Elias and El Sherbini Claim J.P. Morgan
Tournament of Champions Crowns
Peru’s Diego Elias and Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini have
captured the 2023 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
crowns, winning their respective finals under the
chandeliers of Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal,
New York City on Thursday evening.
The ‘Peruvian Puma’ made the final of this event last year,
losing out to then-World No.1 Ali Farag in an exciting
battle. This year, he came up against another Egyptian, in
Marwan ElShorbagy, in the final and he was in sublime form,
winning the match in straight games to secure his second
Platinum title of the season.
Elias came into the final after a gruelling 85-minute battle
with New Zealand’s Paul Coll in the last match of
yesterday’s semi-finals, but he showed no sign of any
fatigue in the opening exchanges, allowing ‘the Jackal’ to
score just two points in the first game.
Elias and ElShorbagy
That form continued, and ElShorbagy had no answer for the
Peruvian’s play. Elias was too quick across the next two
games as well, and took the victory after 50 minutes of
action, becoming the first South American to lift the J.P.
Morgan Tournament of Champions trophy.
“First of all, I am just super excited. I still can’t
believe it! It is like a dream come true. This tournament,
it has always been my favourite,” Elias said after his win.
“This is such an amazing city, and it’s always full for all
the matches. I can’t believe I am here! I just want to thank
everyone for making this tournament possible. J.P. Morgan,
John [Nimick, Tournament Promoter] and everyone that has
made it possible.
I also want to thank my team. The week it was very special,
I had my dad, Jonathon [Power], Wael [El Hindi] and Greg [Gaultier],
the four people who have helped me throughout my whole
career. It is just like a dream come true, having them all
here with me this week. Also to the people that have helped
me in my whole career outside the career. To all my
sponsors.. I want to thank everyone.
“To Marwan, I think he is playing great squash and I want to
congratulate him, and I hope we can play many more finals
together!”
The women’s final was unfortunately cut short, with Nour El
Sherbini claiming her fourth J.P. Morgan Tournament of
Champions crown after World No.1 Nouran Gohar had to retire
early on in the second game.
Prior to that point, both women had shown glimpses of their
very best squash, but neither had been able to put together
a run of points. Gohar saved a couple of game balls late on,
but it was the ‘Warrior Princess’ that won the opening game
11-9.
She then opened up a 3-1 lead in the second, before Gohar
offered her opponent her hand, retiring from the contest,
and relinquishing the crown she had claimed in New York City
back in May. El Sherbini now has four wins in Grand Central
to her name, adding the 2023 edition to her 2016, 2018 and
2019 triumphs. El Sherbini now also qualifies for the
season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals thanks to this
victory.
El Sherbini and Gohar
“There are a lot of people I would like to thank. Firstly, I
would like to thank Nouran for what she said,” El Sherbini
said.
As she said, we have had a lot of battles together from a
long time ago and I am glad we are still having them now. I
wish her a speedy recovery and hopefully she will be back
again quickly, recover well and we can play another final at
the next Platinum event hopefully.
“I just want to thank everyone back home. My parents, my
brother, my sister, my fiancee, everyone who has been
supporting me and believing in me the last year and a half.
I would also like to thank my squash coaches for all the
support.
Diego Elias v Paul Coll
Peru’s Diego Elias closed out semi-finals day at the J.P
Morgan Tournament of Champions with a hard-fought win over
top seed Paul Coll to reach back to back finals in New York
and his third successive PSA World Tour final.
Elias celebrating his win
It was an attritional start to the opening game with both
players trying to adapt to the hot and bouncy conditions.
Both players started hitting terrific length from the
outset, not allowing each other many opportunities to
attack. Elias was the first to reach game ball but was
forced into a tiebreak by Coll, to which the ‘Puma’
responded with an outrageous backhand cross-court drop to
earn other game ball, which he took.
Coll straightened up his play in game two and reverted to
his strengths of hitting accurate, straight lines to the
back corners and follow up with controlled straight drops.
He ran to 9-5 up and despite Elias finding some winners,
Coll equalised 11-8.
Elias started the better of the two in the third game and
established a 6-2 lead after several brutal rallies. Both
players were backing up the tough rallies over and over
again but an uncharacteristic error from Coll piled the
confidence into Elias, who ran through to take the game 11-3
and the lead 2-1.
With the new fitness levels of Elias serving him well, Coll
looked to be struggling to find areas in which to hurt Elias
and score points. The World No.5 continued to move the ball
around the court effortlessly and make Coll do many tough
movements over and over again. Elias managed to reach 10-8
and earned. stroke on match ball to give him a place in his
third successive PSA World Tour final.
Marwan ElShorbagy v Miguel Rodriguez No.5 seed Marwan ElShorbagy is the first player through
to the men’s final at this years Tournament of Champions
after beating ‘Colombian Cannonball’ Miguel Rodriguez in
three games.
