incredibly athletic. There’s not many players who can do that for 50-60 minutes. I’m happy to get the win, but look out for this guy in the coming tournaments!”

Defending champion Gohar steamrolls Stefanoni

Defending champion Nouran Gohar’s title defence continues to gather steam after the World No.1 crushed USA’s World No.29 Marina Stefanoni in just 24 minutes.

Gohar had come through a tough 50-minute bout with England’s Jasmine Hutton in the second round, but looked far happier on court today, blasting past Stefanoni 11-4 in game one.

The American, who had beaten Mariam Metwally and Lucy Turmel in 3-1 wins to reach this stage, could do little to halt Gohar’s progress in the subsequent games, with Gohar taking them both 11-4, too, to earn a quarter-final match against Tinne Gilis.

“I have huge respect for Marina. She’s such a good athlete, very talented and fair – and she’d made it onto the Olymipc social channels with her trick shots so she obviously has really good hands. I had to be up for it and sharp from the beginning,” Gohar said.

“I’m glad I found my targets early in the match and it’s a good performance to build for the rest of the event.

“It was a long season, but I can’t complain. It’s longer especially if you’re reaching finals – it’s a good problem to have but I need to keep an eye on the body and do extra effort off court to keep myself fresh physically and mentally, too.”

17-year-old World No.4 Amina Orfi got her revenge over Egyptian compatriot Nada Abbas.

Three weeks ago, Abbas stunned Orfi in the PSA World Championships as the World No.12 fought back from 0-2 down to record a 3-2 win in the third round.

Orfi let her squash do the talking today, throwing down the gauntlet with a quick-fire 11-4 win in the opening game.

The 17-year-old had played immaculate squash in game one and made a strong start to game two, opening up an early lead.

Abbas tried to move Orfi around the court, but could not consistently force the No.4 seed off ‘the T’ and errors crept in to her game, with Orfi taking full advantage to double her lead with another 11-4 win.

Abbas was better able to assert herself in the beginning of game three and took an early lead.

With the scores at 6-6, however, Orfi regained the momentum, upping the pace to throw Abbas’ reading of the game as she completed her revenge in straight games.

Afterwards, Orfi said: “After [the World Championship defeat] I talked to my parents and coaches and I thought to myself ‘Well I’ve already lost the chance of making it to the late stages of the World Champs and if I don’t want that to happen agains I need to not focus on that and just enjoy playing.’

“Of course [revenge] was what I wanted in the back of my mind, but I just took it point by point.

“It’s my first time [being the ‘hunted’ player] on the pro tour and now there are just four people ahead of me and so now everyone is chasing me, but I just have to play my game and not focus on being the seeded player. It’s something I have to work more on that going into next season.”

Result: [4] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt [9/16] Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-8 (36m)

Round Two – Day Two

[2] Nour ElSherbini 3-0 [LL] Haya Ali 11-4, 11-3, 11-1 (17m)
[9/16] Nada Abbas 3-0 Torrie Malik (Eng)   11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (31m)
[3] Olivia Weaver (Usa) 3-0 Zeina Mickawy 11-7, 11-3, 11-7 (35m)
[8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-0 Malak Khafagy  11-5, 12-10, 11-4 (27m)
Hana Moataz 3-2 Tesni Murphy (Wal)  11-4, 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11 (55m)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-2 [9/16] Salma Hany  11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 1-11, 11-9 (56m)
[9/16] Fayrouz Aboelkheir 3-1 Hana Ramadan 11-5, 11-4, 6-11, 11-9 (38m)
 [9/16] Sana Ibrahim 3-1 [9/16] Farida Mohamed  11-9, 13-11, 4-11, 11-9 (49m)

 [3] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-0 [9/16] Fares Dessouky  11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (46m)
[LL] Kareem El Torkey 3-2 [wc] Sam Todd (Eng) 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 5-11, 11-9 (68m)
[Q] Moustafa Elsirty 3-2 Abhay Singh (Ind)  11-5, 7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 (73m)
[9/16] Youssef Soliman 3-1 Alex Lau (Hkg) 11-3, 11-6, 3-11, 11-8 (41m)
[9/16] Mohamad Zakaria 3-1 Nicolas Mueller (Sui) 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 (63m)

In the first match of the day, World Champion Nour El Sherbini showed no mercy as she decimated Egyptian compatriot and World No.58 Haya Ali.

Ali had come through a challenging qualifying campaign for the GillenMarkets British Open, playing three matches ahead of today’s clash. El Sherbini, meanwhile, had enjoyed some rest and recuperation after capturing her eighth PSA World Championship title in May.

Unfortunately for Ali, today’s clash was a total mismatch, with El Sherbini playing the cold court conditions to perfection as she recorded the most comfortable of 3-0 wins: 11-4, 11-3, 11-1 in 17 minutes.

Hana Moataz saved an incredible six match balls as the Egyptian snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in a thriller against Wales’ Tesni Murphy to reach round three of the British Open.

Moataz, who came through a brutal five-gamer in round one, started confidently against the Welshwoman today, easing into the lead with an 11-4 win. Murphy, however, soon put Moataz on the back foot, moving into the lead with a pair of 11-8 wins. The Egyptian steadied the ship in game four, taking the match into a fifth game with an 11-7 win.

