Report courtesy of the Women’s Squash Association.

The world’s top two squash players will contest the final of the Women’s Cleveland Classic after Malaysia’s world number one Nicol David and Egypt’s Raneem El Welily, the world No. 2, prevailed in contrasting semifinals of the WSA International 50 event celebrating its fifth year at Cleveland Racquet Club in Cleveland, Ohio.

In their twenty-first WSA World Tour clash this millennium, David dispatched unseeded Egyptian Omneya Abdel Kawy 11-8, 11-2, 11-7 in twenty-seven minutes in the thirty-one-year-old from Penang’s third successive straight games win in the championship.

Ranked nine in the world—her highest ranking for more than three years—Abdel Kawy is enjoying one of the best runs of her career. But the twenty-nine-year-old from Cairo had no answer to David’s dominant play.

“Have to trust it will come together if you stick to it,” said the Malaysian super star who this month celebrated her 106th month at the top of the world rankings, becoming the longest-reigning world number one of all-time.

“These guys are so tough,” added David. “They’re always out to get you!”

The seedings suggested an upset in the other semi—but the latest rankings predicted the outcome. El Welily, the third seed ranked two in the world, took on England’s Laura Massaro, the No. 2 seed and the former world No. 2 in a match which truly went the full distance.

It was a match of constantly-changing leads—El Welily having three game-balls in the first game which Massaro won; the Egyptian cruising to a second game win; and the Englishwoman fighting back from 5-8 down in the third to take it after a lengthy tie-break and move 2-1 ahead.

And after El Welily drew level following the fourth game, it was Massaro who reached match-ball first in the decider at 10-7—but the Egyptian who dug deep to save those three match-balls before finally prevailing 11-13, 11-7, 13-15, 11-9, 12-10 to earn her place in the final.

“I don’t feel confident hitting the ball early, but I had to do that today!” admitted twenty-six-year-old El Welily later. “Kawy told me I had to!”

Massaro told her Twitter followers later: “Wow disappointed is an understatement! I lost 12-10 in the fifth to Raneem having had three match balls. Great match by both of us! #progress”

The triumph takes El Welily into her third successive WSA Tour final, and immediately follows her surprise title success in last month’s JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York.

The milestone marks the twenty-third Tour final of the Egyptian’s career—but the earlier semifinal success takes David into her ninety-eighth final, where she will be looking for her seventy-ninth title!

Watch the final streamed live at 6:15PM EST between Nicol David and Raneem El Welily. Click the following link and follow the instructions: Cleveland Classic Squash Final 2015.

Americans Todd Harrity, world No. 68, and Chris Hanson, world No. 159, are set to compete in the $10,000 U.S. Pro Series Life Time Atlanta Open in Georgia this week.

Hanson has continued his progression up the world rankings, including his career high this month, 159, and is the sole American ranked player in the sixteen-player qualification draw.

Hanson will take on U.S.-based South African Clinton Leeuw, who was ranked as high as seventy-nine in 2013, in their first career match up. The Atlanta Open is Leeuw’s first tournament since reaching the U.S. Pro Series Minneapolis Open semifinals as a qualifier in November. Hanson will target his first victory of 2015 after falling to former world No. 7 Ong Beng Hee in the Tournament of Champions.

Harrity also makes his first appearance since the Tournament of Champions where the twenty-four-year-old exited the main draw at the hands of world No. 1 Mohamed Elshorbagy. Harrity, seeded sixth, opens his tournament against Irish Wild Card Sean Conroy in their first career match up.

Egyptian world No. 43 Karim Ali Fathi leads the main draw as the top seed, while Malaysian world No. 59 Muhd Asyraf Azan is seeded second. Englishmen Charles Sharpes and Ben Coleman are seeded third and fourth respectively.

For more information, visit the official Life Time Atlanta Open tournament page.

Atlanta Open Qualifying Draw:
[1] Sunil Seth (GUY) vs. Basem Makram (EGY)
Adewale Amao (NGR) vs. [8] Ahmed Effat Ashoush (EGY)
[6] Chris Hanson (USA) vs. Clinton Leeuw (RSA)
Mark Broekman (ENG) vs. [3] Babatunde Ajagbe (NGR)
[4] Reuben Phillips (ENG) vs. [L] Andre Maur [L] Lee Scott vs. [7] Chris Binnie (JAM)
[5] Graeme Schnell (CAN) vs. [L] Ahmed Hamza
Cameron Stafford (CAY) vs. [2] Nathan Lake (ENG)

Atlanta Open Main Draw:
[1] Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) vs. [Q]
Eric Galvez (MEX) vs. [5] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT)
[6] Todd Harrity (USA) vs. [WC] Sean Conroy (IRL)
Zac Alexander (AUS) vs. [3] Charles Sharpes (ENG)
[4] Ben Coleman (ENG) vs. [Q]
James Huang (TPE) vs. Arthur Gaskin (IRL)
[8] Andrew Schnell (CAN) vs. [Q]
[Q] vs. [2] Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS)

Report courtesy of the Professional Squash Association.

