Defending Champion Gaultier Crashes Out as ElShorbagy and Massaro Qualify for Last Four of World Series Finals

World No.3 Mohamed ElShorbagy sealed his place in the last four of the Men’s 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals after the Egyptian beat compatriot Ali Farag on day two in Dubai Opera - meaning last year’s champion Gregory Gaultier crashes out at the group stage.

ElShorbagy followed up an opening day win over former World No.1 James Willstrop with a dramatic victory over Farag, taking it 12-10 in the third-game tie-break to seal qualification from Group B.

"I’m happy that I won using my own strengths, which is something I did when I was World No.1," said ElShorbagy. 

"I was challenged, but I threw myself into that challenge and being 1-0 down and one game away from losing the match was tough mentally. When I was at my best that’s what I was good at and that’s what made me different from other players because I could get through those kind of situations.

"We had some issues in the first two matches we played in the season, in Al Ahram and the World Championship, but it felt like we both got that anger out of each other. Since those two matches we started to have so much respect for each other."

Gaultier, meanwhile, has failed to make it to the semi-finals for the first time in his career after he lost to Willstrop in straight games.

Gaultier, the current World No.1, had only lost once in 2017 prior to the tournament and had won 27 matches in a row, in addition to claiming six successive Tour titles.

However, the heavy schedule looks to have caught up with him in Dubai after he slumped to a defeat to Willstrop which, added to his first round loss to Farag, means that he is yet to win a game.

"If you get a result over Greg then something is clearly going well," said Willstrop.

"Nobody is beating him at the minute and it’s difficult for me not to point out that he’s had a tough season. 

"I know how difficult it is mentally to have to get yourself up for every tournament for a whole season."

Willstrop and Farag will clash next to decide who joins ElShorbagy in the semi-finals, while Willstrop’s compatriot, Nick Matthew, is on the brink of elimination from Group A after he slipped to a 2-0 defeat to World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad.

Egypt’s Marwan ElShorbagy defeated Germany’s Simon Rösner to go top of Group A, which means Matthew must now beat Rösner 2-0 in his final match while hoping that Marwan beats Gawad 2-0 to have any hope of reaching the semi-finals, with the percentage of points won being the next qualification criteria.

In the Women’s event, defending champion Laura Massaro is the first player to qualify after she defeated compatriot Sarah-Jane Perry in Group A

A confident display from Massaro saw her follow up her opening day win over two-time winner Nicol David to take the opening game before overturning five game balls in the second to seal the victory by an 11-6, 14-12 scoreline.

"I’m really happy, maybe it’s better that I need to go in and get a result tomorrow," said Massaro.

"I’ll still want to win tomorrow regardless of whether I’m qualified or not. It’s great to know that I’m in the semi-finals, but there’s still a job to do tomorrow."

Nour El Sherbini sits in second place in Group A after she claimed an eighth successive win over David, meaning that the Malaysian misses out on a place in the semi-finals for the first time in her glittering career.

A 2-0 win over Massaro for El Sherbini in her final group fixture will see her top the group, while a 2-1 win could also see her qualify ahead of Perry depending on how she does in her match with David.

French World No.3 Camille Serme made it two wins out of two to top Group B, with World Junior Champion Nouran Gohar going down in a 2-1 thriller to leave Serme on the cusp of qualification for the last four.

“I’m very happy, I saw myself winning, then losing, then winning again, so anything could have happened,” said Serme.

“I guess we’ll know more about what’s going to happen after the second group match, but it’s already better than last year, last year I only won one match, so it’s positive and I’m going to give it everything tomorrow."

Victory for Serme over World Championship runner-up Raneem El Welily will guarantee her a place in the semi-finals, but it’s all to play for as a defeat could allow any two of El Welily, Gohar or England’s Alison Waters to qualify.

The World Series Finals brings together the top eight players on the Men’s and Women’s PSA Road to Dubai Standings who are then split into two groups of four, with matches played in a best-of-three games format.

Players then battle for points to qualify for the knockout semi-finals and beyond.

