Pakistan Squash Federation President, Secretary Condole With Rana Tanveer

President Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Senior Vice President Air Marshal Shahid Akhtar Alvi and Secretary PSF Group Captain Tahir Sultan along with other PSF staff have expressed heartfelt condolences with sports journalist Rana Tanvir Ahmed of APP on the sad demise of his mother.



ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News, app - 27th Dec, 2018 ) :President Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Senior Vice President Air Marshal Shahid Akhtar Alvi and Secretary PSF Group Captain Tahir Sultan along with other PSF staff have expressed heartfelt condolences with sports journalist Rana Tanvir Ahmed of APP on the sad demise of his mother.

In a joint message issued here on Thursday, they prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the members of bereaved family to bear the irreparable loss with equanimity.

Rotorua's Amanda Landers-Murphy reflects on incredible year

Winning gold at the Commonwealth Games will no doubt be etched into her mind, but like most elite athletes Amanda Landers-Murphy is already focused on improving.

In fact, the Rotorua squash star didn't celebrate Christmas in her hometown as she had flown to England for a month-long stint of training.

In April, paired with New Zealand No 1 Joelle King in the women's squash doubles at the Commonwealth Games, Landers-Murphy's dreams came true when they defeated India's Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Joshna Chinappa in the gold-medal match. It was a real sign of the progress the pair had made since finishing fourth in Glasgow four years earlier.

"I'll be training in Bristol for a month, then I'll head to the US for a couple of months of tournaments. I've been working with a coach in Bristol, Hadrian Stiff, so that's the big drawcard over there," Landers-Murphy said.


"It was actually Joey [Joelle King] that got me over there in the first place. She thought it would be really good for me to be based over there and work with him. It will be a cold Christmas and bit lonely, but Joelle will be there which is good and you've got to do what you've got to do."

Despite her success this year, there are times she struggles with self-confidence.

"One of the biggest things Hadrian has given me a bit more confidence, it's still a work in progress. He's a good sounding board.

"In more recent years that self-confidence has been a hard grind at times, but I'm working through it and I'll see how it goes. Everyone's different and self-belief is just something that doesn't always come naturally to me."

Amanda Landers-Murphy and Joelle King celebrate a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Photo / Getty Images
Since the Games she has played in eight tournaments all over the world and sits 38th in the world rankings.

"There's no sort of standout results, it's certainly been up and down, but I had an off-season break over our winter which was quite good - I haven't done that for a few years and it gave me a good sort of base going into the next ones.
"I feel the improvements are there, I just need to apply them. I'd like to crack the top 20 in 2019, that would be a great achievement for me, but I have to take it one step at a time. You have to have a balance between having those long-term goals but not putting too much pressure on yourself - still going out there and enjoying it. That's when the results will come."

Meanwhile, she has enjoyed watching her doubles partner make massive strides in the sport. King is fourth in the world and won her maiden PSA Platinum title at the Hong Kong Open in November.

"She's going absolutely amazing, I'm so happy for her. Everyone has been waiting for it to happen for so long, it's always been there for her. She's always been capable of it, so it's awesome to see the first Platinum win under her belt and I'm sure there will be plenty to come."

This month, the pair were named as finalists for ISPS Handa Team of the Year at the 56th Halberg Awards.

"It's really cool, it's amazing that our achievements have been recognised and Joey is a Sportswoman of the Year finalist as well - I think she will go close to that, she's had an amazing year. There's some pretty good competition in the team category, especially the sevens girls, everyone who's there deserves to be there."

YEAR IN REVIEW: ONES TO WATCH IN 2019

The past 12 months have seen some of the most memorable and exciting moments on the PSA World Tour.

With the end of the year approaching, we’re taking a look at which players could be the ones to watch to make a huge impact in 2019.


Tesni Evans

Wales’ Tesni Evans has gone from strength-to-strength in 2018, from breaking into the top ten in the Women’s World Rankings, to reaching her first semi-final at a PSA Platinum event at October’s U.S. Open.

Evans has seen her calibre rise on the PSA Tour to become one of the main players to watch in 2019 as she shows no signs of slowing down her current strong form.

The Welshwoman showed signs at the start of the year that she was to be a threat to the established regime at the top of the World Rankings as she impressed in performances against the likes of World No.3 Nour El Tayeb at the Windy City Open, where she narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-finals in a five-game thriller in Chicago.

Evans continued to improve, with her crowning moment coming at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast where she claimed a Bronze medal in the women’s singles event, defeating Malaysian icon Nicol David.

Her big moment on the PSA Tour came in October of this year when she claimed her first ever win over England’s Sarah-Jane Perry to reach the semi-finals of the U.S. Open – her first at a PSA Platinum event.

Evans put in a stunning performance as she fought back from a 2-1 deficit, which saw her become the first Welsh player since coach David Evans in 2001 to reach the last four of a major PSA Tour event.

The Welshwoman went onto face reigning World Champion Raneem El Welily, where she fell marginally short of reaching the final in Philadelphia after a spirited performance.

That run of form led to her breaking into the top ten, however, as she reached a career-high of World No.9 in the November Women’s PSA World Rankings. This meant that she was the first ever Welsh woman to break into the top ten.

Evans finished the year with a runner-up finish to England’s former World No.1 Laura Massaro at the Monte Carlo Classic and will be a big contender at the big tournaments going into 2019.

Joel Makin

Evans’ compatriot Joel Makin also had a 2018 to remember with a string of impressive performances making their mark on the PSA World Tour this year.

The Welshman enjoyed a strong end to the 2017/18 season, taking the honours at the Tring Open in addition to ending Wales’ decade-long wait for a male player to reach the main draw of the British Open.

Makin impressed as he followed up a semi-final berth at the Irish Open with a run to the British Open main draw for the first time in his career. Makin defeated Englishman Patrick Rooney, before defeating Tom Richards in the final round of qualifying to become the first Welshman to make the main draw since 2008.

Defeat to then World No.9 Mohamed Abouelghar brought an end to his tournament in Hull but he backed it up with his sole title of the year as he defeated compatriot Peter Creed to capture the Tring Open crown.

More impressive performances were to come from Makin towards the end of the year as he earned the biggest victory of his career to date when he defeated World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy at the Channel VAS Championships at St George’s Hill.

ElShorbagy was coming off the back of a title win at the U.S. Open, but the reigning World Champion was under pressure right from the off as Makin combined his typically strong retrieval skills with some fine touches at the front of the court to claim a straight-games victory.

