The first World Championship to be staged with squash as a newly-installed Olympic sport starts on Thursday in Cairo.
How many of the main protagonists will still be at the top of the game come LA 2028 remains an unknown. So too the next generation of future World No.1 contenders. Which all makes up for a fascinating ride over the next 10 days in Egypt and the final rounds, staged at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.
Given the home venue, Egypt look set to contend for more titles. In the men’s event, an Egyptian has won every title since 2016, while Nicol David was the last non-Egyptian to lift the women’s title, in 2014.
In the women’s draw, World No.1 Nour El Sherbini will be on the hunt for an eighth World Championships title, and in the process, look to draw level with Malaysian squash great David.
‘The Warrior Princess’ will aim to bounce back from her defeat in the final of the El Gouna International against Nouran Gohar, beginning her campaign against Jessica Turnbull. Others, such as both Gilis sisters, Nele and Tinne, Olivia Weaver, and Amina Orfi, can be found in El Sherbini’s half of the draw.
If El Sherbini is to make it title No.8 in Cairo though she will have her hands full with Gohar though, who has looked in imperious form in recent weeks. ‘The Terminator’ arrives on the back of successive titles at the Black Ball Open and the El Gouna International, a streak of nine straight wins on tour. Gohar will open up her account against Emilia Soini in the first round.
World No.3 Hania El Hammamy is a potential semi-final opponent for Gohar, with the pair engaging in a 105-minute semi-final epic at last year’s event in Chicago. Before getting near to a rematch with her fierce rival, El Hammamy will face Lucy Turmel Round 1, before potential matches against the likes of London Classic winner Sivasangari Subramaniam and German Open champion Georgina Kennedy. The 23-year-old Egyptian will be featuring in her first event since sustaining an injury after the London Classic in March.
Elsewhere, Tinne Gilis and Georgina Kennedy will be looking to carry on the momentum from their semi-final appearances at the El Gouna International, while Nele Gilis and Nour El Tayeb will be hoping to secure third and fourth titles of the season, respectively.
In the men’s event, top seed Ali Farag will be searching for his fifth World Championship crown from the last six editions of the event. The 32-year-old is unbeaten in his last 24 World Championship matches – with his last loss coming to Marwan ElShorbagy in 2017. The World No.1 begins his title defence against Todd Harrity while being found in the same quarter of the draw as Tarek Momen.
World No.2 Paul Coll and World No.3 Mostafa Asal are the two highest-seeded players in the bottom half of the draw, and are scheduled to meet in the last four if the event were to go to seeding. Coll and Asal are the only two players to have beaten Farag this season, and will be hoping to bridge the gap to the Egyptian at the top of the world rankings.
Elsewhere, there are several proven winners from the 2023/24 season in the draw, with 17-time PSA Tour winner Diego Elias and 2016 World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad found in the same quarter of the draw. The ElShorbagy brothers, Mohamed and Marwan, could also be set for a quarter-final date if both Englishman progress through their opening three matches. Mohamed will be looking to claim the 50th title of his PSA Tour career, with his last triumph coming at the 2023 Black Ball Open.