British Open

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Finals

[3] Nouran Gohar  3-2 [1] Nour El Sherbini 11-6, 17-15, 3-11, 7-11, 11-4 (91m)
[4] Mostafa Asal  3-2 [1] Ali Farag  11-5, 2-11, 13-11, 4-11, 12-10 (79m)

Mostafa Asal and Nouran Gohar have captured the 2024 British Open titles after they defeated World No.1s Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini on a thrilling all-Egyptian finals day at the spectacular Birmingham Rep Theatre.

Asal has won the British Open for the first time in his career following an 11-5, 2-11, 13-11, 4-11, 12-10 victory over defending champion Farag in a captivating men’s final, lasting 79 minutes.

Farag was appearing in his fifth successive British Open, final but Asal – making his first appearance in the title decider of the historic event – overturned a championship ball to secure the 15th title of his career and etch his name on the famous British Open trophy.

“It’s unbelievable, I’m almost running out of words, I’m almost crying,” said Asal afterwards.

“To win against Paul [Coll, in the semi-finals] and Ali is amazing. I was 6-2 up in the final game and then the emotions came in, and Ali came back to 9-7. It was almost going the other way, but what a relief.

“At the beginning of the season I had no structure until I went to Pontefract to work with James [Willstrop]. To play the squash that I’m winning at the moment is all credit to them.”

World Champion Gohar has won her second British Open title after beating El Sherbini by an 11-6, 17-15, 3-11, 7-11, 11-4 scoreline in what is the longest women’s British Open final on record.

At 91 minutes, the match was a high-octane affair, with El Sherbini overturning a two-game deficit as she looked to avenge last month’s PSA World Championship final defeat to Gohar.

History suggested that El Sherbini would complete the comeback having beaten Gohar in three previous British Open finals, but Gohar is playing some of the best squash of her career at present, and the 26-year-old powered through to take the fifth game, earning her fourth successive PSA title.

“It felt like a never-ending story today although I was 2-0 up,” said Gohar after winning the 27th title of her career.

“El Sherbini won her first World Championships title from 2-0 down, so if anyone can come back, it is her. She played better when she was down, and I tried to prepare for that, but it was very difficult to stop.

“I feel like I can trust my physicality right now. I can go out there and play for 100 minutes, I’m injury-free, I can hit whatever shot whenever I want, so why not win every single match I can? I think after the World Championships, it was a major relief and there was pressure off me. [This week] it was more about enjoying myself and proving to myself that I am the best right now.”

Semis

[1] Ali Farag  3-0 Joel Makin (WAL) 11-3, 11-9, 11-7 (54m)
Mostafa Asal3-2 [2] Paul Coll (NZL)  7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6 (67m)

[1] Nour ElSherbini3-1 [5] Nour El Tayeb  11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 11-4 (47m)
[3] Nouran Gohar 3-1 [2] Hania El Hammamy 11-13, 11-4, 11-3, 11-8 (64m)

World No.4 Mostafa Asal has reached his first British Open final after coming from behind to defeat two-time champion Paul Coll in five games.

Asal overcame Coll in five games at this stage of the PSA World Championships last month, taking a 2-0 lead on that occasion. This time around though, the roles were reversed, with ‘The Raging Bull’ having to regather himself from 2-1 down to eventually seal victory by a 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6 scoreline.

The Egyptian will square off against defending champion Ali Farag for the last PSA World Tour Platinum title of the season in Sunday’s men’s final.

“It’s a nightmare [to play Coll] but we have had some tough battles over the past four or five years and he’s an unbelievable athlete,” said Asal. “He picks up every single ball and I have to hit five crosscourt nicks to win a rally. All credit to him and I can’t believe I won this match.

“It’s great to be here and to be in the final of the British Open. I’m still young, I’m only 23 years old, and I’ve grown up watching these legends. I’m really looking forward to it, and hopefully the crowd are going to be on my side tomorrow. There is one more push.”

In the other men’s semi-final, World No.1 Ali Farag delivered a masterful performance to end the run of Birmingham-based Joel Makin in straight games.

Makin, 29, had already made history this week at The Rep Theatre, becoming the first Welshman to reach the semi-finals of the prestigious event since David Evans 24 years ago, but he couldn’t replicate these heroics against an in-form Farag, who claimed the win by an 11-3, 11-9, 11-7 scoreline.