Egyptian World No. 20 Karim Abdel Gawad ensured the U.S. Pro Series Pittsburgh Open title remained in his grasp for the second consecutive year following an impressive 3-1 win over number four seed Alan Clyne in the finale of the first PSA International 25 event of 2015 at the Rivers Club in Pennsylvania.

Gawad, the twenty-three-year-old from Alexandria, was a surprise victor in 2014 when he beat then top seed Alister Walker in the final but he went into the 2015 edition as firm favorite and put in an impressive performance against Clyne, the Scottish World No. 36, to take the spoils.

It was the Scotsman who got off to the better start in the title-decider, taking the opening game courtesy of a tie-break, but Gawad dug in and reversed his fortunes to take the second game and level the match. From then on Gawad’s style won out and he took advantage of a tiring Clyne in the final game to earn his ninth PSA World Tour title.

Clyne had to overcome tournament surprise package Charles Sharpes to book his place in the finale after the twenty-two-year-old English World No. 69 belied his ranking with some superb performances, notably taking out number two seed Alister Walker in the tournament’s opening round before defeating fellow qualifier Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, who had shocked number seven seed Mahesh Mangaonkar, in the quarterfinals to set up his semifinal with Clyne.

“This match capped a great week of squash,” said Tournament Director Duilio Costa. “Gawad proved himself the champion again, rising to meet every challenge.”

Semifinals:
[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [6] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 3-1: 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 11-8 (47m)
[4] Alan Clyne (SCO) bt [Q] Charles Sharpes (ENG) 3-1: 11-5, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6 (54m)

Final:
[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [4] Alan Clyne (SCO) 3-1: 11-13, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7

Report courtesy of the Women’s Squash Association.

Hong Kong’s Annie Au and Egyptian Omneya Abdel Kawy caused major upsets in the Women’s Cleveland Classic after ousting fourth seed Nour El Sherbini and fifth seed Alison Waters, respectively, in the opening round of the WSA International 50 squash event celebrating its fifth year at Cleveland Racquet Club in Cleveland, Ohio.

In her first win over the world No. 4 from Egypt in four meetings over the past three years, Au recovered from 2-1 down to overcome El Sherbini, pulling away from six-all in the decider to close out the match 11-6, 5-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6.

The Hong Kong left-hander (pictured above with El Sherbini, foreground), ranked ten in the world, will now face fellow non-seed Abdel Kawy, the world No. 9 who also earned her first victory over a higher-ranked opponent since 2012 when she beat Waters, the world No. 5 from England.

Waters, who reached last week’s Tournament of Champions final in New York against the odds, drew level after the Cairo-based Egyptian took the opening game—but it was Abdel Kawy who survived a close fourth game to clinch the match 11-9, 3-11, 11-9, 11-9 to earn herself a place in the quarter-finals for the second year in a row.

Defending champion Nicol David made up for the disappointment of a surprise Tournament of Champions quarterfinal exit with a commanding 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 victory over English qualifier Emily Whitlock.

The world number one from Malaysia progresses to meet Nour El Tayeb for a place in the semifinals. The eighth seed from Egypt also overcame an English qualifier, beating Victoria Lust 11-9, 11-6, 11-7.

Laura Massaro became England’s only representative in the last eight after seeing off compatriot Sarah Kippax, also a qualifier, 11-3, 11-8, 11-3. The No. 2 seed, champion in 2011, now faces seventh seed Low Wee Wern, the world No. 7 from Malaysia who beat Egyptian qualifier Yathreb Adel 11-8, 11-6, 11-6.

Raneem El Welily is also a former champion eager to make a further appearance in the event’s final. The third seed from Egypt—now ranked two in the world and tournament winner in 2013—defeated Irish veteran Madeline Perry 11-3, 11-4, 5-11, 11-4 and will be hoping to make amends for her shock quarter-final exit in 2014 when she takes on Camille Serme in the next round.

The top-ranked French player, seeded six, defeated England’s former world No.2 Jenny Duncalf 11-6, 11-6, 11-5.

Quarterfinal line-up:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) v [8] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Annie Au (HKG) v Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
[3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [6] Camille Serme (FRA)
[2] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [7] Low Wee Wern (MAS)

The Steel City is set for a full slate of professional squash this weekend in the form of the $25,000 U.S. Pro Series (USPS) Three Rivers Capital Pittsburgh Open at the Rivers Club, and the $15,000 Squash Doubles Association (SDA) Pittsburgh Challenger at the Pittsburgh Golf Club.

