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Three-Time U.S. Open Champion Farag Announces Retirement

Ali Farag, a three-time U.S. Open Champion, four-time world champion and the world No. 1 for more than 238 weeks on the PSA Squash Tour, has announced his immediate retirement from the sport.

Farag’s U.S. Open legacy began in historic fashion in 2017, when the he and his wife, Nour El Tayeb, made sporting history by becoming the first husband and wife to win a major title together in the same year–an accolade Farag refers to as his proudest moment on a squash court.

The 2017 U.S. Open title also marked the first of many major titles. He has since gone on to win the PSA Squash Tour Finals (2024) British Open (2023), the CIB Egyptian Open three times (2020, 2021, 2022), the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions four times (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025), the Qatar Classic three times (2018, 2020, 2023), the El Gouna International three times (2019, 2023, 2024), the Windy City Open twice (2020 and 2024) and the Paris Squash (2023).

Farag added to his U.S. Open hardware in 2019, when he won his second title in the final edition of the U.S. Open staged at Drexel University’s Daskalaskis Center. His U.S. Open chapter closed in 2024 where he joined the elite club of U.S. Open champions, cementing his legacy of greatness in Philadelphia.

“I always knew this day would come and I knew it would be very emotional. And it is, but in a good way,” Farag said. “It’s been a long time coming. Ever since Covid, really. When I’d achieved all my goals, I always thought ‘What’s next for me?’”

“Squash been my passion, my identity and my purpose for as long as I can remember, but there was always another part of me, a family man. Now, I’m a husband and a father to two beautiful young girls, one about to turn four and the other born three months ago. I’ve missed so many of the milestones that I wanted to be there for: the school pickups, the late-night cuddles, the bedtime stories. All of those things that pass too quickly when you’re always chasing the next flight, the next match, the next tournament. I’ve always believed in balance, and I feel like the balance has shifted now. This is what I want the next chapter to be. I’m walking away at the perfect time. Squash is in a place it has never been and the level is higher than ever in the men’s and women’s game. Even if I’m not playing, you can count on me always being there as a fan, a supporter and someone who will always love this game.”

 

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Gohar Becomes First U.S. Open Four-Time Champion; Farag Earns Third Title

Ali Farag and Nouran Gohar
Ali Farag and Nouran Gohar

Nouran Gohar made history at the 2024 Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships, becoming the first four-time champion in the tournament’s fifty-two-year history while world No. 1 Ali Farag joined an elite club of three-time U.S. Open champions Saturday, October 26, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.

Both U.S. Open finals saw the current world No. 1’s take on the reigning world champions–and all four finalists were aiming to augment their U.S. Open title records.

The women’s final opened proceedings and pitted world No. 1 and defending champion Nour El Sherbini against world champion Nouran Gohar for the tenth consecutive major final on the PSA Squash Tour.

Gohar lost her last three appearances against El Sherbini, including the Qatar Classic final two weeks ago. Gohar has been in devastating form all week and showed no signs of slowing down in the final as she overpowered and outpaced El Sherbini to take the first two games 11-8, 11-9. Gohar continued to frustrate El Sherbini in the third and earned three championship balls up 10-7, but El Sherbini showed her class to win the next five points and send the final into a fourth game. Gohar earned three more championship balls in the fourth game and this time converted to clinch the title 11-7 after fifty-one minutes.

“Ten days ago, when I was in the hospital for my broken nose I didn’t even think that I would be able to do this,” Gohar said of her broken nose sustained two weeks ago at the Qatar Classic.  “I was very annoyed with myself after the end of the third game because I thought I was playing very well. I didn’t want that small moment to cost me a big title. I just gave it a big fight in the fourth and made sure not to lose quick points. I told myself it was like a pressure session and to just give it my all.”

Gohar’s record at the U.S. Open is nothing short of astonishing. With the exception of missing the 2023 tournament due to injury, Gohar has won twenty consecutive matches in Philadelphia spanning back to the first round of the 2019 U.S. Open. With her fourth U.S. Open title, Gohar surpasses the venerable club of three-time champions including Nicol David, Mohamed ElShorbagy, Gregory Gaultier, Hashim Khan and Jansher Khan.

