GillenMarkets Canary Wharf Classic 2023: Preview

The GillenMarkets Canary Wharf Classic gets underway tomorrow from London’s East Wintergarden with 24 players looking to capture the Gold event title. Round one action begins at 14:00 (GMT) on the all-glass court with 16 players looking to join the top eight seeds in round two. You can watch all the week’s play live on SQUASHTV.

The tournament will see a three-way battle for the World No.1 spot as Peru’s Diego Elias and England’s Mohamed ElShorbagy can dethrone Mostafa Asal if they win the event and the Egyptian doesn’t make the final. Elias is seeded to face Asal in the semi-finals in what could be a very important match up.

Reigning World Champion Ali Farag will be looking to rediscover his form as he comes into the event as the No.2 seed. Farag has missed a large portion of the season due to a knee injury that he sustained at the U.S Open. Farag is due to face ‘The Beast’ Mohamed ElShorbagy in the quarter finals in a repeat of the recent Black Ball Squash Open quarter final, where ElShorbagy needed just three games to claim the victory.

If Mostafa Asal is to guarantee his reign at the top of the world rankings continues, he will need to at least match his rest from last year and reach the final. The controversial Egyptian’s route through isn’t an easy one however. He is due to face France’s Victor Crouin in round two, a player who has voiced his negative opinion on the World No.1, labelling him as ‘one of the sports worst ambassadors’. Asal then hit back at the Frenchman and accused him of being ‘jealous’. The off-court drama between the two will make for a fascinating watch if Crouin is able to overcome compatriot Sebastien Bonmalais in round one.

New Zealand No.1 Paul Coll has been seen his tournament finish earlier than expected in the previous two events, losing out in the quarter finals and last 16 of the Motor City Open and the Black Ball Squash Open. He will receive a bye in round one and will then be up against either Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann or former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad. The latter returned to action last week for the first time since May 2022, but in a best-of-three format poses a very serious threat to the top seeds.

The Canary Wharf Classic is celebrating its 20th year this year. England legend James Willstrop will be the wildcard for the event, which is very fitting as he won the very first Canary Wharf Classic, beating France’s Thierry Lincou in the final.

For more on the GillenMarkets Canary Wharf Squash Classic, visit the official tournament website or follow the event on Twitter. For updates on the GillenMarkets Canary Wharf Classic, visit the PSA World Tour website, or follow the PSA on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

First Round Draw: GillenMarkets Canary Wharf Classic
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) – [Bye]
Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) v [9/16] Victor Crouin (FRA)
[9/16] Youssef Soliman (EGY) v Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
[6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) – [Bye]
[7] Tarek Momen (EGY) – [Bye]
Greg Lobban (SCO) v [9/16] Patrick Rooney (ENG)
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL) v Auguste Dussourd (FRA)
[3] Diego Elias (PER) – [Bye]
[4] Paul Coll (NZL) – [Bye]
Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) v [9/16] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
[9/16] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) v Raphael Kandra (GER)
[8] Mazen Hesham (EGY) – [Bye]
[5] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) – [Bye]
[WC] James Willstrop (ENG) v [9/16] Gregoire Marche (FRA)
[9/16] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) – [Bye]