Marwan ElShorbagy (in white top)
ElShorbagy has been in terrific form all week and is yet to
drop a game in the competition. He continued that run in
todays match as he showcased smart and solid squash to
defeat Miguel Rodriguez and reach his first Platinum event
final since March 2012, where he lifted the Black Ball Open
title.
ElShorbagy has been proud of his fast starts this week and
displayed that once again at Grand Central Terminal as he
hit crisp lines to the back of the court and looked to
intercept Rodriguez’s returns and fire the ball short. He
took the first game 11-5 to lead 1-0 in the contest.
More entertaining rallies followed as Miguel was being
fuelled by the energetic crowd who were all being well
entertained by the Colombian’s random style of play.
ElShorbagy kept his head down and continued to work the ball
into space and close down the angles and restrict the game
of Rodriguez.
After 49 minutes, ElShorbagy took the match again in three
games and ended the terrific run from Rodriguez to reach the
final and avenge his brother’s defeat from earlier in the
tournament.
Nour El Sherbini v Hania El Hammamy
In the highly anticipated all-Egyptian battle between Nour
El Sherbini and , it was the three-time champion, El
Sherbini who came out on top in an entertaining and hard
fought four game to take her place in a fifth final in New
York.
El Hammamy & ElSherbini (white skirt)
El Sherbini got off to a great start in game one, leading
7-3 by playing aggressive squash and minimising attacking
opportunities for Hania El Hammamy. The younger Egyptian
came back however and started to find her rhythm and came
back to within one point at 10-9. El Hammamy produced some
amazing squash just when she needed to save two game balls
and take the game on her first opportunity 13-11.
El Sherbini was given some words of wisdom by her coach Greg
Gaultier in-between games and came out firing in the second
game again to lead 6-1 and looked sure to be levelling the
match at 1-1. But again, El Hammamy came back, she again
saved game balls to go from 10-7 down to not only force a
tiebreak but hold a game ball at 12-11. ‘The Warrior
Princess’ was not to denied however and regrouped to secure
the game 15-13.
The slow starts for El Hammamy didn’t seem to be a problem
for the World No.3 as she constantly found solutions to work
her way back in the games. Game three started in similar
fashion to the first two as she went 9-4 down at the mercy
of the outrageous volleying being showcased by ElSherbini.
El Hammamy again mounted a comeback and reached 9-9 but
after El Sherbini stifled the run to hold a game ball, she
hit an excellent length, dying in the back left corner to
take a 2-1 lead.
The end came quickly for El Hammamy as the 5-0 lead that she
took in the fourth game was capitalised on as she moved
through the gears to take the game 11-5 and move into a
fifth Tournament of Champions final.
Nouran Gohar v Joelle King
Defending Tournament of Champions champion Nouran Gohar
defeated New Zealand’s Joelle King in three tough games to
advance to final yet again in New York’s Grand Central
Terminal.
Nouran Gohar on court in her semi-final
match.
King has failed to beat Gohar in the last five attempts on
the PSA World Tour but looked strong in the opening game of
the first semi-final of the day as she hunted the volley and
dragged Gohar into the front two corners with great
accuracy. King lead 10-8 and had two chances to take an all
important first game. But back came ‘The Terminator’, she
rifled through the points to force a tiebreak and then steal
the game 12-10.
King wasn’t deterred after losing the first game and
responded well to lead 4-1, with Gohar looking a little
frustrated at some poor, uncharacteristic errors that she
was making. She quickly rectified this and again stormed
through the points, forcing King into some tough movements
and won the next six points to lead 7-4. Gohar then held
three game balls at 10-7 and despite King clawing some
points back to get within one point, the World No.1 sealed
the game 11-9.
The New Zealand No.1 tried her best to regroup in the third
game but after another positive start was on the end of some
tough rallies which were all won by Gohar as she again ran
away with the game to take it 11-6 and earn a spot in
another Tournament of Champions final.
All the action from New York City will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV.
No.2 seed and three-time ToC champion Nour El Sherbini ended
home hopes at the Tournament of Champions in New York City
as she defeated Amanda Sobhy in four games to reach the
semi-finals.
El Sherbini was in fine form in the opening two games of the
contest and kept the home crowd quiet as she pulverised the
ball to the back corners and capitalised on loose balls from
Sobhy. The Egyptian scored her first Platinum victory at
this event back in 2016, beating Sobhy in the final and
looked to be on course to repeat that result with the
quality squash that she was producing.
Sobhy returned to court determined to stop El Sherbini’s
momentum and did just that. The American got the home crowd
behind her and managed to set up a game ball at 10-9. El
Sherbini responded but was then on the end of some amazing
rallies from Sobhy as the World No.5 took the game 13-11 to
breathe more life in the contest.
