Canada Cup 2026 : It’s Diego !!

Diego Elias Wins the SmartCentres Canada Cup!

On a buzzing Friday night in downtown Toronto, Diego Elias took to the glass court at Brookfield to face Lionel Cárdenas, delivering a flawless performance to win in three straight games.

The story was much the same in each game. Cárdenas was involved in almost every rally, matching Elias shot for shot, but finding a way to win those rallies proved incredibly difficult.

Elias was simply playable but unbeatable! After 45 minutes of entertaining squash, Elias cruised to an 11-2, 11-6, 11-4 victory in front of his new home crowd, claiming the SmartCentres Canada Cup in style!

“We’ve only played once on PSA, but we train together all the time. He comes to Toronto and he trains with me, so that’s really good to have,” he said. “We’re great friends, and it’s amazing to play each other in a final, especially here in Toronto. He’s been improving, and I think he is going to top 10 next week, so congrats to Leo.”

“After Peru, Toronto is my second home. I’ve been coming here since I was 13 or 14, so I know a lot of people in the squash world here, and it’s great to play here.”

Semi-Finals : Top seeds Elias and Cardenas set up final showdown

The highly anticipated matchup lived up to expectations as another sold-out crowd packed Brookfield Place for semifinal night at the Canada Cup. Two world champions, two world No. 1s, and two history-making players took to the court, each fighting for a place in the final.

In the first semifinal, Peru’s Diego Elias faced England’s Mohamed El Shorbagy in a clash of two of the sport’s biggest names. Elias capitalized on a slower start from El Shorbagy, taking control of the opening game before the English No. 1 found his rhythm in the second.

However, Elias quickly raised his level, using heavy, accurate length to keep El Shorbagy under pressure and limit his attacking opportunities. After just 22 minutes, the Peruvian Puma had established a commanding 2–0 lead. El Shorbagy struggled to regain momentum in the third, allowing Elias to cruise through the final game and secure his place in the championship match.

The second semifinal saw Mexico’s No. 1, Leonel Cárdenas, take on Switzerland’s powerful and explosive Dimitri Stienmann

In a physical opening game that lasted 20 minutes, Cárdenas held his nerve to take the lead. The Mexican then took control early in the second, building an advantage that proved enough to withstand a mid-game comeback from Steinmann.

The third game delivered a dramatic finish, with the crowd eager to see the contest extended to a fourth. But Cárdenas had other plans, holding firm under pressure to close out the match and book his place in the Canada Cup final.

With Elias and Cárdenas now set to meet in the final, the stage is set for an exciting championship showdown.

Quarter-Finals, Part Two : Down to the Semis at Brookfield Place!

After four days of spectacular squash, four of the top seeds are through to the much-anticipated semi-finals of the SmartCentres Canada Cup.

[2] Leonel Cardenas (Mex) 3-1 Muhd Ashab Irfan (Pak)  11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6

In the first quarter-final of the evening, Leonel Cardenas took on Trinity College No. 1 Muhammad Ashab Irfan. Irfan’s relentless front-corner play against Cardenas’s superb defensive game made for a complete package of squash action.

Cardenas went up 2-0 comfortably, but Irfan stuck to his plan of attacking the front corners, and it paid off as he took the third. With a new ball in play, the rallies got lengthy once again, and Cardenas’s steadiness and resilience took over to close it out in four.

[5] Dimitri Steinmann (Sui) 3-0 Melvil Scianimanico (Fra)   11-4, 11-7, 11-8

The second quarter-final featured Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann and France’s Melvil Scianimanico. The two have very similar styles: both are strong movers and steady, mid-pace players.

Tonight, though, Steinmann’s length and movement were just too good, and he closed it out in three straight games.

Quarter-Finals, Part One : Elias and ElShorbagy set up dream Semi-Final in Toronto!