Results - Men’s Group A Day Two: 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals

[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [5] Nick Matthew (ENG) 2-0: 11-7, 11-6 (21m)

[4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [7] Simon Rösner (GER) 2-1: 11-8, 4-11, 11-6 (40m)

Draw - Men’s Group A Day Three

[5] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [7] Simon Rösner (GER)

[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)

Results - Men’s Group B Day Two: 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals

[6] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 2-0: 11-9, 11-4 (28m)

[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [8] Ali Farag (EGY) 2-1: 8-11, 11-8, 12-10 (56m)

Draw - Men’s Group B Day Three

[6] James Willstrop (ENG) v [8] Ali Farag (EGY)

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Results - Women’s Group A Day Two: 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals

[1] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [5] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 2-1: 11-6, 12-14, 14-12 (50m)

[4] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [8] Alison Waters (ENG) 2-0: 16-14, 11-7 (26m)

Draw - Women’s Group A Day Three

[5] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [8] Alison Waters (ENG)

[1] Camille Serme (FRA) v [4] Raneem El Welily (EGY)

Results - Women’s Group B Day Two: 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals

[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [6] Nicol David (MAS) 2-0: 11-6, 11-9 (21m)

[3] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 2-0: 11-6, 14-12 (35m)

Draw - Women's Group B Day Three

[6] Nicol David (MAS) v [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [3] Laura Massaro (ENG)

World Champions Fall on Opening Day of World Series Finals as Farag Ends Gaultier’s Streak

The opening day of the 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals featured a number of matches befitting of Dubai Opera’s status as one of the most stunning squash venues of all time as World Champions Karim Abdel Gawad and Nour El Sherbini both fell to shock defeats against Simon Rösner and Sarah-Jane Perry, respectively.


The World Series Finals brings together the top eight players on the Men’s and Women’s PSA Road to Dubai Standings, who are then split into two groups of four as they battle for points to qualify for the knockout semi-finals and beyond.


Rösner had never beaten Gawad on the PSA World Tour prior to the tournament, but the best-of-three games format - which is used in place of the normal best-of-five games scoring up until the final - looked to play into the German’s hands as he claimed an impressive 11-9, 8-11, 11-7 victory in 48 minutes.


"We played some incredible squash today, I thought I managed to play aggressively and at the same time I didn’t make too many errors, which really helped," said Rösner.


"Even though I was down a few times, I didn’t let it go, I just tried to hang in there and made it as tough as I could for him. I think that the key was the aggressive game plan, but I also kept the error count really low.


"The whole group is so strong and the whole event is so open. Anything can happen, you can finish first, you can finish last, but with my win today I got one step closer to making the semis."


Rösner sits at the top of Group A along with Marwan ElShorbagy, who recovered from a game down to defeat three-time World Champion Nick Matthew.


Group B was lit up by a masterclass from World No.5 Ali Farag who ended World No.1 Gregory Gaultier’s incredible 27-match unbeaten run by winning in straight games.


Defending champion Gaultier had lost just once in 2017, claiming six titles in a row, which included victories over Farag in the finals of the Grasshopper Cup and Bellevue Classic.


However, a superb display from Farag against an admittedly out-of-sorts Gaultier saw the 25-year-old dominate the Frenchman in a way that few have managed over the past six months to claim a huge win.


"The last two times I didn’t even take one game, so to win today in two games was surprising to even myself," said Farag, who was making his World Series Finals debut.


"I think I played very well and towards the end I was very edgy because I was 10-6 up in Seattle against him. When he lets loose he plays even better, so I was always on my toes and I’m very happy to win in two today.


"It’s my first World Series Finals, I’m playing best of three for the first time in my life and I didn’t know what to expect. To get off to a good start is crucial and it gave me a lot of confidence."


Gaultier will take on former World No.1 James Willstrop next, who lost out to World No.3 Mohamed ElShorbagy. Farag will take on ElShorbagy as both players look to take a step closer to qualification from Group B.


The Women’s event saw World No.7 Perry claim her first ever win over El Sherbini at the fifth attempt, with a superlative performance from the 27-year-old seeing her fightback from a game down.


El Sherbini took the opener, but Perry - who qualified for the World Series Finals after the greatest season of her career saw her reach the final of the British Open three months ago - refused to be beaten and she came out fighting, taking the next two games to leave El Sherbini needing a win in her next match with Malaysia’s Nicol David.


"I’m feeling pretty amazing, I think this is the first time I’ve beaten Nour, but it’s also the first time that I’ve beaten the current World No.1," Perry said.