The excitement was short lives however, as El Sherbini
returned to winning ways in the fourth game and after
earning a lead at the start of the game, went from strength
to strength to take it 11-5 and return to the semi-finals.
She had this to say after her win:
“It was a very tough game, Amanda was playing amazing in the
third and she came back, she was 2-0 down, to come back
fighting and wanted to win the game and the match. I was
very frustrated to lose the third game but Greg [Gaultier,
El Sherbini’s coach] told me to forget this game and focus
on the fourth and think point by point and I think the start
of the fourth was important and I got a big lead and that
made the difference.
“I’m still playing, of course I want another title. The ToC
is a special tournament for me, I play my best squash here,
it was my first ever Platinum event win and it’s a lucky
place for me so hopefully I can get another one.”
Meanwhile in the men's event Top seed Paul Coll has moved
into his first Tournament of Champions semi-final after
beating dangerous Egyptian Fares Dessouky in straight games
to complete the semi-final lineup.
Paul Coll
Coll started the better of the two in the opening game, as
he stormed out to a 6-0 lead, looking strong and dominant
around the middle of the court and tidying up situations
where Dessouky left the ball loose. The entertaining
Egyptian started to get into a bit of a rhythm as the game
progressed and found his form in the front corners to stage
a comeback. Dessouky managed to force a tiebreak but
couldn’t prevent Coll from taking the game 12-10.
Coll again led 6-0 in the second game and looked determined
to not let the lead slip, like he did in the first game. He
straightened up his play and didn’t allow Dessouky any
angles to attack and starved the World No.8 of any
opportunities to put pressure on him. He doubled his lead
winning 11-3.
More accurate, solid play from Coll continued in the third
game as he looked to turn the screw and take the match in
three games. The New Zealand No.1 changed the paces at the
right times and slowed the Egyptian down when he needed to
and increased the pace when the opportunity arose. He ran
through to take the third 11-6 and claim a place in his
first semi-final at the Tournament of Champions, where he
will face Diego Elias.
“I did all my preparations, mentally and physically so I was
bang up for this match and feeling good.”said Coll.
“He can hit a nick or an amazing shot at any stage so my
accuracy was crucial and I was very happy with that tonight.
I was happy with my front and back court game, I’m really
enjoying the court, so it felt good tonight.
“I believe it’s my first semi-final at ToC, so pumped for
that tomorrow. I’m playing my good friend Diego [Elias], we
won’t be friends on court tomorrow but we’ll play it in the
right spirit, it’ll be hard and tough and a good one for the
crowd.
“He [Diego Elias] looked very sharp tonight. I watched him
play Tarek [Momen] and he was very accurate and clinical. He
looked very good so I know it’ll be tough but I thought I
did well too. It’ll be a battle tomorrow, but that’s what we
love, that’s what we train for so I’m looking forward to
it.”
All the action from New York City will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV.
World No.1 Gohar Survives Five-Game Epic
To Reach ToC Semi-Finals
World No.1 Nouran Gohar is into the semi-finals of the J.P.
Morgan Tournament of Champions after coming through an epic
five-game battle with compatriot and World No.6 Nour El
Tayeb, as her title defence continues at the incredible
Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
The pair had met 16 times previously on Tour, with Gohar
having won 11 of those battles, including their last six
meetings. It was El Tayeb who started the stronger in the
opening game, moving the ball nicely to take Gohar away from
the middle of the court and open up attacking opportunities.
Despite Gohar saving one game ball, the World No.6 was able
to take it 13-11.
Gohar fought back in true ‘Terminator’ fashion, dropping
just two points in the second game after composing her
powerful brand of squash on the contest. That form continued
into the third game, as the World No.1 took her first lead
of the match, moving ahead 2-1.
El Tayeb battled back and found her front court accuracy
again to take the third, and the pair were level at 6-6 in
the fifth, with a five point shootout ahead. It was Gohar
who finished the stronger of the two Egyptians, winning the
fifth game 11-6 to secure an amazing win after 75 minutes,
and to move through to the semi-finals.
“Nour had been playing amazing, we’ve been playing a lot in
the last season and this season,” Gohar said.
“I don’t know where to start, she’s a player and a character
and coming back and playing like this is unbelievable and I
have so much respect for her. It seemed like I was annoyed
but I really enjoyed this battle, we have been battling it
out for the last seven years and I hope the crowd enjoyed
that one.
“I was trying to not be too emotional out there, but I was
nervous. It’s a 3-2 cracker in 70 minutes so it was tough
obviously and there are certain matches where you just have
to hang in there. They [other players] are playing their
best and when they play against me they always seem to play
their best so I have to adapt, defend and absorb a bit so it
was a very hard one today.”
Gohar will now take on New Zealand’s Joelle King in the last
four on Wednesday evening, after the World No.4 was in
scintillating form to defeat the up-and-coming Jana Shiha in
straight games, winning 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 in just under half
an hour.
