[2] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) 3-1 [3] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 11-5, 11-9, 4-11, 11-7 (61m)
[2] Mostafa Asal (Egy) 3-0 [1] Ali Farag (Egy) 11-7, 11-8, 11-3 (41m)
Egyptian duo Nour El Sherbini and Mostafa Asal have lifted the trophies at the PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family following triumphs over compatriots Hania El Hammamy and Ali Farag at Chicago’s Lakeshore Sport & Fitness.
Read on for Reports, Reaction and Photo Gallery …
Sherbini claims record-equalling eighth world title
[2] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) 3-1 [3] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 11-5, 11-9, 4-11, 11-7 (61m)
Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini has matched Nicol David’s incredible tally of eight PSA World Championship titles after a sublime performance saw her beat World No.3 Hania El Hammamy on finals night in Chicago.
El Sherbini marked her 10th successive World Championship final with an 11-5, 11-9, 4-11, 11-7 victory over her fellow Egyptian at Lakeshore Sport & Fitness to ensure she has now won all four World Championships held in the Windy City.
After ending World No.1 Nouran Gohar’s title defence in the previous round, El Hammamy came into today’s final – her first World Championship title decider – in fine form.
El Sherbini, meanwhile, showed signs of brittleness in her semi-final match with United States No.1 Weaver, at one point finding herself 8-3 down in the fourth game and just three points away from defeat.
The former World No.1 usually reserves her finest performances for the sport’s most prestigious tournament though and that was certainly the case today as she stormed out of the blocks, using the hold to perfection to stunt El Hammamy’s movement and knock her out of her rhythm.
El Hammamy was able to fight back in the third game as she put El Sherbini under relentless pressure and found multiple winners on the backhand volley in particular.
However, El Sherbini stormed back in the fourth to hold a 6-2 lead, at which point El Hammamy required treatment for a twisted ankle after slipping. El Hammamy reduced the deficit to a point but that only served to delay her opponent’s victory march momentarily.
El Sherbini resumed control and before too long she found herself with three championship balls. It only took her one, as El Hammamy slammed the ball into the tin to bring an end to the contest.
“It’s amazing, I never thought I would be winning eight,” said El Sherbini after winning her 44th PSA title.
“Everyone was saying about Nicol’s record, and I never thought I was going to make it. It’s unbelievable, I can’t describe it, but I’ve been having a really tough season. I’m glad I won this title, it means a lot for my corner, my team and my parents.
“Hania is still young and she definitely felt a lot of nerves playing in her first ever World Championship final. We deal with a lot of things and being in this position is hard. I had a little edge today that I’ve been here before.
“She hasn’t experienced this, she had an amazing win yesterday, but at the beginning you could see she was feeling it too much. Once she relaxed a little bit she came back and almost won the fourth as well. She’s amazing and I’m sure one day she is going to win this title more than once.”
Asal downs Farag to claim first Worlds crown
[2] Mostafa Asal (Egy) 3-0 [1] Ali Farag (Egy) 11-7, 11-8, 11-3 (41m)
World No.1 Mostafa Asal has captured the men’s title at the PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family after a dominant victory over World No.2 Ali Farag at Chicago’s Lakeshore Sport & Fitness.
Asal was runner-up at this tournament last season, but dismantled four-time World Champion Farag with a powerhouse performance to get his hands on the men’s trophy at the biggest tournament in professional squash.
Farag had won all three of the previous World Championships held in Chicago but was up against it today against an opponent in red-hot form. Asal had beaten Farag in five of their last six matches and had won both the Optasia Championships and El Gouna International in recent weeks coming into tonight’s contest.
The 24-year-old put in a performance that matched power with guile and stormed to an 11-7, 11-8, 11-3 victory to put his name into the history books without dropping a single game this week.
The win means he now holds both the PSA World Championships and British Open titles as well as the World No.1 spot – a position he would have conceded to Farag had he lost tonight.
“Emotionally, I feel out of this world,” said Asal following his 21st PSA title win.
“There have been a lot things happening this week mentally, so to regroup is unbelievable. To be World No.1 and the World Champion is amazing.
“I want to thank everyone who has supported me, but the man who has been behind me is my mentor James Willstrop. My father told me after everything that had happened to come back to Egypt, but Jimbo has been having a lot of discussions and chats with me, and here I am, the World Champion.
“Everyone who is successful throws away hate speech and only focuses on the positives. I don’t even have a hotel room tonight! I’ll be staying in the lobby, I guess. I just want to get the trophy and take some pictures.”
Previews
It’s finals day at the 24/25 PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family. This year’s finals day is an all-Egyptian affair, as four of the world’s best players meet later this evening — each with hopes of leaving Chicago as a World Champion.
With a combined 11 World Championships titles, will Nour El Sherbini and Ali Farag add another to their collection or will we see two new World Champions in Hania El Hammamy and Mostafa Asal?
We kick off the day with an exciting matchup as El Hammamy will be looking to secure her first World Championships title as she faces none other than seven time World Champion Nour El Sherbini.
In the men’s final, Ali Farag and Mostafa Asal meet once again in a clash where everything is on the line. The winner of this thrilling match will leave Chicago not only as World Champion but also as the World No.1.
Action begins from 18:00 (GMT-5) at Lakeshore Sport and Fitness and will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV and with the PSA’s broadcast partners.
Scroll down to see the order of play, head-to-head records and previews of each match.
Hania El Hammamy v Nour El Sherbini
We start with an exciting match up as Hania El Hammamy looks to secure her first World Championships title as she faces none other than seven time World Champion Nour El Sherbini. This will be the 25th time these two have met on the PSA Squash Tour.
After defeating England’s No.1 Georgina Kennedy in a gruelling quarter finals match, she went on to stage an epic comeback from 2-1 down against US No.1 Olivia Weaver in last nights semi-finals to reach her tenth consecutive World Champs final. The seven time World Champion will be eager to win this evening and claim her eighth World Championships title to go equal with the legendary Nicol David.
Hania El Hammamy showed true grit and determination in a brutal 75 minute battle against World No.1 and defending champion Nouran Gohar. Having knocked out the defending champion, El Hammamy will have a boost of confidence going into her first ever World Championships final!
Will the seven time World Champion claim her eighth title or will we see a new World Champion crowned?
Ali Farag v Mostafa Asal
Becoming a PSA Squash Tour Staple, tonight’s final sees World No.1 Mostafa Asal and World No.2 meet once again in the final. Farag will be aiming to capture his fifth World Championship title and reclaim the World No.1 ranking with a win in Chicago later today. This showdown is familiar territory — Farag and Asal meet once again in a high-stakes clash where everything is on the line. The winner of this match will leave Chicago as both World Champion and World No.1.
These two are no strangers to one another, having met 29 times on the PSA Squash Tour. Farag has seen the most success in their meetings taking 19 wins over his compatriot, he will be eager to make this 20 with a win later this evening.
To reach the final the World No.2 took on defending Champion Diego Elias. Farag displayed a dominant performance and beat the Peruvian 3-0 in under 45 minutes.
Mostafa Asal has put on a triumphant display throughout the tournament, having not dropped a game all week, showing just why he is the World No.1.
Asal met New Zealand’s Paul Coll in the Semi-finals and wasted no time securing his spot for the final. Having lost out in last year’s final, Asal will be eager to lift the World Championships trophy for the first time.
You can keep up to date with all of the action as it happens from Chicago right here as well as our social channels: X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, WhatsApp or LinkedIn.
