Season Review: Nouran Gohar

A childhood dream was realised for Egypt’s Nouran Gohar during the 2023/24 season, after three consecutive final defeats, ‘the Terminator’ finally claimed her first World Championship title. The 26-year-old endured a staggered start to the season due to sustaining an injury at the Qatar Classic but bounced back in superb style to end the season winning 25 matches in a row, claiming five back to back titles and becoming the most in form player in the world.

Gohar’s campaign started like most others, in Paris for the Paris Squash 2023. The Egyptian won the last event of the 2022/23 season, claiming the CIB PSA World Tour Finals title so came into the event with good levels of confidence. The No.2 seed sliced her way through the draw, not dropping a game as she reached the final. A match with familiar foe Nour ElSherbini went the way of the World No.1 in four games.

Attention then turned to Qatar for only the second time in her career. Gohar was one of only a handful of players in the draw that featured in the last women’s Qatar Classic in 2015. Unfortunately for the No.2 seed, the event would end early as an injury resulted in a 3-0 loss to USA’s Amanda Sobhy in the last eight. The injury would sideline Gohar for the reest of 2023.

As the new year came around, Gohar made her return to action at the Kinetic Florida Open where she moved through two rounds to set up a testing semi-final against fierce rival Hania El Hammamy. Gohar’s physicality was certainly tested as the pair took turns heaping pressure onto one another but after 99 minutes of intense action, it was El Hammamy who prevailed 15-13 in the fifth game.

Gohar then moved to leg two of her four tournament stint in the USA, this time back at the prestigious J.P Morgan Tournament of Champions. In similar fashion to most of her Platinum events, the Egyptian charged through the early rounds and again reached the final without dropping a single game, beating the likes of Nour El Tayeb and Rowan Elaraby on route. Her top form continued in the final against Nour ElSherbini as Gohar raced to a 2-0 lead and looked unstoppable. The World No.1 had other ideas however and magically turned the match around to win the next three games all 11-5 and steal the title away from Gohar.

Still yet to claim a title in the season, Gohar then suffered a first loss against a player outside the top four since 2021 at the DAC Pro Classic as she fell to Rowan Elaraby in the quarter finals. A match to forget as she then moved on to the Windy City Open in Chicago. A tricky draw faced Gohar if she was to reach back to back finals at the event, but once again ‘the Terminator’ lived up to her name and defeated Fayrouz Aboelkheir, Salma Hany, Olivia Weaver and Hania El Hammamy to set up another title clash with El Sherbini. Another quality performance from ‘the Warrior Princess’ denied Gohar her first title of the season.

After another Gold event semi-final loss to El Hammamy at the London Classic, Gohar must have thought that a title was never going to come this season. But then she returned home to Egypt and something special was about to begin. Gohar was the top seed for the Black Ball Squash Open and took the opportunity with both hands, defeating training partner Olivia Weaver in the final to finally claim her first silverware of the campaign.

Action then stayed in Egypt for the El Gouna International, Gohar was the defending champion and was looking to continue her form from Black Ball. The route to the title couldn’t have been much tougher, Sivasangari Subramaniam, Amina Orfi, Olivia Weaver, Georgina Kennedy and Nour ElSherbini were all chopped down by Gohar as she claimed her first Platinum win since that event last season and secured back to back wins on the World Tour. The taste for winning was becoming addictive for Gohar. What better feeling to have with the PSA World Championships coming up next.

The PSA World Championships came from Palm Hills Squash Club in Cairo this year, the new home club of Gohar. She entered the championships in the best form possible, looking calm and collected in every round. Something seemed different about the No.3 seed this time around. Gohar again faced the task of needing to beat both El Hammamy and ElSherbini if she was to lift the elusive trophy. In the past, the intensity of the play with El Hammamy has consumed Gohar but not on this occasion, the elder Egyptian was clinical in her approach and came through in four assured games. The score reached 1-1 in the final against ElSherbini with everything to play for. A third game went the way of Gohar which only spurred her on. Suddenly, five championship balls presented themselves and Gohar only needed one to realise her dream. World Champion, finally.

After her World Title triumph in Cairo, two major tournaments remained for Gohar to see out the season. She was on a 15-match win streak and in the form of her life. Could she carry that on in the most prestigious event on the calendar, the British Open? Her route in Birmingham was similar to the World Champs, a semi-final match with El Hammamy and a final against ElSherbini if she was to score a second British Open title. El Hammamy was desperate to claim her revenge over Gohar after her semi-final thrashing a few weeks earlier but Gohar stepped up again to earn another shot at a title. Gohar looked to be storming to victory as she took a 2-0 lead but despite ElSherbini’s comeback to 2-2, Gohar secured the fifth 11-4 to make it four wins in a row.

The only event left for the unstoppable Gohar was the season-ending Xbox PSA World Tour Finals. Gohar won the 2023 edition in spectacular fashion, beating El Hammamy in the longest women’s match ever. No such effort was required this year however as after she steamrolled her way through the pool stages and past Nele Gilis in the semi-finals, one match remained to score a 25th win in a row and a fifth title in a row. ElSherbini looked to have no answers for the pace and physicality of the new World Champion, who romped to victory in four games. 5 titles in a row and 25 matches unbeaten to end the season is not bad at all.

The figures

Matches played: 52
Matches won: 45
Matches lost: 7
Events won: 5
Win percentage: 86.5%

Paris Squash – Runner-up
QTerminals Qatar Classic – Quarter Finals
Florida Open – Semi-Finals
J.P Morgan Tournament of Champions – Runner-up
DAC Pro Squash Classic – Semi-Finals
Windy City Open – Runner-up
London Classic – Semi-Finals
Black Ball Open – Winner
El Gouna International – Winner
PSA World Championships – Winner
British Open – Winner
Xbox PSA World Tour Finals – Winner