In the men’s draw, Colombia’s World No.14 Miguel Rodriguez
took down another of the top eight seeds, defeating No.7
seed Mazen Hesham in a fast-paced and thrilling match, to
move into the semi-finals on New York City for the first
time since 2015.
Miguel Rodriguez celebrates reaching the last four in NYC
for the first time in eight years
The match was always going to be an entertaining one, with
both players renowned for their fast and attacking styles.
It was their first meeting since 2018, and Rodriguez took
first blood, winning seven straight points at the back of
the opening game to take it 11-6.
Hesham battled back to level the match, but the 37-year-old
Colombian had too much in both the third and fourth games.
In each, he was able to pull away at the right times, taking
both 11-8 to book his spot in a first Platinum semi-final
since the 2021 Allam British Open.
“That end for me was emotional. It’s very special. I made my
first semi-final here in 2015, when I beat Gregory [Gaultier].
Getting that result after eight years, its something very
special for a professional player,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez’s semi-final opponent will be World No.6 Marwan
ElShorbagy, after the Egyptian produced a clinical
performance. He dropped just ten points in a straight games
demolition of Frenchman Victor Crouin to move through to the
last four.
The action continues on Tuesday, January 24, with the
quarter finals coming to a conclusion at the glass court at
the incredible Grand Central Terminal. All the action from
New York City will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown
by PSA’s broadcast partners.
Kennedy Downs Elaraby To Reach J.P. Morgan
Tournament of Champions Quarter Finals
England’s Georgina Kennedy, playing in her first major
tournament since September, got the better of World No.7
Rowan Elaraby to make it through to the quarter finals of
the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions at the incredible
Grand Central Terminal.
"I mean, it's a really great feeling, obviously. My targets
coming in to these events was, you know, I wanted to win
last week and I wanted to reach at least the quarters. So
I'm proud of myself for reaching my goals,” Kennedy said.
The action continues on Monday January 23, with the quarter
finals getting underway at the glass court at the incredible
Grand Central Terminal. All the action from New York City
will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown
by PSA’s broadcast partners.
Crouin Into ToC Quarter Finals After Asal
Retires Through Illness
Frenchman Victor Crouin is into the quarter finals of the
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions after World No.1 Mostafa
Asal had to retire from their third round contest due to
illness.
Asal had won their previous four matches, but Crouin took
the opening game of their last 16 encounter at Grand Central
Terminal. The Egyptian called to extend the game break to
three minutes, but was unable to continue after that time
due to dizziness and other symptoms, meaning Crouin was
awarded the match.
The third round continues on Sunday, January 22, with the
bottom half of the draw taking to the glass court at the
incredible Grand Central Terminal, aiming to reach the last
eight of the Platinum level tournament. All the action from
New York City will be streamed live on
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown
by PSA’s broadcast partners.
Sobhy and Clyne Set Up All-American Third
Round Clash At The J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
USA’s Amanda Sobhy (above) and Olivia Clyne (below), both
members of their nation’s quartet who came second at the WSF
Women’s World Team Championships, will meet in the last 16
of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York City
after winning their respective second round clashes on
Friday evening.
The action from the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
continues on Saturday, January 21 with the top half of the
third round being played at Grand Central Terminal in New
York City. All the action from the glass court will be
streamed live on
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown
by PSA’s broadcast partners.
The second evening of action at the 2023 J.P. Morgan
Tournament of Champions was one full of action, tense
contests, and a major surprise.
Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez got the better of World No.3
Mohamed ElShorbagy with a vintage performance, fighting back
from a game down to win in four on the glass court at Grand
Central Terminal.
The opening game was a good one for the Englishman, and his
strong attacking squash was too much for Rodriguez, despite
his best efforts. A second game tie-break was crucial in the
match, with the Colombian fighting through it 12-10 to level
the contest, and wrestle the momentum back in this favour.
From there, the crowd got behind the World No.15, and a
tight third game went his way 11-9. The start of the fourth
was domination for the Colombian, who would go on to secure
a four-game victory, and a spot in the third round of the
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.
“I came without pressure, of course. I was expecting a tough
match and, you know, playing Ali Farag, Tarek Momen, the top
five guys, it’s always very tough, especially in the first
rounds like, I mean, the first match,” Rodriguez said.
“But overall, I think I played very smooth today. I was just
trying not to play the same way I play. You know, every
time, like defending and maybe waiting for mistakes.
“And there was yeah, my strategy was, you know, to keep more
like at the back, at the corners and maybe when I had like a
loose ball going for the shots and still doing like, you
know, my trick shots and everything went well and yeah, I
feel very smooth without tension, because usually those kind
of matches, it gives you, you know, a lot of tension in your
body and you start to worry too much about what’s going to
happen or what’s happening, you know, during the match.”