On the men’s side, Farag joined the illustrious club of three-time champions and keeps hopes of matching Gohar’s record in years to come. In contrast to his 2022 final against Peru’s world champion Diego Elias that saw him concede the match after two points due to injury, the 2024 final was all Farag in spite of Elias claiming their Qatar Classic final two weeks ago.

The thirty-two-year-old Harvard graduate set and maintained the pace of the match from the start and never looked back as he dispatched Elias 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 in thirty-nine minutes. 

“One thing that I pride myself on is putting up a fight whenever I lose, and in Qatar I didn’t think I did that, so that was very disappointing,” Farag said. “It questions your hunger, it makes you doubt yourself. And this week, even against Youssef Ibrahim [in the quarter-finals] I was still doubting myself when I lost a game. That win against Youssef though gave me a lot of confidence going into the match yesterday with Mazen [Hesham] and today with Diego.”
Farag adds his 2024 title to his 2017 and 2019 triumphs.
The 2024 U.S. Open welcomed Comcast Business as title sponsors for the first year and marked the fourth edition of the tournament held at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.

 

World No. 1’s to Face World Champions in U.S. Open Finals

L-R: Nour El Sherbini Nouran Gohar, Diego Elias, Ali Farag
L-R: Nour El Sherbini Nouran Gohar, Diego Elias, Ali Farag

World No. 1’s Nour El Sherbini and Ali Farag will take on reigning world champions Nouran Gohar and Diego Elias in the 2024 Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships finals after progressing through the semifinals Friday, October 25, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadephia.

All four finalists will be adding to their U.S. Open title legacies with Gohar having won three titles, Farag two titles, and El Sherbini and Elias one title.

The first semifinal saw Team USA’s Olivia Weaver exit the tournament at the hands of El Sherbini–her second loss against the Egyptian this season. The American acquitted herself well against the world No. 1, however, pushing El Sherbini to five games and earning a standing ovation from the home crowd as a result of her efforts.

El Sherbini, who arrived into the match with a perfect 10-0 head-to-head record against Weaver, prevailed 11-3, 7-11, 11-6, 2-11, 11-4 in fifty-four minutes.
“I feel the crowds [supporting Olivia] are a good thing, to be honest,” El Sherbini said. “I never take it as a negative thing. I try to say [in my head] that they are supporting me and not her. I think it [my lapses in concentration] is something that I still need to work on, to be honest. I’m not always like this in tournaments, but this week I am. That is definitely something I can work on.”
Meanwhile, Gohar stretched her winning run over long-term rival El Hammamy to five matches following an 11-3, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9 victory.  Gohar, a three-time U.S. Open champion, will have the opportunity to become the first player to engrave her name on the women’s trophy four times on Saturday.
In the men’s draw, top seed Farag delivered a masterful performance to negate the dangerous attacking play of World No.5 Mazen Hesham and progress in straight games.
Farag, a two-time champion at the U.S. Open, ultimately proved too strong for Hesham throughout the 38-minute encounter.  After coming from 6-2 down to take the opener and holding off a comeback from Hesham in the second game, Farag moved through to take a dominant win by an 11-7, 11-9, 11-1 scoreline.
“You’re going to have to accept that you’re going to be outplayed by Mazen for certain patches of the match,” Farag said after the match. “You’ve got to remember that it’s a marathon. I knew that if I kept my stamina and my mental resilience for long periods of the match, I would stand a good chance of winning today. I had to pick my punches. I didn’t want to be passive but at the same time I had to be very careful of when I went short. It’s a weird mix of not being passive but also stretching the rallies out.”
The men’s final will be a rematch of the 2022 U.S. Open final that saw Farag concede the match after three points due to injury.
World No. 4 Diego Elias was the last winner on semifinals night, continuing his faultless progression through the men’s draw by ending the superb run of unseeded Penn graduate Aly Abou Eleinen in three games. 
The U.S. Open finals begin at 6pm ET on Saturday, October 26. Limited tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Watch live coverage on squash.tv.

