Gawad Ends Rösner’s Title Defence on Day Six of J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

World No.5 Karim Abdel Gawad ended the title defence of Germany’s Simon Rösner after a commanding performance from the Egyptian saw him move into the semi-finals of the PSA Platinum event held at New York’s iconic Grand Central Terminal.

Gawad, the 2016 ToC champion, almost fell to an ignominious exit in round two after falling two games behind against World No.23 Joel Makin, but an ankle injury sustained by the Welshman in game three handed Gawad a lifeline as he progressed into the last 16.

But, following wins over compatriot Fares Dessouky and now Rösner, Gawad looks to have shaken off his slow start to the tournament and the former World No.1 dominated his opponent today to end Rösner’s defence of the coveted trophy.

“Simon beat me the last two times last season, and he is now the World No.3,” Gawad said after his victory.

“He has improved a lot, and he was always top 10 but now he is even better than he used to be. He is the defending champion here so it was a very tough match, of course.

“I had to be very strong mentally in order to win against someone like Simon, especially a 3-0 win. I had to focus 100% today."

The day’s other men’s quarter-final saw World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy prevail in a thrilling five-game battle with Peruvian Diego Elias to avenge his defeat against the World No.11 in November’s Qatar Classic.

In what was arguably the match of the tournament so far, 22-year-old Elias twice took a one-game lead, but was pegged back both times by a resurgent ElShorbagy.

And fell just short in the deciding fifth game as fatigue took its toll, with the scoreline finishing 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 in the Egyptian’s favour. ElShorbagy and Gawad will meet in a repeat of the Black Ball Open quarter-finals, with Gawad prevailing en route to winning the tournament.

“This kid [Elias] is going to beat us all one day," ElShorbagy said afterwards.

“We have played four times now, and all four have gone to five games. He beat me the last time, he just showed what a great player he is and there is no doubt he is a future No.1 of the game."

The women’s third round took place today and saw both of the remaining US players exit the tournament as World No.11 Amanda Sobhy and World No.19 Olivia Blatchford Clyne suffered respective defeats against Egyptian duo Nour El Tayeb and Nour El Sherbini.

An out-of-sorts El Tayeb went a game behind twice against Sobhy, the US No.1, and fell to an 11-1 defeat in game three. However, the World No.3 was able to weather the storm in the fourth to level the scores, before holding her nerve to convert the decider.

“Ever since the draw came out, I’ve been thinking about this match,” said El Tayeb,

“It took a lot of fighting to be able to be in the match. I had Ali [Farag] and Raneem [El Welily] in my corner, the World No.2 and the World No.1, so they were just trying to keep me disciplined, encourage me and thankfully I fought until the end."

Meanwhile, Blatchford Clyne fell victim to a masterclass from defending champion Nour El Sherbini, with the World No.2 overpowering her opponent to win 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 in 23 minutes.

El Sherbini will play fellow Egyptian Salma Hany for a place in the semi-finals after the World No.16 upset two-time runner-up Laura Massaro to win in straight games. 22-year-old Hany will now compete in the last eight of a PSA Platinum event for the first time.

“I have been working towards this for so much time now,” said Hany.

“I just relaxed and this is my first ever quarter-final in a [Platinum] event. Every time I step on this court, especially in this amazing venue, I get a bit nervous. When I talked to my physical coach, he told me that the most important thing is to enjoy my game and every time I was getting nervous, and I was thinking that I was getting closer to the quarter finals, I was just thinking about relaxing and to enjoy it like I was dancing.”

Elsewhere, World No.1 Raneem El Welily got the better of India’s Joshna Chinappa and she will play World No.8 Nouran Gohar next in a repeat of their five-game clash in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Joelle King claimed just her second career victory over Malaysian legend Nicol David at the 12th attempt to set up a quarter-final fixture with 2017 champion Camille Serme.

The day’s final third round match was an all-British battle as England’s World No.9 Alison Waters defeated Welsh World No.10 Tesni Evans by a 3-2 scoreline.

The last two men’s quarter-finals - and the entirety of the women’s last eight fixtures - will be played tomorrow (Tuesday January 22). All of the action from Grand Central Terminal will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only) and play starts at 13:30 (GMT-5).

Results - Men’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half): 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Diego Elias (PER) 3-2: 9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 (73m)
[8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [3] Simon Rösner (GER) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-5 (39m)

Draw – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half): To Be Played January 22nd
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) v [2] Ali Farag (EGY)

Draw - Men’s Semi-Finals (Top Half): To Be Played January 23rd
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v [8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)

Results - Women’s Third Round: 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [14] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 3-1: 6-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8 (39m)
[6] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [10] Annie Au (HKG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-9 (26m)
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [13] Victoria Lust (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-1 (24m)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) bt [11] Nicol David (MAS) 3-1: 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-8 (42m)
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [12] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-2: 6-11, 12-10, 1-11, 11-5, 11-7 (48m)
[9] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [8] Tesni Evans (WAL) 3-2: 11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5 (71m)
[15] Salma Hany (EGY) bt [7] Laura Massaro (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-9, 11-7 (30m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [16] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (23m)

Draw - Women’s Quarter-Finals: To Be Played January 22nd
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [6] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) v [4] Joelle King (NZL)
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[15] Salma Hany (EGY) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

Asian Junior Team Championships 2019

Favourites Pakistan and Malaysia triumphed in the men’s and women’s finals, respectively, of the 19th Asian Junior Team Squash Championships at the Squash Centre in the Ambassador City Jomtien in Pattaya, Thailand.

After overcoming Hong Kong China in the semi-finals of the biennial event, Pakistan faced unexpected opponents India in the final after the defending champions – who were the fourth seeds – upset second-seeded Malaysia 2/1 in the other semi.


But in an emphatic endorsement of the seedings, Pakistan (pictured above with ASF President Mui) despatched India 2/0 to claim their men’s title for first time since 2013 – but for the 14th time overall. Hong Kong China and Malaysia shared the bronze medal.

In a repeat of both the 2015 and 2017 women’s finals, defending champions Malaysia faced Hong Kong China. Boasting two players within the world top 100, favourites Malaysia brushed aside their opponents 2/0 to retain the title for the third time in a row. India and Republic of Korea claimed the co-third.


“It is the first time for Thailand Squash Rackets Association to host an Asian Championship,” said David Mui, MH JP, President of the Asian Squash Federation (pictured above with women’s champions Malaysia). “I would like to thank and congratulate them for hosting such a successful yet memorable event. Their warm hospitality and dedication has made the event run smoothly. I would also like to thank the officials, referees and helpers.”

The 2019 championships attracted 12 junior men’s teams and 9 junior women’s teams.