Also on the glass court at Grand Central Terminal, Frenchman
Victor Crouin had to fight his way past England’s Nick Wall
in a five-game thriller. The Englishman led on two
occasions, with a fast-paced game being too much for the
World No.10 at times.
Victor Crouin on court with Nick Wall
Crouin, who has already featured in four finals this season,
showed his fighting qualities, and although he was not
playing his best squash, he was able to come through the
fifth game. He was not deterred by an injury break, where
Wall had to clean up some running blood from his knee, and
the Frenchman won out in the end to move into the last 16.
“Yeah. I’m just happy I won the match because it was very
tough. But I’ve never had a straightforward match against
Nick. I’ve always struggled a lot against him and again, I
lost the first encounter on the PSA World Tour,” the World
No.10 explained.
“I think it was at the British Open, first round match. So
any time I play him, I’m not feeling at my my best. And I
need to prepare very, very seriously, which I always do. But
this time it just felt different. So sometimes you just have
to go through and win the matches.”
Also in Grand Central, Nouran Gohar got her title defence
underway by defeating home favourite Olivia Fiechter, new
World No.1 Mostafa Asal got the better of England’s Patrick
Rooney, and Nour El Tayeb showed her class in a 19-minute
victory over compatriot Yathreb Adel.
At the Harvard Club of New York, England’s Sarah-Jane Perry
fought her way through to the third round, with a battling
display against Egypt’s Salma Hany. She found herself 2-1
down, but came back to win in five.
Sarah-Jane Perry celebrates her win over
Salma Hany
“A really tough one there, coming back from 2-1 down against
any player is really difficult. But especially against
someone like Salma [Hany] with the quality that she
possesses and the skills that she has,” said Perry.
“A couple of those games there, I was really getting done
because I was leaving the ball loose. So I had to really
just knuckle down, focus on my length, then my shots and
then look for the opportunities to attack. Thankfully, I
just managed to go up a few gears and the start of the fifth
and I could sort of sense she was a bit tired so I wanted to
take advantage of that. I was really pleased with the fifth
game particularly.”
There was also a five-game victory for Egypt’s Mariam
Metwally, while Belgian No.1 Nele Gilis defeated Japanese
No.1 Satomi Watanabe in straight games.
World No.8 Mazen Hesham came through a tricky test in his
second round match at the Nicol Squash Club. He defeated
Indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal in a five-game contest which
lasted more than 80 minutes. Prior to that clash, Egypt’s
Jana Shiha had knocked out Ghosal’s compatriot, Joshna
Chinappa, winning in four games.
The final venue of the evening’s action, the River Club of
New York, saw two men’s matches. Moustafa El Sirty downed
Malaysian No.1 Eain Yow Ng, while Auguste Dussourd overcame
Mexican Cesar Salazar to reach the last 16 of the
competition.
You can watch all of the glass court action from the evening
session live on
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown by
PSA’s broadcast partners.
Round two of the prestigious J.P Morgan Tournament of
Champions got underway at 12:00 from Grand Central Terminal
in New York City with four matches taking place in the
afternoon session.
One of the home favourites, Sabrina Sobhy was up first
looking to restore some pride to the home nation after a
disappointing day one which saw no winners from the USA.
Sobhy started slow in the first game but managed to recover
from there and took the next three games convincingly to
book her place in round three.
“It’s the first match of the second round, so I was at 12pm,
which I’m not to used to. I think we can all say we’re used
to playing in the evening. So I just kind of had to adjust a
little bit with the routine and stuff,” Sobhy said.
“I had a tournament last week [Carol Weymuller Open] and I
didn’t feel too confident and comfortable with my squash. So
of course, like this week, I was trying not to think about
it, but inevitably it kind of stays with you a little bit.
“So I was just kind of like hoping to brush that off and
play a little bit more comfortable squash, which I might
have found a little bit throughout the match today, but
still felt pretty uncomfortable. So overall, all I can say
is like, I’m really happy to make it through to the next
round.”
Next up on the all-glass court in the Vanderbilt Hall, No.4
seed Joelle King needed all five games to defeat Wales’
Emily Whitlock to advance to round three. The World No.22
started the better of the two and displayed accurate squash
to take the opening game to lead 1-0. King responded in
typical fashion, hitting accurate lines to the back corners
and moved through the gears to take the lead 2-1.
Joelle King in action
After levelling the match at 2-2 with another near-perfect
game, Whitlock ran out of steam in the fifth game and
couldn’t maintain her momentum as King rattled off points to
reach 10-3. The New Zealander converted the match at the
first time of asking to move through to yet another third
round.
The first men’s match on the glass court featured an
all-European battle between Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller
and Wales’ Joel Makin.
With the games tied at 1-1, it was Mueller who managed to
hold onto game three by hitting the space on the court and
testing the movement of Makin. After hitting a backhand
boast into the front corner, Mueller took the game 12-10 to
take the lead in the contest.
