Men’s $15k PSA Challenger, 11-15 Jun, Houston, USA
Kareem El Torkey brought the curtain down on a season to remember with victory at the Aftab Jawaid Memorial Mens Open 2025 presented Xpotential Business Solutions, beating his fellow Egyptian and good friend Moustafa Elsirty in the final.
El Torkey was a nominee for the PSA Squash Tour’s Men’s Young Player of the Year Award this season, climbing inside the world’s top 40 on the back of his maiden World events title – at the JSW Indian Open – and a third-round run at the GillenMarkets British Open.
As a result, he arrived in Houston for this event as the No.1 seed, and played up to that seeding en route to the final, not dropping a game – or even being taken to a tiebreak – in his wins over Yee Xian Siow, Hazem Hossam and Finnlay Withington.
His opponent on finals day was a familiar face in the form of former World No.22 Elsirty, who had beaten him in their only previous Tour encounter, a five-game epic in the 2023-2024 World Championship Qualifying Event for Africa, which ended 14-12 in the deciding tiebreak.
Those watching inside the Houston Squash Club would have been hoping for something similar, and while there was not quite the same level of drama this time around, this was a match that swung one way and then the other nonetheless.
It was El Torkey who got his nose in front first, winning game one 11-7, and he soon had a two-game lead, too, although only after saving three game balls at 10-7 down, reeling off five points on the bounce to clinch the tiebreak.
El Sirty is known as a player who is arguably more dangerous when his back’s against the wall, and he rallied to win game three 11-5, before storming out to an 8-3 lead in game four, setting up what looked likely to be a deciding fifth game.
But El Torkey had other ideas, winning eight of the next nine points to deny his friend and compatriot a shot at glory, securing his third crown of what has been a memorable campaign.