Men’s semi-finals:
[1] PAKISTAN bt [3] HONG KONG CHINA 2/0
Abbas Zeb bt Chung Yat Long 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 (25m)
Muhammad Farhan Hashmi bt To Wai Lok 6-11, 11-6, 13-11, 5-11, 11-9 (81m)

[4] INDIA bt [2] MALAYSIA 2/1
Utkarsh Baheti lost to Siow Yee Xian 1-11, 9-11, 12-10, 8-11 (39m)
Yash Fadte bt Duncan Lee 11-7, 12-10, 12-10 (43m)
Veer Chotrani bt Muhammad Amir Amirul Azhar 9-11, 14-12, 11-9, 20-18 (71m)

Final:
[1] PAKISTAN bt [4] INDIA 2/0
Muhammad Farhan Hashmi bt Veer Chotrani 2-11, 11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9 (55m)
Abbas Zeb bt Utkarsh Baheti 11-4, 11-2, 11-6

Remaining positions: 3 Hong Kong China & Malaysia; 5 Kuwait; 6 Sri Lanka; 7 Republic of Korea; 8 Japan; 9 Singapore; 10 Chinese Taipei; 11 China; 12 Thailand

Women’s semi-finals:
[1] MALAYSIA bt [3] INDIA 2/0
Aifa Azman bt Sanya Vats 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 (17m)
Chan Yiwen bt Yoshna Singh 11-6, 11-1, 11-6 (23m)

[2] HONG KONG CHINA bt [5] REPUBLIC OF KOREA 2/0
Chan Sin Yuk bt Chae Won Song 11-5, 11-1, 11-1 (15m)
Cheng Nga Ching bt Park Ju Ah 11-4, 8-11, 11-3, 11-7 (33m)

Final:
[1] MALAYSIA bt [2] HONG KONG CHINA 2/0
Aifa Azman bt Chan Sin Yuk 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8 (39m)
Ooi Kah Yan bt Lee Sum Yuet 11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 4-11, 13-11 (44m)

Remaining positions: 3 India & Republic of Korea; 5 Sri Lanka; 6 Singapore; 7 Japan; 8 Macau; 9 Chinese Taipei

The first PSA Platinum event of the year is under way in New York, with matches taking place on the Glass Court in Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall.

After five days the Men’s event is down to the quarter-final stage, with matches taking place on Monday and Tuesday this week, while the women’s event sees all sixteen seeds in action in Monday’s third round.

We’ll be providing daily coverage from here on in, and you can watch the matches on SquashTV / Eurosport Player (subscribers only), or on the PSA World Tour Facebook page (certain areas only).

J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions Day SIX, Mon 21st Jan
[6] Nouran Gohar (Egy) 3-0 [10] Annie Au (Hkg) 11-7, 11-4, 11-9 (26m)
[5] Camille Serme (Fra) 3-0 [13] Victoria Lust (Eng) 11-4, 11-4, 11-1 (24m)
[1] Raneem El Welily (Egy) 3-1 [14] Joshna Chinappa (Ind) 6-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8 (39m)

[4] Joelle King (Nzl) 3-1 [11] Nicol David (Mas) 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-8 (42m)
[3] Nour El Tayeb (Egy) 3-2 [12] Amanda Sobhy (Usa) 6-11, 12-10, 1-11, 11-5, 11-7 (48m)
[15] Salma Hany (Egy) 3-0 [7] Laura Massaro (Eng) 11-4, 11-9, 11-7 (30m)

[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (Egy) 3-2 Diego Elias (Per) 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 (71m)

18.45 [8] Tesni Evans (Wal) v [9] Alison Waters (Eng)
19.30 [2] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) v [16] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (Usa)
20.15 [3] Simon Rosner (Ger) v [8] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy)

US No.1 Sobhy Gets Under Way at J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy got her title challenge under way at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions with a 3-0 victory over Canada’s Danielle Letourneau in round two of the PSA Platinum event taking place at New York’s iconic Grand Central Terminal.

Harvard-graduate Sobhy, 25, reached the final of this tournament back in 2016 and she took a step closer to the title decider courtesy of an 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 victory over the World No.39.

"I love it [the home crowd] so much," said Sobhy afterwards.

"I don’t really get that many home tournaments, but when I do… I appreciate it. It is nice to get going. There are always a lot of emotions playing a home tournament and now that I am back, I might put a bit of pressure on myself.

“At the end of the day, I am just here to enjoy it because last year, I was on the long road back, so I just kind of told myself to enjoy it and whatever happens, happens, and I am going to give it my best.”

Sobhy will go up against World No.3 Nour El Tayeb next after the Egyptian got the better of Scotland’s Lisa Aitken in straight games. Sobhy leads their head-to-head record with four wins to El Tayeb’s three, and it was the American who won their last match during October’s U.S. Open.

“I was trying to be focused and prepared from the beginning because I know how dangerous Lisa is," said El Tayeb, the 2018 runner-up.

“All credit to her how she came back with the injuries she has had, but I was very focused from the beginning, and thankfully, I finished it off in three."

Sobhy’s compatriot, Olivia Blatchford Clyne, also booked her third round spot as she defeated Nele Gilis of Belgium in straight games. The New York-born World No.19 will play defending champion Nour El Sherbini for a place in the last eight after the World No.2 dispatched fellow Egyptian Hania El Hammamy.

Two-time runner-up Laura Massaro was also in action as she dispatched Egypt’s Yathreb Adel, avenging her defeat to the Egyptian in November’s Hong Kong Open. She will line up against World No.16 Salma Hany in round three, while Wales’ Tesni Evans and England’s Alison Waters will go head-to-head in an all-British battle.

World No.2 Ali Farag - El Tayeb’s husband - booked his place in the last eight of the men’s tournament as he edged a highly-entertaining fixture against England’s Daryl Selby.

The 26-year-old, who like Sobhy studied at Harvard, took the win by a 15-13, 12-10, 13-11 scoreline, but was up against it at times against an impressive Selby, who was unable to capitalise on any of his seven game balls throughout the 57-minute encounter.

“Right now, I could easily be sat down losing 3-0," Farag admitted afterwards.

"All games could have gone either way, and actually they were closer to going his way. He was leading in every game, he had game ball or more than one in every game. I am just very happy that I stayed calm, I never panicked. All credit to Daryl, he never made it easy at any point. I am very relieved to be through."

New Zealand’s World No.7 Paul Coll awaits Farag in the quarter-finals next after his match with World No.12 Saurav Ghosal was cut short due to a calf injury to the Indian player.

Egyptian duo Tarek Momen and Omar Mosaad also claimed wins on day five, beating France’s Gregoire Marche and Scotland’s Greg Lobban, respectively, to reach the quarter-finals.

