Ali Farag & Nour ElSherbini To Headline Comcast Business U.S. Open 2024

The draws for the 52nd Comcast Business U.S. Open Championships 2024 have been released, setting the stage for a week of elite competition from October 19th to 26th at the Arlen Specter Center in Philadelphia. World No.1s Ali Farag and Nour ElSherbini lead the draws once again with both set for tough encounters throughout the Platinum-level competition from players hunting down their World No.1 positions.

Farag, last year’s runner-up, will look to continue his dominance on the PSA Squash Tour as he begins his pursuit of a third U.S Open title. Farag, known for his tactical brilliance and superb consistency, will be looking to bounce back from his losses in both the CIB Egyptian Open and Paris Squash finals to secure his position at the top of the world rankings. He finds himself in the same quarter as compatriot and former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad and same half as the defending champion Paul Coll. Before potentially facing them, he’ll take on France’s Baptiste Masotti in round one.

The No.2 seed in the men’s event is 22-year-old Mostafa Asal. Fresh off his historic win at the CIB Egyptian Open, the first-ever PSA Diamond level event, and Paris Squash success, he will be eager to claim another major title and second U.S Open crown. His aggressive style and flair on the court have made him one of the most exciting players to watch, and he will be a serious threat in Philadelphia. Asal opens up with a match against Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng with a potential quarter final against familiar foe and former World Champion Tarek Momen on the horizon.

Defending champion Paul Coll produced a sublime run in the 2023 event, beating Hesham, Elias and Farag to claim his first Platinum title since March 2022. The New Zealander exited early from the CIB Egyptian Open, losing to Marwan Elshorbagy in the last eight but will be determined to show his character and bounce back strongly on U.S soil. He opens up against the always exciting Nicolas Mueller on day one at the Arlen Specter Center.

The highest ranked U.S. player in the men’s draw is World No.31 Timothy Brownell. The 27-year-old is a fan favourite in the U.S. squash scene and will aim to leverage the energy of the local crowd as he faces Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen on the opening day. Other home hopes in the men’s draw include wildcards Spencer Lovejoy and Salim Khan, who will face Adrian Waller and Mazen Hesham, respectively.

In the women’s draw, ElSherbini, the seven-time World Champion and defending U.S. Open champion, will face a tough opening match on day one against England’s Jasmine Hutton. Hutton recently took the opening game against Hania El Hammamy at the Paris Squash 2024, and will be looking to take that confidence into day one in Philadelphia. ElSherbini will have confidence coursing through her veins after her time in the French Capital. She picked up another major title and continued her unbeaten start to the new season.

Meanwhile, Nouran Gohar, the current World Champion and World No.2, will be looking to reclaim the U.S. Open title after not being able to compete in the 2023 event due to injury. ‘the Terminator’ is currently on a 15 match winning streak at the U.S Open after winning in 2019, 2021 and 2022. She’ll be looking to showcase her powerful, relentless playing style to add another title to her collection and chase down compatriot and rival ElSherbini for the top spot in the rankings.

The home crowd will have plenty to cheer for in the women’s event. USA No.1 Olivia Weaver is a top four seed for this year’s championships, her highest seeding ever at a U.S. Open. Weaver reached the semi-finals in 2023, losing out to eventual champion ElSherbini in four games. Weaver is Philadelphia through and through and will be looking to utilise her home advantage as she takes on teammate Sabrina Sobhy in round one.

Weaver will be joined in the main draw by four other U.S. compatriots, two sets of sisters, the Sobhy’s and Stefanoni’s. Former World No.3 Amanda Sobhy has returned to the PSA Squash Tour at the start of this new season after suffering an injury in December and will be desperate to perform well on home soil. The same goal will be shared by Amanda’s sister Sabrina (a quarter finalist in 2022) and wildcards Marina and Lucie Stefanoni. 

All of the action from the second Platinum event of the season will be shown live on SQUASHTV and selected broadcast partners from the semi-finals onwards.

Tickets for the event can be here. For more information on the U.S. Open 2024, visit the tournament website or follow the the PSA on X, Facebook, Threads, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, or TikTok. 

Men’s draw

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Baptiste Masotti (FRA)

[WC] Spencer Lovejoy (USA) v Adrian Waller (ENG)

Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Youssef Soliman (EGY) 

Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v [6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)

[5] Mazen Hesham v [WC] Salim Khan

Nathan Lake (ENG) v Joel Makin (WAL) 

Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) v Ramit Tandon (IND)

Nicolas Mueller (SUI) v [3] Paul Coll (NZL)

[4] Diego Elias v Auguste Dussourd (FRA)

Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) v Miguel Rodriguez (COL)

Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) v Raphael Kandra (GER)  

Leandro Romiglio (ARG) v [8] Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) 

Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) v [7] Tarek Momen (EGY)

Timothy Brownell (USA) v Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY)

Fares Dessouky (EGY) v Iker Pajares (ESP)

Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [2] Mostafa Asal (EGY)

Women’s draw

[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)

Lucy Beecroft (ENG) v Melissa Alves (FRA)

Rachel Arnold (MAS) v Satomi Watanabe (JPN) 

Amina Orfi (EGY) V [8] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 

[6] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) v Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)

Tomato Ho (HKG) v Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

Salma Hany (EGY) v Lucy Turmel (ENG)

Sabrina Sobhy (USA) v [4] Olivia Weaver 

[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 

Hollie Naughton (CAN) v Hana Ramadan (EGY)

Malak Khafagy (EGY) v Emily Whitlock (WAL) 

[WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA) v [7] Tinne Gilis (BEL)

[5] Nele Coll (BEL) v Amanda Sobhy (USA)

Sana Ibrahim (EGY) v Joelle King (NZL)

[WC] Lucie Stefanoni (USA) v Lisa Aitken (SCO)

Tesni Murphy (WAL) v [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY)