Season Review: First World Tour Titles – Part One

The 2023/24 season was one of firsts for several players on the PSA World Tour. Over the course of the year, there were nine players who captured their maiden titles on the World Tour.

Below we’ve taken a look at the five players on the women’s tour who achieved this feat, breaking down their routes to silverware. Stay tuned for part two by following the PSA World Tour on X, Facebook, Instagram or Threads.

Amina Orfi – Squash On Fire Open

After losing out to Tinne Gilis in the final of the 2023 Squash On Fire Open, rising star Amina Orfi exacted revenge on the Belgian No.2 to take home her maiden World Tour title in February.

Orfi, who was named as No.3 seed, entered the event on the back of a quarter-final appearance at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions and continued this red-hot form to take home the Bronze-level title in thrilling style.

The Egyptian’s tournament started with matches against Malaysian duo Ainaa Amani and Rachel Arnold, who she defeated in three and four games, respectively, before taking on No.2 seed and home favourite Sabrina Sobhy in the last four.

The 16-year-old dominated this semi-final match from start to finish, hitting powerfully down both wings on her way to an 11-6, 11-7, 13-11 victory – a result which left her facing 2023 champion Gilis in the title decider.

Orfi had defeated Gilis in an 82-minute epic in New York the previous month, and she doubled down on this success to take yet another thriller in Washington DC. After Gilis had fought back from 2-0 down to force a decider, the Belgian looked destined for the title when well-placed at 9-6 up in the deciding game. However, Orfi displayed a maturity beyond her years to reel off five straight points and eventually defeat Gilis by a 15-13, 11-1, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9 scoreline after 88 minutes on court.

Farida Mohamed – Carol Weymuller Open

Egypt’s Farida Mohamed powered her way to her maiden title on the PSA World Tour at the Bronze-level Carol Weymuller Open in Brooklyn, New York.

The then World No.18 had tasted prior success on the PSA Challenger Tour, but delivered an outstanding week of squash by defeating the likes of Olivia Weaver and Fayrouz Aboelkheir on her way to the title.

Mohamed began her campaign with a four-game victory over compatriot Malak Khafagy, before cruising past England’s Lucy Beecroft in just 20 minutes.

The Egyptian’s most impressive performance of the week came in the semi-finals, where she faced top seed Weaver. Despite the ranking difference, Mohamed was on her game right from the offset and never opened the door for the home favourite, moving to an 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 victory over the American.

The final saw both Mohamed and Aboelkheir fighting for maiden World Tour titles, but it was the former who proved too strong, using her experience to hold off a late charge from the teenager to eventually win in four games. This win seemed to be a catalyst for the rest of Mohamed’s season, with the 22-year-old claiming back-to-back 20k titles and severely testing the likes of Nour El Sherbini at the Windy City Open with her attacking brand of squash.

Salma Hany – Australian Open

Thirteen years after joining the PSA Tour, Egypt’s Salma Hany tasted long-awaited silverware on the World Tour after winning the 2024 Australian Open.

Top seed Hany, four times a runner-up on the PSA World Tour, didn’t put a foot wrong all week in Sydney as she romped to the Bronze-level title without dropping a game.

The Egyptian began her campaign in brutal fashion by dropping just six points against India’s Akanksha Salunkhe, before cruising past Aira Azman in straight games and exactly 30 minutes of action to reach the last four.

From there, Hany faced compatriot and No.5 seed Sana Ibrahim in the semi-finals, and despite her opponent’s strong recent form, progressed to the final with ease following an 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 victory.

A date with No.2 seed Amina Orfi awaited in the title decider, and despite the pair having never met each other on the PSA Tour before, Hany settled into the match in clinical fashion, taking a two-game lead without too many issues. Orfi would go on to save five match balls late in the third game, as Hany began to tense up with the finishing line in sight, but it was too little too late, as the top seed held on to seal the win by an 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 scoreline.

Satomi Watanabe – Optasia Championships

Satomi Watanabe delivered the performance of her life at the Optasia Championships to claim her maiden World Tour title and also win the biggest ever Tour title by a Japanese player.

Watanabe, seeded at No.4 for the Bronze-level event at The Wimbledon Club, by no means enjoyed an easy path to the title, having to notably overturn a match ball in her quarter-final bout with Melissa Alves.

After an opening-round victory over home favourite Torrie Malik, Watanabe looked down and out at match ball down in the fourth game against France’s Alves. However, the Japanese No.1 managed to force a deciding game after a lengthy tie-break, before eventually sealing her spot in the semi-finals after 66 minutes of action.

From there, she powered past England’s Jasmine Hutton in 22 minutes, dropping just 11 points in her straight games victory, to set up a final against top seed Nele Gilis.

Gilis entered the match having won two titles in the season and with a 4-0 head-to-head record, but Watanabe wasn’t deterred, playing exquisitely from the first to last point of her 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 victory. In particular, the 25-year-old troubled the movement of Gilis with her delayed crosscourt flicks, storming her way through the match to the 9th title of her career.

Sivasangari Subramaniam – Hong Kong Football Club Open

Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam will be best remembered for her remarkable victory at the London Classic last season, but her maiden World Tour title in fact came at the Hong Kong Football Club Open in November.

Seeded at No.7, Sivasangari came through a tricky draw to defeat No.3 seed Sabrina Sobhy, No.2 seed Sarah-Jane Perry and No.4 seed Amina Orfi on her way to the Bronze-level title.

After a second-round win over home favourite Tsz-Wing Tong by an 11-8, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 scoreline, Sivasangari fought past Sobhy in four games to progress to the last four.

From there, the 25-year-old was near-faultless, not dropping a single game in her semi-final and final matches. First, the Malaysian No.1 overturned an inferior 4-0 head-to-head record to down England’s Perry, notably pulling together strings of eight and ten points in a row to win the opening two games.

The title decider was another brilliant performance from Sivasangari as she overcame Egyptian teenager Amina Orfi by an 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 scoreline in just under 40 minutes of action. The No.7 seed outsmarted her opponent with an effective game plan, taking the pace off the ball smartly and using smart height on the front wall to take control of the match. This win was Sivasangari’s 13th title on tour, but her first one at World Tour level.