Season Review: First World Tour Titles – Part Two

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 four players on the men’s tour who achieved this feat, breaking down their routes to silverware. Keep up to date with the PSA World Tour on X, Facebook, Instagram or Threads, while you can see part one of the first World Tour titles series here.

Eain Yow Ng – German Open

Malaysian No.1 Eain Yow Ng produced some of the best squash of his career at the German Open earlier this season, capturing his maiden World Tour title at the Bronze-level event. Eain Yow, who was the No.4 seed in Hamburg, described the victory as the “biggest win” of his career, and it is hard to disagree with this statement as he subsequently moved to a career-high ranking of World No.16.

In his opening round, Eain Yow took on Israel’s Daniel Poleshchuk and instantly looked in top form, dropping just 12 points on his way to victory. A similar straight games victory over India’s Velavan Senthilkumar would follow in the quarter-finals.

The Malaysian then drew the top seed for the event, Joel Makin, in the last four, and sealed a tense but thoroughly-deserved win by a 13-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8 scoreline. The win was the highest-ranked player that Eain Yow had defeated throughout the 2023/24 season.

The 26-year-old has previously lost out in two finals in the 2023/24 season, at the Hong Kong Football Club Open and the QSF 3, but it was to be third time lucky as he took on No.6 seed Dimitri Steinmann in the title decider. Eain Yow carried through this momentum from his superb Makin victory, nicking a crucial opening-game tie-break on his way to a two-game lead. Despite Steinmann holding firm and forcing a fourth game, it was the Malaysian who regained control of the match to seal the title after 66 minutes on court.

Leonel Cardenas – Squash In The Land

Mexican No.1 Leonel Cardenas defied the seedings at the Squash in the Land event in Cleveland to battle his way to the Bronze-level title. Cardenas was seeded at No.6 before the event, but didn’t let this hold him back as he earned his maiden World Tour title.

Englishman Finnlay Withington awaited Cardenas in his opening match, and he made light work of his Round 2 opponent, racing to victory in just under half an hour of action.

Cardenas’ performance of the week came in the quarter-finals, where he defeated top seed Eain Yow, 11-7, 11-8, 11-13, 10-12, 11-6, in a thrilling 92-minute encounter. In particular, the Mexican’s cool head under pressure was evident as he fought off a spirited comeback from the Malaysian. Another tough test stood in front of the the 24-year-old in the last four as he once again prevailed in five games, this time defeating No.3 seed Greg Lobban.

Cardenas faced an unlikely opponent in the title decider, the unseeded Bernat Jaume, who had enjoyed an equally impressive run to the final. In what proved to be an attritional final, it was Cardenas who edged the early key moments when tied at 11-11 to take the first game. From there, the No.6 seed continued to move from strength to strength as the match progressed, taking the subsequent two games by 11-6 scorelines to seal his title victory.

Aly Abou Eleinen – Hong Kong FC Open

Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen didn’t put a foot wrong all week on his way to the Bronze-level Hong Kong Football Club Open title, carving his way through the draw and dropping just one game on his way to silverware.

Eleinen, who had never reached a World Tour final in his career before this win, looked in a class of his own on the traditional courts in Hong Kong, using his impressive athleticism and physicality to see off all of the threats brought his way.

Firstly, the 24-year-old defeated compatriot Seif El-Shenawy in just under 30 minutes of action, before taking on home favourite Tsz Kwan Lau in the quarter-finals. Despite Lau coming into the match on the back of a brilliant five-game victory over Abdulla Al-Tamimi, Eleinen proved too strong, taking the match by an 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 scoreline.

Spanish No.1 Iker Pajares awaited in the semi-final, a test which Eleinen passed without too many concerns, winning in straight games and 45 minutes of action.

This result set up a title decider against No.3 seed Eain Yow Ng – a high-quality match that No.2 seed Eleinen eventually won in four games. After taking the opener by an 11-6 scoreline, Eain Yow battled back to draw level. However, Eleinen proved too strong, taking the last two games both by 11-7 scorelines to claim his maiden triumph on the PSA World Tour.

Abdulla Al-Tamimi – QSF 4 2023

The QSF 4 2023 was a tournament to remember for Abdulla Al-Tamimi, as the Qatar No.1 claimed his maiden World Tour title in front of his home fans in Doha.

Al-Tamimi had already won the QSF 3, PSA Challenger Tour event earlier in the month, but he ensured he added the Bronze-level title to his collection after a string of highly-impressive performances.

Seeded at No.5, Al-Tamimi overcame Velavan Senthilkumar and No.4 seed Dimitri Steinmann in his opening two matches to set up a semi-final bout against No.2 seed Victor Crouin.

The Qatari player was on hand to once again send a seed toppling, coming through his bout with Crouin in five games and 60 minutes of action. In a back-and-forth duel that saw both players trade games, it was Al Tamimi who eventually prevailed through the match, taking the tight decider 11-8.

The biggest test of the week awaited Al Tamimi in the final as he took on former World Champion Tarek Momen. The Egyptian had won all four of their previous matches, but Al-Tamimi finally broke his duck to secure the ninth PSA title of his career and second of the 2023/24 season. Once again, Al-Tamimi had to go all the way down to the wire to claim victory, nicking a thrilling fifth-game tie-break 12-10 to the delight of the home support at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.