The Welshman finished the year at a career-high of World No.24 and showed that he can be a threat to some of the biggest players in the world – a trait that he will look to continue next year.

Amanda Sobhy

United States’ Amanda Sobhy made her grand return to the PSA World Tour at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions after 10 months out following a ruptured achilles, which she suffered in the semi-finals of the Ciudad de Floridablanca.

The former World No.6 made her return inside New York’s Grand Central Terminal with a 3-1 victory over 2007 World Champion Rachael Grinham.

Things continued to improve for the American with February’s Windy City Open in Chicago providing the backdrop for Sobhy to show she was truly making her way back to her best as she defeated former World No.2 Nouran Gohar, recovering a from dropping the first game to prevail 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 in an emotional victory.

Sobhy continued to keep things on track as she looked to work her way back up the Women’s World Rankings as she secured the Texas Open title in March, defeating compatriot Reeham Sedky in the final.

A highly impressive performance in front of her home crowd at the U.S. Open in October showed that Sobhy was back to competing at the highest level as she slayed defending champion Nour El Tayeb in a five-game thriller, which saw the American come from two games down to reach the quarter-finals of the PSA Platinum tournament.

This run of form saw Sobhy climb to World No.13 in December’s World Rankings and she will no doubt make a charge back into the top ten in 2019.

Diego Elias

Peru’s Diego Elias has shown over the years that he has all of the attributes to become one of the world’s best players on the PSA Tour, however, one of the big questions for the ‘Peruvian Puma’ is when he can take the next step to compete consistently with the top male players in the world.

Elias saw his 2017/18 season continuously disrupted by injury, however, by the end of 2018 his impressive skill was beginning to emerge again as he claimed some impressive results and edged his way back towards the top ten in the World Rankings.

The Peruvian claimed a runner-up finish at the Sporta Guatemala XI Torneo Internacional PSA, losing out to newly crowned British Open winner Miguel Angel Rodriguez in the final to end the 2017/18 season.

At the start of this season in September, Elias showed signs of being at his best with a quarter-final finish at the Oracle NetSuite Open and a semi-final place at the Channel VAS Championships at St George’s Hill.

The Peruvian’s crowning moment came at the Qatar Classic, however, when he defeated World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy. Elias produced the performance of his career in a thrilling 76-minute five-game encounter to book his place in the semi-finals of the Qatar Classic and end ElShorbagy’s title defence at the PSA Platinum tournament.

Elias went onto face Germany’s Simon Rösner for a place in the final, but the German proved to be too strong as he condemned Elias to defeat.

The year ended strongly for the Peruvian, however, as he finished runner-up at the Pakistan Open to Egypt’s former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad and he finished December as World No.11 with a place in the top ten beckoning for Elias in 2019.

Rowan Elaraby

Egyptian rising star Rowan Elaraby has showed signs that she could rocket up the Women’s World Rankings in 2019 as her stock continues to rise.

Elaraby claimed her second successive World Junior title in July of this year to become the fourth Egyptian to win back-to-back women’s titles after Raneem El Welily in 2007, Nour El Sherbini in 2013 and Nouran Gohar in 2016.

The 18-year-old Egyptian has also enjoyed title success on the PSA Tour this year, claiming both the Irish Squash Open and Pakistan International Squash Tournament titles, defeating compatriots Zeina Mickawy and Nada Abbas, respectively.

These results accumulated in the young player climbing to a career-high of World No.27 in October’s Women’s World Rankings, and she finished the year as World No.31, with things sure to get better for the teenager in 2019.

Mostafa Asal

Elaraby’s compatriot Asal has marked himself as another player to watch in 2019 as he enjoyed a strong 2018 to mark himself as one of the rising stars on the Men’s Tour.

Asal only made his PSA Tour debut this year, but already has three titles to his name and has reached four finals.

The young Egyptian claimed back-to-back title wins at the Tour de las Americas Mar del Plata Open 2018 Decker Camiones Cup and Tour de las Americas – Regatas Resistencia Open, before then adding the Paineiras Open Brasil title to his ever-expanding collection.

Asal, also enjoyed success on the junior circuit as he claimed the men’s World Junior Champion title alongside compatriot Elaraby – who took the women’s honours.

The teenager also proved to be a handful to some of the top players at the CIB Black Ball Open as he took out England’s World No.19 Declan James in a five-game thriller and also took a game off World No.2 Ali Farag in Cairo.

Asal began the year as World No.501 before rising all the way to World No.52 at the close of the year and could be one of the players set to do big things in 2019.

Lucy Turmel

Another young player who looks as though she could do big things in 2019 is England’s Lucy Turmel.

The 19-year-old impressed in 2018 as she claimed the TRAC Oil & Gas North of Scotland Open, defeating compatriot Kace Bartley in straight-games in the final to lift the title. Turmel also secured runner-up finishes at the Christchurch Veterinary Surgery Ipswich Open and Open International des Volcans – where she lost out to South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller in both finals.

One of her best performances came at the Open International de Squash de Nantes in September, where she continuously upset the seedings to reach the semi-finals of the PSA Challenger Tour tournament, losing out to experienced compatriot Emily Whitlock for a place in the final.

The young Englishwoman ended the year at a career-high of World No.55 and under the tutelage of the likes of former World No.1 Laura Massaro could make huge strides in 2019.

Eain Yow Ng

Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng enjoyed another strong run of form in 2018, as he made a mark at some of the PSA Tour’s biggest tournaments to set himself as a player to watching heading into 2019.

Competing in the first round of a major PSA World Tour Platinum event for just the second time, the 20-year-old sealed one of the biggest victories of his career to knock out home favourite and then-World No.24 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi out of the 2018 Qatar Classic at the first hurdle.

Taking on the talented Al Tamimi in his own backyard, Ng embraced the underdog role and attacked without fear from the off. Player with a relaxed and composed manner the Malaysian took the game to the local man, forcing errors from the racket of a nervous Tamimi to take the opening game before going on to claim the victory to book a place in the second round of a major event for the first time in his career.

Big results continued to flow for the young talented Malaysian towards the end of the year as he took out experienced Australian Cameron Pilley in the first round of the CIB Black Ball Squash Open in Cairo, coming from two-games down to win.

He then went onto axe New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson to face Egypt’s World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy in the last 16, with ElShorbagy coming out on top, but hailing Ng as a future World Champion and one to watch in his post-match interview on court.

Ng completed the year at a career-high World Ranking of World No.42 and will be looking to continue his steady rise up the Men’s Rankings as he looks to make his mark in 2019.