Penn Grad Eleinen Shocks World No. 2 Asal to Reach First Platinum Semifinal

Aly Abou Eleinen
Aly Abou Eleinen

Penn graduate Aly Abou Eleinen recorded the biggest result of his career thus far in the Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships quarterfinals, upsetting world No. 2 and 2021 champion Mostafa Asal to reach his first PSA Platinum semifinal Thursday, October 24, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.

Twenty-four-year-old Eleinen has been in the best form of his career in recent weeks, which has now culminated in his first career win over the mercurial Asal or a world No. 2-ranked player.

Eleinen started the match in confidently, moving impeccably on the H. Chase Lenfest all-glass court and winning the length battle down both side walls on his way to a one-game lead. Despite Asal stealing the momentum of the match after claiming a tense second-game tie-break, Eleinen regained his composure to shoot his way back from 4-7 down in the third and earn a 2-1 advantage. Towards the end of a close fourth game, Eleinen rattled off three straight winners from 8-9 down to seal the momentous result.

“I’m super proud of myself,” Eleinen said after the match. “I had an opportunity in the fourth and I took it. I’m just overwhelmed with joy right now. I’ve been working so hard this season. I’ve been on the other side of these results so many times against these top guys. Today, it was actually really tough when I was ahead – I didn’t want to start doubting myself. Last season, when I had those opportunities, I didn’t really go for them, and I told myself this season that I would back myself up and go for it. I’ve just got to recover now and keep it going in the semifinals.”

Eleinen will face reigning world champion Diego Elias in the semifinals after the Peruvian eliminated three-time champion and eight seed Mohamed ElShorbagy in straight games.

Nouran Gohar

The second women’s semifinal tomorrow night will feature a rematch of the 2021 finals between world No. 2 Nouran Gohar and world No. 3 Hania El Hammamy.

Current World Champion Gohar, who is wearing a protective strap after breaking her nose at the Qatar Classic two weeks ago, stretched her winning run over World No. 5 Nele Coll to 12 matches following a dominant three-game victory.

The three-time U.S. Open champion had only ever dropped one game against the Belgian  coming into the encounter, and she looked in control of the match from the first point to the last, securing an 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 victory after just thirty-two minutes on court.

“I tried to play with the big mask on, but it was really hard to do that, so this was the best thing we could come up with,” Gohar said of the smaller protective gear after wearing a full face mask in Qatar. “Playing without it would be ideal, but I can’t do that. It’s all about adapting to certain situations, things happen, so it’s all about finding ways to work around them.”

Friday night will feature four semifinals with match play starting at 6pm ET. Limited tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Watch live coverage on squash.tv.

Weaver Reaches Historic U.S. Open Semifinal; Hesham Dethrones Coll

Olivia Weaver and Mazen Hesham
Olivia Weaver and Mazen Hesham

Team USA’s Olivia Weaver became the first American to reach three Comcast Business U.S. Open semifinals in the PSA Platinum era, while Egypt’s Mazen Hesham took out defending champion Paul Coll in a thrilling five-game encounter Wednesday, October 24, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.

Wednesday night’s session saw the first half of the U.S. Open quarterfinals play out on the Specter Center’s H. Chase Lenfest West Glass Court.

The evening opened with the most significant result of the tournament thus far as Egypt’s world No. 5 Mazen Hesham reached his first career U.S. Open semifinal at the expense of New Zealand’s defending champion. Hesham used his world-class shot-making to fire his way back from 2-1 down and win the match 5-11, 11-9, 2-11, 11-5, 11-4 in sixty-four minutes.

“Paul was doing really well in the first two games, I didn’t do much wrong; I just had to tell myself that I needed to get him away from the ‘T’ and just try to push him a little bit into the back corners,” Hesham said. “I had to hang in there in the second and just try to get more rallies in. As soon as I got like four or five points, I thought I was in it again and just tried to push him and test him mentally. I think I did that really well for the rest of the match.”

Hesham will face world No. 1 and two-time U.S. Open champion Ali Farag in Friday’s semifinals after Farag held off a staunch challenge from first-time quarterfinalist Youssef Ibrahim.

