Season Review: Nour El Sherbini

World No.1 Nour El Sherbini enjoyed yet another trophy-laden year on the PSA World Tour last season, with ‘The Warrior Princess’ closing in on a full year at the top of the women’s rankings.

Ever since replacing Nouran Gohar at World No.1 last September, El Sherbini has proven an immovable presence at the top of the women’s game. Her incredible consistency has been something to behold, with the 28-year-old reaching all but two finals from the 13 events she took participated in, winning six titles along the way.

El Sherbini barely put a foot wrong in the opening months of the 23/24 season, winning 21 of her 23 matches before the New Year. The Egyptian powered her way to the season-opening Paris Squash title in devastating style, defeating five top 20 ranked players and dropping just two games along the way. Her four-game victory over Gohar in the title decider saw her overtake ‘The Terminator’ in the world rankings.

The Qatar Classic would follow for El Sherbini, with a women’s event held in Doha for the first time since 2015. Once again, El Sherbini reached would reach the final, but was this time edged out by an inspired Hania El Hammamy in a five games.

The seven-time World Champion won her second Platinum title of the season in Philadelphia at the US Open. With Nouran Gohar sidelined with a lengthy injury – which would end up keeping her out until beyond the New Year – El Sherbini made the most of this opportunity to claim her first US Open trophy. El Sherbini was tested on her way to the title, having to come from 2-1 down to defeat England No.1 Georgina Kennedy in the quarter-finals and fight past home favourite Olivia Weaver in the last four.

Both the US Open and subsequent Grasshopper Cup title deciders saw El Sherbini defeat compatriot El Hammamy in straight games to take her tally of titles to four by the beginning of November. The end of the 2023 calendar year saw El Sherbini fall to one of few disappointing defeats from the season at the Hong Kong Open. After surviving a scare in the earlier rounds against Chan Sin Yuk but prevailing in five games, the 28-year-old was comprehensively beaten in straight games by America’s Amanda Sobhy in the last four.

If ever there was a tournament or string of performances that underlined why El Sherbini has earned the nickname, ‘The Warrior Princess’, it was at this year’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.

Firstly, El Sherbini had to overcome a lower back issue, which severely impacted her movement, to defeat El Hammamy in a tight semi-final. Despite receiving physio treatment after the first game break and noticeably struggling with her movement, El Sherbini managed to fight through the pain barrier to win in four games. Another incredible victory was to follow in the final, as the Egyptian came back from 2-0 down to overcome Gohar in a deciding game.

On either side of the New York-based event, El Sherbini claimed two more titles at the Gold-level Florida Open and the Windy City Open Platinum event.

The final few months of El Sherbini’s season were full of near-misses, in particular, to a resurgent Gohar. After defeat to Sivasangari Subramaniam in the quarter-finals of the London Classic, the World No.1 finished runner-up to ‘The Terminator’ in all four of her last events of the season.

Most notable among those was at the World Championships, where El Sherbini was looking to equal Nicol David’s record as an eight-time winner of the event. After defeating Amina Orfi, Tinne Gilis and Olivia Weaver in the earlier rounds, taking home the title proved a step too far as she fell to a four-game defeat to Gohar after 81 minutes.

The final two events of the season, the British Open and the PSA World Tour Finals, finished in a similar vein for El Sherbini, with the longest women’s final on record at the British Open – at 91 minutes – going the way of Gohar in what proved to be a thrilling five-game clash. And despite taking her tally of victories to over 50 for the season at the PSA World Tour Finals in Seattle, the World No.1 once again couldn’t quite overcome her Egyptian compatriot in the title decider.

The Figures

Matches Played: 60

Matches Won: 53

Matches Lost: 7

Events Won: 6

Win Percentage: 88.3%

Event Results

Paris Squash – Winner

QTerminals Qatar Classic – Runner-Up

U.S Open – Winner

Grasshopper Cup – Winner

Hong Kong Open – Semi-Finalist

Florida Open – Winner

J.P Morgan Tournament of Champions – Winner

Windy City Open – Winner

London Classic – Quarter-Finalist

El Gouna International – Runner-Up

PSA World Championships – Runner-Up

British Open – Runner-Up

Xbox PSA World Tour Finals – Runner-Up