German Open

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Final

[2] Victor Crouin (Fra) 3-0 [3] Fares Dessouky   11-4, 11-3, 11-1 (21m)

An injured Fares couldn’t defend his chances in the final after cruising throughout the event… We wish him a prompt recovery.

Semis

[3] Fares Dessouky 3-1 [6] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI)  8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 (53m)

[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-0 [2] Nada Abbas  11-4, 11-4, 11-4 (22m)

World No.16 Fares Dessouky came back from a game behind to defeat Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann as the finalists were decided on an action-packed day of semi-final action.

In the first men’s match of the day, Egyptian No.3 seed Dessouky won out in a difficult test against Switzerland’s Steinmann to progress to Sunday’s final. An impressive start to the match saw the Swiss player playing some fantastic winners, but it was unforced errors from Dessouky that made the difference to give the No.6 seed an early 1-0 lead.

The Egyptian came onto court in the second game, and cut out the costly mistakes, and Steinmann could not find an answer as he earned 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 wins to claim victory over the ‘Jet’.

Speaking after the match, Dessouky said: “He’s so aggressive on court – both of us are so aggressive – so you know it’s going to be hard. Today I prepared myself mentally first instead of just focusing on the squash, because the mental side is so important, especially for my game.”

Quarters

[3] Fares Dessouky 3-0 Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI)  11-4, 11-4, 11-3 (28m)
[6] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-2 [1] Aly Abou Eleinen  5-11, 11-9, 11-6, 0-11, 11-7 (69m)
[7] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-1 Mohamed Abouelghar  11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6 (43m)

[2] Nada Abbas 3-0 [5] Tesni Murphy (WAL) 6-5 ret. (11m)
[4] Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-0 Amina El Rihany 11-5, 11-8, 12-10 (28m)

Dessouky Overcomes Wilhelmi

In a clinical showing from the former World No.7, the Egyptian showed no mercy as he claimed a stunning straight-game victory over Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi in the quarter-finals of the German Open 2025 – Presented by Sportwerk.

The No.3 seed looked on top throughout the first game, controlling the tempo of the match. Wilhelmi had spells of good form, but struggled to out the Egyptian under any real pressure, the Dessouky ran away to an 11-4 win.

The Swiss player staged a fightback in the early stages of the second game, but Dessouky’s quality shone through, and the Egyptian claimed another 11-4 game, before taking the win in the match after an 11-3 third-game win.

Speaking after the match, Dessouky said: “I’ve had ups and downs throughout my career. Especially every time I step inside the top eight I get injured. So now my main goal is to change my mindset. Instead of winning every match, I’m trying to enjoy it more, keep my body healthy as much as possible.

“I’m trying to get back to where I was, and even better, so that’s what I’m working on.”

No.2 seed Nada Abbas takes her place in the semi-finals of the German Open 2025 – Presented by Sportwerk after an early injury caused Wales’ Tesni Murphy to call an end to proceedings.

It was an evenly contested start to the first game, but after a grimace from Murphy had the Welshwoman grabbing her hamstring, the match was swiftly ended as she conceded to her Egyptian opponent.

Speaking after the match, Abbas said: “This is definitely not the way I wanted to win. I wish Tesni [Murphy] a speedy recovery and hopefully it’s not too bad.

“I was looking forward to this match. We always had great and tough matches. I was feeling well on court but it is what it is and I just hope she has a speedy recovery.”

Round Two

[3] Fares Dessouky 3-0 Ibrahim Elkabbani  11-9, 11-3, 11-3 (33m)
[1] Aly Abou Eleinen 3-0 Omar Mosaad  11-4, 11-5, 11-8 (39m)
Mohamed Abouelghar 3-0 [4] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)  11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (47m)

[2] Nada Abbas 3-2 Joelle King (NZL) 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 (59m)
[4] Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-2 Nadine Shahin  9-11, 11-2, 10-12, 11-4, 11-8 (45m)
Amina El Rihany 3-1 [8] Zeina Mickawy  11-8, 3-11, 11-9, 11-8 (39m)
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-1 Nardine Garas  9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-2 (29m)

The first men’s match of the second round saw an all-Egyptian clash as No.3 seed Fares Dessouky took on Ibrahim Elkabbani.

The match saw several frantic rallies as Dessouky dictated play and Elkabbani could only lunge deep into all four corners in an attempt to stay in the match. Ultimately the former World No.7 won out, using his typical blend of immaculately accurate finishing while controlling the tempo to earn a 3-0 victory in 33 minutes.

The final match of the afternoon session saw No.1 seed Aly Abou Eleinen take on former World No.3 Omar Mosaad. The ‘Hammer of Thor’ made some incredible shots through-out, but it was Eleinen who was always in control as he cruised to a 3-0 victory inside 40 minutes.

Round One

[9/16] Omar Mosaad 3-1 [WC] Marek Panacek (CZE) 11-7, 3-11, 11-5, 12-10 (43m)
Ibrahim Elkabbani 3-2 [9/16] Balazs Farkas (HUN)  3-11, 12-14, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6 (71m)
[9/16] Mohamed Abouelghar 3-0 Yassin Elshafei   11-4, 11-6, 11-8 (32m)

Amina El Rihany 3-2 [9/16] Emily Whitlock (WAL)  5-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 (55m)
[9/16] Nadine Shahin 3-1 [WC] Katerina Tycova (GER)  11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-3 (35m)
[9/16] Nardine Garas 3-1 [WC] Saskia Beinhard (GER)  11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3 (32m)
Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-2 Haya Ali  8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-3 (42m)
Joelle King (NZL) 3-1 Nour Heikal  9-11, 14-12, 11-7, 11-6 (37m)

The day’s proceedings began with a clash between Egypt’s Nadine Shahin and Germany’s Katerina Tycova. The Egyptian rushed to a monumental early lead at 7-1, but the home favourite fought back, almost levelling the score at 9-10 before the World No.46 closed out the game at 11-9.

The second game saw phases of play in which both player dominated as the momentum swung pendulously between the Shahin and Tycova. It was the Egyptian who this favoured, however, as a string of three consecutive points saw her claim a 2-0 advantage in the match.

Another close game saw Tycova come out on top to halve the deficit, but a dominant fourth-game performance from Shahin saw the Egyptian accumulate 10 successive points to earn 10 match balls, securing the win on the fourth time of asking.

In an impressive result for 22-year-old Amina El Rihany, the Egyptian came back from 0-2 down to defeat Wales’ Emily Whitlock on Court 3.

After a slow start, El Rihany seemed to have found her footing in the match, finding accurate winners across the court and stretching a tiring Whitlock out across the last three games. The Welshwoman didn’t let the Egyptian pull away in the decisive fifth game, but El Rihany held her nerve to complete her comeback and earn a place in the second round.

“I’m really proud of myself because I was so tired.” said El Rihany after the match. “I tried to play like I was about to lose, but I went for it and just played.

“I was late in the tournament. I couldn’t get my passport and I got it at the last minute, and it was so unexpected and I booked the flight at the last minute. I arrived today at the hotel around 10am, and I was so tired. Thankfully I won.”

On the close-fought five game, the Egyptian remarked: “It was tough because she’s a really tough player and very experienced. I was trying to take a lot of points at the beginning… …and I went for it in the nick because I had no other choice.

Asked about her second-round match-up with No.8 seed Zeina Mickawy, El Rihany replied, “It’s my first time playing her, and she’s a really experienced player and I’m so excited to play her tomorrow.”

In a lively end to the afternoon session, Egypt’s Omar Mosaad survived a difficult test in Czechia’s Marek Panacek.

Panacek looked lively throughout the match, bounding quickly to every ball and taking the game to the former World No.3. Mosaad, in contrast, seemed to want to play more consistent squash compared to the aggressive attacking of the Czech player.

Mosaad took the first game, but Panacek was unrelenting, and forced the ‘Hammer of Thor’ to play his own frantic game, and levelled the match at 1-1. The match continued in the same vein, with Mosaad trying to dictate and force the younger player around the court, and the energetic Czech seemed happy lunging around the Egyptian to create some incredible rallies showing off the technicality of Mosaad and the athleticism of Panacek.

Mosaad took the lead at 2-1, but the fourth game was far closer, with Panacek giving his all to in last-ditch efforts as Mosaad neared victory. Panacek saved two match balls to force a tie-break, but the experience of the World No.43 won out as he won 12-10 and booked his place in the next round.

 

German Open 2025

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