[1] Diego Elias (Per) 3-0 Adam Hawal (Egy)  11-2,11-8,11-2

A sold-out crowd packed Brookfield Place on Tuesday night to watch world #3 Diego Elias take on Adam Hawal, the young, up-and-coming Columbia University player.

Hawal played fearless squash and challenged the smoothness and finesse everyone had come to see. But over three entertaining games, Elias gave a masterclass, a show of dominance and experience that sent him through to the semi-finals.

[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (Eng) 3-1 [8] Noor Zaman (Pak)  14-12, 7-11,11-8, 12-10

The second quarter-final was the most anticipated match of the night: Noor Zaman against Mohamed ElShorbagy. Even with a 9:50 PM start, there was no shortage of fans in the stands. They knew they were in for something special, and they stayed to the end.

ElShorbagy came out strong as expected, setting a furious pace to take the first game. Zaman took control of the second with quick, sharp attacks. The third went back and forth, but ElShorbagy’s consistency paid off. The fourth game was a display of shot-making from Zaman, with ElShorbagy scrambling around the court to defend everything thrown at him. Zaman had three game balls to force a decider, but ElShorbagy clawed his way back and used his years of experience to close it out in four.

Quarter-finals continue on Tuesday with Dimitri Steinmann v Melvil Scianimanico and Leonel Cardenas v Muhd Ashab Irfan.

Round Two Reports :

Adam Hawal an Muhd Ashab Irfan continue their upset runs into the quarter-finals in Toronto …

[1] Diego Elias (Per) 3-1 Ivan Perez (Esp)  11-2, 6-11, 11-4, 11-5
The top seed raced through the opener before Perez hit back to level. Elias then regained control and closed out the next two games comfortably to book his quarter-final spot.

Adam Hawal (Egy) 3-2 [6]  Declan James (Jam)  11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 7-11
Hawal’s run continues. The U19 Egyptian traded games with the 6 seed through four tight games, then won the decider to claim the biggest scalp of his tournament so far.

[8] Noor Zaman (Pak) 3-1 Matias Knudsen (Col)  14-12, 11-7, 9-11, 11-1
Zaman edged a tense first game in extra points and doubled his lead. Knudsen pulled one back, but Zaman dominated the fourth 11-1.

[3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (Eng) 3-0 Veer Chotrani (Ind)   11-7, 11-7, 11-6
A composed, straight-games performance from the former world #1, who was never seriously troubled at the Cambridge Club.

Melvil Scianimanico (Fra) 3-2 [4] Gregoire Marche (Fra)   11-5, 11-8, 4-11, 7-11, 11-6
An all-French upset. Scianimanico won the first two games, Marche fought back to force a decider, and the younger Frenchman then pulled away to knock out the 4 seed.

[5] Dimitri Steinmann (Sui) 3-2 Yannick Wilhelmi (Sui)   11-8, 5-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8
A Swiss battle that went the distance. Steinmann trailed 2-1 but held his nerve to win the final two games and avoid an upset.

Muhammad Ashab Irfan (Pak) 3-1 [7] Miguel Rodriguez (Col)  2-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8
Another upset. Rodriguez dominated the first game 11-2, but Irfan settled and won the next three to beat the 7 seed and reach his first quarter-final.

[2] Leonel Cardenas (Mex) 3-0 Bernat Jaume (Esp)   12-10, 11-6, 11-6
Cardenas took a tight opening game before dominating the final two games to complete the quarter-final lineup..

Round One Reports :

Cambridge club

Knudsen 3-0 Taha : The opening game was a real battle, with both players looking to find their rhythm on the Cambridge Club’s Centre Court! Knudsen was the first to hit his stride, finding his range and edging ahead to take the opener. From there, his experience and impressive conditioning came to the fore, as he raised his level in games two and three to pull away from his younger opponent and seal the victory!

