Season Preview: Ones to Watch – Men

The 2024-25 PSA season is less than a month away, with players itching to return to competitive action in some of the biggest events in world squash. Several players made their presence known last season with maiden wins and impressive performances.

The new PSA season starts at the end of this month at the first ever Diamond-level event, the CIB Egyptian Open. Qualification commences on the 30th with all action streamed live on SQUASHTV.

We’ve identified four male players who showed great promise last season and we think they can push on again in the 2024-25 season to advance up the rankings and get some big titles under their belts.

Aly Abou Eleinen

Egypt’s World No.14 Aly Abou Eleinen competed in 15 events during the 2023-24 campaign, reaching his highest ranking of No.13 in March after several impressive performances. The 24-year-old graduated from Penn University in the United States at the end of the 22/23 season but had progressed up the rankings whilst also studying. The 2023-24 season was his first as a full-time professional squash player and he showed plenty of promise.

In the opening three Platinum events of the season, Eleinen recorded two RD3 appearances, losing out to top 10 opposition Ali Farag and Mazen Hesham. The Egyptian’s good form continued as he then reached back to back finals, the second of which was the moment he captured his first World Tour title at the Hong Kong FC Open. He would reach four quarter finals in the second half of the season, including a first Platinum last eight berth in El Gouna.

We’re anticipating another strong season from Eleinen as he hunts down a spot in the top 10. Eleinen scored wins over Hesham and Marwan Elshorbagy during the previous campaign and is sure to be a tough draw for any of the top eight seeds in the major competitions.

Eain Yow Ng

Former World Junior Champion Eain Yow Ng has been tipped for success ever since his introduction onto the PSA Tour in 2014. The Malaysian has been hovering around the top 20 mark since August 2021, and after cementing his place inside that ranking bracket at the start of the season, he broke inside the top 15 after claiming his first World Tour title at the German Open.

The Malaysian also claimed an epic victory over former World No.1 and former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad in the British Open, earning a spot in his second Platinum event quarter final. The 26-year-old will have taken huge confidence from the end to his 2023/24 season and we think he can carry on his good form to score more scalps against top 10 players and potentially even become a top 10 player.

Jonah Bryant

A winner of six PSA events last season, England’s 19-year-old Jonah Bryant firmly announced himself on the professional stage last season as he showed his class in multiple challenging events. Bryant picked off three Challenger 3 events in the first half of the 2023-24 campaign before setting his sights on bigger events in 2024.

Bryant stepped up a gear in 2024 and impressively claimed three events in a row, all increasing in size, winning 15 matches in a row. The last of the three was the prestigious Irish Open in Dublin. Bryant was unseeded heading into the event and defeated a trio of compatriots on route to his biggest final. He then defeated Egypt’s World Junior Champion Mohamed Zakaria in a four game final to lift the trophy. Bryant then showed just how dangerous he can be as he took World No.16 Youssef Ibrahim to five games in the British Open.

The young Englishman now sits at No.65 in the world and will be looking to perform strongly in the lower level World Tour events as well as claim more Challenger event titles this season and a place in the top 40 is certainly within reach for the ever improving teenager.

Mohamad Zakaria

Now ranked at No.62 in the world, Egypt’s newest teenage sensation Mohamad Zakaria seems set for big things on the PSA Tour.

The reigning World Junior Champion has already claimed four PSA titles, including a Challenger 15 and a Challenger 20 title. Aside from a wildcard spot in the 2023 El Gouna International, Zakaria earned a spot in his first World Tour event at the Manchester Open, and after scoring a round one win is thirsty for more top level action.

To be ranked as high as he is at still only 16 years old takes a special talent. The ‘no fear’ attitude and mentality’ partnered with a smart style of squash’ has already put him on many players’ radar and he’ll be hoping to soar up the rankings to feature in more top events.