Egypt’s Salma Hany and Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas have claimed the Manchester Open 2025 titles after beating top seeds Georgina Kennedy and Aly Abou Eleinen in the PSA Squash Tour Bronze-level events.
The women’s final was first up on finals day as defending champion Kennedy looked to score a win in her third consecutive Manchester Open final. Hany had been in terrific form all week and started in superb style in the final. She raced out to a 1-0 lead winning 11-2, silencing the home crowd.
Kennedy fought back in game two and started to get in front of the Egyptian. Her trademark quick boast was starting to ask questions of the Hany’s movement and answers weren’t forthcoming. Kennedy’s line hitting improved and so did her points haul. She moved through the gears to win the game 11-9.
Hany turned the tide back in her favour in game three and after winning 11-3 to lead 2-1, looked determined to close the match out in four. Kennedy had other ideas however and chose to change the ball which worked perfectly at the start of the fourth game.
The top seed ran out to a 4-1 lead by stepping up on the volley and forced Hany into making guesses when her attacks were loose. Hany gave up the ghost at the end of the game with Kennedy holding a strong lead at 10-5 and it wasn’t long before we entered the fifth game.
In a nervous fifth, neither could get away on the scoreboard until Hany won three points in a row to earn three match balls at 10-7. Kennedy clawed two points back to set up a nervy final match ball for Hany but a wicked cross court from a heavy Kennedy drop sealed the first title of the season for the Egyptian.
“I still can’t believe it’s over. What a battle.” said Hany after her win.
“I feel really proud with how I kept it together til the end. I felt really sharp but playing Gina is not easy at all. She’s such a fighter. We played a battle here last year so I’m just really happy I could win this one.
“This means a lot. This is extra special. Especially after my injury at the start of the season and it was really important to me and my team and we’ve all been through a lot with the injury. It was really tough and today I just wanted to stand up for myself and my team and I’m always so grateful for their support and here’s to more wins.”
Both men’s finalists had reached the title decider relatively unscathed and knew that only their best would be good enough to capture the trophy. The Mexican No.1 stormed through the first game, using his strength around the middle of the court to dominate the rallies and leave Eleinen searching for answers. None came for the top seeded Egyptian and in a matter of minutes, the No.2 seed was in the lead.
The Egyptian fired back in game two and started to assert himself at the front of the court to showcase his attacking abilities. He claimed the game 11-5 to draw level in a match that was just getting started. Cardenas did well to reverse the momentum once again and sneak ahead in game three. The World No.17 closed out the game with several hard-nosed rallies, squeezing Eleinen on the side walls and tidying up the resulting loose balls. 11-9 was the score in the third game, as the Mexican moved ahead.
A big response was needed by the Egyptian and that’s what we got. The World No.13 showed exactly why he is capable of beating the top players such as Mostafa Asal. He resorted back to basics and forced errors from the Mexican’s racket to force an exciting decider.
As the fifth game progressed, there was nothing between the two with both eager to remain solid and not give anything away. Cardenas kept his concentration the better and moved through to 9-6. Eleinen wasn’t done there however and came back to 9-8. Cardenas earned a match ball and pumped a ball straight down line on match ball and after a no let was given after a review, the Mexican was the champion.
“It was an unbelievable match.”said Cardenas.
“All credit to Aly, it could have gone either way and I’m just happy with the way we played today. I’m sure it wont be the last final that we’ll play together. We’ve been playing since juniors and he’s one of the best players on the tour right now.
“I want to thank all my supporters in Mexico, my sponsors and my family. I want to thank the crowd, this is probably the biggest crowd that I’ve played in front of and it helped me get over the line for sure and I hope to be back next year.”
PSA Squash Tour action heads to Egypt next for the El Gouna International Squash Open 2025, the final Platinum level event of the 24/25 season. The tournament runs between 12-18 April.
Result: Manchester Open Women’s Final
[3] Salma Hany (EGY) bt [1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 3-2: 11-2, 9-11, 11-3, 5-11, 11-9 (63m)
Result: Manchester Open Men’s Final
[2] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt [1] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) 3-2: 11-2, 5-11, 11-9, 3-11, 11-8 (71m)