In true Joel Makin fashion, he battled back to force a fifth
game in the match, but the skill of Nicolas Mueller was far
from finished. The Swiss ran out to a 6-2 lead and soon had
two match balls at 10-8. At the second time of asking, an
unbelievable kill from the serve sealed the win for the
World No.13.
Marwan ElShorbagy rounded off the afternoon session with a
hard fought win over France’s Gregoire Marche. The ‘Jackel’
and The ‘Acrobat’ met just last week at the Houston Open,
with the Egyptian coming through in four games.
ElShorbagy only needed three games to progress in today’s
match as he found all four corners with great accuracy
throughout the match and made life extremely difficult for
the Frenchman. After closing out a crucial second game
17-15, the momentum was well and truly with the Egyptian as
he took the third 11-8 to reach round three.
You can watch all of the glass court action from the evening
session live on
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown by
PSA’s broadcast partners.
The opening day of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
continued into the evening session in New York City, with
action taking place across five courts at four venues.
At the New York Athletic Club, Egypt’s Hana Moataz fought
back from two games down to overcome England’s Lucy Turmel,
winning in five games after a lengthy battle which lasted
almost an hour.
“I think she had a really, good start. I kind of had a slow
start,” said Moataz.
“I played way better towards the end. I think I was just
really stressed in the beginning so I was just trying to
enjoy it a bit more and play some proper squash towards the
end! I think I’m more aggressive towards the middle. I like
to volley and attack more, I feel like I was very passive in
the beginning and she kept boasting a lot and I didn’t get
any of it, but I think I was playing much better towards the
end.
“I’m happy I was able to get it together and I think I’m
just going to take it match by match. They’re [Gear & Alves]
both really good players, it will be a close match
regardless of whom I play.
“I’m desperate to get to the glass court. I last played this
tournament like six years ago and my goal at the beginning
of the season was to get into the tournament with my
ranking. So I’m happy I made it and then I’m happy I made it
past the first round. The next goal is to make it to the
glass for sure.”
Greg Lobban in action
Elsewhere at the New York Athletic Club, former World No.7
Mohamed Abouelghar continued his comeback from injury with a
solid performance against compatriot Karim El Hammamy, while
Yathreb Adel fought back from a game down to win another
all-Egyptian clash, beating Fayrouz Aboelkheir in four
games. There were also wins for Alexandra Fuller, Greg
Lobban, Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi and Melissa Alves.
At the River Club of New York, Cesar Salazar came through an
all-Mexican clash against Leonel Cardenas, getting the
better of his compatriot in straight games to move through
to the last 32 of the Platinum level tournament. There were
also wins for Nadine Shahin, Aifa Azman and Auguste Dussourd.
The action also continued at the Nicol Squash Club were
Mohamed ElSherbini got the evening session underway with a
win over France’s Lucas Serme. Meanwhile, it was mixed
fortunes for Team England as Jasmine Hutton beat wildcard
Caroline Fouts in straight games, but James Willstrop
couldn’t score a game against Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu.
Hong Kong’s Tomato Ho closed out the play at the Nicol
Squash Club with a convincing win over Spain’s Cristina
Gomez.
The second round of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions
will see the first day of action at the spectacular Grand
Central Terminal. The glass court will be housed in
Vanderbilt Hall as always, with all the action from the
glass court being streamed live on
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown by
PSA’s broadcast partners.
The prestigious J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions got underway
this afternoon in New York, with 64 players, representing 18
different countries, all battling it out across four different
venues to secure places in the second round.
At the Nicol Squash Club, India’s Ramit Tandon produced the
performance of the afternoon as he came back from 2-0 down to defeat
German No.1 Raphael Kandra to claim his place in the second round.
Kandra was on top in the opening exchanges of the match and used his
powerful movement to get in front of the Indian and make it
difficult for Tandon to impose his attacking style on the match.
After closing out a tight second game, Tandon started to mount his
comeback. The Indian started to work the ball into space a lot
better and the movement of Kandra started to slow down. Kandra tried
his best to regain control of the match but the skills of Tandon
were in full flow as he ran through to take the next three games and
book his place in round two in what he claims to be his second home.
“I just kept fighting. It comes down to the basics,” said Tandon.
“Growing up, people just tell you, to fight to the last point and
that’s a little tricky because most of the time when you’re down and
out, you don’t really come back. So to believe in that and to keep
fighting, it’s something I’m really proud of today.
“This [New York] is like my second home. I have a lot of friends
here, friends like family here. I went to school here. So the New
York source community friends, former colleagues in New York, it’s
always great to see them. So I’m always happy here.”
Egypt’s Omar Mosaad also needed five games to book his round two
spot, beating England’s Adrian Waller in a 63-minute contest. There
were also wins for Jana Shiha and Joshna Chinappa at the Nicol club.