Momen said: “I always knew that Greg would show up the way he did today, he has always played really well against me and I expected it to be a very tough match, so at the beginning I was trying to employ a game plan, but it wasn’t working.

“I felt a little bit flat and then I kind of tried to fire myself up a bit. From that point, like halfway through the first game, I was playing really well and I was just trying to force it, to force him to make an extra lunge or two every point."

The entirety of the women’s third round will be played tomorrow (Monday January 21), while the first two men's quarter-finals will also be contested. The action starts at Grand Central Terminal at 11:00 (GMT-5) and all matches will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).

Results - Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half): 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 3-1: 9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-9 (67m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-0: 12-10, 11-8, 11-7 (43m)
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-0: 14-12 ret. (37m)
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Daryl Selby (ENG) 3-0: 15-13, 12-10, 13-11 (57m)

Draw - Men’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half): To Be Played January 21st
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Diego Elias (PER)
[8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [3] Simon Rösner (GER)

Draw - Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half): To Be Played January 22nd
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) v [2] Ali Farag (EGY)

Results - Women’s Second Round (Bottom Half): 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 3-0: 11-6, 11-0, 11-4 (20m)
[12] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (23m)
[9] Alison Waters (ENG) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-0, 11-4 (20m)
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 11-6 (38m)
[7] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Yathreb Adel (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 12-10 (30m)
[15] Salma Hany (EGY) bt Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (30m)
[16] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) bt Nele Gilis (BEL) 3-1: 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 13-11 (64m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 11-4, 6-11, 11-7 (49m)

Draw - Women’s Third Round: To Be Played January 21
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [14] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[10] Annie Au (HKG) v [6] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) v [13] Victoria Lust (ENG)
[11] Nicol David (MAS) v [4] Joelle King (NZL)
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [12] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
[9] Alison Waters (ENG) v [8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[7] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [15] Salma Hany (EGY)
[16] Olivia Blatchford (USA) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

Watch squash your way...

The 2018-19 PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family is on track to break more than just the prize money record; experts are forecasting this will be one of the most exciting tournaments to date.



Hosted in Union Station in Chicago, this year's PSA World Championships is set for blockbuster battles with the USA's Olivia Blatchford Clyne and Amanda Sobhy seeded to meet in Round 2.



128 of the world’s greatest players will battle it out for most prestigious title in squash and a record prize purse of $1 million - the highest in the sport’s history.


Here are three ways you can watch the event:

Watch live on SQUASHTV, 20 live tournaments a year, replays included.

GET SQUASHTV

Book your own tickets. Simply pick a date and a seat and head to Union Station.

GET TICKETS

Sit back and let the experts book the transport, hotel and tickets for you.

FIND OUT MORE

Can't wait until February? You can watch the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions LIVE on SQUASHTV now. Hosted in Grand Central Station, the live action starts today from 12:00 EST.



Here's today's draw:

12:00 - Laura Massaro (ENG) v Yathreb Adel (EGY)
12:45 - Paul Coll (NZL) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
14:00 - Greg Lobban (SCO) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
14:45 - Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v Tesni Evans (WAL)
17:00 - Tarek Momen (EGY) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)
17:45 - Daryl Selby (ENG) v Ali Farag (EGY)
19:30 - Danielle Letourneau (CAN) v Amanda Sobhy (USA)
20:15 - Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
21:00 - Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v Lisa Aitken (SCO)


Get a year of SQUASHTV for just $60 USD and watch live matches and full replays. Simply select an annual pass and enter the promotional code TOC60E.

Plain Sailing for Seeds on Day Four of J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

The fourth day of action at the 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, PSA Platinum event saw all 12 matches go the way of the higher-ranked player, with World No.1s Raneem El Welily and Mohamed ElShorbagy among the winners at New York’s Grand Central Terminal.

El Welily is appearing in her first PSA Tour event since overtaking fellow Egyptian Nour El Sherbini at the summit of the PSA Women’s World Rankings at the beginning of December. The 30-year-old kickstarted her title challenge with a resounding 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 victory over World No.23 Mariam Metwally in the second round of the women’s event.

“When I got to No.1, I was just trying to enjoy myself on court and to do my best in every single game,” said El Welily

“To stay in the same form, I have to do the same things that got me to No.1, so I am still trying to enjoy it as much as possible.

“It is definitely good to be back in New York at Grand Central Station. It is one of my favourite tournaments all year, and I am just happy to be through to the next round."

India’s Joshna Chinappa stands in El Welily’s way in the next round after the World No.14 got the better of Belgium’s Tinne Gilis in straight games.

2017 champion Camille Serme also got her tournament under way as she claimed an 11-7, 12-10, 11-6 win over World No.36 Milou van der Heijden in 30 minutes.

The World No.5 - who two years ago became the first Frenchwoman ever to win this tournament - will go up against England’s Victoria Lust for a place in the quarter-finals after the No.13 seed toppled Hong Kong’s Liu Tsz-Ling.

"When I came on the court for the warm-up, I was like a child," said Serme.

"I was excited and happy to be back here. I love playing in Grand Central station, it’s my favourite tournament and I just want to keep playing here."

World No.4 Joelle King also claimed a victory on day four as she defeated Zeina Mickawy in four games, and she will play 2014 champion Nicol David in a mouthwatering third round fixture. Eight-time World Champion David dispatched current World Junior Champion Rowan Elaraby by a 3-0 margin.

World No.8 Nouran Gohar and World No.12 Annie Au were the other victors on day four as they axed Malaysia’s Low Wee Wern and Hong Kong’s Joey Chan, respectively.

The top half of the men’s third round was also contested today, with ElShorbagy and defending champion Simon Rösner advancing to the quarter-finals after respective triumphs against Egypt’s Zahed Salem and Max Lee of Hong Kong.

ElShorbagy’s 11-2, 12-10, 11-9 win over Salem will see him line up against World No.11 Diego Elias in the last eight. Elias dispatched Australia’s Cameron Pilley and will look to replicate the form that saw him upset ElShorbagy in November’s Qatar Classic.

“Diego has been playing well this season," ElShorbagy said afterwards.

"We played once this season in Qatar where he got the better of me, it was the first time he got the better of me. He is someone who is going to keep me playing for so many years to come. There is no doubt he is a future No.1 and future World Champion.”

Meanwhile, Rösner will clash with World No.5 Karim Abdel Gawad, with Gawad coming through in five games to dispatch compatriot Fares Dessouky.

Rösner said: “I love Grand Central, I love New York and I love playing on this glass court.

"Hopefully I can get another win, but no matter how I go I am just enjoying being out here.”

The second round of the women’s event and the third round of the men’s continues tomorrow (Sunday January 20). Play will get under way at Grand Central Terminal at 12:00 (GMT-5) and will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).