The final match of the evening produced a historic result for Weaver, who marked her third U.S. Open semifinal appearance in the last four years–a first for an American since the U.S. Open has been held at the PSA Platinum level.

Weaver, world No. 4, fell behind in the match as Egypt’s Abouelkheir took the opening game 11-8, but the Philadelphia-native responded well to edge a crucial second game 11-9 and carry the momentum for the rest of the match 11-6, 11-5. 

“It’s not the ideal start time when you get on late, but this is part of the job, you have to be flexible, you have to be ready to go whenever,” Weaver said. “I was disappointed not to sneak out that first game but I was happy with how I didn’t panic and I just went back to my game plan. I just tried to find my targets on the court, which I don’t think were great in the first game. If you leave anything in the middle, she’s going to put it away, so I really just wanted to shut the court down, and I’m happy with how I adapted throughout the match.”
Weaver will face Egypt’s world No. 1 and defending champion Nour El Sherbini in the semifinals on Friday night. El Sherbini saved two game balls in the fourth game against eight seed Rowan Elaraby to keep her title defense alive.
Tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Watch live coverage on squash.tv.

Gilis Sisters Advance to U.S. Open Quarterfinals; Eleinen Ousts Momen

Tinne Gilis and Aly Abou Eleinen
Tinne Gilis and Aly Abou Eleinen

Top-ten-ranked Belgian sisters Tinne Gilis and Nele Coll will appear in the Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships quarterfinals alongside each other for the first time, while former Penn star Aly Abou Eleinen is set for his first appearance in the last eight after upsetting veteran and 2022 U.S. Open finalist Tarek Momen Tuesday, October 22, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.

Tuesday night’s matches saw the completion of the quarterfinal lineup with eight second round matches held across both glass courts. Seven of the eight seeded players advanced to the quarterfinals with the exception of seven seed Momen.
Four past champions kept their title hopes alive as they progressed, including Nouran Gohar, Mohamed ElShorbagy, Mostafa Asal and Diego Elias.
The Belgian sisters became the third set of sisters to appear in the U.S. Open quarterfinals together following the Sobhy sisters in 2022 and the Grinham sisters in 2003.
Coll, world No. 5, came back from a game down against Egypt’s Sana Ibrahim to advance in four games. Coll will face world No. 2 Nouran Gohar for a spot in the semifinals on Thursday night.
“I think it was just all the tension and frustration coming out at the end,” Coll said. “She’s such a dangerous opponent and especially with a court like this where it’s so dead, she just shoots, and it just made me quite edgy today. I didn’t watch the last match back. I wanted to forget about that match as quickly as possible, but I knew exactly what I did wrong there. I wouldn’t say I got it right today but it was better.”
Gilis will make her debut in the U.S. Open quarterfinal against Egypt’s world No. 3 Hania El Hammamy following a decisive 3-0 victory over Egypt’s Malak Khafagy.
Eleinen, world No. 13, defeated world No. 7 Momen for the second time in as many weeks following a recent win at the Silicon Valley Open. Eleinen came back from dropping the first game to win 7-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 in fifty-five minutes.
The quarterfinal rounds will take place across Wednesday and Thursday night with match play moving the H. Chase Lenfest West Glass Court.
Tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Watch live coverage on squash.tv.

SquashSmarts Celebrates 25th Anniversary at U.S. Open

SquashSmarts, the Philadelphia youth enrichment program, began its 25th anniversary celebrations at the 2024 Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships Monday, October 21, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.

More than four hundred SquashSmarts staff members, students, parents, donors, advisors, and board members attended the SquashSmarts VIP Night at the Open. Quinetta Bowden, SquashSmart’s senior program director and a SquashSmarts graduate, and Andrew Nehrbas, SquashSmarts Board President, welcomed the large crowd at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.

SquashSmarts night at the open formally kicked off the anniversary celebration of the program that will span its twenty-fifth year.