"I’ve earned my place here, especially in the second half of the season and I want to be a contender. If I play well and move well on the day then I believe that I can beat anyone."


Defending champion Laura Massaro also won on day one against eight-time World Champion David in the latest chapter of their rivalry on the PSA World Tour.


The match started tentatively, with both players struggling to find their lines and making errors, but it soon developed into a free-flowing affair, with Massaro fighting back from three game balls down to take the first game by a 12-10 margin and she claimed the second game by the same scoreline to move to the top of Group B.


"I didn’t realise no one else had dropped a game, it was tight and in that second game when I was in front I was thinking that I would be gutted if I lost that one and it went to three," said Massaro, who takes on Perry next.


"I’m really happy to close it out in the end. You know you’ve got three matches either way and you’ve got to do your best in all of them. If I lost today I would have had a bit of an uphill battle tomorrow and the day after, but a win under my belt doesn’t mean anything at this point unless I can get at least one more win."


Group A saw top seed Camille Serme recover from a game down against England’s Alison Waters, while World Junior Champion Nouran Gohar defeated World No.2 Raneem El Welily.


Live coverage from day two of the World Series Finals begins at 15:00 local time (GMT+4)  and will be shown on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).


Results - Men’s Group A Day One: 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals

[7] Simon Rösner (GER) bt [1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 2-1: 11-9, 8-11, 11-7 (48m)

[4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [5] Nick Matthew (ENG) 2-1: 11-13, 11-8, 11-7 (49m)


Results - Men’s Group B Day Two: 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals

[8] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 2-0: 11-5, 11-7 (28m)

[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [6] James Willstrop (ENG) 2-0: 11-8, 11-9 (39m)


Draw - Men’s Group A Day Two: To Be Played June 7th

[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [5] Nick Matthew (ENG)

[4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v [7] Simon Rösner (GER)


Draw - Men’s Group B Day Two - To Be Played June 7th

[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [6] James Willstrop (ENG)

[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v [8] Ali Farag (EGY)


Results - Women’s Group A Day One: 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals

[1] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [8] Alison Waters (ENG) 2-1: 9-11, 11-5, 11-3 (39m)

[5] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [4] Raneem El Welily (EGY) 2-1: 13-11, 3-11, 11-3 (35m)


Results - Women’s Group B Day One: 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals

[3] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [6] Nicol David (MAS) 2-0: 12-10, 12-10 (30m)

[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 2-1: 9-11, 11-9, 11-4 (37m)


Draw - Women’s Group A Day Two - To Be Played June 7th

[1] Camille Serme (FRA) v [5] Nouran Gohar (EGY)

[4] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [8] Alison Waters (ENG)


Draw - Women’s Group B Day Two - To Be Played June 7th

[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [6] Nicol David (MAS)

[3] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

2016/2017 PSA Awards

I know one day we'll get to this stage in Nigeria....

French Double At 2016/17 PSA Awards

There was double delight for France at the 2016/17 PSA Awards as Men's World No.1 Gregory Gaultier and Women's World No.3 Camille Serme collected the Player of Year Awards during a gala dinner at the Vida Hotel, Dubai.

On the eve of the PSA Dubai World Series Finals, Gaultier, who begins the defence of his title today (June 6) against Ali Farag, was presented with the Men's trophy following a run of form that has seen him collect six consecutive titles and go 27 matches unbeaten so far in 2017. 

Gaultier narrowly edged Karim Abdel Gawad - the World Champion and former World No.1 - to the award which was chosen by the PSA Awards Committee, a group consisting of selected influential former players, members of the media, tournament promoters and PSA Board representatives and a social media vote.

Serme was honoured with the Women’s Award after a breakthrough season saw her become the first Frenchwoman to win the U.S. Open and Tournament of Champions - making her the only Women's player to win two World Series titles this season.

Gaultier also collected the Men's Shot of the Season and Men's Match of the Season awards while his opponent this evening, Farag, collected the Male Spirit of Squash Award. Chosen by his fellow players, the prize goes to the player who best demonstrated sportsmanship throughout the season both on and off court. Compatriot Raneem El Welily collected the Women’s award.