Results - Men’s Third Round (Top Half): 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Zahed Salem (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 12-10, 11-9 (39m)
Diego Elias (PER) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 3-1: 11-9, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7 (55m)
[8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Fares Dessouky (EGY) 3-2: 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4 (86m)
[3] Simon Rösner (GER) bt Max Lee (HKG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 (48m)

Draw - Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half): To Be Played January 20th
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)
Greg Lobban (SCO) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) v Saura Ghosal (IND)
Daryl Selby (ENG) v [2] Ali Faraf (EGY)

Draw - Men’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half): To Be Played January 21st
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Diego Elias (PER)
[8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [3] Simon Rösner (GER)

Results - Women’s Second Round (Top Half): 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt Mariam Metwally (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 (20m)
[14] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 13-11 (37m)
[10] Annie Au (HKG) bt Joey Chan (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-9, 12-10 (29m)
[6] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 3-1: 11-4, 11-5, 5-11, 11-6 (39m)
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 3-0: 11-7, 12-10, 11-6 (30m)
[13] Victoria Lust (ENG) bt Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 3-0: 16-14, 11-8, 11-8 (30m)
[11] Nicol David (MAS) bt Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 13-11 (33m)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-1 (39m)

Draw - Women’s Second Round (Bottom Half): To Be Played January 20th
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v Lisa Aitken (SCO)
Danielle Letourneau (CAN) v [12] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
[9] Alison Waters (ENG) v Emily Whitlock (ENG)
Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v [8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[7] Laura Massaro (ENG) v Yathreb Adel (EGY)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [15] Salma Hany (EGY)
[16] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) v Nele Gilis (BEL)
Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

Draw - Women’s Third Round (Top Half): To Be Played January 21st
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [14] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[10] Annie Au (HKG) v [6] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) v [13] Victoria Lust (ENG)
[11] Nicol David (MAS) v [4] Joelle King (NZL)

Rösner Kicks Off Title Defence with a Win on Day Two of J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

World No.3 Simon Rösner kicked off the defence of his J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions title with a commanding 3-0 victory over Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly inside New York’s iconic Grand Central Terminal.

Rösner became the first German player ever to win a major PSA Tour event when he defeated World No.4 Tarek Momen to lift this trophy 12 months ago and the Paderborn-based 31-year-old picked up where he left off in New York with an 11-4, 11-8, 11-9 victory over his opponent today.

“I think he [Cuskelly] is a really dangerous player and we have never played before in a PSA match,” Rosner said after the match.

“I didn’t really know what to expect. I went off and played really well at the beginning and had a good start. He then kind of came back at me but I was really pleased with my performance. It was a good effort.

“There is a lot of pressure on your shoulders coming back as a defending champion, but I didn’t want to think about that too much. I just wanted to enter the tournament and play the best I can really. [It was] Exactly the same as last year, I think I went in without any expectations."

Rösner will play Hong Kong’s Max Lee in the next round after Lee overcame Mexico’s Cesar Salazar in straight games, and they will be joined in the last 16 by World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy, who defeated Nicolas Mueller 3-0.

ElShorbagy suffered a shock defeat to Cuskelly in the second round of last year’s event, but the two-time Tournament of Champions winner was unstoppable against his Swiss counterpart as he powered to an 11-3, 12-10, 11-4 triumph.

“It is always such an honour to win this title and to know that I have won this title twice before is such an honour," ElShorbagy said afterwards.

"I would like to win it a few more times, but it is not easy. There are a lot of challenges, a lot of players that are playing well right now.”

Egypt’s Zahed Salem lies in wait for ElShorbagy in round three, with the World No.25 getting the better of Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng in four games.

Day two almost saw a big upset as Welshman Joel Makin went two games up against World No.5 Karim Abdel Gawad, only to see an ankle injury cruelly end his chances of a victory.

A series of fine displays this season have seen Makin climb from No.38 in the world to No.23 over the past five months and he dominated the in-form Gawad to go two games ahead and 4-3 up in the third.

But he rolled his ankle after contact with Gawad mid-way through a rally and he was unable to continue, meaning Gawad moves through to the third round, where he will play compatriot Fares Dessouky.

“It is not a normal end to the match,” Gawad admitted.

“He played really well and he was dominating. I was having a really hard time, especially today when I was not playing my best squash. He was playing his best squash so of course it is very bad for him. I wish him the best of luck to recover and to be back for the World Championships next month."

Elsewhere, Peru’s Diego Elias got the better of World No.8 Marwan ElShorbagy by a 3-1 margin to book his place in round two. Elias will line up against Australia’s Cameron Pilley in the next round, with Pilley progressing courtesy of a 3-0 victory against England’s Tom Richards.

“Well, he started playing really well in the third game and I didn’t really know what was happening," said Elias.

“After a couple of minutes I was 7-0 down, so I was trying to concentrate from then for the next game and I think it worked. The last game was really hard and I am happy to win it.”

The men’s second round continues tomorrow (Friday January 18) at 12:00 (GMT-5) and the action from Grand Central Terminal will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).

The women’s tournament also gets under way tomorrow, with fixtures spread between the Harvard Club, New York Athletics Club and the Princeton Club.

Results - Men’s Second Round (Top Half): 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-0: 11-4, 12-10 11-4 (27m)
Zahed Salem (EGY) bt Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 3-1: 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 (63m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 11-5 (28m)
Diego Elias (PER) v [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 11-6, 0-11, 12-10 (50m)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Joel Makin (WAL) 3-2: 4-11, 11-13, 3-4 ret. (65m)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 3-1: 11-8, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6 (43m)
Max Lee (HKG) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 3-1: 8-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-2 (40m)
[3] Simon Rosner (GER) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 11-9 (49m)

Draw - Men’s Second Round (Bottom Half): To Be Played January 18th
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)

Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Lucas Serme (FRA)
Greg Lobban (SCO) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [6] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) v Todd Harrity (USA)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) v Campbell Grayson (NZL)
Daryl Selby (ENG) v Youssef Soliman (EGY)
James Willstrop v [2] Ali Farag (EGY)

Draw - Men’s Third Round (Top Half): To Be Played January 19th
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Zahed Salem (EGY)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Diego Elias (PER)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Fares Dessouky (EGY)
Max Lee (HKG) v [3] Simon Rösner (GER)

