USA’s Amanda Sobhy and France’s Victor Crouin claimed the titles at the German Open 2025 – Presented by Sportwerk, overcoming defending champion Georgina Kennedy and No.3 seed Fares Dessouky respectively.
In the women’s final, No.3 seed Sobhy overcame top seed Kennedy to win her first title since her 2023 achilles Injury.
Kennedy had an up-and-down route to the final. After a comfortable straight-game win over Finland’s Emilia Soini, the Englishwoman was pushed to the limit against fellow Englishwoman Lucy Turmel, eventually pulling through 11-3 in the fifth. However, she then followed that up by dismantling Melissa Alves in the semi-finals without dropping a game.
Sobhy, meanwhile, recovered from dropping the first game of her round two match against Nadine Garas to win nine games in a row against Garas, Katie Malliff and Nada Abbas to book her final spot.
It was the No.3 seed that showed no signs of fear or nerves on court against the defending champion, closing down the court well and not allowed Kennedy to control any momentum. There were positive signs from the England No.1, especially in the mid-way point of the game, but it was the American who claimed first game 11-8.
There was incredible squash from both players throughout game two, but ultimately it was Sobhy who had the clinical edge in the match. As the game progressed, Kennedy began to make a few unforced errors at the wrong times, but she found herself with a game ball over the former World No.3.
Sobhy rallied back, and on her first game ball, a fortunate drive into the back-wall nick sealed her 2-0 advantage.
The American continued the form she had in the early phases of the match, and kept ahead of the Englishwoman to claim the title in Hamburg.
“I’m really proud of myself,” said Sobhy after the match. “It’s been a long road to get back, I’ve been in three finals this season – which is my comeback season – to be able to get over the hump, especially over a great player. This win really means a lot.
“I’ve had the last five weeks to really put in the work with my team and I think it showed this week. Honestly, when you put in the work, I trust my body, I trust everything I’ve done with my team, and I can just go out there and have fun and that’s what I did. It was a really nice feeling and I think it showed in my squash.
“I’m moving well, I’m feeling good and I’m enjoying my game so I think I can do really great things this season.”
The men’s final saw No.2 seed Crouin lift his first trophy since 2023 after defeating an injured Dessouky in straight games.
Dessouky came into the final after ousting last year’s runner-up Dimitri Steinmann in the last four, adding to wins over Yannick Wilhelmi and Ibrahim Elkabbani.
Crouin almost came unstuck against Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas in the quarter-finals, fighting back from 2-0 down to avoid an upset. He looked far more composed in his last four match against Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller, fending off the No.7 seed with a 3-0 triumph.
Although Crouin played the same impeccable squash that allowed him to reach the final, it was clear that there was something bothering Dessouky, as the Egyptian made a pained face after a deep lunge halfway through the first game.
Crouin kept playing consistent squash, but it was clear that the No.3 seed was not committing fully to lunges despite battling through, and the Frenchman picked up 11-4, 11-3, 11-1 wins to triumph over the Egyptian.
Speaking after the match, Crouin said: “Very happy to get my hands back on a trophy. All the work I’ve been doing over the last few months is paying off. I think I played some of my best squash this week. I’m just looking forward to going home, celebrating for a few days and then getting back into training mode so I can get ready for the last few events of the season.
“It’s definitely not the way you want to win an event, but you have to try and push hard until the very end because you never know what will happen.
“Finals are always special, you really need to give it your best. Fares [Dessouky] was definitely not at his best. I hope we can have some more balanced battles in the future. It’s the first time I beat him, he’s one of the most talented players on tour. I’m wishing him all the best on his recovery.”
Results: German Open Women’s Final (Sunday 23rd March)
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt. [1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG)3-0: 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 (34m)
Results: German Open Men’s Final (Sunday 23rd March)
[2] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt. [3] Fares Dessouky (EGY)3-0: 11-4, 11-3, 11-1 (21m)