AXA Junior Squash Championships Final Results

The 2018 AXA Bermuda National Junior Squash Championships – which featured 45 participants between the ages of 7 and 18-years-old – has come to an end.

The event’s final results feature winners in 22 different categories from a number of age groups.

squash group winner Bermuda Dec 23 2018

Boys Under 19 Final

Anaya Smith beat Charlie Riker 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5
Boys Under 17 Final

Charlie Riker beat Matthew Elliott 11-8, 11-7, 11-5
Girls Under 17 Final

Abigail Brewer beat Ariana Lowther 11-3, 11-4, 11-2
Boys Under 15 Final

Graham Moss beat Michael Costello 11-3, 12-10, 11-7
Girls Under 15 Final

Ariana Lowther beat Hailey Moss 11-8, 11-6, 11-5
Boys Under 13 Final

Andrew Cox beat Eli Carpol 11-4, 11-7, 11-3
Girls Under 13 Final

CeCe Robinson beat Gabby Tuchiaro 11-9, 11-7, 11-7
Boys Under 11 Final

Owen Rosorea beat Matty Copeland 11-7, 11-1, 11-4
Girls Under 11 Final

Somers Stevenson beat Rose Paulos 11-6, 7-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-9
Girls Under 17 Classic Plate Final

Hailey Moss beat Lauren Dietz 11-4, 11-6, 11-3
Girls Under 13 Classic Plate Final

Taliah Wade beat Rose Paulos 11-8, 11-4, 11-5
Girls Under 11 Classic Plate Final

Brooke Castree beat Issey Robinson 11-6, 11-6, 12-10
Girls Under 11 Plate Final

Heidi Paulos beat Sydney Troake 11-9, 11-5, 11-4
Boys Under 13 3/4th Place Play-off

Ethan Rosorea beat Nicholas Southern 6-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-9
Boys Under 19 Classic Plate Final

Matthew Elliott beat Alex Southern 11-7, 11-9, 11-4
Boys Under 17 Classic Plate Final

Matthew Ingelman beat Alex Southern 12-10, 11-2, 11-8
Boys Under 15 Classic Plate Final

Andrew Cox beat Ethan Rosorea 11-2, 11-3, 1-11, 11-9
Boys Under 13 Classic Plate Final

Neil Varwandkar beat Bert Stevenson 11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 14-12
Boys Under 11 Classic Plate Final

Matthew Troake beat Jack Fisher 11-5, 10-12, 6-11, 11-8, 11-6
Boys Under 15 Plate Final

Eli Carpol beat Neil Varwandkar 11-5, 12-10, 11-8
Boys Under 13 Plate Final

Owen Rosorea beat Matthew Troake 11-4, 11-7, 11-3
Boys Under 11 Plate Final

William Frith beat Hudson Ferris 11-7, 11-7, 11-4

Sodiq, Olatunji Win O’Trafford PSA National Tourney

Nigeria’s top female squash player, Yemisi Olatunji and former male Number One, Taiwo Sodiq, emerged winners of the O’Trafford PSA National Closed Satellite Tournament 2018 at the weekend.

It was another version of the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, at the final when Yemisi defeated her younger sister, Busayo Olatunji, 11-7, 11-8,  11-3 to win the women’s event of the maiden  O’Trafford  squash tournament.

Fresh from her exploit at the just concluded National Sports Festival in Abuja, Yemisi displayed why she is Nigeria’s topmost player in the female category.



In the male category, Sodiq who was in strong form throughout the game and ousted top player, Lanre Abdulrahman in the semi-final, bounced from his lost in the first set to defeat a hard-fighting Idowu Enemakure 12-14, 11-1, 11-6, 11-8 in a five straight set game.

The Chairman of O’Trafford Squash club, Aderemi Adeseun  while presenting the winners with their prizes said the tournament has come to stay and urged all other squash clubs to organise more PSA sanctioned tournaments to enable Nigerian squash players get points to be ranked.

Sodiq, the winner of the male category received $1,000 as the star prize while Yemisi Olatunji who emerged champion of the female version received $500.

Season Greetings From Naija Squash Media!

Season Greetings From Naija Squash Media!

We just want to thank you, thank you for your patronage, letting us serve you well and making us your choice. Through the year you were there, standing by our side, showing how much you care with words of wisdom well applied. Two years after we are still here standing the test of time, glowing with pride from how you portrayed us to the world out there, popularizing this Media platform as a well known Squash Blog in Nigeria and the world in general . Thank you for your support as we anticipate a better 2019.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year from the stables of  NAIJA SQUASH MEDIA.

Army takes squash to higher ground

The Army has come forward with the notion that a ‘Healthy Army-Healthy Nation’, has decided to support the 38th National Squash Championship that will be played at their cantonment squash complex in Panagoda from December 27 to 30.

Army has take to sports in a big way and to help squash bloom they have built well equipped squash courts with modern technicalities. They have made all arrangements to conduct the nationals at the request of Sri Lanka Squash.

Men’s champion Ravindu Laksiri who has held the title for the past five years will be looking forward to defend the title again. The women’s title holder is Mihiliya Methsarani who has won it over the past two years is also a hot favourite to defend the title. She could face stiff challenge by Fathoum Issadeen who emerged champion in the Air Force squash tournament last month. The events to be worked out are the men’s and women’s Open, Men’s over-35, Mastersover-45, Veterans’ over-50, Veterans over-55, men’s Novices and women’s Novices.Each player can enter only for two events.

Speaking at the media briefing Army commander Lt Gen Mahesh Senanayake said they are taking steps to raise the standard of squash in the country and will encourage school children to use their squash courts for practices and tournaments at junior level as well.

“There is no time restriction to play squash. It can be played even at night after your work. The Army will take the responsibility to improve all sports in the country so that their health will also improve.”We look forward to even sponsoring the National Sports Festival with the intention of improving the standard of sports in the country,” said Lt Gen Senanayake.

Army promotes and sustains 34 sports and has intentions to go far and wide to create a healthy environment in the country.

OTrafford squash tourney rounds off in grand style

After an action packed four days of top class squash excitement, the first ever PSA sanctioned senior squash tournament in Nigeria organized by the only squash club in Nigeria – the OTrafford Squash Club, ends today at the 82nd Division of the Army Officers Mess in Marina, Lagos.