“Joel has been in immaculate form recently, and deservedly so,” Farag said after the match. “He has been in and out with injuries, and he has shown what a competitor he is when he is fully fit. Even at some points today when I felt like I was dominating the ’T’, he kept coming back. But for me, I had to hit my targets well, and try to twist him and turn him as much as possible.

“He’s not as patient as he used to be, he’s more aggressive, he takes his opportunities, and I had to try and take this away from him. I think I did that well today, so I’m very pleased.”

In the women’s draw, World No.2 Nouran Gohar and World No.1 Nour El Sherbini will contest the final for the second year in succession. It will be a rematch of last month’s World Championship final, which saw Gohar end El Sherbini’s run of five straight World Championship trophies.

Gohar, 26, reached her fifth consecutive final at the British Open after she came back from a game down to defeat arch-rival Hania El Hammamy.

It was the 24th time the pair were meeting on the PSA Tour – with Gohar winning 15 of those matches – and it was ‘The Terminator’ who emerged victorious in front of a packed house at The Rep as she won 11-13, 11-4, 11-3, 11-8.

Despite El Hammamy taking a nip-and-tuck first game, Gohar kept a level head to manoeuvre her way back in the encounter with some ferocious hitting and accurate lines, setting up a tantalising final against top seed El Sherbini.

“It’s because of Nour [El Sherbini] and Hania that we keep improving the level of squash,” said Gohar after the win.

“They are such fierce competitors and they always want to improve. It’s because of them that I am the player I am today, and we’re pushing each other to the limits. Sometimes it goes beyond the limit, but I don’t think it’s anything personal, it’s more we have the hunger and the will to win, and we kill ourselves to reach the ball every single time.

“It was a very enjoyable match today, it was very clean and the referee did a great job today as well. I’m happy with the way I dealt with it today, especially after losing the first game.”

Meanwhile, top seed El Sherbini secured her spot in the title decider with a battling victory over Egyptian compatriot Nour El Tayeb in four games.

El Sherbini, a four-time winner at the British Open, had to withhold a determined comeback from the No.5 seed, who saved a match ball in the third, before eventually sealing the win by an 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 11-4 scoreline after 47 minutes on court.

After moving through to her sixth British Open final, El Sherbini said: “It was very hard because we are very close friends and we have been together since we were ten years old. What she is doing is unbelievable after giving birth and making it back at the top level.

“I just wanted to get back to my game plan [after the third game], get back to my targets again. She’s a fighter, she gets everything back and she keeps running everywhere. I just tried to be focused again on what I should do.”

Quarters

[1] Ali Farag3-0 [6] Mazen Hesham 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 (37m)
[4] Mostafa Asal3-0 Timothy Brownell (USA) 11-5, 11-9, 11-7 (40m)

[1] Nour El Sherbini 3-1 [8] Olivia Weaver (USA)  11-3, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5 (40m)
[5] Nour El Tayeb 3-2 Salma Hany 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-9 (73m)
[3] Nouran Gohar  3-0 [6] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 11-8, 11-1, 11-4 (28m)
[2] Hania El Hammamy 3-0 [7] Tinne Gilis (BEL)  11-6, 11-7, 11-9 (39m)

World Champion Nouran Gohar booked her spot in the semi-finals of the 2024 British Open after a ruthless performance saw her defeat England No.1 Georgina Kennedy in straight games.

World No.2 Gohar had won all six of her previous matches against Kennedy and she wasted very little time in making that seven in a row following an 11-8, 11-1, 11-4 win after 28 minutes of action.

2019 champion Gohar is now just one win away from her fifth successive British Open final. She will take on arch-rival Hania El Hammamy for a place in the title decider in the latest chapter of their enthralling rivalry. Gohar and El Hammamy have met 23 times on the PSA Tour, with Gohar winning 15 of them.

“First of all, I love Gina as a player, as a person and as a personality, and I’m sure she is going to achieve even more in the game,” Gohar said afterwards.

“We have known each other since we were very young, and its amazing to be competing against someone like her. I knew that she also had great memories here, having won the Commonwealth Games here, which is a very big deal. I knew the crowd was going to be behind her.