Draw - Women’s First Round: To Be Played January 18th
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) [bye]
Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) v [17/32] Mariam Metwally (EGY)
[17/32] Coline Aumard (FRA) v Tinne Gilis (BEL)
[15] Joshna Chinappa (IND) [bye]
[11] Annie Au (HKG [bye]
Satomi Watanabe (JPN) v [17/32] Joey Chan (HKG)
[17/32] Mayar Hany (EGY) v Low Wee Wern (MAS)
[6] 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)
[13] Victoria Lust (ENG) [bye]
[11] 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]
Lisa Aitken (SCO) v [17/32] Nada Abbas (EGY)
[17/32] Samantha Cornett (CAN) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
[12] Amanda Sobhy (USA) [bye]
[9] Alison Waters (ENG) [bye]
Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [17/32] Emily Whitlock (ENG)
[17/32] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL)
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[7] Laura Massaro (ENG) [bye]
Julianne Courtice (ENG) v [17/32] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
[17/32] Fiona Moverley (ENG) v Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
[15] Salma Hany (EGY) [bye]
[16] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) [bye]
Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) v [17/32] Nele Gilis (BEL)
[17/32] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [WC] Emilia Soini (FIN)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) [bye]

Egypt’s Farag Downs Willstrop in J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions Day Three Thriller

World No.2 Ali Farag got the better of former World No.1 James Willstrop in the standout match of day three of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions - the PSA Platinum event currently taking place inside New York’s Grand Central Terminal.



Farag can overtake current World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy at the summit of the World Rankings if he wins the tournament and ElShorbagy exits the event at the semi-final stage or sooner.



And the Harvard-graduate kicked off his title challenge in New York after coming through a thrilling 51-minute battle with England’s Willstrop. The pair played out a series of entertaining rallies under the chandeliers of Grand Central’s Vanderbilt Hall and received a standing ovation as they departed the court.



“I grew up watching James, he is one of the players I look up to and it is never easy to share a court with him," said Farag, who will play Willstrop’s compatriot Daryl Selby in the next round.



“He has better ball control, he is smarter than me. I just try to play as fast as possible. Thankfully, I was able to win and I am very happy to do so.



"I consider it a privilege every time I get on the court with him. I feel very honoured to be sharing a court with the likes of James and Nick [Matthew] and Greg [Gaultier]."



The day’s biggest upset of the day saw World No.17 Omar Mosaad send World No.6 Miguel Rodriguez to an early exit to follow up his win at the Black Ball Open last month.



Colombia’s Rodriguez started well in New York to go a game ahead, however a crucial second game went the way of Mosaad on the tie-break, and the Egyptian played some scintillating squash in the third and fourth games to consign Rodriguez to an early exit.



“I am really happy because I did a good job today, I think, and Miguel [did so] as well," said Mosaad.



“It is not easy to play Miguel. Especially because we have had a couple of matches that were very tough. I needed to be strong mentally today, I pushed 100% today and I want to thank my coaches and my wife, who is supporting me today."



New Zealand’s World No.7 Paul Coll escaped with a 3-1 victory over men’s United States No.1 Todd Harrity after he almost let a two-game lead slip.



Coll was in control as he dropped just six points over the course of the opening two games, but Harrity, backed on by his home crowd, battled his way back into the match as he unsettled the Kiwi and hit a number of winners at the front of the court.



Harrity’s resurgence continued into the fourth as he built up a 7-0 lead, but Coll was able to arrest his drop off in intensity and fought back to close out the win in four games. The 26-year-old will line up against India’s Saurav Ghosal for a place in the last eight.



“I became a bit too passive,” Coll said.



“Obviously I was concerned [after going 7-0 down in the fourth] and I tried to get myself back into it. I just had my coach’s voice in my head going nuts at me."



There was also a victory for World No.4 Tarek Momen, who claimed a hard-fought 3-2 win against World No.10 Mohamed Abouelghar, winning it 10-12, 11-4, 4-11, 11-7, 11-6 in 68 minutes. Momen will play France’s Gregoire Marche in round three, while Greg Lobban also advanced into the last 16.



The women’s tournament got under way today, with United States duo Haley Mendez and Marina Stefanoni seeing their tournaments come to an end at the hands of Dutch player Milou van der Heijden and Egypt’s Zeina Mickawy, respectively.



Meanwhile, former World No.5 Low Wee Wern capped her first appearance at the tournament since 2016 with a 3-1 victory over Mayar Hany of Egypt at the Harvard Club of New York.



“I’m a bit nervous, I’ve played it before but I didn’t appreciate it when I was in the top 10, I just took it for granted and it was just another match for me," said Low, who will now take on No.6 seed Nouran Gohar in the next round.



“After being out for 21 months, I really missed it and this time around I think I will appreciate it a bit more.”



The men’s third round will begin tomorrow (January 19th), while the women’s event reaches the second round stage, meaning the top eight seeds - including defending champion Nour El Sherbini, World No.1 Raneem El Welily and United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy - will all get their tournaments under way.



All of the action from Grand Central Terminal will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Europe only) from 12:00 (GMT-5).



Results - Men’s Second Round (Bottom Half): 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 3-2: 10-12, 11-4, 4-11, 11-7, 11-6 (68m)

Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 (51m)

Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Chris Simpson (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-4, 11-6 (49m)

Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [6] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) 3-1: 7-11, 17-15, 11-6, 11-9 (81m)

[7] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-1: 11-3, 11-3, 9-11, 11-8 (55m)

Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Campbell Grayson (NZL) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 (48m)

Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (50m)

[2] Ali Farag (EGY) bt James Willstrop (ENG) 3-1: 11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4 (51m)



Draw - Men’s Third Round (Top Half): To Be Played Saturday January 19th

[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Zahed Salem (EGY)

Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Diego Elias (PER)

Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Fares Dessouky (EGY)

Max Lee (HKG) v [3] Simon Rösner (GER)



Draw - Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half): To Be Played Saturday January 20th

[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)

Greg Lobban (SCO) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)

[7] Paul Coll (NZL) v Saura Ghosal (IND)

Daryl Selby (ENG) v [2] Ali Faraf (EGY)



Results - Women’s First Round: 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

Mariam Metwally (EGY) bt Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-9, 11-3 (26m)

Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 (27m)

Joey Chan (HKG) bt Satomi Watanabe (JPN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (23m)

Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Mayar Hany (EGY) 3-1: 12-10, 11-3, 6-11, 11-6 (42m)

Milou van der Heijden (NED) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 3-1: 11-9, 15-13, 6-11, 11-9 (47m)

Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) bt Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-1: 8-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-1 (29m)

Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-1: 3-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7 (35m)

Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt [WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-1: 12-10, 3-11, 11-6, 14-12 (49m)

Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-2: 13-11, 5-11, 4-11, 15-13, 11-5 (64m)

Danielle Letourneau (CAN) bt Samantha Cornett (CAN) 3-1: 0-11, 11-7, 12-10, 13-11 (40m)

Emily Whitlock (ENG) bt Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-1: 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (47m)

Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 (33m)

[17/32] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 (25m)

Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt Fiona Moverley (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-7, 11-8 (23m)

Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 3-0: 12-10, 11-7, 11-6 (42m)

Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [WC] Emilia Soini (FIN) 3-0: 11-4, 11-2, 11-3 (19m)



Draw - Women’s Second Round (Top Half): To Be Played Saturday January 19th

[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v Mariam Metwally (EGY)

Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [14] Joshna Chinappa (IND)

[10] Annie Au (HKG) v Joey Chan (HKG)

Low Wee Wern (MAS) v [6] Nouran Gohar (EGY)

[5] Camille Serme (FRA) v Milou van der Heijden (NED)

Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) v [13] Victoria Lust (ENG)

[11] Nicol David (MAS) v Rowan Elaraby (ENG)

Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v [4] Joelle King (NZL)



Draw - Women’s Second Round (Bottom Half): To Be Played Saturday January 20th

[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v Lisa Aitken (SCO)

Danielle Letourneau (CAN) v [12] Amanda Sobhy (USA)

[9] Alison Waters (ENG) v Emily Whitlock (ENG)

Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v [8] Tesni Evans (WAL)

[7] Laura Massaro (ENG) v Yathreb Adel (EGY)

Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [15] Salma Hany (EGY)

[16] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) v Nele Gilis (BEL)

Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

EMILIA SOINI EARNS WILD CARD SPOT FOR TOC

Brooklyn-based Finn, Emilia Soini, will make her debut in the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions main draw after upsetting higher-ranked Canadian Nicole Bunyan in the women’s wild card playoff final Monday night at the Yale Club in New York City.

Soini, who serves as a teaching professional at Brooklyn’s Eastern Athletic Club, advanced to Monday’s final following a semifinal victory over New York City-based U19 junior Olivia Robinson Sunday evening to set up the final clash against top-seeded Bunyan, a teaching professional at Chelsea Piers Connecticut.

The Finnish international’s shot-making was in fine form in the first game, where Soini sped to an 11-5 advantage. Soini earned a 6-2 lead in the second game, but Bunyan fought back to level the score at 9-all, at which point Soini edged the game 11-9 to go up 2-0.

Bunyan, a Princeton graduate, bounced back in the the third game, pulling away from 8-all to earn the game 11-9. Soini appeared to be on the brink of swiftly clinching the match in the fourth, up 8-2, but the Canadian came back to fight off two match balls—nearly forcing a tie-breaker at 10-9when Soini slotted a precise backhand winner to clinch the match 11-9 after thirty-four minutes.

“We played last season in the New York pro league and I lost in five, so I knew I had a chance, but at the same time I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Soini said. “I was happy to get the lead and keep it. Sometimes when I get ahead, I’ll get nervous and let it slip. I had a tough loss in December at home in Finland; I was up 2-1 against the No. 1 seed and 10-8 up in the fourth, and then I lost the match. So up 10-7 in the fourth here, I was telling myself ‘not this time.”

Soini—a native of Espoo, Finland, and three-time Finnish national champion—has been based in New York City for four years as a teaching and touring professional. The twenty-three-year-old was ranked as high as world No. 66 in 2017.

“It basically feels like I’m playing at home,” Soini said. “For the last few years I’ve been watching all of the ToC matches on SquashTV or in person. I took a picture of the glass court and made it my phone’s wallpaper, which always reminds me that it’s the goal and the dream to play in the main draw of this tournament. Special thanks to my coach Wael El Hindi, I wouldn’t even be in this playoff if it wasn’t for him.”

Soini will face Egypt’s world No. 17 Hania El Hamammy at New York Athletic Club in the first round Friday, January 18, at 7pm local time. Soini, world No. 85, previously competed in ToC qualifying once in 2017, where El Hamammy defeated her in three games.

“Hania’s a good friend of mine,” Soini said. “I helped her when she played the Carol Weymuller in Brooklyn. Last time I was helping her, but now I’m trying to beat her.”

The Tournament of Champions starts on Wednesday, with the men’s draw getting underway. The women’s draw gets started on Friday.

Home Favourite Harrity Prevails on Day One of J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

The opening day of action at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions saw men’s United States No.1 Todd Harrity beat Hong Kong’s Tsz Fung Yip to book his place in round two as the PSA World Tour Platinum tournament got under way at New York’s Grand Central Terminal.

It was the first time since 1992 that a trio of American men had competed on the same night at the Tournament of Champions, with World No.48 Harrity, World No.63 Chris Hanson and World No.294 Timothy Brownell all appearing under the chandeliers of the stunning Vanderbilt Hall.

Harrity was backed on by a partizan crowd in New York and the 28-year-old from Wayne rose to the occasion as he came back from a game down to earn an a 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7 victory - securing his place in the second round of this tournament for the first time in his career.

“It’s great after all these years, to finally win on this stage, I am just overjoyed by it," said Harrity, who will play World No.7 Paul Coll in the next round.

“In previous years I have just been so excited, so I come out with my heart racing, sort of a deer in the headlights with sensory overload. I don’t kind of feel like playing the match.

“I had some tactics to keep him in the back. He likes loose, random stuff, so I tried to keep it disciplined and I was having to go for chances. More than anything, I wanted to relax and just have a good, rich experience on court."

Hanson, meanwhile, came up against former World No.3 Omar Mosaad and caused the Egyptian a number of problems throughout the 46-minute encounter, but Mosaad came through to take the win in straight games.

"This kind of match is stressful for me because he played in front of his home crowd," said Mosaad.

"I just tried to focus, especially in the second game because I wanted to finish in three. I am training hard, really hard, and I think I did a good job."

Mosaad’s reward is a second round fixture with World No.6 Miguel Rodriguez, and he will look to follow up his 3-2 win over the Colombian at last month’s CIB Black Ball Open.

Brownell, who is currently attending Harvard, was appearing at this tournament for the first time in his career after winning a wildcard playoff prior to the event and he took a shock one-game lead against Egypt’s Youssef Soliman, only to eventually fall in four games.

Soliman said: "I think both of us got excited, and he was playing with his home crowd. For me it is the first time in the States, and playing in this venue is definitely exciting.

“I was so nervous inside, I was struggling to find a rhythm because he played really well.”

Elsewhere, France’s Mathieu Castagnet and England’s George Parker played out a mammoth 137-minute battle in the day’s opening match, which saw Castagnet require treatment for a cut on his eyebrow.

The pair exchanged points in a feisty affair and it was World No.27 Castagnet who held his nerve to take it 12-10 in the deciding fifth game.

“I don’t mind, even if I need the stitches, I am going to do my recovery and then tomorrow I am back on the court," said Castagnet afterwards.

"This is my job, I love the game and I want to give my best to come back. Even if I need stitches, I am going to come back for sure.”

