Year in Review: A look back at 2023 – Part 2

As 2023 draws to a close, we’re looking back at the second half of the year which saw 12 PSA World Tour events take place at the start of the 2023/24 season. We saw a brand new European event take place, as well as the first Women’s action in the Qatar Classic for the first time since 2015. See more highlights from the first half of this season below.

August

The 2023-24 World Tour season started with a men’s Bronze event in Canada as the Windsor Cup attracted a quality field of players all looking to score the first World Tour points of the new season. ‘The Viper’ and former World Champion Tarek Momen secured the trophy after beating No.2 seed and compatriot Youssef Soliman in the final.

A brand new Platinum event was next on the calendar and many players’ first event of the new season. The Paris Squash 2023 took place in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and opened the Platinum events for the new campaign. USA’s Sabrina Sobhy was up to her old tricks as she defeated No.3 seed Hania El Hammamy once again on the PSA World Tour, in round three. She wouldn’t be able to make it through to the finals however as all the top two seeds in both events made their was through to the title deciders.

It was business as usual for the winners as Nour El Sherbini and Ali Farag captured the titles, defeating Nouran Gohar and Diego Elias both 3-1 to claim the first major silverware of the season.

September

After play ended at the start of September in Paris, The QTerminals Qatar Classic was quickly on the horizon for all of the players as for the first time since 2015, the event hosted a women’s event alongside the men. A huge match between Youssef Ibrahim and Mohamed Elshorbagy was the talking point of the early rounds as the experienced Englishman had to dig extremely deep to overcome the talented Egyptian. Elshorbagy was then in the headlines again in his quarter-final clash with Mazen Hesham. The score reached 2-2 11-10 to Hesham and as the Egyptian served, Elshorbagy looked to step forward and play it before claiming he wasn’t ready. The point was given to Hesham, giving him a spot in the final four.

After comprehensive semi-final displays from all the finalists, Nour El Sherbini would line up against Hania El Hammamy in the women’s final after Nouran Gohar’s early exit to Amanda Sobhy, and Ali Farag would once again look to defeat Diego Elias to claim a sixth event out of seven. The women’s match was a blockbuster with both players leaving everything out on the court. El Hammamy managed to find top form in the fifth game to take the win 3-2 and earn a first title since the Hong Kong Open in 2022.

Ali Farag and Diego Elias played out another tactical encounter to determine the winner, with Farag once again scoring a win in four games. A second successive Platinum title for World No.1 Farag.

October

The month of October saw New Zealand’s Paul Coll reaffirm himself back on the big stage as he captured the Platinum-level U.S. Open presented by TRUIST title in impressive style.

The former World No.1 had to come through a tough draw that included Egyptian duo Youssef Ibrahim, Mazen Hesham as well as Diego Elias before meeting current World No.1 Ali Farag in the final. What followed was a match to remember, as Coll clinched a thrilling 3-2 victory after 98 minutes of breathless action. Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, there was a familiar feel to the event as Nour El Sherbini and Hania El Hammamy battled it out in the final for the second time in as many Platinum events. However, it was the ‘Warrior Princess’ who shone brightest in Philadelphia, conquering her Egyptian compatriot in straight games to claim her second Platinum title of the season.

Elsewhere, El Sherbini and Karim Abdel Gawad completed an Egyptian double at the Gold-level Grasshopper Cup in Zurich, beating Joel Makin and El Hammamy in their respective finals. On his way to claiming his second title of 2023, No.6 seed Gawad was forced to come through a brutal draw that included both ElShorbagy brothers – Mohamed in the quarter-finals and Marwan in the semi-finals – before overcoming Makin in the title decider.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Abdulla Al-Tamimi claimed his second title of the season on home soil at the QSF 4 Bronze-level event, defeating No.1 seed Tarek Momen in a thrilling five-game finale at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

November

The penultimate month of 2023 was one to remember for Nele Gilis as she became the first-ever Belgian player to reach the top five of the PSA Women’s World Rankings following her victory at the VITAGEN Singapore Open.

The 27-year-old captured her first ever Gold-level title in emotional style as she overcame younger sister Tinne in a nail-biting final that went all the way down to the wire. Despite Nele racing into an early two-game lead, Tinne fought back to force a decider, but the comeback victory wasn’t to be, as Nele kept her composure to close the match out after 82 minutes of action. Meanwhile, in the men’s draw, there was an air of familiarity about proceedings as World No.1 Ali Farag defeated World No.2 Diego Elias in a final for the third time already in the 2023/24 season. Despite losing the first game, the 31-year-old rallied to claim a four-game victory after 78 minutes of high-quality squash.

The Ace Malaysia Cup saw Karim Abdel Gawad continue his rich vein of form as he claimed his second title from as many events. The ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ looked to be regaining the form that saw him summit the world rankings back in 2017, as he saw off compatriot Mostafa Asal in straight games to win the event. Nour El Tayeb secured her second title of the 2023/24 season as she cut her way through the field in ruthless style. The Egyptian ended hopes of a home winner in the final as she defeated a visibly hampered Rachel Arnold, dropping just 10 points in the process.

At the Hong Kong Football Club Open, Sivasangari Subramaniam and Aly Abou Eleinen captured the biggest titles of their respective careers, defeating Amina Orfi and Eain Yow Ng in their finals. Subramaniam, who subsequently closed out the year at a career-high ranking of World No.15, scored impressive seeding victories over Sabrina Sobhy and Sarah-Jane Perry on her way to the title. Elsewhere in the event, there were notable victories for Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau and Cheng Nga Ching Sara.

December

The 2023 calendar year was rounded off with the Platinum-level TTI Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open and the Silver-level New Zealand Open – a pair of events that saw joy for soon-to-be husband and wife Paul Coll and Nele Gilis, but despair for Amanda Sobhy and Karim Abdel Gawad who fell foul to injuries.

American No.1 Sobhy sealed her spot in a Platinum final for the first time since the CIB PSA Black Ball Squash Open in 2021 following a stunning straight-game victory over Nour El Sherbini in the last four of the Hong Kong Open, but was forced to retire from her title decider against Hania El Hammamy after just 11 points due to injury. The unfortunate turn of events ensured that El Hammamy, who delivered a near-faultless string of victories on her way to the final, defended her title in Hong Kong and claimed her second Platinum title of the 2023/24 season.

Meanwhile, in the men’s draw, Mohamed and Marwan ElShorbagy locked horns in another classic five-game duel in the quarter-finals, with Mohamed overcoming a serious-looking injury to remarkably clinch his spot in the last four. However, the Englishman’s run was ended by an imperious Coll, who had previously seen off the threat of No.2 seed Diego Elias. The New Zealander barely laid a foot wrong all week and claimed his second successive Platinum title following yet another thrilling five-game victory over Ali Farag in the final.

A mere three days after claiming the Hong Kong Open trophy, Coll was back on court in his homeland, taking part in the Lucino Vanities New Zealand Men’s Open. The World No.3 stretched his winning run to nine matches as he romped his way to the title, exorcising the demons of his defeat in last year’s final to Mohamed ElShorbagy to see off younger brother Marwan in the final.

After reaching the Hong Kong Open semi-finals, Nele Gilis finished her 2023 off in perfect style as she was crowned the Barfoot and Thompson New Zealand Open champion after a crushing performance against younger sister Tinne in the final. The victory ensured that the Belgian would enter the new year at a joint career-high ranking of World No.4 and left chasing down the imperious Egyptian trio at the summit of the women’s game.

To rewatch any of the matches from the first part of 2023, visit the SQUASHTV replays section here.