“It’s very enjoyable to always come back and play here. The British Open is obviously always at the top of my list to come and play here. I love being here and I feel very comfortable here.”

2022 champion El Hammamy also won her quarter-final match in straight games, dispatching Belgian No.7 Tinne Gilis 11-8, 11-1, 11-4. That means all four semi-finalists in the women’s draw hail from Egypt.

“I couldn’t take anything for granted against her,” said El Hammamy.

“We’ve played so many times and even though she hasn’t got a win against me yet, it is always a tough match. To be honest, in the last game, I felt like I was enjoying myself lots, I was 9-5 up and I started to run too much and enjoy it too much. I had to be very careful with that.”

Mostafa Asal is yet to reach the British Open final but is one win away from doing so after toppling World No.36 Timothy Brownell 11-5, 11-9, 11-7 who was appearing in the quarter-final after England’s Mohamed ElShorbagy pulled out of their third round match due to illness.

Brownell was cheered to the rafters when he did put points on the board, however it is Asal who progresses through to the last four. He has won eight of his 14 matches against Coll on the PSA Tour. He also beat the Kiwi at the same stage of last month’s PSA World Championships.

“The crowd made it feel like I was playing America!” said Asal.

“I’m really happy to be performing like this right now, with no issues, no bans or anything. Last year I didn’t get to play at the British Open, but it’s an amazing crowd, so thank you to everyone. I’m consistent now, I won titles at Black Ball and in Florida, I didn’t get my hands on the trophy at the World Championships, but it’s about trusting the process.”

World No.7 El Tayeb – kept the prospects of a husband and wife winner alive after she produced a magnificent comeback from 2-0 down to beat compatriot Salma Hany.

El Tayeb was all at sea after a superb start from Hany, but showed impressive resilience to overturn the deficit, winning 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-9 in 73 minutes. El Tayeb will line up in her first Platinum-level semi-final since October 2022 and her first British Open semi-final since the 2019 event.

“I keep thinking of myself as one of the best four players, but I haven’t proven that in the last two of three years since I came back,” El Tayeb said.

“I’ve been waiting for a good performance and a semi-final, so for it to happen at this tournament in front of this amazing crowd in front of this amazing venue is unreal. I haven’t been in this situation recently, so it’s nice to get a win like that in the later stages of my career.”

Reigning champion Nour El Sherbini stands between El Tayeb and a place in the final after she defeated United States No.1 Olivia Weaver in four games.

Weaver took El Sherbini to five at last month’s PSA World Championships and threatened the World No.1 after coming back to take the third game. However, El Sherbini regrouped and the four-time British Open champion completed an 11-3, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5 win.

“I love playing here, the venue is amazing and the crowd is amazing.

“It’s something different and I also have really good memories here from the British Open, so I love coming and playing here, so hopefully it goes well this week. Nour is my lifelong friend, we have always had amazing battles since the juniors and I’m looking forward to this one.”

Round Three – Last 16

[1] Ali Farag 3-0 Mohamed Abouelghar  11-8, 16-14, 11-3 (43m)
[6] Mazen Hesham 3-1 Farkas Balazs (HUN) 12-10, 8-11, 11-3, 13-11 (53m)
Joel Makin (WAL) 3-2 Youssef Ibrahim  11-5, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8 (79m)
[3] Diego Elias (PER) 3-0 Youssef Soliman 11-4, 11-6, 12-10 (43m)
[4] Mostafa Asal 3-0 Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (40m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 3-2 [5] Karim Abdel Gawad  6-11, 3-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-7 (75m)

[1] Nour ElSherbini 3-1 Satomi Watanabe (JPN) 11-2, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3 (34m)
[5] Nour El Tayeb 3-0 Hana Ramadan 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (23m)
Salma Hany 3-0 [4] Nele Gilis (BEL) 14-12, 11-5, 11-8 (48m)
[3] Nouran Gohar 3-0 Tomato Ho (HKG) 11-2, 11-3, 11-1 (22m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir  3-1 [6] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 11-8, 11-4, 12-14, 11-6 (49m)
[2] Hania El Hammamy 3-2 Nada Abbas  11-9, 11-1, 11-8 (38m)

Nour El Tayeb became the first player to book her spot in the quarter-finals of this year’s British Open after a dominant win over compatriot Hana Ramadan in the opening match of the day at Birmingham Rep Theatre. El Tayeb, who reached the semi-finals of the British Open in 2019, had beaten Ramadan in both of their previous matches and made it a hat-trick of wins following an 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 win after just 23 minutes of action.