World No.21 Murphy seemed to have recovered and looked for all the world like she’d booked her spot in the last 16 as she earned six match balls at 10-4 in game five. Incredibly, though, the World No.31 managed to hold out every time. Time and again, Moataz rose to the occasion, growing in confidence as the points flowed.

After saving the final match ball at 9-10, Moataz’s momentum was finally stopped on her own match ball as Murphy forced another tie-break at 11-11. The Egyptian did not panic, though, regaining the ascendency as she completed the most unlikely of comebacks with a 13-11 win.

Afterwards, Moataz said: “I wasn’t expecting that! I think I was 10-4/10-5, match ball down and I was not ready to lose another 3-2 – I think I’ve lost enough right now. I just wanted to keep pushing and keep my nerves together and focus point by point and it just happened.

“I told myself that if I’ve got it 2-2 then I need to make it as hard as possible for her [Tesni Murphy] to win the match. I pushed myself to get everything back and try to stick to my game plan. I’m glad I managed to keep my nerves at the end.

“I don’t think I’ve won two matches at a big event like this season, which isn’t good, but at least I’ve done it in my final tournament.”

20-year-old Egyptian “Lucky Loser” Kareem El Torkey, after the World No.52 came through a five-game epic of his own to take down English wildcard Sam Todd.

El Torkey, runner up in the U23 World Squash Championships this year , thought he was heading home after losing to Noor Zaman in the qualification event, only to receive an unexpected reprieve via a “lucky loser” berth following Ramit Tandon’s late withdrawal.

The Egyptian has grabbed the opportunity with both hands this week, defeating compatriot Yahya Elnawasany in the first round at Solihull Arden Club.

El Torkey looked to be sailing through to the last 16 when he took a 2-0 lead and led 7-3 in game three, only for Todd to roar back to take game three 11-8 and game four 11-5 to level.

Under the guidance of Youssef Ibrahim – whom El Torkey will play in the next round – the Egyptian regained his composure in game five, clinching the gripping contest 11-9 to earn a huge personal milestone.

Round Two – Day One

[1] Nouran Gohar  3-1 [15] Jasmine Hutton (ENG)  11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 13-11 (50m)
[5] Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-1 Kenzy Ayman   11-8, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7 (41m)
[4] Amina Orfi 3-0 Georgia Adderley (SCO) 11-3, 11-4, 12-10 (47m)

[1] Mostafa Asal 3-2 Jonah Bryant (ENG)  10-12, 11-6, 3-11, 11-9, 11-5 (75m)
[9] Youssef Ibrahim 3-2 [7] Karim Abdel Gawad  8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4 (56m)

Round One – Day Two

Zeina Mickawy 3-2 Aifa Azman (MAS)  12-10, 13-11, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7 (51m)
Hana Ramadan 3-0 Alicia Mead (ENG)  11-4, 11-6, 11-7 (30m)
Malak Khafagy 3-2 Lucy Beecroft (ENG) 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 1-11, 12-10 (54m)
Hana Moataz 3-2 Nour Aboulmakarim  13-11, 9-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9 (61m)
Haya Ali 3-1 Salma Eltayeb  10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (33m)

Moustafa Elsirty 3-1 Declan James (ENG) 9-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-9 (55m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-2 Omar Mosaad 11-5, 5-11, 11-3, 10-12, 11-6 (61m)

ROUND ONE – Day One

LL Nicole Bunyan (CAN) 3-1 Menna Hamed  11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 11-1 (42m)
Kenzy Ayman 3-0 Rachel Arnold (MAS) 11-6, 14-12, 11-5 (26m)
Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-1 Mariam Metwally 5-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 (33m)

Bernat Jaume (ESP) 3-2 Karim El Hammamy  11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 5-11, 14-12 (88m)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) 3-2 Mohamed Abouelghar  11-6, 8-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-2 (54m)
Kareem El Torkey 3-0 Yahya Elnawasany  11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (37m)

QUALIFICATIONS

Finals

[2] Ainaa Amani (MAS) 3-1 [5] Haya Ali   16-14, 11-6, 11-13, 11-5 (46m)

[9] Moustafa Elsirty 3-0 Perry Malik (ENG) : 11-2, 11-8, 12-10 (37m)
[10] Noor Zaman (PAK) 3-1 [3] Kareem El Torkey  11-5, 11-8, 3-11, 11-7 (46m)

Round Two

[5] Haya Ali 3-2 Madeleine Hylland (NOR)  11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 (51m)

[9] Moustafa Elsirty 3-2 David Bernet (SUI)  11-5, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 12-10 (79m)
[3] Kareem El Torkey 3-0 Daniel Poleshchuk (ISR) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (27m)

Round One

[5] Haya Ali  3-1 Wai Yhann Au Yeong (Sgp)  2-11, 11-9, 11-1, 11-3 (27m)
Camille Serme (Fra) 3-0 Rana Ismail   11-5, 11-9, 11-3 (25m)
[3] Marie Stephan (Fra) 3-1 Hana Ismail  11-4, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4 (35m)

Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) 3-0 Ibrahim Elkabbani  11-6, 11-8, 4-0 ret. (44m)
[3] Kareem El Torkey 3-0 Daniel Poleshchuk (Isr)  11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (27m)
[9] Moustafa Elsirty 3-0 Edwin Clain (FRA)  11-2, 11-4, 11-3 (29m)

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