El Welily also picked up the Women’s Shot of the Season Award and was one half of the Women’s Match of the Season combination with England’s Sarah-Jane Perry while another Egyptian, Nouran Gohar, collected the Women's Young Player of the Year Award for the second year running. Peruvian Diego Elias, the former World Junior Champion, was named Men's Young Player of the Year.

The final prize of the evening went to England's Nick Matthew who was presented with the PSA Services To Squash Award in recognition of his contribution to the sport during the past twelve months. The year saw the Yorkshireman, amongst other community initiatives, donate his prize money from the Canary Wharf Classic to aid young squash player Sumner Malik in his battle with cancer.

PSA Men’s Player of the Year

Winner: Gregory Gaultier (FRA)

Runner-up: Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)

PSA Women’s Player of the Year

Winner: Camille Serme (FRA)

Runner-up: Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

PSA Men’s Young Player of the Year

Winner: Diego Elias (PER)

Runner-up: Fares Dessouky (EGY)

PSA Women’s Young Player of the Year

Winner: Nouran Gohar (EGY)

Runner-up: Zenia Mi

Spirit Of Squash – Men’s

Winner: Ali Farag (EGY)

Spirit Of Squash – Women’s

Winner: Raneem El Welily (EGY)

Services To Squash

Awarded to: Nick Matthew (ENG)

Shot of the Year – Men

Winner: Gregory Gaultier (FRA)

Shot of the Season – Women

Winner: Raneem El Welily (EGY)

Match of the Season – Men

Winner: Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 3-2 Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) - 2017 Tournament of Champions, Semi-final

Match of the Year – Women

Winner: Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-2 Raneem El Welily (EGY) - 2017 Tournament of Champions, Quarter-finals 

Waters Embracing Dubai World Series Finals Challenge

England’s World No.9 Alison Waters says she can’t wait for the action to get under way at the PSA Dubai World Series Finals, which takes place at Dubai Opera, June 6–10.

Waters originally finished ninth on the PSA Women’s Road to Dubai Standings - outside of the qualification spots - but secured a place at the season-ending tournament after American Amanda Sobhy was forced to withdraw following an achilles injury.

Despite the circumstances the 33-year-old from London is determined to make the best of the situation and is excited for the challenge.

“It’s a strange circumstance because Amanda got injured, so I hope that she is recovering well,” said Waters, who'll be appearing in her first World Series Finals.

“I was ninth on the list so obviously with her injury it moved me up to eighth and it’s slightly strange to be in this situation but I am just going to make the most of it.

"I’m grateful for the chance to be playing in Dubai so I'll try to play my best and enjoy being there. 

“It’s my first World Series Finals and I’m really looking forward to it. To play in Dubai will be amazing, so I’m really excited and can’t wait to get started.”

Waters will go up against France’s Camille Serme – who topped the Road To Dubai Standings – and Egyptians Raneem El Welily and Nouran Gohar in Group A.

And with the World Series Finals featuring a round-robin best of three series for a place in the knockout semi-finals and beyond, the Englishwoman insisted that she has nothing to lose.

“I’ve had a good few weeks of training now since the Europeans so I’m just going to go for it – I’ve got nothing to lose, there is no pressure on me," she said.

“Obviously, the best of three format changes things slightly so I’m going to go there and be attacking and positive."

Waters is one of five English players heading to Dubai to battle it out for the lucrative season-ending prize and she is delighted to have her compatriots alongside her.

“It’s great that there are three English girls and two English guys as well, so to have five of us playing in Dubai is really good and great for England Squash.

“I think everyone is looking forward to it, I know I am and I’m looking forward to it getting started and playing some good squash.”

The PSA Dubai World Series Finals takes place from June 6-10, 2017 with all of the action to be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only)

Group stage matches will take place at 3:00pm, 3:45pm, 16:45pm and 17:30pm (Group A) and 21:30pm, 22:15pm, 23:15pm and 00:00am (Group B) between June 6-8 with the semi-finals due to take place from 22:00pm on June 9. The finals will commence at 22:00pm local time on June 10.

Tickets for the World Series Finals can be purchased at https://dubaiopera.etixdubai.com/shows/show.aspx?sh=PSAUMB 

Gohar Targeting Improvement at Dubai World Series Finals

World No.5 Nouran Gohar says she is determined to put nerves to one side and improve on last year’s disappointing performance when the 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals gets under way between June 6 – 10 at Dubai Opera.

