Former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy etched his name into the history books after climbing to the summit of the all-time wins list in the modern era at the Tournament of Champions in New York.
The former world champion surpassed his coach Gregory Gaultier to achieve the feat, with his round one victory in the final match of the day at Grand Central Terminal being his 588th on Tour.
Top five players with most wins on PSA Squash Tour in modern era:
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Mohamed ElShorbagy – 588
Gregory Gaultier – 587
Nicol David – 579
Nick Matthew – 518
James Willstrop – 512
ElShorbagy, a three-time Tournament of Champions winner, was pushed hard throughout by Juan Vargas but the 35-year-old’s experience came to the fore at the business end of each game, as England’s No.2 claimed a 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 triumph to set a new record for the most wins on Tour in the modern era.
“It means a lot to me of course, especially knowing that it was Greg that held that record and to know that he is now helping me in my journey,” he said.
“We used to be rivals so to know that we are number one and two in terms of matches won on Tour, to share that together is such an honour and it is something to be proud of.
“I am glad I did it here at Grand Central as well as it is such an iconic venue. To do that here I am really, really proud and really, really happy.”
2023 champion Diego Elias continued his comeback from injury with a 3-0 triumph against Dimitri Steinmann in a highly entertaining clash.
Elias, who made his return to the Tour last week in Detroit where he reached the final of the Motor City Open, overcame the World No.18 by a 11-9, 11-7, 14-12 scoreline in just over an hour to set up a round two meeting with Greg Lobban on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Iker Pajares fended off a resurgence from Abhay Singh to win 3-2, while his Spanish teammate Bernat Jaume recovered from 1-0 down to see off Declan James 3-1 in 72 minutes.
In the women’s draw, US No.1 Olivia Weaver began her Tournament of Champions 2026 campaign by toppling Canada’s Hollie Naughton 3-0.
Weaver, who arrived in New York off the back of claiming the Squash in the Land 2026 title in Cleveland last week, was tested in the early exchanges by Naughton but the World No.4 soon found her groove as she settled into the contest, winning 11-9, 11-6, 11-7.
Weaver, who has split from coach Rodney Martin, will be joined by her USA teammates Amanda Sobhy and Marina Stefanoni in the second round following their straight game victories over Zeina Mickawy and Aira Azman, respectively.
Results – Women’s Round One (bottom half): Sprott Tournament of Champions 2026 presented by Crowd Street
[4] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt. Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (34m)
Marina Stefanoni (USA) bt. Aira Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 (23m)
Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt. Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-3, 11-6 (23m)
[5] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt. Georgia Adderley (SCO) 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 (28m)
[8] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt. Ka Yi Lee (HKG) 3-1: 11-1, 11-1, 10-12, 11-9 (33m)
Lucy Beecroft (ENG) bt. Laila Sedky (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-4 (27m)
Nele Gilis (BEL) bt. Aifa Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-5 (34m)
[2] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt. Lily Bourell (USA) 3-0: 11-1, 11-2, 11-3 (21m)
Results – Men’s Round One (bottom half): Sprott Tournament of Champions 2026 presented by Crowd Street
[3] Diego Elias (PER) bt. Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 14-12 (61m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt. Kareem El Torkey (EGY) 3-1: 7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 (50m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt. Curtis Malik (ENG)3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-2 (32m)
[8] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt. Juan Vargas (COL) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 (44m)
[7] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt. Dillon Huang (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (41m)
Iker Pajares (ESP) bt. Abhay Singh (IND) 3-2: 11-4, 4-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-3 (64m)
Bernat Jaume (ESP) bt. Declan James (ENG) 3-1: 12-14, 11-7, 17-15, 11-4 (72m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt. Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 3-0: 11-9, 11-2, 11-1 (42m)
Draw – Women’s Round Two: Sprott Tournament of Champions 2026 presented by Crowd Street
[1] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v Kenzy Ayman (EGY)
Anahat Singh (IND) v [6] Satomi Watanabe (JPN)
[7] Tinne Gilis (BEL) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
Sana Ibrahim (EGY) v [3] Nour ElSherbini (EGY)
[4] Olivia Weaver (USA) v Marina Stefanoni (USA)
Amanda Sobhy (USA) v [5] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
[8] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) v Lucy Beecroft (ENG)
Nele Gilis (BEL) v [2] Amina Orfi (EGY)
Draw – Men’s Round Two: Sprott Tournament of Champions 2026 presented by Crowd Street
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Mohamad Zakaria (EGY)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) v [5] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)
Timothy Brownell (USA) v Jonah Bryant (ENG)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) v [4] Karim Gawad (EGY)
[3] Diego Elias (PER) v Greg Lobban (SCO)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [8] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG)
[7] Victor Crouin (FRA) v Iker Pajares (ESP)
Bernat Jaume (ESP) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)