The World No.7 favoured short rallies and used the angles intelligently to prevent Ramadan from being able to get any sort of rhythm. It was largely one-way traffic, with Ramadan’s best spell of the match coming at the outset of the second game where she was able to raise the pace and force some errors out of El Tayeb.

However, El Tayeb was able to raise her accuracy to match and her win will see her take on either World No.6 Nele Gilis or World No.12 Salma Hany for a place in the last four.

“I had a tough round yesterday, so I think I was very ready from the beginning today and luckily everything went well for me and not for Hana, so it was a good day,” said El Tayeb afterwards.

“I was lucky to adjust better to the glass court than Hana. Any glass court is better to play on compared to normal courts. It’s got a glass floor and it’s very different, so it takes a bit to get used to, and I’m happy I was able to find it early in the match.

“The ball comes off the wall differently compared to a normal court. You have to adjust and the power of the hitting is different.

“All of the history of the sport is in the British Open. This and the World Championships are the most important tournaments. I would love to make it to a semi-final, I haven’t made it to the semi-finals of a Platinum event for two years, so it’s a long time.

“I’m very happy to be in the quarter-finals and I hope the other players have tough matches.”

Salma Hany has reached the quarter-finals for the first time in her career after a devastating performance from the World No.12 saw her upset World No.6 Nele Gilis. Despite the pair’s respective rankings, the form book was in Hany’s favour after winning seven of their nine matches on the PSA Tour, while Hany also triumphed when they met at April’s El Gouna International.

Gilis has struggled to find the form that took her to No.4 in the world as recently as last month and has now slumped to three successive last 16 exits, the first time that’s happened in over two years.

Meanwhile, Hany’s form has been trending upwards after ending an 11-year title drought in March’s Australian Open, while she also reached the last four of the Manchester Open two weeks ago.

The first game was crucial, with Hany narrowly edging it 14-12, and that seemed to sap the confidence of the Belgian, who grew increasingly frustrated as the match wore on.

11-5 and 11-8 wins came over the next two games for Hany, and she will take on No.5 seed Nour El Tayeb next.

“I think we’ve played four times this season and it’s always very tough,” said Hany. “They were three really long games and it’s a very positive boost for me for the rest of the tournament. I was really grateful to be in front of this crowd in this amazing venue, and I’m pleased I managed to bring out that performance.

“I know how to play at a slow and fast pace and when I’m in the right zone I can vary those paces and make the most out of it. Nele was coming back really strong in that third game, all games were really tough, and I’m just glad I managed to close that one out.

“I prepare to finish in three, four or five games. It’s always nice to get out as fast as possible, but I always prepare for it to go to the wire. The goal is to come out as winner whatever of the score, so when it’s in three it’s a bonus for me.”

World No.1 Nour El Sherbini saw off the threat of Satomi Watanabe in four games to progress to the quarter-finals in Birmingham.

El Sherbini, a four-time champion at the British Open, picked up where she left off from her second-round encounter with Sivasangari Subramaniam, hitting her marks to devastating effect and racing through a 6-minute first game by 11-2 scoreline.

Watanabe though, who was playing for the first time on the glass-floored court at The Rep Theatre, picked up the pace in the second game, rushing ‘The Warrior Princess’ and hitting the ball in short at the correct moments. At 10-9 up, the Japanese No.1 pulled out a perfect boast winner to level proceedings.

Errors began to flow from Watanabe’s racket with regularity in the third, with her lack of accuracy allowing El Sherbini to re-establish control in the match and move 2-1 up. The top seed moved from strength to strength in the fourth, proving too powerful for Watanabe and sealing victory after 34 minutes on court.

After the match, El Sherbini said: “I felt the same as everyone else. It was a bit up and down. Satomi its an amazing player but you don’t know what to expect, it’s either an amazing shot or it can be a tin. I had a good start but maybe I slowed down a little bit in the second game, but I’m happy with how I came back in the third and fourth.