The 19-year-old – who qualified fifth on this season's PSA Road to Dubai Standings – went out at the group stage last season in what was her first ever appearance at the tournament, which brings only the top eight players together to compete for one of the sport's most sought after titles. 

But the Egyptian, who claimed her first ever World Series title at the 2016 Hong Kong Open, is keen to learn from her experience and go further at the end-of-season finale this time around.

“I am so excited to be back at the biggest event of the year," said Gohar. 

"All through the season players were battling in all the World Series tournaments just to get the opportunity to play in the World Series Finals. I am really happy that I was able to qualify again and I’m looking forward to playing there.

“Making it last year was huge for me and to be honest I did not expect it. It was a totally new experience for me. 

"I was too excited to be there and I didn’t quite manage to play freely without nerves or pressure. It was great to be among the top eight players in the world but I think I could have dealt with the situation in a better way. 

"I still enjoyed the event a lot, everything was simply perfect - apart from the results."

This year’s tournament takes place at the Dubai Opera and Gohar can’t wait for the action to take place at the iconic venue.

“I was amazed by the pictures of the Opera when I saw them," she added.

"It looks so beautiful and I can’t wait to see how the glass court will look in such a venue, it’s very exciting.”

Gohar will go up against World No.3 Camille Serme – who topped the Road to Dubai Standings, World No.2 Raneem El Welily and World No.9 Alison Waters in Group A. 

And with the World Series Finals featuring a round-robin best-of-three series for a place in the knockout semi-finals and beyond, the young Egyptian admitted there is no room for error.

“It is a big difference to play in a best of three format. 

"You have to be on your toes and very well prepared from the very first rally. You can’t afford to lose the first game easily against a top eight player.

“It is different but very challenging and I am really looking forward to seeing how I can deal with it this year.”

The PSA Dubai World Series Finals takes place from June 6-10, 2017 with all of the action to be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).

Group stage matches will take place at 3:00pm, 3:45pm, 16:45pm and 17:30pm (Group A) and 21:30pm, 22:15pm, 23:15pm and 00:00am (Group B) between June 6-8 with the semi-finals due to take place from 22:00pm on June 9. The finals will commence at 22:00pm local time on June 10.

Tickets for the World Series Finals can be purchased at https://dubaiopera.etixdubai.com/shows/show.aspx?sh=PSAUMB

The stage is set-in Squash in Dubai

The psadubaifinals  -  The stage is being set...come watch the world's best squash players compete at the dubai opera
#squashindubai #psaworldtour #psadubaifinals  - #Nigeriasquash

Squash will be great again- Boye Oyerinde

Squash will be great again- Oyerinde

Boye Oyerinde has assured that his wealth of experience in the corporate world and the sports circle will be brought to bear as to achieve resounding success if elected as the President of Nigeria Squash Federation.

The current Director of Tournaments and member of the Lagos State Squash Association who was in charge of the 2013 and 2014 Lagos International Squash Classic with 11 countries in attendance lamented the dearth of the game in Nigeria.

Speaking recently in Akure during the donation of sports equipment to squash players in Ondo state, Boye emphasized that players in Nigeria can become real global contenders if well harnessed under a visionary leadership and vibrant environment.

“Before the 2013 and 2014 Lagos International Squash Classics, we assembled 8 of the top players in Nigeria at a camp in Lagos, sponsored their training programs through financial contributions and monitoring of their training programs.

In 4 months we realized that no other player could play at the level of these players in the country while one of them got to the finals of the 2013 LISC tournament. 2 of our players got to the Quarter finals of the 2014 tournament despite a large presence of international PSA players.”

He assured that the board will hit the ground running if elected during the National Sports Federations election slated for Abuja on the 13th of June, 2017 programs with athletes oriented programs already lined up.

“Through the support of the PSA, I am presently in touch with the National Urban Squash and Education Association in the USA to assist in developing a solid squash/educational youth program where good squash players from Nigeria can access educational scholarships.”

He stressed the need to unify the different factions within the Squash federation and direct their attention towards developing the game in Nigeria.

“The polarization of the sport has adversely affected its development. We have so many individuals and even corporate organizations who are interested in investing in squash, but because the house is not united and always in the news for bad reasons, these prospective partners are scared.