Today’s grand finale will feature the women’s and men’s final with a winners pocketing $1000 and $500 respectively.The captain of O Trafford Squash Club,  Biyi Mabadeje expressed delight that the OTrafford PSA sanctioned tournament have recorded a significant milestone in Nigerian squash calendar.

“We are proud that this tournament has come to stay. We are very happy because this started a few months ago and we thought it will not be achievable but with the efforts of our Chairman,  Aderemi Adeseun and other club members, we have been able to surmount our fears and put up this tournament,” he said.

According to Mabadeje: “Two things made this tournament outstanding- its been sanctioned by the international squash body -PSA, which means players will gather points and secondly.  I think we deserve an accolade as this is the only tournament in Nigeria with the highest number of participants.”A total of 75 squash players took part in the tournament, 48 males and 27 females, including top ranked squash players in Nigeria.

Sierra Leone Sports: Sacha clinches 2018 YSC squash open tournament

The 2018 Y.S.C. Squash Open Tournament was won by Sacha Touray, over the weekend. Champion Touray said this year’s tournament was great for him as compared to the last edition when he was a runner-up. He said his success came through his hard work, discipline, focus and commitment. Touray said that even though he defeated his opponent, Joseph During, (3-2) 11-7, 4-11, 7-11, 13-11, 11-9, in the finals it was a very tough for him because of the great skills the young man exhibited during the game. Touray thanked the YSC squash court for organizing such a good tournament and also the Squash Racquet Association for ranking him as the number one squash player in the country. According to the President of the Young Sportsmens Club (YSC), Bassim Sahid Mohamed, said he appreciates the kind of support given by the various clubs and participants in honoring their invitation to take part in this year’s tournament. He also affirmed that they will continue to promote the game of squash and to expose the younger players and also compliment the work of the Squash Racquet Association. President of the Sierra Leone Squash Racquet Association, Umaru Kakay, thanked all the squash coaches from their various clubs who worked collaboratively in making sure that this year’s open tournament come out successful. He congratulated the YSC squash executive for their relentless effort in making sure that they have a successful tournament. He continued that since 2011, which was the first edition, the tournament has yielded so many dividends for young players. Kakay, admonished all the younger squash players, especially the school-going pupils, to be self-disciplined, respectful and take the game with all seriousness. He furthered that playing squash is very good for everybody regardless of age. He cautioned all those who took part in the tournament to respect their coaches so that they can have the best of their game and always put on good sportsmanship behavior. In the Men’s category, the winner took home Le10 million and the runner-up Le5 million, racquets and other squash equipment were given to the other categories.

Excited Players Hail O’Trafford Squash Club, Call For More PSA Tournaments

Squash action on day one of the OTrafford PSA National Closed Satellite squash tournament in Lagos

Appreciated with a massive turnout of players, fans and officials from every nooks and crannies of the nation, basking in the euphoria of playing in the first ever PSA Senior Squash Tournament organised by the O’Trafford Squash Club, excited players at the tournament are advocating for more PSA sanctioned tournaments in the country to stand the chance of getting enough ranking points for international competitions.

The players expressed their feelings yesterday as the PSA National Closed Satellite Tournament organised by O’Trafford Squash Club stroked off on the squash courts of the 81 Division Army Officers Mess in Marina, Lagos.

One of the players, Ogunyemi Taiwo Omotayo, who played at the just concluded National Sports Festival in Abuja, said with more internationally recognised competitions, squash players in Nigeria would be motivated to strive for greater heights.

“I think firstly this tournament is going to help our ranking positions. For me, if I perform well in this tournament, my ranking will move up after adding up my previous scores,” he said.

In the same vein, Iguodala Desmond who played in the men’s qualifying round, believes the game of squash in Nigeria is gradually bouncing back to life as with about four tournaments staged this year alone, a major improvement compared to previous years.

“Most people don’t know about squash, when you tell them you play squash they are confused.

“In Nigeria only few people know about this game and with more awareness through competitions like this, people will key into the game,” he said.

The opening day of the O’Trafford tournament witnessed qualifiers into the main draws as the top ranked squash players secured wide cards into the competition.

Top rated players like Yemisi Olatunji and Lanre Abdulrahman are among the seeded players that will storm the squash courts today as the main contest to clinch the exciting prize money at stake begins.

CCI International Main Draw Released

The main draw for January’s CCI International has been released with Egypt’s World No.4 Tarek Momen and World No.5 Marwan ElShorbagy seeded to meet in the final of the PSA World Tour Silver tournament, which will take place between January 8 – 12.


The tournament will be held at the Cricket Club of India and will see a high-quality draw battle it out for the title in Mumbai.


Momen is seeded on the same side of the draw as defending champion Saurav Ghosal, Switzerland’s World No.20 and last year’s runner-up Nicolas Mueller, and England’s World No.22 Tom Richards.


The Egyptian, along with the other top eight seeds, receives a bye into the second round and will face either compatriot Youssef Ibrahim or Welshman Peter Creed for a place in the last eight.


ElShorbagy, meanwhile, is seeded to meet compatriot Fares Dessouky in the semi-finals - with both players making their first appearance of the 2018/19 season - but will first have to navigate his way through a draw that also contains the likes of England’s former World No.1 James Willstrop and World No.3 Omar Mosaad.


Home interest comes in the form of defending champion and World No.12 Ghosal, who will face either Egypt’s Mohamed Reda or Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann in round two. Meanwhile, wildcard and World No.123 Aditya Jagtap faces Egypt’s Karim El Hammamy in the opening round.


The CCI International will be the first PSA World Tour Silver tournament to take place in India under the new PSA Tour structure, meaning that qualification has been scrapped and a 24-player draw will battle it out for the title, with the top eight seeds receiving a bye into the second round.


More information about the tournament can be found on the tournament website: https://www.indiansquashcircuit.com/ and by following them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.


CCI International – Main Draw
[1] Tarek Momen (EGY) [Bye]
Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v [9/16] Peter Creed (WAL)
[9/16] Edmon Lopez (ESP) v Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP)
[7] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) [Bye]
[8] Tom Richards (ENG) [Bye]
Ramit Tandon (IND) v [9/16] Joshua Masters (ENG)
[9/16] Mohamed Reda (EGY) v Dimitri Steinmann (SUI)
[3] Saurav Ghosal (IND) [Bye]
[4] Fares Dessouky (EGY) [Bye]
Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (IND) v [9/16] Ben Coleman (ENG)
[9/16] Karim El Hammamy (EGY) v [WC] Aditya Jagtap (IND)
[6] Omar Mosaad (EGY) [Bye]
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) [Bye]
Mazen Gamal (EGY) v [9/16] Vikram Malhotra (IND)
[9/16] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) v Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
[2] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) [Bye]

OTRAFFORD Squash Club: PSA National Closed Satellite Tournament

OTRAFFORD squash club will be hosting the PSA National Closed Satellite Tournament in Nigeria.
see caption above for more details.

