The old guard and up-and-coming stars combined to claim the titles at the Squash on Fire Open 2026.
Mohamed Elshorbagy and Anahat Singh won, beating Declan James and Georgina Kennedy respectively on finals day in Washington D.C.
Both No.1 seeds had survived the upsets to reach the finals, though, with women’s top seed Kennedy going up against rising star, Singh, who already had 14 Tour titles to her name in just 25 previous events.
Kennedy had beaten Singh 3-0 in their only previous encounter at this season’s Canadian Women’s Open, and she made a strong start here, too, brining up two game balls at 10-8 in the first.
But Singh – displaying more of the free-flowing squash we’ve seen all week – proceeded to reel off four points on the bounce to close out the game, letting out a big scream of emotion before the players headed off court.
She was then 3-2 down in game two, but from that moment on, barely took a step back, mixing her game up well with attacking boasts, sharp kills and well-placed lobs.
A run of four straight points move the teenager 6-3 in front and she would only lose another two points in the game, moving within one game of glory.
A fast start to game three was always likely to be key to Kennedy’s hopes of staging a comeback, but instead it was Singh who charged out of the blocks, moving 5-1 in front in less than two minutes.
5-1 soon became 10-6 and four match balls, and while the first came and went, Singh would not have to wait long for her moment of glory, with a clinical forehand boast winner providing a fitting finale to a sensational week.
Victory for Singh in the Bronze-level event secures her the biggest title of her career and a first in a World event, as well as being her 15th overall on the PSA Tour
“Coming into this event, I played the British Junior Open a few weeks back and I didn’t play too well. I knew in between these events – ToC as well – I had some time to train, and I did as much as I possibly could to get the best out of my game.
Singh’s win – in her 26th PSA tournament – was followed by glory for Elshorbagy in what was the 236th event of his storied PSA Tour career, securing him a 52nd Tour title in the process.
Victory drew him level with Peter Nicol on 52 tour titles.
‘The Beast’ had put in a dominant display to beat Fares Dessouky in the semi-finals, setting up an all-English showdown with James in the final.
James, in contrast, had needed 90 minutes to get the better of Karim El Hammamy in the semi-finals, and that workload perhaps took its toll, particularly in the early rallies, as Elshorbagy won the first four points of the match.
He went on to close out game one 11-4 and lost only six further points in game two, continuing to play at the high level he’d produced all week.
James dug deep, looking to play the patient, consistent squash that had got him to this final, matching Elshorbagy up to 7-7 in game three, but his hopes of a comeback were soon extinguished, with a backhand drop into the tin handing Elshorbagy glory at 10-8.
“I felt great the whole week. I feel as though I was playing better this month, and generally in January and February I’ve been playing well, so I’m happy to finish it off with a title here. I’m really, really proud of that.
“Anything that happens to me in my career right now is a bonus, so I’m really happy.”
Result: Women’s Final
[7] Anahat Singh (IND) bt. [1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 3-0: 12-10, 11-5, 11-7 (26m)
Result: Men’s Final
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) bt. [6] Declan James (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 (38m)