On bouncing back from defeat in the World Championships final, she added: “It was very tough. Of course, I’m more fired up, more hungry now, I’ve got another challenge and I’m definitely going to work for it. Playing here is important for me and I want to win the title, feel good, play good. The loss, I think I have learned a lot from it.”

World No.1 Ali Farag shook off the distraction of a broken nose to defeat a resilient Mohamed Abouelghar in three games and progress to the quarter-finals. Farag, who was sporting a black face mask after an unfortunate collision in his second-round match against Omar Mosaad, had to be at his very best to defeat the former World No.7 by an 11-8, 16-14, 11-3 scoreline.

Abouelghar, currently ranked at World No.56, threw everything in his armoury at the top seed in the opening two games, but came up just short in the pressure moments.

From 8-8 in the first, Farag pulled together three immaculate points to lead 1-0, before saving three game balls in a 20-minute second game to double his advantage after a lengthy tie-break.

The huge push from Abouelghar in the second began to show in the subsequent game, with Farag pushing his opponent from corner to corner and racing into an early lead. The Egyptian brought up match ball after 43 minutes of action and sealed victory at the first time of asking.

After the match, Farag said: “I think it was just the Zorro look – I just wanted to be more intimidating today! They think that it is a possible fracture, so the mask is to protect it and then when I go back I can fix it, but for now it is fine, just this mask is sometimes a little annoying with the sweat.

“I was trying to balance between being comfortable with it and playing well on court. In the crucial points I just thought I might as well get rid of it and I got back in it again.

“I still had to play very well to beat someone of Abouelghar’s calibre, and I think that I did that today, so I’m very proud. He has got such trickery with his racket and I rarely ever knew where the ball was going. The racket skills that he possesses are quite unique.”

World No.5 Mazen Hesham ended the impressive run of Farkas Balazs after sealing a high-octane four-game victory to close out the third day of action in Birmingham.

Hesham, a semi-finalist at the British Open last year, was tested throughout by the talented Balazs in what proved to be an extremely open affair, but eventually proved too strong, taking the match by a 12-10, 8-11, 11-3, 13-11 scoreline.

The pair couldn’t be split in an exhibition-like opening game, with ‘The Black Falcon’ relying on two strong points in a tie-break to draw first blood.

As the winners continued to flow from both rackets, so to did the errors, with Hesham missing his marks at the key stages of the second, hitting two tins to help Balazs to move from 8-8 to level proceedings.

Hesham got himself back on track in the third, pushing high up on the ’T’ and using his deception to force Balazs into some tough movements all over the court, moving into a 2-1 lead after a seven-minute third game. With Hesham 7-5 down in the fourth, a deciding game was by no means off the table, but a brutal, physical rally which the Egyptian won was the first of five straight points in his favour.

Four match balls came and went for Hesham though, with a couple of costly errors into the tin opening the door ajar for Balazs. However, at the fifth time of asking, the No.6 seed managed to get over the finishing line, walking off court with the victory after 53 minutes of action.

After the match, Hesham said: “I played Farkas recently, and I knew it was going to be tough this time as well. I knew that I was going to have to be on my mettle for the whole match. Luckily I won the fourth game, otherwise it was going to be a lot more tense. I think as you said, I got the job done – it’s the end of the season and everyone is trying to put in good performances.

“Hopefully, I can get better in the next rounds and thank you to everybody who came here to watch today.

“My mind was going everywhere [in the fourth], it was a rollercoaster in there, but I pushed through it. I kept fighting with myself and here I am.”

Round Two

[3] Nouran Gohar 3-0 Katie Malliff (Eng) 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 (31m)
[2] Hania El Hammamy 3-0 [9/16] Rowan Elaraby 11-9, 13-11, 11-5 (46m)
[1] Nour ElSherbini 3-0 [9/16] Siva Subramaniam (Mas) 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 (35m)
[9/16] Sabrina Sobhy (Usa) 3-1 Hana Moataz  8-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-8 (40m)
Hana Ramadan 3-0 Nour Aboulmakarim 11-9, 11-3, 15-13 (44m)
[5] Nour El Tayeb 3-1 Rachel Arnold (Mas)  9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-3 (34m)
[9/16] Salma Hany 3-2 [9/16] Farida Mohamed 11-6, 4-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-9 (58m)
[9/16] Satomi Watanabe (Jpn) 3-0 Zeina Mickawy  11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (31m)
Tomato Ho (Hkg) 3-2 Malak Khagary 10-12, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 (71m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir 3-2 Aifa Azman (Mas) 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5 (55m)
[9/16] Nada Abbas 3-1 Grace Gear (Eng) 11-5, 10-12, 11-4, 11-2 (45m)