Founded in 2001, SquashSmarts has just begun its twenty-third season. A 501(c)3 non-profit, SquashSmarts is an award-winning, free, intensive, out-of-school academic and athletic mentoring program changing the lives of Philadelphia’s public-school students. Students are recruited in middle school from Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary, Neuva Esperanza Academy Charter, Science Leadership Academy, Carver School for Engineering & Science and Overbrook Educational Center. The program’s students attend practices three days a week for seven years and then maintain a deep relationship after they graduate from high school.

Ibrahim and Abouelkheir Reach Maiden U.S. Open Quarterfinals

Youssef Ibrahim and Fayrouz Abouelkheir
Youssef Ibrahim and Fayrouz Abouelkheir

Egypt’s Youssef Ibrahim and Fayrouz Abouelkheir will make their debuts in the Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships quarterfinals after second round wins Monday night, October 21, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.

Monday night saw the top half of the second round play out on both glass courts as more than 400 spectators packed into the Specter Center.

The eight second round matches saw all six seeded players advance in three games, including Team USA’s Olivia Weaver who recorded a decisive win over England’s Katie Malliff to the enjoyment of a group from her high school alma mater, Germantown Friends School.

Weaver will make her third career U.S. Open quarterfinal appearance on Wednesday night against the eighteen-year-old Abouelkheir. The Egyptian world No. 13 upset England’s world No. 6 Georgina Kennedy in the first round, and on Monday defeated England’s world No. 17 Sarah-Jane Perry for the third time in 2024, 11-6, 9-11, 13-11, 11-8 in forty-four minutes.

Like Abouelkheir, Ibrahim upset the world No. 6 in the first round and in the final match of the day dispatch compatriot Youssef Soliman for the first time in his career to set up a quarterfinal against world No. 1 Ali Farag.

Tuesday will see the completion of the second round with matches starting at 5pm ET.

Tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Watch live coverage on squash.tv.

Squash Fans Attend Inaugural U.S. Open House

More than 100 squash fans jumped on court before watching the first round of the Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships Saturday, October 19, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.

The squash fans played in round robins, skill level clinics and open play at the Specter Center while the world’s best squash players prepared to take to the courts that evening.

Thank you to all attendees and supporters!

 

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Former Penn Star Eleinen Tops Brownell; Nine Egyptians Win on Sunday

Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen and Malak Khafagy

Former Penn star and world No. 15 Aly Abou Eleinen reached the Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships round of sixteen for a second consecutive year with a win over Harvard graduate Timmy Brownell, while Egypt produced nine of sixteen victors Sunday, October 20, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.

Brownell and Eleinen, who first faced each other in the 2019 College Squash Individual Championships, met for just the second time on the PSA Squash Tour and first time in a PSA Platinum event. It was the American who took the opening game 12-10, but Eleinen earned the momentum for the rest of the match, advancing 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 in fifty-nine minutes.

“That’s a big win for me, Timmy is never an easy player to come up against, especially on this court,” Eleinen said. He’s probably the person who trains on this court the most, he probably knows every inch of this court, so it was really tough today. The court was really dead today and I found it tough to find my length, even until the end. I just kept digging deep and fighting.”

Eleinen is one of three College Squash graduates left in the draw alongside world Harvard’s No. 1 Ali Farag and Princeton’s world No. 4 Olivia Weaver.

“It’s so nice playing here,” Eleinen said. “Seeing familiar faces and walking around in Philadelphia, it feels like my second home. I have got my family and friends here, so hopefully I can keep going.”

Eleinen was one of nine victorious Egyptians on the day, including his second round opponent 2022 finalist Tarek Momen.

On the women’s draw, Egypt’s Hana Ramadan and Malak Khafagy are both set for their debuts in the U.S. Open second round.

Team USA’s representation in the tournament waned on Sunday with four Americans exiting the tournament. Top-ten-ranked Belgian sisters Nele Coll and Tinne Gilis defeated Americans Amanda Sobhy and Marina Stefanoni, respectively, and wild card Lucie Stefanoni fell short against Scotland’s Georgia Adderly in four games.

Tickets are available on usopensquash.com/tickets. Watch live coverage on squash.tv.

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