Castagnet will play Egypt’s Fares Dessouky in the next round after the Egyptian made his return from a 14-month injury layoff with a runner-up finish at the CCI International last week.

There were also wins for the likes of France’s Gregoire Marche and Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng, who caused upsets against Germany’s Raphael Kandra and Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, respectively. Marche will pit his wits against compatriot Lucas Serme in the last 32, while Yow will go up against Egypt’s Youssef Soliman.

The second round of the men’s draw will begin on Thursday January 17 as World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy and defending champion Simon Rösner get their tournaments under way. All of the action from Grand Central Terminal will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world) and Eurosport Player (Eurosport Player) from 12:00 (GMT-5).

The Tournament of Champions will also feature a women’s tournament, which takes place January 18-24.

Results - Men’s First Round: 2019 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Mazen Hesham (EGY) 3-0: 13-11, 11-5, 11-8 (36m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-3 (34m)
Zahed Salem (EGY) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 3-1: 8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 (50m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 12-10, 11-9, 11-6 (46m)
Tom Richards (ENG) bt Ben Coleman (ENG) 3-1: 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-4 (42m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt Joshua Masters (ENG) 3-1: 11-3, 11-2, 8-11, 12-10 (58m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-2: 9-11, 15-13, 12-10, 6-11, 12-10 (137m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 3-0: 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 (44m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 3-1: 10-12, 11-5, 11-9, 11-4
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Declan James (ENG) 3-2: 11-9, 5-11, 4-11, 13-11, 11-3 (78m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 3-1: 11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5 (36m)
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 3-1: 11-4, 11-4, 4-11, 11-9 (59m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [WC] Chris Hanson (USA) 3-0: 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 (46m)
Todd Harrity (USA) bt Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) 3-1: 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7 (43m)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Leo Au (HKG) 3-2: 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 11-5 (90m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt [WC] Timothy Brownell (USA) 3-1: 6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 12-10 (61m)

Draw - Men’s Second Round (Top Half): To Be Played January 17th
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v Zahed Salem (EGY)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Tom Richards (ENG)
Diego Elias (PER) v [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
[8] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Joel Makin (WAL)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Max Lee (HKG)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v [3] Simon Rösner (GER)

Draw - Men’s Second Round (Bottom Half): To Be Played January 18th
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)

Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Lucas Serme (FRA)
Greg Lobban (SCO) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [6] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) v Todd Harrity (USA)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) v Campbell Grayson (NZL)
Daryl Selby (ENG) v Youssef Soliman (EGY)
James Willstrop v [2] Ali Farag (EGY)

PSA Sign Partnership with Squash Pro Shop, Inc

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) have signed a partnership with Chicago-based retailer Squash Pro Shop, Inc which will see them become the PSA’s Official North American Retailer.

As part of the agreement, Squash Pro Shop will also be the Official Retailer of the sport’s first $1 million tournament - the 2018/19 PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family - which takes place this year at Chicago’s Union Station between February 23 and March 2.

"We are delighted to sign this partnership with Squash Pro Shop and believe that this will help to further establish the PSA in North America," said PSA Chief Commercial Officer Tommy Berden.

"With the World Championships taking place in Chicago five times in the next decade, we were looking for a local retail partner with continental reach and Squash Pro Shop fitted the bill perfectly. We are looking forward to working with them to enhance the event experience at the sport’s premier tournament next month and increasing the profile of the PSA and our brand partners - such as Dunlop and Salming - amongst a larger audience in North America.”

Squash Pro Shop Founder and Chief Executive, Anil Gidwaney, said: "We are pleased to sign this agreement with the PSA.  There will be many branding and marketing opportunities in this agreement to make Squash Pro Shop a more global brand. The agreement with the PSA and our recent acquisition of online squash retailer Hutkay.fit will help grow our business in the US and the rest of the world. We will also have a booth to sell equipment at the 2018/2019 PSA World Championships."

For more information, visit the Squash Pro Shop website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

About PSA
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) is the global governing body responsible for the administration of both men’s and women’s professional squash around the world. With over 900 registered players and more than 200 events taking place around the globe every year, the PSA World Tour and the PSA Challenger Tour – both managed and run by the PSA – showcases the game of squash at its highest level in some of the world’s most unique and stunning locations. Encapsulating all that is good about top flight professional squash and combining athleticism, skill, fitness, tenacity, power, drama and above all else, passion, the PSA World Tour is the pinnacle of world squash, while the PSA Challenger Tour will provide a platform for the world's most exciting up-and-coming players to cut their teeth on the professional circuit against some of squash's most experienced professionals.

Website: www.psaworldtour.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/psaworldtour

Twitter: www.twitter.com/PSAWorldTour

Instagram: www.instagram.com/psaworldtour

About Squash Pro Shop

Squash Pro Shop, Inc is founded and owned by Anil Gidwaney, a PSA Level 1 certified squash professional. Anil was born in Madrid, Spain and has lived and played squash in Hong Kong, Japan, India, France and the United States.

Squash Pro Shop sells a full range of squash equipment including rackets, shoes, balls, bags, apparel and accessories.  Squash Pro Shop is an authorized dealer for all the major squash brands.

Website: www.squashproshop.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SquashProShop

Twitter: www.twitter.com/SPSsports

El Sherbini Praises ‘Unique’ J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

Two-time J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions winner Nour El Sherbini says that she is looking forward to appearing at one of the most unique locations on the PSA Tour as she begins her title defence later this week at New York’s Grand Central Terminal.

Held under the chandeliers of Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, the Tournament of Champions is one of the most illustrious tournaments on the PSA Tour and El Sherbini has enjoyed great success in New York, lifting silverware in both 2016 and 2018.

No woman has won the coveted title on more than two occasions and the 23-year-old is eager to make history and have her name etched onto the trophy yet again.

"The ToC is [one of] the most prestigious tournaments and I’m looking forward to playing again in this wonderful venue," said World No.2 El Sherbini.

"It’s amazing playing in Grand Central. You can see the people everywhere, we need more tournaments with unique venues like the ToC. I can’t wait for this year.

"It’s a huge achievement for me to win it twice, but I would still love to add my name at least one more time."

El Sherbini will be making her first appearance on the PSA Tour since losing the World No.1 ranking to fellow Egyptian Raneem El Welily - ending a 31-month spell atop the World Rankings.

The two-time World Champion will be unable to regain the top spot in New York, such is El Welily’s points lead at the summit of the rankings. However, with El Welily winning two out of four PSA tournaments so far this season, the younger Egyptian is determined to keep pace as she aims to reclaim the No.1 ranking.

"Of course, it [losing the World No.1 ranking] motivates me to regroup and train hard for the second half of the season," she said.