[9/16] Joel Makin (Wal) 3-0 [8] Tarek Momen  11-7, 11-8, 11-4 (40m)
[1] Ali Farag 3-0 Omar Mosaad 11-1, 11-3 retired (42m)
[9/16] Youssef Soliman 3-0 Andrew Douglas (Usa) 11-3, 11-6, 11-2 (28m)
Youssef Ibrahim 3-1 Gregoire Marche (Fra)  5-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (41m)
[6] Mazen Hesham 3-1 Henry Leung (Hkg)  5-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (41m)
Mohamed Aboelghar 3-0 Auguste Dussourd (Fra) 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (30m)
[5] Karim Abdel Gawad 3-0 Juan Camilo Vargas (Col)  11-7, 11-9, 14-12 (37m)
[9/16] Eain Yow Ng (Mas) 3-1 [9/16] Aly Abou Eleinen 4-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 (47m)
[4] Mostafa Asal 3-0 Karim El Hammamy  11-4, 11-3, 11-9 (35m)

Back at The Rep, newly-crowned World Champion Nouran Gohar kickstarted her attempts to add a second British Open trophy to her collection after a comfortable 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 win against England’s Katie Malliff.

“She has a lot of talent. I watched a couple of her matches to see what I should be doing and she’s a big talent. I like as well the attitude that she has on court. Even when she’s waiting for the serve she’s not intimidated and I love seeing players like that.

“It reminds me a bit of myself when I was younger and coming up. She was fighting hard until the very last point and it’s good to see, it’s very good for the sport. I’m happy with the way I handled her, in the last game she obviously played very well, but I gave her some easy points which usually I would be careful of.

“They always ask me what is my favourite tournament and British Open always comes up on the list because of the crowd. Even if I’m playing an Englishwoman they are very fair and I know they are going to cheer for my good shots. They are very knowledgable about the game and they appreciate good rallies and good points.

“I love when people appreciate what we’re doing and you can’t find this anywhere else apart from England. I’m Egyptian, so they always favour me [in Egypt] but I always feel very sorry for non-Egyptians playing in Egypt. But here it’s very fair, very nice, and having this venue at the theatre is amazing.”

Hania El Hammamy
Beat: Rowan Elaraby 3-0: 11-9, 13-11, 11-5 (46m)
Next Opponent: Nada Abbas 

“It’s an unlucky draw and it’s very tough for both of us to play in the second round.

“We just played in the quarters of the World Championships, so it’s definitely weird to play her early doors in the tournament. I think it was a weird match as well, we were both making a lot of errors and hitting the tin a lot, it’s not the best match we’ve played against each other. We go way back, and I’m sure we’re going to have some good battles in the future.

“I love it here, I have a good record in the British Junior Open as well. I love the UK and I enjoy myself on court here. Hopefully this week I can do a good job.”

Round One

Youssef Ibrahim 3-2 [wc] Jonah Bryant (Eng)  10-12, 13-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-2 (59m)
Balazs Farkas (Hun) 3-0 Fares Dessouky  11-6, 11-7 rtd (29m)
Karim El Hammamy 3-1 Nick Wall (Eng)  4-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 (47m)
Mohamed Abouelghar 3-2 Yahya Elbawasany  11-6, 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 11-9 (54m)
Omar Mosaad 3-2 Shahjahan Khan (Usa)  7-11, 11-9, 13-15, 11-8, 11-7 (82m)