Egyptian Star El Tayeb to Headline January’s Cleveland Classic

Egypt’s World No.3 Nour El Tayeb will headline the 2019 Cleveland Classic draw when the PSA Bronze tournament takes place at the Cleveland Racquet Club from January 31 – February 4, 2019.

Previous winners at the tournament include the likes of New Zealand’s Joelle King, eight-time World Champion Nicol David and France’s Camille Serme and this year will feature another high-quality draw with World No.3 El Tayeb leading the line-up.



The Egyptian will be looking to continue her rich vein of form in America after she claimed two titles there last season at the U.S. Open and Windy City Open, held in Philadelphia and Chicago, respectively.


She will be joined by a number of the best female players in the world, including Wales’ World No.9 Tesni Evans, England’s former World No.3 and 2017 champion Alison Waters and Egyptian talents Mariam Metwally, Mayar Hany and World Junior Champion Rowan Elaraby.



They will face tough competition from the likes of English pair Victoria Lust and Emily Whitlock and Belgium’s Nele Gilis – who won the biggest title of her career at this season’s Open International de Squash de Nantes.



Home interest comes in the form of United States’ World No.43 Haley Mendez, while the wildcard spot is occupied by Spain’s World No.135 Marina De Juan Gallach, who resides in Cleveland.



You can find out more about the Cleveland Classic by heading to the tournament website.



Cleveland Classic 2019 – Entry Release



Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Tesni Evans (WAL)
Alison Waters (ENG)
Victoria Lust (ENG)
Emily Whitlock (ENG)
Mariam Metwally (EGY)
Mayar Hany (EGY)
Nadine Shahin (EGY)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
Nele Gilis (BEL)
Samantha Cornett (CAN)
Milou van der Heijden (NED)
Coline Aumard (FRA)
Hollie Naughton (CAN)
Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL)
Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
Haley Mendez (USA)
Tinne Gilis (BEL)
Rachel Arnold (MAS)
Nikki Todd (CAN)
Lucy Turmel (ENG)
Lisa Aitken (SCO)
Nicole Bunyan (CAN)
Wildcard) Marina De Juan Gallach (ESP)

Squash Association moves to revive Abuja Courts for competitions, exercises

Chairman of the FCT Squash Association, Edem Selong, says the immediate priority of the association is to resuscitate two abandoned Squash Courts at the Old Parade Ground of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in order to provide conducive training centres for squash enthusiasts. Squash Selong, who was elected as Chairman of the Squash Association last month, told Vanguard Sports in Abuja on Tuesday that the association under his leadership also wanted to promote the game of Squash, which is essential for longevity and healthy living. “It is imperative for the two squash courts, which incidentally, are the only two courts owned by the FCT, to be revitalized and put to use so as to take care of the teeming crowd of squash players, who are daily wandering about the FCT look for where to find a befitting court to play and keep themselves busy and promote their health,” Selong said. “We also want to use the facilities to groom our talents in the field of squash so as to raise a standing team for any competition so that we don’t need to be running helter skelter whenever we need to present athletes for any competition. Reflecting on the just-concluded National Sports Festival hosted by the FCT and the Federal government, Selong said that it would have been more successful if necessary preparations had been done ahead of the competition and taken up by the respective states that had the right to do so. Selong however lauded the FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello, and the FCT Sports Administration Department of the FCDA for taking up the hosting of the NSF after Cross River State, which was to hold the event, did not do so after all. The chairman also lauded the Sports Minister, Solomon Lalong, for taking steps to ensure the hosting of the national event by the FCT despite the short notice, saying that although the event was not perfect, it raised the tempo of sports in the country and energized Nigerians from all walks of life. Selong, who called for early preparation for the 2020 NSF, also said it was wrong to have skipped the annual hosting of the festival for over six years, thereby creating a lull in the system and ebb the interest of Nigerians athletes. The chairman is happy with the elevation of a member of the FCT Squash Association, Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Emekah, as member of the Faculty of the Army War College. The Chairman also rejoiced with the newly appointed Minister of Environment, Suleiman Hassan, whom he described as a strong squash player and enthusiast.

O Trafford Squash club debuts with PSA Closed Satellite tourney

All is now set for the maiden O Trafford PSA National Closed Satellite Squash tournament holding between 19 and 22 December, 2018 at the luxurious Squash Raquette courts of the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army Officers Mess, Lagos. Squash Struggling Villarreal sack coach Calleja Seventy five players, 48 of them men will compete for honours in the event which is the first senior PSA-sanctioned tournament hosted by the O Trafford Squash club. Speaking at the pre-tournament press conference in Lagos yesterday, Chairman of the club, Alhaji Aderemi Adeseun said the club was poised to ensure Nigeria becomes the destination point for all squash lovers all over the world. Cash prize for the winners is put at $1000 US Dollars for men while the women winner would take home $500. He said apart from the financial reward that follows, a good performance at the tournament would also enhance the players’ ranking by the PSA as it is going to earn them precious points. With the President of the Nigeria Squash Federation as a member, the O Trafford boss said it was incumbent on the club to support the federation by organising events and propagating the sport by special training programmes for schools within their catchment areas. President of the Nigeria Squash Federation,  Boye Oyerinde commended OTrafford Squash Club for putting up the PSA satellite tournament, which is in line with the vision of the NSF to revive the game and make it more vibrant in Nigeria. “Part of the problem we have in revitalizing our squash was lack of tournaments for the senior category, that is why we can’t say thank you enough to OTrafford Squash Club. This will be the third tournament we will be having this year after the rankings for the senior category in October 2017,” Oyerinde said. According to OTrafford Squash Club captain, Biyi Mabadeje, a total of 48 male players and 27 female players have registered for the tournament including two gold medallists from the 2018 National Sports Festival in Abuja.

Squash: Abdulrahman wins Gold for Lagos state at the just concluded National Sports Festival

Lagos State squash player, Olanrewaju Abdulrahman is still relishing his victory in the final of the 19th National Sports Festival, and says it was a huge delight emerging top of the lot.


Sports247.ng can report that, after beating his teammate, Wale Amao in the final, Abdulrahman said he was able to get the upper hand and win 2-1 because of sheer determination.