"I will do my best to get the No.1 spot back. I need to focus more and be more motivated for as long as I can to prove that I really deserved to be No.1 for 31 months."

El Sherbini has a bye into round two and will play either Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy or a pre-qualifier for a place in the third round. She is seeded to meet last year’s runner-up Nour El Tayeb in the semi-finals.

El Welily, meanwhile, will play either Mariam Metwally or Ho Tze-Lok in the last 32 and is predicted to face New Zealand’s World No.4 Joelle King in the semis.

The women’s event takes place between January 18-24, while a men’s tournament, featuring defending champion Simon Rösner, World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy and Colombia's Miguel Rodriguez, among others, begins on January 16.

This year's Tournament of Champions is the second most lucrative tournament on the PSA Tour during the 2018/19 season and features a $360,000 prize purse, which is split equally between the men’s and women’s tournament.

More information on the event can be found by following the tournament on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or the tournament website.

Tickets start from $10 and can be purchased here.

4th HEADWATERS SQUASH ACADEMY LADDER TOURNAMENT FINAL UPDATE.

VENUE: Police college squash club,GRA Ikeja Lagos.
DATE:  29th Dec 2018 - 6th Jan 2019.
STRENGTH 25 players.
7 playing days

187 GAMES
Day 1.  34games
Day 2.  29games
Day 3.   6games
Day 4.   26games
Day 5.   32games
Day 6.   39games
Day 7.   21games.

Overall best player
Desmond Iguodala-96pts
Runner-up/ U-16 winner
Clinton Iguodala--94pts

U-19 winner
Tosin Bejide------86pts

U-15 winner
Joseph Eniafoghe-79pts
U-13 winner

Anthony Monday--64pts
U-10 winner 
Friday Daniel-----53pts.

Female winner
Leona Iyelih  -----23pts. 

*SPONSORS*
Andes Newburger
Arc Bamkole
Elder Ogunaike
Capt Jemitola
Wale Amao
Ify Peters

WATCH LIVE ACTION FROM THE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

World class squash returns to New York for the first PSA Platinum event of 2019 – the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions between January 16-24 with action shown LIVE on SQUASHTV (Rest of World), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and DAZN (Japan only).

The tournament will see the best players in the world battle it out for the PSA men’s and women’s Platinum title in one of the most iconic venues on the PSA World Tour – New York’s Grand Central Terminal.

World No.1 and top seed Mohamed ElShorbagy will face tough competition from the likes of compatriot and World No.2 Ali Farag, defending champion Germany’s Simon Rösner and World No.4 Tarek Momen, who claimed the CCI International title over the weekend.

Rösner enjoyed the biggest PSA title victory of his career last year when he defeated Egypt’s Momen to claim the first Platinum title of his career and will be hoping to repeat that same feat under the chandeliers of the Vanderbilt Hall inside Grand Central Station.

There could also be a battle for the World No.1 spot in New York – if Farag was to win the title and ElShorbagy went out at the semi-final stage or earlier then Farag would become the new World No.1 in next month’s World Rankings.

Meanwhile in the women’s event, World No.1 and reigning World Champion Raneem El Welily leads the draw and will face tough competition from the likes of defending champion Nour El Sherbini, compatriot Nour El Tayeb along with France’s Camille Serme and home hero Amanda Sobhy.

El Sherbini defeated compatriot El Tayeb in last year’s thrilling final which went all the way to five games. However, El Welily leads the draw this time around and will be hoping to add to her 2015 title triumph when she competes in New York this time around.

However, the Egyptian will first have to navigate a tough side of the draw which includes New Zealand’s Joelle King – who defeated El Welily in the final of the last women’s Platinum tournament at the Hong Kong Open.

Coverage starts at 12:00 local time (UTC-5) when England’s George Parker faces France’s Matheiu Castagnet. The women’s draw will begin two days later on Friday January 18.

SQUASHTV, Eurosport Player & DAZN Schedule: January 2019 – June 2019
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions: January 16-24
2018/19 PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family: February 23 – March 2
Citigold Wealth Management Canary Wharf Classic: March 10-15
Black Ball Squash Open: March 11-15
Grasshopper Cup: March 26-31
DPD Open: April 9-14
El Gouna International Squash Open: April 17-26
European Team Championships: May 1-4 (SQUASHTV only)
Manchester Open: May 9-13
Allam British Open: May 20-26
PSA World Tour Finals: June 18-22 (Provisional dates, subject to change)

Fans based outside of Europe can subscribe to SQUASHTV here.

For fans living in Europe, subscriptions must be made to Eurosport Player.

Early rounds are exclusive to SQUASHTV and Eurosport Player only. Semi-finals and finals from World Series tournaments, the World Championships and selected other tournaments will be shown on SQUASHTV, Eurosport Player and multiple broadcasters around the world..

LIVE SQUASH - STILL TO COME IN THE 2018/19 SEASON

The first half of the 2018/19 PSA Tour season has thrown up some incredible moments so far – and there is still much more to come, starting with next week’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.

The world’s greatest players will head to New York’s Grand Central Terminal to compete for one of the most coveted titles in squash between January 16-24 – and the SQUASHTV cameras will be there to capture the action.

The sport’s pinnacle tournament – the 2018/19 PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family – takes place at the end of February and will see players battle it out for a record $1 million prize purse.

March will usher in a bumper month of live squash action, with the Citigold Canary Wharf Classic, Black Ball Open and Grasshopper Cup showcasing top-class squash from London, Egypt and Switzerland.

The SQUASHTV cameras will then head to Eindhoven for the DPD Open, before arriving on Egypt’s Red Sea for the El Gouna International.

The European Team Championships will be available for FREE to SQUASHTV digital subscribers between May 1-4 before the Manchester Open showcases the world’s best female squash players.

Rounding off the season’s live coverage is the Allam British Open – which takes place at the University of Hull between May 20-26 – and the PSA World Tour Finals, which will bring the curtain down on the 2018/19 season in June.

Squash fans outside of Europe and Japan can keep up to date with all the action on SQUASHTV. European fans can watch via Eurosport Player while DAZN is the home of live squash in Japan.

SQUASHTV, Eurosport Player & DAZN Schedule: January 2019 – June 2019
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions: January 16-24
2018/19 PSA World Championships presented by the Walter Family: February 23 – March 2
Citigold Wealth Management Canary Wharf Classic: March 10-15
Black Ball Squash Open: March 11-15
Grasshopper Cup: March 26-31
DPD Open: April 9-14
El Gouna International Squash Open: April 17-26
European Team Championships: May 1-4 (SQUASHTV only)
Manchester Open: May 9-13
Allam British Open: May 20-26
PSA World Tour Finals: June 18-22 (Provisional dates, subject to change)