The highly anticipated clash between Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng and
Egypt’s Aly Abou Eleinen at the River Club of New York went the way
of the Malaysian, who managed to defeat the in-form Eleinen in four
games to book his place in round two.
Eain Yow Ng
It was Eleinen, who benefitted from featuring at the Houston Open
last week, who started the stronger of the two , however, with a
quick pace shown in the early exchanges. He went on to win the first
11-5, but from there, it was Ng that was the better of the two
players.
The Malaysian was able to stamp his authority on the contest, and
won the second game 11-6. That brought the momentum in his favour,
and some clever attacking shots saw him then win both the third and
fourth games as well, coming through a tricky first round test in 46
minutes, winning 3-1.
“He had played a tournament last week. He did well. So obviously he
was feeling good. And for me, I felt I needed some time to get used
to the court, to get used to playing a match again. So after the
first game, I just got into the flow and started to play my game. So
just, yeah, took away his strengths and played to my strengths. And
from second game onwards it was fairly comfortable. So I’m really
happy with my performance today.
“I think it’s always important to see what your opponent is doing,
but also at the same time, not let it affect me too much. I think I
knew that if I was playing at my best, I would still beat him. So at
the end of the day, I was aware of what he has done. I’m aware of
how dangerous he is. It’s definitely a very dangerous first round
and I just stuck to my game plan. I did what I had to do and yeah,
it’s good enough to beat him.”
Egyptian duo Hana Ramadan and Moustafa El Sirty also claimed wins at
the River Club of New York, beating Yahya Elnawasany and Lucy
Beecroft respectively. Whilst Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann
overcame USA’s Faraz Khan in straight games.
Over at the Harvard Club of New York, one of the upsets of the day
came from England’s Nathan Lake, who defeated France’s Baptiste
Masotti in three games to advance. Fellow Brit, Emily Whitlock also
scored a victory over Marie Stephan to book a round two place.
Japan’s rising star Satomi Watanabe and Egypt’s Nour Aboulmakarim
also were victorious and are moving through to the second round.
Keep up to date with all the live scores from the evening matches
here.
Global streaming coverage is provided by
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown by
PSA’s broadcast partners.
World No.2 Ali Farag will not return to defend his J.P. Morgan
Tournament of Champions crown, due to an ongoing knee problem.
Farag, who claimed the title at Grand Central Terminal in May 2022
after beating Diego Elias in a thrilling four-game final, continues
to suffer from a knee problem that first appeared at the U.S. Open.
The Egyptian featured at the Grasshopper Cup, but was clearly not
himself, losing out to home favourite Nicolas Mueller in the second
round. Since then, Farag has missed the MARIGOLD Singapore Squash
Open and the Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash
Open at the end of last year.
With Farag out of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, New
Zealand’s Paul Coll becomes the top seed, with new World No.1
Mostafa Asal moving up to the No.2 seed.
Peru’s Diego Elias moves up to the top four seeds, with Egypt’s
Fares Dessouky moving up into the top eight seeds. India’s Saurav
Ghosal replaces Dessouky in the 9/16 seeding bracket, and now
receives a bye through the opening day’s action in New York City.
Frenchman Auguste Dussourd now moves into the 17/32 seeding bracket,
and he will take on Hong Kong’s Henry Leung in the first round.
Faraz Khan comes into the draw, adding to the American contingent in
New York, and he will face Swiss No.2 Dimitri Steinmann on day one.
Global streaming coverage is provided by
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown by
PSA’s broadcast partners.
To buy tickets and for more information, visit
www.tocsquash.com. Follow the ToC on
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram.
and ticketing plan will
be available soon. Previously purchased tickets will be honoured.
Egypt’s World No.19 Nada Abbas is out of the upcoming J.P. Morgan
Tournament of Champions.
The first PSA World Tour Platinum level tournament will take place
at Grand Central Terminal in New York City from January 18-26.
With Abbas having been part of the 9/16 seeding bracket, USA’s
Olivia Clyne now takes that spot in the draw and will be the third
American to receive a bye through to the second round.
Egypt’s Nour Aboulmakarim moves into the 17/32, into the place
vacated by Clyne. The Egyptian will now face Hong Kong’s Ka Yi Lee.
Spanish No.1 Cristina Gomez comes into the draw, and will now take
Hong Kong’s Tomato Ho on the opening day.
World No.1’s Nouran Gohar and Ali Farag will return to New York City
between January 18-26 to defend their J.P. Morgan Tournament of
Champions crowns as the PSA World Tour Platinum tournament
celebrates its 25th year of being staged at the iconic Grand Central
Terminal.
