The PSA Squash Tour Finals continue this evening in Paris with four more first round matches from the bottom half of the draws which will see the semi-final lineups completed.
You can Watch Live on SquashTV, follow on Live Scoring and Socials, and we’ll have Results, Roundup and Photos right here.
[2] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 3-1 [7] Gina Kennedy (Eng) 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 (53m)
[6] Mohamad Zakaria (Egy) 3-0 [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 (49m)
[6] Fayrouz Abelkheir (Egy) 3-1 [3] Nour ElSherbini (Egy) 7-11, 11-4, 11-10, 11-2 (38m)
[2] Paul Coll (Nzl) 3-1 [7] Joel Makin (Wal) 10-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-2 (77m)
Aboelkheir Upsets ElSherbini to Reach Last Four of PSA Squash Tour Finals
World No.7 Fayrouz Aboelkheir upset eight-time World Champion Nour ElSherbini tonight after a fabulous performance at Centquatre-Paris to reach the last four of the PSA Squash Tour Finals presented by TWG Global for the first time.
The 20-year-old began the season with her first win over ElSherbini at the CIB Egyptian Open back in September, and she looks poised to finish the campaign on a similarly strong note following a 7-11, 11-4, 11-10, 11-2 triumph.
Aboelkheir was 10-7 down in a crucial third game before a flurry of attacking squash saw her storm back and win it on the sudden death tie-break. She then dominated the play in the third to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the third time, while she remains one of the few players to have a positive head-to-head record against the legendary ElSherbini, having won two of their three meetings on the PSA Squash Tour.
“No matter how many times I play her and beat her, it will always be special,” said Aboelkheir.
“The court conditions are really hard, so to be able to win in this weather, I’m happy to win today. I haven’t been training that match because of all the tournaments, but I want to end the season at the highest point I can reach.
“I’m at my highest ranking at the moment, I’ve had a chance to improve on it, but I didn’t take it. I’m trying to make it right this time, I truly believe I belong here and I can’t wait to reach a higher ranking and win more titles.”
World No.1 Hania El Hammamy will be Aboelkheir’s semi-final opponent after she got the better of England’s Georgina Kennedy, winning 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8.
The match appeared destined to go to five games when Kennedy took an 8-2 lead in the fourth, but she squandered the advantage as El Hammamy powered back to win.
“I’m playing with fire at the moment,” said El Hammamy.
“At the moment I keep coming from behind and I think I’m best known for my comebacks. Gina and I are both very physical and we leave it all on court. She played really well and I had to raise my game in the fourth. We are similar in the way we play and it was such a lively ball, I made some errors because I was trying to take the ball in short and finish the rallies a bit quicker.”
World No.2 Paul Coll – a runner-up at this tournament in 2022 – came back from a game down to end Joel Makin’s title defence in a gruelling encounter.
The pair are two of the fittest players on the PSA Squash Tour and engaged in some punishing rallies that explored all four corners of the court. Eventually it was Coll, the reigning British Open champion, who emerged the winner against a war-weary Makin by a 10-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-2 scoreline after 77 minutes.
“I knew it was going to be tough and it was so hard to control the ball and leave it in the corners,” said Coll.
“I made too many unforced errors and was lazy with my footwork. It’s the end of the season, but I’ve got plenty in the tank. I’ve been sharpening up and getting the mind ready to be aggressive and not too relaxed.”
Men’s World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria has joined women’s World Champion Amina Orfi in the semi-finals after he dispatched 2019 champion Karim Gawad in straight games.
It’s the first time that two teenagers have reached the last four of the PSA Squash Tour Finals, and Zakaria nullified Gawad’s attacking talents to win 11-8, 11-8, 11-7. The 18-year-old will play Coll next.
Despite the win, the 18-year-old wasn’t happy with his performance, saying:
“That was terrible. I don’t want to call my parents, they might block me to be honest.
“I’m tired and it’s been a long season. I didn’t start well, I didn’t play well and Karim didn’t let me settle. I wasn’t happy with the way I was hitting the ball and I can’t play any worse than that.”
Day Two Preview :
First up former champion Hania El Hammamy aims to keep her bid to remain World #1 on with a ninth straight win over Gina Kennedy.
Then there’s two all-Egyptian battles as third seed Karim Abdel Gawad takes on World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria with the teenager looking to notch up a third straight win over Gawad. Two-time champion Nour ElSherbini meets Fayrouz Aboelkheir who famously ousted ElSherbini in the season’s opening event, the eight-time world champion will surely be looking for revenge.
The final match of the round pits Wales’ defending champion Joel Makin against Kiwi second seed Paul Coll, who recorded a third British Open triumph earlier this month in Birmingham.