Being his third appearance in the multi-sports fiesta, Abdulrahman was excited about his first medal.



Abdulrahman, however, admitted that it was a tough match as both players are familiar foes.

After the festival exploits, Abdulrahman is heading for a competition in United States early next year, for which he disclosed that he needs a lot of support and sponsorship.

He added: “I used to join my prize monies to whatever I could get around for me to play in most of the international tournaments I have featured because I believe I have to make sacrifices.

“I want to appeal to governments and private spirited people to assist my aspirations and ambitious to grow in my career.”

Team Lagos Clears Squash, Taekwondo Events

LAGOS – Team Lagos once again showed their supremacy in Nigerian squash when they hauled three medals in the singles events on Wednesday.

The final of the men’s singles was between two Lagos athletes, Wale Amao and Olanrewaju Yusuf Abdulrahman, a game between two childhood friends. However, after a grudge encounter, Abdulrahman won the game 2-1 winning the gold medal of the event, while Amao settled for the silver medal.

In the women’s singles played earlier before the men’s, Lagos State’s Yemisi Olatunji defeated Rofiat Abdulazeez of Kwara 3-0 in the final.


Team Lagos also won two gold, two silver and eight bronze medals in the taekwondo finals decided on Wednesday.

In football, Team FCT beat Team Lagos male team 3-1 in the semifinal tie played at the practice pitch of the Abuja National Stadium. Team Lagos will however be playing third place match against either Team Bayelsa or Team Nasarawa on Friday.

Team Lagos also lost their basketball (male) match against Rivers State with 59-85 points, while they qualified for today’s (Friday) male cricket final event after beating Team FCT by 68 runs.

Squash federation gets new constitution

The Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF) on Friday, adopted a new constitution that would reposition the sport for better performance in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new constitution, containing guidelines for Nigeria’s squash community, was adopted by members of the federation’s General Congress in Abuja

The President of NSF, Boys Oyerinde, said the constitution as adopted by the Squash General Congress in Abuja would help to guide the operations of the federation.

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According to him, the adoption of the constitution is long expected,“we thank God that we are able to have a full house to deliberate and adopt it.“

”The constitution is a document that will guide the activities of federation. We enhance what was in the draft constitution to strengthen and performance,” he said.

Oyerinde also said the new constitution would create awareness about the sport in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.

The NSF president said the new constitution would address “everything” that concerned the governance of squash in Nigeria, including elections, competitions and a code of conduct for athletes.

Lagos dominates squash at National Sports Festival

Team Lagos dominated both men and women’s singles in squash racket event decided yesterday at the on-going 19th National Sports Festival in Abuja.In the men’s singles final, Lanre Abdulrahman, seeded number two, defeated fourth ranked Wale Amao, also of Lagos state 10-12, 8-11, 9-11 to clinch the gold medal, while the latter settled for the silver medal. Amao had caused a stir when he sent off the top seed, Sadiq Taiwo in their quarterfinals match.

Abdulrahman said the victory was a sweet revenge as Amao denied him the Festival gold medal in 2012.“I’m happy I took my pound of flesh from Wale. He denied me the gold medal during the 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos in 2012.

“Undoubtedly, Wale is a good and skillful player, and I had to be cautious with my strokes,” Lane Abdulrahman said. He added that the forthcoming Old Trafford PSA Closed Circuit in Lagos next week would provide another opportunity for them to further trade strokes.

In the ladies singles, Yemisi Olatunji of Lagos, who is seeded number one, defeated Rofiat Abdulazeez of Kwara state (ranked number two) 3-0. The encounter was a one-sided affair, as Yemisi easily brushed Rofiat aside in 11-3, 11-3, 11-7.

Former national champion, Wasiu Sani, who is the Lagos State Squash head coach, said yesterday that hardwork and determination earned his players the victory. “We have been working hard during our closed camping in preparatory for this Festival,” he said.

World Champions ElShorbagy and El Welily to Headline J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions Draws

New York’s iconic Grand Central Terminal will host the prestigious J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions for a 22nd successive year in January when reigning World Champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily return to battle for the coveted PSA World Tour Platinum title.

Held under the chandeliers of Grand Central Terminal’s spectacular Vanderbilt Hall, the Tournament of Champions is one of the most highly-anticipated tournaments on the PSA Tour and the 2019 edition of the tournament features a record prize purse of $360,000, which will be split equally across the men’s and women’s draws.

Egypt’s EShorbagy headlines the men’s event - which takes place between January 16-24 - and will be bidding to win his third Tournament of Champions trophy, while he will also be aiming to keep his grip intact on the coveted World No.1 spot amidst a serious challenge from World No.2 Ali Farag.

If ElShorbagy exits the tournament at the semi-final stage or earlier and Farag wins the tournament then the latter will claim top spot for the first time.

27-year-old ElShorbagy - a ToC champion in 2015 and 2016 - is featured on the same side of the draw as younger brother Marwan ElShorbagy and defending champion Simon Rösner, and receives a bye into round two where he will play either Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller or compatriot Mazen Hesham.

Meanwhile, Farag gets his tournament under way against 2010 winner James Willstrop, while the likes of New Zealand’s Paul Coll, Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez and 2018 runner-up Tarek Momen are all involved on the Harvard-graduate’s side of the draw.

El Welily tops the women’s draw - which begins two days after the men’s - and will make her first appearances on the PSA Tour since reclaiming the World No.1 spot from compatriot Nour El Sherbini on December 1.

The 29-year-old from Alexandria won this tournament in 2015 and will look to continue a stunning start to the season which has seen her reach four successive finals and claim two titles, including October’s U.S. Open in Philadelphia.

El Welily is seeded to play Hong Kong Open winner Joelle King in the semi-finals, while defending champion El Sherbini is predicted to play World No.3 Nour El Tayeb in the other last four fixture.

United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy will have home hopes on her shoulders and the 2016 runner-up receives a bye into round two where she will play one of Canadian duo Samantha Cornett or Danielle Letourneau.

If she can win her second round fixture, a mouthwatering third round match with El Tayeb will await her and she will aim to avenge her second round defeat to the Egyptian in the 2018 Tournament of Champions.

16-year-old Marina Stefanoni takes the wildcard spot in the women’s event for a second year running after she became the youngest player ever to compete at the tournament last January.

The British Junior Open runner-up will take on Egypt’s Zena Mickawy in round one. Olivia Blatchford Clyne and Haley Mendez will be the other US women to take part, while Todd Harrity and Chris Hanson will carry US hopes into the men’s draw.