We need all hands on deck to meet our objective of developing this great game and bring back the old glory to the game of squash in Nigeria.”

ElShorbagy Relishing Return to Dubai for World Series Finals

Former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy is aiming to end a disappointing 2016/17 season on a high with victory at next month’s PSA Dubai World Series Finals – with the lucrative tournament set to light up Dubai Opera between June 6-10.

The 26-year-old has suffered a frustrating campaign this year, failing to lift a title since his Delaware Investments U.S. Open win in October and seeing his 15-month reign atop the World Rankings come to an end in April.

But despite suffering his longest title drought for three years the Egyptian is eager to finish the season on a high by winning one of the sport’s most lucrative titles - in a city he has a long family association with.

“It would mean a lot to win the World Series Finals.” said ElShorbagy. 

“Especially after having a season that hasn’t gone the way I would like. Winning the World Series Finals and ending the season with a win like that would be a good way to start my summer preparation for next season.

“I loved my time in Dubai last year and this year in the Opera is a deserved reward for the eight players who’ve performed best over the season to get the chance to play in a great venue and end the season at the event.

“My father used to work in Dubai and I used to go and visit him and I absolutely love the place. I really can’t wait to be back this year and try and play my best squash at the amazing venue.”

The World Series Finals brings together the top eight players on the Men’s and Women’s PSA Road to Dubai Standings, with qualifying points on offer at all World Series tournaments throughout the 2016/17 season.

And this year the Bristol-based Egyptian could be competing against younger brother Marwan in the best of three format for the first time after the World No.7 secured his maiden spot amongst the top eight.

With a $160,000 prize fund on the line the older ElShorbagy brother admitted that his sibling could be his toughest competitor.

“We are very lucky to have each other -  we live and share the same dreams,” said ElShorbagy - who lost in the final of the 2013 World Series Finals. 

“We do everything together, we share rooms at tournaments and we play in training every day. Of course we have a brotherly rivalry that has helped us become the players that we are today, but it is never easy to play against each other in tournaments - trying to beat my brother is emotionally difficult and it takes so much out of both of us.

“We don’t enjoy it and it is very hard for our parents as well but we just try to do them proud and give our best against each other.” 

ElShorbagy – who finished third on the Men’s PSA Road to Dubai Standings – reached the semi-final stage last year before a surprise defeat to Australia’s Cameron Pilley curtailed his involvement in the showpiece tournament.

This year’s World Series Finals is set to be one of the most competitive yet with ten current and former World No.1s set to feature across both the Men’s and Women’s draws -and with the World Series Finals featuring a unique best of three games format throughout the group stages, ElShorbagy knows he will have to be on form to have any chance of succeeding.

“The best of three format changes everything – physically, the tactics, everything, even the warm-up,” he said. 

“You have to be at your best from the first point, you can’t afford to relax because if you start slow and lose the first game, you’re just a few points away from losing.

“I think it’s very exciting, it changes the dynamic and players can go for their shots more and not worry about the physicality so much.

“It’s going to be a very interesting event and I think there could be a group with Nick [Matthew], Greg [Gaultier], Ramy [Ashour] and me – which is crazy. It will be very exciting for the fans and there are players like my brother, James [Willstrop] and [Karim Abdel] Gawad, who have surprised a lot of people this season.

“I’m excited to see what happens.”

The PSA Dubai World Series Finals takes place from June 6-10, 2017. All of the action will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).

Group stage matches will take place at 3:00pm, 3:45pm, 16:45pm and 17:30pm (Group A) and 21:30pm, 22:15pm, 23:15pm and 00:00am (Group B) between June 6-8 with the semi-finals due to take place from 22:00pm on June 9. The finals will commence at 22:00pm local time on June 10.