The tournaments have contrasting histories with the 2015 Pittsburgh Open marking the tournament’s fifteenth year with roots tracing back to hardball and softball professional exhibitions in the 1980’s, and the Grand Prix tour in the U.S. organized by Tom and Hazel Jones in the 1990’s, whereas the SDA Pittsburgh Challenger is in just its second iteration under the SDA aegis. Continue reading Pittsburgh Hosting USPS and SDA Tournaments This Weekend →

Mohamed Elshorbagy, current world No. 1 and two-time Motor City Open title-winner, is in search of a third Rolex this weekend at the $70,000 U.S. Pro Series Motor City Open at the Birmingham Athletic Club in Bloomfield Hills, MI.

Last year, Elshorbagy became only the second player, after Canadian legend Jonathon Power, to win the Detroit squash title twice. Elshorbagy rocketed to the 2014 finals after an emotional, first time victory over Egyptian compatriot Amr Shabana, the defending champion, in a forty-six minute match.

The 2015 edition boasts the strongest field in the tournament’s history with more than half of the top twenty PSA players competing.

Elshorbagy faces Australia’s Cameron Pilley—the hardest hitter in the game (176mph)—in Saturday’s opening round of main draw play. This will be the eleventh meeting for the pair, with four wins for Pilley of the ten previous matches.

The Motor City Open, a Men’s Squash Association (PSA) International 70 event, features a sixteen-player draw with four spots for qualifiers. The qualifying round begins today, January 22, with the final, deciding round tomorrow. Main draw play begins on Saturday, January 24.

This year the Motor City Open includes players from eighteen countries—the majority, five, from Egypt—and four former Motor Open champions. The tournament is in its fifteenth year since its inception in 1999.

For more information and updates, visit the official Motor City Open tournament page, and follow @MotorCityOpen on Twitter.

Motor City Open Main Draw:
[1] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) v Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[Q] v [6] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
[8] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v [Q]
[Q] v [4] Borja Golan (ESP)
[3] Peter Barker (ENG) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
Stephen Coppinger (RSA) v [7] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY)
[5] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [Q]
Max Lee (HKG) v [2] Amr Shabana (EGY)

Motor City Open Qualifying Draw:
[1] Chris Simpson (ENG) v Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND)
Eddie Charlton (ENG) v [7] Alan Clyne (SCO)
[6] Tom Richards (ENG) v [L] Ali Farag (EGY)
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) v [4] Olli Tuominen (FIN)
[3] Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Diego Elias (PER)
[L] Arthur Gaskin (IRL) v [8] Cesar Salazar (MEX)
[5] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
[L] Shahier Razik (CAN) v [2] Saurav Ghosal (IND)

The top three players in the second edition of the U.S. Pro Series—Campbell Grayson, Ryan Cuskelly, and Todd Harrity—will be recognized on-court Friday night in a special presentation during the 2015 Tournament of Champions in Grand Central Terminal, New York City.

The presentation will occur following Harrity’s first round match against world No. 1 Mohamed Elshorbagy at 6:00pm.

The 2014 edition of the U.S. Pro Series boasted total prize money of $260,000 spread across nineteen tournaments around the country.

Rankings points were calculated based on tournament finishing positions to determine the champions.

After finishing second in the inaugural U.S. Pro Series, New York City-based New Zealander Campbell Grayson collects the top prize of $5,000. The twenty-eight-year-old world No. 51 played in seven U.S. Pro Series events, reaching three finals and winning the $10,000 Life Time Las Vegas Open in May.

Grayson’s Chicago Open final opponent, Ryan Cuskelly, finished second to win $3,000. The Greenwich, Connecticut-based Australian competed in eight U.S. Pro Series events including winning the $10,000 Life Time Phoenix Open in September, and $10,000 Life Time Chicago Open in October.

After a breakthrough year that saw the Princeton graduate reach world No. 68, Harrity takes home the third-place prize of $2,000. The Wayne, Pennsylvania-Native competed in eleven U.S. Pro Series tournaments, including his first two professional titles—the $5,000 Squash Revolution NY Pro Open in March, and $10,000 Madison Open in October.

In 2013, the inaugural U.S. Pro Series was created in partnership between US Squash and the Professional Squash Association (PSA) thanks to the burgeoning number of PSA tournaments hosted in the United States. Nine-time U.S. Champion Julian Illingworth was the inaugural U.S. Pro Series champion.

For the 2015 U.S. Pro Series schedule and more information, visit usprosquashseries.ussquash.com.

For Tournament of Champions tickets and more information, visit the official Tournament of Champions website.