Home Favourite Kennedy Defeats El Tayeb To Win Manchester Open Title

England No.1 Georgina Kennedy captured the Manchester Open 2024 title after defeating two-time champion Nour El Tayeb in a stunning four game performance.

Cheered on by a fervent crowd at the National Squash Centre, Kennedy came flying out of the blocks, playing to her trademark intensity and choosing her moments to attack wisely. Despite El Tayeb saving three game balls, the World No.7 held on to take the opening game. 

The match swung back in top seed El Tayeb’s favour in the second, with the Egyptian reading Kennedy’s attacks extremely well, retrieving well and forcing the Englishwoman’s margins to get extremely narrow – leading to a few unforced errors from Kennedy. After racing into a 5-1 lead, it was Tayeb who went on to level the match. 

Kennedy regained her accuracy in a third game which she took by an 11-7 scoreline, starting to take away the middle of the court from El Tayeb and hitting strong lines down both wings. This physical pressure continued to tell early in the fourth, with Kennedy taking a crucial 5-1 lead. 

From there, the 27-year-old moved strength to strength, hitting her targets to devastating effect and setting up match ball after 48 minutes of action. The No.2 seed sealed victory at the first time of asking with a thumping cross-court winner, winning her second title of the PSA World Tour season.

After the match, Kennedy said: “It’s amazing! I’m so happy and to play Nour [El Tayeb] in a final it is something you dream of growing up. I heard Laura [Massaro] say that she’s been on Tour for 17 years and what she’s achieved is amazing. To play her in the final is an honour and to scalp her is a proud achievement of mine. She’s incredible and all respect to her and I say it every time but everything I do I owe to my coach Ben. It’s not been easy and there’s a lot of stuff that goes on outside the squash court and he’s stuck by me – he’s like family to me. To win for him and my mum and aunty are here as well as my dad watching nervously at home. Thank you to everyone and I’m really happy.

“It’s amazing and World Tour Finals is a massive goal of mine from the start of the season. I knew if I did well I would solidify that.

“It’s nice – I can drive home, spend the week at home and get ready coming down from this. I’m looking forward to playing in front of another home crowd in Birmingham. It’s an amazing venue there and I’ve got such good memories from Birmingham and it treats me well. I’m really looking forward to next week.”

Results – Women’s Final: Manchester Open 2024

[2] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt [1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 5-11, 11-7, 11-1 (48m)