Tickets for the World Series Finals can be purchased at https://dubaiopera.etixdubai.com/shows/show.aspx?sh=PSAUMB

Nicol David in record World Games Gold bid

Malaysia’s eight-time women’s world squash champion Nicol David is bidding to win a record fourth World Games gold medal when the 2017 event takes place in Polandnext month. Squash’s fifth appearance in the World Games, the multi-sport event for non-Olympic sports, will take place at the 33-court Hasta la Vista club in Wroclaw from 25-28 July. Nicol David won gold in the 2005 Games in Duisburg, Germany, then the 2009 event in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei, before retaining the title in the Cali Games in 2013 in Colombia. The 33-year-old from Penang (pictured above after her 2013 gold medal triumph), who topped the world rankings for an unprecedented 112 months until August 2015, is the No.2 seed – and expected to face French favourite Camille Serme, the world No.3, in the final. A new gold medallist is assured in the men’s championship where 2013 runner-upSimon Rösner, the world No.11 from Germany, is the top seed. The 29-year-old from Paderborn is predicted to line up against Max Lee, the No.2 seed from Hong Kong, in the final. The 2017 Games has attracted squash players from 27 nations. Men’s 1st round draw: [1] Simon Rösner (GER) v Wojciech Nowisz (POL) [9/16] Rhys Dowling (AUS) v Daniel Mekbib (CZE) [9/16] Ivan Yuen (MAS) v Matias Tuomi (FIN) [5/8] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) v Vasile Hapun (ROM) [5/8] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v Lau Ulrik Kiehn (DEN) [9/16] Douglas Kempsell (GBR) v Joe Chapman (IVB) [9/16] Raphael Kandra (GER) v Ahmed Hany Hussein (EGY) [3/4] Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Balázs Farkas (HUN) [3/4] Diego Elias (PER) v Alex Eustace (AUS) [9/16] Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) v Diego Gobbi (BRA) [9/16] Joe Lee (GBR) v Yuri Farneti (ITA) [5/8] Yip Tsz Fung (HKG) v Kostiantyn Rybalchenko (UKR) [5/8] Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Mateusz Kotra (POL) [9/16] Shehab Essam (EGY) v Rory Stewart (GBR) [9/16] Joshua Masters (GBR) v Jan Koukal (CZE) [2] Max Lee (HKG) v Alexey Severinov (RUS) Women’s 1st round draw: [1] Camille Serme (FRA) v Natalia Ryfa (POL) [9/16] Alison Thomson (GBR) v Tessa ter Sluis (NED) [9/16] Catalina Pelaez (COL) v Ineta Mackevica (LAT) [5/8] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Thaisa Serafini (BRA) [5/8] Fiona Moverley (GBR) v Nadiia Usenko (UKR) [9/16] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) v Zuzana Kubáňová (CZE) [9/16] Rachel Arnold (MAS) v Anna Serme (CZE) [3/4] Annie Au (HKG) v Céline Walser (SUI) [3/4] Joey Chan (HKG) v Alina Bushma (UKR) [9/16] Milou van der Heijden (NED) v Jessica Turnbull (AUS) [9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) v Lisa Aitken (GBR) [5/8] Coline Aumard (FRA) v Csenge Kiss-Máté (HUN) [5/8] Millie Tomlinson (GBR) v Magda Kamińska (POL) [9/16] Tamika Saxby (AUS) v Sina Wall (GER) [9/16] Samantha Teran (MEX) v Cristina Gomez (ESP) [2] Nicol David (MAS) v Irina Beliaeva (RUS)

PSA Extend Condolences to Family of Ronald Fauvel

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) would like to extend their deepest condolences to the family of National Sports Institute of Malaysia Sports Therapist Ronald Fauvel after the 56-year-old sadly passed away last night.

The personal therapist for eight-time World Champion Nicol David since 1997, Ronald was a respected member of the squash community and his presence on the PSA World Tour will be sorely missed.

Ronald, from Montreal, Canada, leaves behind a wife and two children and his cremation will be held on Saturday June 3 at the Gui Yuan Crematorium in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

"On behalf of everyone associated with the PSA, I would like to express our sincerest condolences to Ronald’s family at this sad and difficult time," said PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough.

"Ronald has been integral to the incredible success of Nicol David’s career and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone connected to Ronald after this tragic loss."