Fayrouz Aboelkheir 3-1 Aira Azman (Mas) 11-8, 8-11, 13-11, 11-5 (68m)
Hana Ramadan 3-0 Enora Villard (Fra) 11-3, 11-4, 11-3 (21m)
Hana Moataz 3-0 Alicia Mead (Eng)  14-12, 11-6, 11-8 (30m)
Nour Aboulmakarim 3-2 Nadine Shahin  6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5 (44m)
Zeina Mickawy 3-0 Salma Eltayeb 11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 9-11, 11-8 (46m)
Malak Khafagy 3-2 Melissa Alves (Fra) 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9 (59m)
Lucy Turmel (Eng) 3-1 Haya Ali 11-3, 11-1, 8-11, 11-0 (26m)
Grace Gear (Eng) 3-0 Mariam Metwally  11-2, 11-2, 11-7 (23m)
Georgia Adderley (Sco) 3-2 Kenzy Ayman 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 4-11, 11-6 (51m)

World No.14 Youssef Ibrahim battled through the pain barrier to record a 3-2 victory over 18-year-old English wildcard Jonah Bryant as the 2024 British Open got under way in the spectacular setting of The Rep Theatre in Birmingham.

Ibrahim – who missed seven months of action between June 2022 and January 2023 due to a knee injury – has been struggling with injury problems in recent events and his movement wasn’t at its best today.

Bryant, the reigning European Junior Champion, trains in Solihull less than 20 miles away from The Rep and he was cheered on by his home fans as he took the opening game, playing consistent squash and attacking with aplomb into the front left corner in particular.

A big push from Ibrahim saw him fight back to take a 2-1 lead but World No.69 Bryant wasn’t to be dispatched that easily, drawing level to send the match into a decider. A quick fire start from the Egyptian saw him pull away though to record a 10-12, 13-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-2 victory as he booked his spot in the last 32.

“I came here expecting a tough match,” said Ibrahim, who will play France’s Gregoire Marche next.

“Jonah is one of the brightest talents in English squash and he has a good future ahead of him. It was going to be no different playing him compared to any other top 30 players and he’s one to watch for the future. I was a little bit worried about my movement and the glass court, but I think in the end I started to move a bit better.

“I expected nothing less than a tough match and I’m happy to get the win in the end.

“I’ve spent so many hours with the physio and I’m trying to get my body as fit as possible to play this event. I wanted to push one last time and I didn’t want to pull out of this tournament. Hopefully I have a long time to recover and get prepared for the rest of the season.

“Credit to Jonah, he moved me around a lot and I hope he enjoys the PSA. I don’t want him to have too much pressure on him, he’s a bright talent and should enjoy it. He’s going to reach the highest level of the game and I wish him all the best.”

Fayrouz Aboelkheir
Beat: Aira Azman 3-1: 11-8, 8-11, 13-11, 11-5 (68m)
Next Opponent: Aifa Azman

“I’m very pleased today to get the win. The last two times we played she beat me, so I thought that I just wanted to go in there and get the win either way. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy match but I’m happy to be through.

“During Hong Kong and the first half of the season I wasn’t that mentally good and I had a lot going on through my mind, so I think I didn’t play my best. I just came here this year with a new mental game and Jesse [Engelbrecht] just helped me to get it all there. I just learned that I need to be focused on my squash more on the court and it helped, especially in that third game.”

Nour Aboulmakarim
Beat: Nadine Shahin 3-2: 6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5 (44m)
Next Opponent: Hana Ramadan

“I’m so happy with my win today, especially because we played against each other at the ToC and I lost 3-1, so I was a bit under pressure before my match, but I tried to deal with it as best as I could and I’m happy to be through it.

“Last time I didn’t play well, I wasn’t physically very well on court and my squash wasn’t that good. Today I just tried to be relaxed, take that match off my mind and go point by point.

“The last tournament in Manchester gave me a lot of confidence, especially because I had two good wins and I played very well against Rowan [Elaraby]. I have positive vibes in this tournament, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Zeina Mickawy
Beat: Salma Eltayeb 3-2: 11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 9-11, 11-8 (46m)
Next Opponent: Satomi Watanabe

“I feel very relieved that I got through.

“Last time we played was the first tournament of the season and I lost in five. Today I was 2-0 up, and I don’t know why, but that match came into my mind. I’m happy though that I came back and won the match.

“I thought to myself [at the end of the fourth game] I’m the more experienced player and that I would find a way, no matter how I was feeling or playing, and it was very physical, there were patches when I got tired. After the fourth I had a silent moment and told myself I had to give 100 per cent because it -is the last tournament of the season.”

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