The iconic event will return to its Platinum-level status in 2023,
after last year’s Gold event, where Egypt’s Farag and Gohar were
victorious under the chandeliers of Grand Central Terminal’s
Vanderbilt Hall. Gohar defeated home favourite Amanda Sobhy in the
final, while Farag came through a great battle with Peruvian Diego
Elias to lift the men’s title.
Gohar will lead a star-studded cast in the women’s draw. Three-time
‘ToC’ winner Nour El Sherbini will be the No.2 seed, with compatriot
Hania El Hammamy and the in-form Joelle King also in contention.
Gohar will take on US No.2 and World No.10 Olivia Fiechter in the
second round, with the pair both receiving byes through the opening
day’s action. The World No.1 could then face compatriot Nour El
Tayeb in the quarter finals, before a meeting with King in the last
four.
El Sherbini will start her week in New York against either fellow
Egyptian Nadine Shahin or the second women’s wildcard. Possible
meetings with Welshwoman Tesni Evans or US No.1 Amanda Sobhy could
follow for El Sherbini, before a potentially massive semi-final
battle with World No.3 El Hammamy.
Sobhy and Fiechter will be just two of five Americans in the women’s
draw. Sobhy’s younger sister, Sabrina, and Olivia Clyne could meet
in the second round if the latter defeats Ka Yi Lee on the opening
day. Meanwhile, wildcard Caroline Fouts takes on England’s Jasmine
Hutton in the first round.
Farag will be aiming for a third ‘ToC’ crown in January, and he will
start his run in New York against either England’s Patrick Rooney or
American wildcard Dillon Huang in the second round. Frenchman Victor
Crouin and compatriot Marwan ElShorbagy could then follow, before a
semi-final clash with old rival Mohamed ElShorbagy.
In the bottom half of the draw, Paul Coll and Mostafa Asal could
meet once more in the semis. The Kiwi will start off against either
France’s Baptiste Masotti or Englishman Nathan Lake, before
potentially meeting Peru’s Diego Elias in the quarters. Asal could
do battle with Tarek Momen in the last eight if he gets past
Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann or Frenchman Auguste Dussourd in his
opening match.
The American duo of Shahjahan Khan and Todd Harrity will lead the
home hopes in the men’s draw. Khan will take on former World No.5
Borja Golan in his opening match of the competition, while Harrity
will take on Qatari No.1 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi in the first round.
Elsewhere, Egypt’s Youssef Ibrahim and England’s Georgina Kennedy
will both be aiming to return from injury. The Egyptian has not
featured on tour since the El Gouna International in June, while
Kennedy had to withdraw from the England team currently featuring at
the WSF Women’s World Team Championships in Cairo.
Mohamed Abouelghar will also continue his comeback from injury. The
former World No.7 jumped up over 640 places in the PSA World
Rankings following his quarter-final appearance at the Hong Kong
Football Club Open on Monday, and is now currently just outside the
world’s top 200.
There will be playoffs for the second wildcard spot in each draw.
They will take place on January 17, the day before the tournament
starts, at the Yale Club of New York. Hollis Robertson will face
Peter Creed in the men’s match, with Anna Shumway and Akanksha
Salunkhe doing battle in the women’s match.
Global streaming coverage is provided by
SQUASHTV, while the semi-finals and finals will be shown by
PSA’s broadcast partners.
To buy tickets and for more information, visit
www.tocsquash.com. Follow the ToC on
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram.
nd ticketing plan will
be available soon. Previously purchased tickets will be honoured.
In 1995, the Tournament of Champions was one of the first
events to be staged in Vanderbilt Hall when the venue was
made available for public use. The 83-year-old tournament
celebrates its 25th anniversary in Grand Central in 2023.
MEN
1999 Jonathon Power
2000 Jonathon Power
2001 Peter Nicol
2002 Jonathon Power
2003 Peter Nicol
2004 Peter Nicol
2005 Anthony Ricketts
2006 Amr Shabana
2007 Amr Shabana
2008 Ramy Ashour
2009 Gregory Gaultier
2010 James Willstrop
2011 Ramy Ashour
2012 Nick Matthew
2013 Ramy Ashour
2014 Amr Shabana
2015 Mohamed Elshorbagy
2016 Mohamed Elshorbagy
2017 Karim Abdel Gawad
2018 Simon Rösner
2019 Ali Farag
2020 Mohamed Elshorbagy
2021 Cancelled COVID-19
2022 Ali Farag
WOMEN
2001 Sarah Fitzgerald
2002 Sarah Fitzgerald
2003 Carol Owens
2005 Vanessa Atkinson
2006 Vanessa Atkinson
2012 Natalie Grinham
2013 Natalie Grinham
2014 Nicol David
2015 Raneem El Welily
2016 Nour El Sherbini
2017 Camille Serme
2018 Nour El Sherbini
2019 Nour El Sherbini
2020 Camille Serme
2021 CancelledCOVID-19
2022 Nouran Gohar