The Tournament of Champions will be the first PSA World Tour Platinum event of 2019 and the winners of the event will qualify for the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals.

All fixtures from the glass court at Grand Central Terminal will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only), while the semi-finals and finals will also be broadcast by major broadcasters around the world such as BT Sport, Fox Sports Australia and Astro.

For more information on the Tournament of Champions, follow the event on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or visit the tournament website.

2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions - Men’s Draw
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]
Mazen Hesham (EGY) v [17/32] v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
[17/32] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) v Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) v [17/32] Zahed Salem (EGY)
[17/32] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Nathan Lake (ENG)
Ben Coleman (ENG) v [17/32] Tom Richards (ENG)
[9/16] Diego Elias (PER) [bye]
[5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]
[8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) [bye]
Youssef Soliman (EGY) v [17/32] Joel Makin (WAL)
[9/16] Fares Dessouky (EGY) [bye]
George Parker (ENG) v [17/32] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[17/32] Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Alan Clyne (SCO)
[9/16] Max Lee (HKG) [bye]
[9/16] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) [bye]
[3] Simon Rösner (GER) [bye]
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) [bye]
[9/16] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) [bye]
[17/32] Raphael Kandra (GER) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)
Lucas Serme (FRA) v [17/32] Declan James (ENG)
[17/32] Greg Lobban (SCO) v Arturo Salazar (MEX)
Chris Simpson (ENG) v [17/32] Borja Golan (ESP)
[17/32] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [WC] Chris Hanson (USA)
[6] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) [bye]
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) [bye]
Todd Harrity (USA) v [17/32] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) [bye]
Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [17/32] Leo Au (HKG)
[9/16] Daryl Selby (ENG) [bye]
[Pre-Qualifier] v [17/32] Ramy Ashour (EGY)
[9/16] James Willstrop (ENG) [bye]
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) [bye]

2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions - Women’s Draw
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) [bye]
Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) v [17/32] Mariam Metwally (EGY)
[17/32] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) v Tinne Gilis (BEL)
[15] Joshna Chinappa (IND) [bye]
[11] Annie Au (HKG [bye]
Coline Aumard (FRA) v [17/32] Joey Chan (HKG)
[17/32] Mayar Hany (EGY) v Low Wee Wern (MAS)
[7] Nouran Gohar (EGY) [bye]
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) [bye]
Haley Mendez (USA) v [17/32] Milou van der Heijden (NED)
[17/32] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG)
[14] Victoria Lust (ENG) [bye]
[12] Nicol David (MAS) [bye]
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) v [17/32] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
[17/32] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v [WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) [bye]
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) [bye]
Nada Abbas (EGY) v [17/32] Nadine Shahin (EGY)
[17/32] Samantha Cornett (CAN) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
[13] Amanda Sobhy (USA) [bye]
[10] Alison Waters (ENG) [bye]
Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [17/32] Emily Whitlock (ENG)
[17/32] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL)
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [bye]
[8] Laura Massaro (ENG) [bye]
Julianne Courtice (ENG) v [17/32] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
[17/32] Fiona Moverley (ENG) v Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
[16] Salma Hany (EGY) [bye]
[9] Tesni Evans (WAL) [bye]
Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) v [17/32] Nele Gilis (BEL)
[17/32] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [Pre-Qualifier]
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) [bye]

Egypt’s Momen to Headline High Quality CCI International Draw

Egypt’s World No.4 Tarek Momen will headline a top-class draw at the CCI International between January 8-12, when the PSA Silver tournament takes place in Mumbai, India.



Momen – who enjoyed his biggest title win at the Channel VAS Championships at St George’s Hill earlier this season - will be joined by some of the biggest names in squash, including compatriot and World No.5 Marwan ElShorbagy – who will be taking part in his first tournament of the season – home hero and World No.12 Saurav Ghosal and England’s former World No.1 James Willstrop.



India’s own Ghosal will be back to defend his title after defeating Switzerland’s World No.20 Nicolas Mueller – who will also be competing at the tournament again this year - in straight-games in the final last year to take home the trophy.



Meanwhile, other home interest comes in the form of World No.70 Ramit Tandon and tournament wildcard Aditya Jagtap.



They will face tough competition from the likes of Egypt’s Fares Dessouky – who is making is long awaited return to action after suffering from a long injury layoff – Egypt’s former World No.3 Omar Mosaad and England’s former World No.12 Tom Richards.



The CCI International will be the first PSA World Tour Silver tournament to take place in India under the new PSA Tour structure, meaning that qualification has been scrapped and a 24-player draw will battle it out for the title, with the top eight seeds receiving a bye into the second round.



You can find out more information about the tournament by going to their website: https://www.indiansquashcircuit.com/ and by following them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.



CCI International - Entry List

Tarek Momen (EGY)
Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
Saurav Ghosal (IND)
Fares Dessouky (EGY)
James Willstrop (ENG)
Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
Tom Richards (ENG)
Ben Coleman (ENG)
Joshua Masters (ENG)
Mohamed Reda (EGY)
Karim El Hammamy (EGY)
Peter Creed (WAL)
Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND)
Vikram Malhotra (IND)
Edmon Lopez (ESP)
Mazen Gamal (EGY)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (IND)
Dimitri Steinmann (SUI)
Ramit Tandon (IND)
Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)
Wildcard) Aditya Jagtap (IND)

Gawad claims Black Ball Open title in Cairo

Egypt’s Karim Abdel Gawad is the 2018 CIB Black Ball Squash Open champion after he defeated compatriot and World No.2 Ali Farag in the final at the Black Ball Sporting Club in Cairo, Egypt, earlier today.

The Black Ball Squash Open is the first major tournament to take place in Egypt’s capital since the men’s 2016 PSA World Championships and it was Alexandria-born Gawad who came out on top in a four-game battle with compatriot Farag.


The title is Gawad’s first at a PSA Platinum event since the 2017 Tournament of Champions, as he showed he his back to his best, producing some stunning squash throughout the week to knock out World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy, World No.4 Tarek Momen and then World No.2 Farag to earn the title.

26-year-old Farag, meanwhile, was competing to not only win the title, but also to become the new World No.1 in January’s World Rankings if he won the tournament. However, the nerves looked to have got the better of the Egyptian at the start of the match, as Gawad opened up a two-game lead.

The start of the third saw Farag come out fighting to take four points without reply to build up a strong lead, with the World No.2 also being able to hold off a late surge from Gawad as Farag took the third to get a foothold back into the match.