PSA June World Rankings

Gaultier back at the top Frenchman Gregory Gaultier has become World #1 for the sixth time in his career, overtaking Egypt’s Karim Abdel Gawad to top the PSA Men’s World Rankings – making it the first time since 2012 that the top spot has changed hands four months in a row. Gaultier, who at 34 years and five months has broken his own record as the oldest ever World #1, lost the ranking to Gawad last month, but celebrated title successes at the Grasshopper Cup and Bellevue Classic during May to leapfrog Gawad – who slips down to #2 – and reclaim top spot. Meanwhile Mohamed ElShorbagy, who topped the rankings as recently as March, and former World #1 Nick Matthew stay at numbers #3 and #4. Egypt’s Ali Farag was a beaten finalist in both the Grasshopper Cup and Bellevue Classic and is rewarded with a move into the world’s top five for the first time in his career. England’s James Willstrop stays at #6, while Marwan ElShorbagy, Ramy Ashour, Tarek Momen and Fares Dessouky complete the seven-strong Egyptian contingent in the world’s top 10. Germany’s Simon Rösner sits just outside at #11, while New Zealand’sPaul Coll moves up to a career-high #12 ranking. Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar, who last week captured his first title in 18 months, claims a place amongst the world’s top 15 for the first time. El Sherbini Stays at World #1 for 14th month Egypt’s two-time World ChampionNour El Sherbini has maintained her position as World #1 for a 14th consecutive month. El Sherbini sits a place ahead of compatriot Raneem El Welily – the player she beat in April’s PSA Women’s World Championship final – with France’s Camille Serme, British Open champion Laura Massaro and World Junior Champion Nouran Goharrounding out an unchanged top five. Malaysia’s eight-time World ChampionNicol David, British Open runner-up Sarah-Jane Perry, US #1 Amanda Sobhy and England’s Alison Watersremain at numbers #6 to #9, while the only change in the world’s top 10 sees Hong Kong’s Annie Au move up a place to overtake New Zealand’s Joelle King. Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb is also on the rise to #11 – a place ahead of King – while the rest of the world’s top 20 is unchanged. FULL JUNE WORLD RANKINGS

Gaultier Wants to Maintain Winning Feeling at World Series Finals

Current World No.2 Gregory Gaultier will be aiming to keep his 27-match unbeaten streak - the longest of his career - alive as he prepares to defend the title at the 2016/17 PSA Dubai World Series Finals when the season-ending event gets underway at Dubai Opera on June 6.

The 34-year-old – who will return to World No.1 in next month’s rankings - has lifted six consecutive titles this year - at the Swedish Open, Windy City Open, British Open, El Gouna International, Grasshopper Cup and Bellevue Classic - and revealed that his injury-blighted 2016 campaign was the motivation behind this year’s success.

“There's no secret - it’s all about hard work,” said Gaultier.



“I’ve been training hard for 30 years. My motivation this year came from the frustration I had in 2016, missing so many events through injury. That really fired me up. 

"But I’ve also been able to relax myself on court and that’s allowed me to play better squash.”

The World Series Finals, which takes place at Dubai Opera - brings together the top eight players on the Men’s and Women’s PSA Road to Dubai Standings to battle it out for a share of the $160,000 prize fund, with points on offer at all World Series tournaments throughout the 2016/17 season.

Gaultier – who finished second on the Road to Dubai Standings - beat Australia’s Cameron Pilley to win last year’s tournament and said it is a title that will live long in his memory thanks to his family being there to support him.



“Winning there last year – on my first time in Dubai – was amazing," he said.

“I had my wife and son there as well which was a bonus and I had a really unique moment with my boy coming on court to celebrate with me – that moment will live in my memory forever.

“They’re coming with me again this year so hopefully they will bring me that good luck again this year.

“The World Series Finals at Dubai Opera marks the season finale on the PSA World Tour calendar and Gaultier wants to end the year with one of the sport’s most lucrative titles.

“I’ve had an amazing run since January and hopefully I can recover well and keep on playing as well as I can," he added.

“Of course I want to finish the season on a high note as well in Dubai and hopefully I will get there as fresh as possible. I will try to perform the best I can and try to finish on a high once again.”

The PSA Dubai World Series Finals takes place from June 6-10, 2017 with the tournament match schedule to be announced on Monday June 5. All of the action will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).

Group stage matches will take place at 3:00pm, 3:45pm, 16:45pm and 17:30pm (Group A) and 21:30pm, 22:15pm, 23:15pm and 00:00am (Group B) between June 6-8 with the semi-finals due to take place from 22:00pm on June 9. The finals will commence at 22:00pm local time on June 10.

Tickets for the World Series Finals can be purchased at https://dubaiopera.etixdubai.com/shows/show.aspx?sh=PSAUMB