However, it wasn’t meant to be for the World No.2 as the wait to climb to the top of the World Rankings continues after Gawad held his nerve to ensure that he claimed his second successive title after winning the Pakistan Open PSA Bronze tournament last week.

“I had so many times where I was down,” said Gawad following his huge win. “All those months, all those days, I pushed and pushed. There were bad times, really bad times, but my team handled those bad moments. It finally paid off this week, and I’m back to my form.

“I wasn’t 100% there physically but thanks to my team, I had a good recovery until 4am this morning and I didn’t feel exhausted today.

“It’s been a very tough tournament, especially for me as I’ve not been playing at this level for so long now and to be back and winning this major tournament means a lot to me.

“I’ve been working so hard to try and get back to my form that I used to play and I’m really happy to be back and end the year with a major tournament.

“Ali is my brother, we’ve grown up together and we’ve played so many times at juniors. He has been handling so much pressure this week and I’ve been there before, so I know how he feels. I had two or three times to become World No.1 and I kept losing every time, so I know how hard it is but sooner or later he will be World No.1 because he’s very consistent.”


Farag added afterwards:

“Karim was by far the best player all week. He thoroughly deserved that win. Karim was a World No.1 deservedly and he had a bit of a dip in his form last season because of some injuries but he very much deserves to be where he is today.

“I’m really happy for him and his team.”


Gawad takes home over $25,000 in prize money from the PSA Platinum event after he claimed his 20th PSA title.

CIB Black Ball Squash Open Final:

[7] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-1 [2] Ali Farag (EGY)  11-6, 13-11, 7-11, 11-8 (62m)

PSA SQUASHTV Reaches 100K Subscribers on YouTube

PSA SQUASHTV, the official YouTube channel of the Professional Squash Association (PSA), has reached 100,000 subscribers to cap a year that has seen PSA’s digital presence grow by 17% across social media.

The channel gives squash fans access to extensive highlights, expert analysis, live streams and exclusive interviews with the PSA Tour’s biggest stars and, since it was created in July 2011, has gained in excess of 75 million views across all of its content.

Now averaging over 1.5 million views per month, the channel has exposed new audiences to professional squash across the globe and forms an important part of the PSA’s digital strategy.

"We're delighted to reach this milestone," said PSA Head of Digital Chris Harvey.

"YouTube has proved the ideal platform to allow the PSA to showcase our dynamic sport to a wide audience and we look forward to continuing our growth towards 200,000 subscribers and beyond."

Subscribe to the PSA SQUASHTV channel here: https://www.youtube.com/psasquashtv

Meanwhile, over 550 live matches from the PSA Tour will be broadcast on SQUASHTV(Rest of World), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and DAZN (Japan only) throughout the 2018/19 season.

Gawad Books Place in PSA World Tour Finals

Victory over World No.2 Ali Farag in the final of the CIB Black Ball Open over the weekend has seen World No.9 Karim Abdel Gawad earn his place at the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals.

The PSA World Tour Finals will be held in June 2019 and will host both a men’s and women’s tournament. The reigning World Champions and all seven PSA World Tour Platinum winners will qualify for the prestigious event. The other qualifying spots will go to the next highest-ranked players on the PSA World Tour Finals Leaderboard.

Former World No.1 Gawad captured his first Platinum title since January 2017 courtesy of a spell-binding week that saw him beat the likes of current World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy, World No.4 Momen and the in-form Farag to claim the Black Ball Open trophy in Cairo.

After reaching his third Platinum final of the season, Farag tops the men’s leaderboard with 10,370 points and sits ahead of Mohamed ElShorbagy, who is in second place. Both players have already qualified for the World Tour Finals after Farag won the Qatar Classic last month, while ElShorbagy took the honours at both the U.S. Open and Hong Kong Open earlier this season.

Gawad sits in third, while Simon Rösner (No.4), Tarek Momen (No.5), Paul Coll (No.6), Mohamed Abouelghar (No.7) and Diego Elias reside in the top eight.

The women’s leaderboard is unchanged, with World No.1 Raneem El Welily staying in first place ahead of England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and New Zealand’s Joelle King. El Welily and King have already qualified for the World Tour Finals courtesy of wins at the U.S. Open and Hong Kong Open, respectively.

Camille Serme stays at No.4, while Nour El Sherbini, Nour El Tayeb, Tesni Evans and Nouran Gohar take the final spots inside the top eight.

The world’s top players will head to New York’s iconic Grand Central Terminal for the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions next, which will be the first Platinum tournament of 2019. The tournament will take place between January 16-24 in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall.

PSA WORLD TOUR FINALS LEADERBOARD
MEN’S LEADERBOARD				WOMEN’S LEADERBOARD
	RANK	NAME	POINTS	RANK	NAME	POINTS
[Q]	1	Ali Farag (EGY)	10,370.000	1	Raneem El Welily (EGY)	7,115.000	[Q]
[Q]	2	Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)	8,260.000	2	Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)	4,005.000
[Q]	3	Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)	6,785.000	3	Joelle King (NZL)	3,720.000	[Q]
	4	Simon Rösner (GER)	6,525.000	4	Camille Serme (FRA)	3,225.000
	5	Tarek Momen (EGY)	6,155.000	5	Nour El Sherbini (EGY)	3,185.000
	6	Paul Coll (NZL)	5,130.000	6	Nour El Tayeb (EGY)	2,660.000
	7	Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)	4,025.000	7	Tesni Evans (WAL)	1,985.000
	8	Diego Elias (PER)	3,875.000	8	Nouran Gohar (EGY)	1,780.000
	9	Saurav Ghosal (IND)	3,135.000	9	Alison Waters (ENG)	1,730.000
	10	Miguel Rodriguez (COL)	2,540.000	10	Laura Massaro (ENG)	1,675.000
	11	Omar Mosaad (EGY)	2,415.000	11	Amanda Sobhy (USA)	1,482.500
	12	Joel Makin (WAL)	2,355.000	12	Joshna Chinappa (IND)	1,465.000
	13	Tom Richards (ENG)	2,010.000	13	Salma Hany (EGY)	1,425.500
	14	Raphael Kandra (GER)	1,875.000	14	Nicol David (MAS)	1,390.000
	15	Gregory Gaultier (FRA)	1,805.000	15	Yathreb Adel (EGY)	1,197.500
	16	Greg Lobban (SCO)	1,772.500	16	Joey Chan (HKG)	1,185.000