Chotrani 3-0 Tsukue : Chotrani put on a masterclass in ball control and court craft, using all four corners to stretch Tsukue and dictate the pace through the opening two games! Tsukue responded in the third, turning up the intensity and threatening to force a fourth. But Chotrani held his nerve when it mattered most, relying on his exceptional control and precision to edge a tightly contested final game and close out the match!

TAC :

Hawal 3-1 Mueller : Mueller snatched a tight opening game 12–10, but Hawal responded brilliantly. After Mueller fought off two game balls in the second to reach a tiebreak, Hawal held firm to claim the game. From that point on, Hawal dominated the T, and with a drop off from mueller, sweeping the final two games with easeIi

Irfan 3-1 Vargas : Irfan set the pace early in the opening game, racing to a 7–3 lead. Facing game balls at 10–5, Vargas put together a four-point run to trim the deficit to 10–9, but a late stroke gave Irfan the 11–9 win.

Irfan maintained his momentum in the second, utilizing razor-sharp nick shots to build another early 7–3 lead before taking the game 11–6. Although Vargas clawed one back with an 11–6 win in the third, Irfan refocused in a tightly contested fourth game, closing out the match 12–10.

Scianimanico 3-1 Kandra : The French rising star came out firing, cruising through the opening two games with confidence and control! His German No. 1 opponent battled hard to snatch the third and force a fourth, giving the crowd hope of a comeback. But that fightback may have taken too much out of him, as the Frenchman regained control and powered comfortably across the finish line to seal the victory!

Wilhelmi 3-0 Poleshchuk : An entertaining opening game set the stage for some spectacular squash, with both competitors producing exciting rallies and impressive shot-making! But the next two games told a different story, as the Swiss player took control. His remarkable consistency and relentless pressure proved the difference, allowing him to dominate the rallies and close out the match in convincing fashion!

Perez 3-0 khan : Ivan Perez delivered a commanding performance to dismiss Shahjahan Khan in straight games (11–6, 11–6, 11–4).Perez set the tone early with relentless length and tight control, giving Khan very little room to work with. After taking comfortable 11–6 leads in the first two games, Perez turned up the pressure in the third, storming through 11–4 to seal an emphatic victory.

Jaume 3-2 Michael : As they say, save the best for last! This match had it ALL — momentum swings, incredible comebacks, and drama until the very last point!

Jaume ultimately prevailed in a brutal fifth game, edging it 12–10 after Michale mounted an incredible comeback from 5–9 down to earn a 10–9 match ball! With Jaume seemingly losing his composure under pressure, the tension inside TAC was electric. But a fortunate cross-court nick followed by a stunning winner sealed the deal!

The TAC crowd couldn’t have asked for anything more from these two warriors. What a match!

PSA Round One Report :

Adam Hawal and Muhammad Ashab Irfan gatecrashed the opening day, notching impressive victories over Nicolas Mueller and Juan Vargas at the Silver-level event in Toronto.

World #61 Hawal recovered from a game down to dispatch World #33 Mueller 3-1, while World #59 Irfan held off World No.28 Vargas by the same scoreline to secure their places in the next round.

After losing the first game 12-10, Hawal saw five game balls saved by Mueller in the second before the Egyptian teenager managed to covert at the sixth attempt to level the match. After two closely-fought encounters, Hawal pulled clear in the third and fourth games with 11-5, 11-3 victories.

Meanwhile Irfan charged into a 2-0 lead against Vargas before the Colombian halved the deficit with an 11-6 triumph in the third game. After trailing 7-2 in the fourth, Vargas recovered to level the score at 8-8 and saved a match ball to force a tiebreak. However Irfan converted at the second time of asking to seal the win.

Bernat Jaume held off an excellent comeback from men’s wildcard Karim Aguib Michael, with the Canadian fighting back from 2-0 down to force a fifth game against the Spaniard. However it was Jaume who came out on top in the decider, edging the tiebreak 12-10 to advance to round two.

Men’s $90k PSA Silver, 25-30 Oct, Toronto, Canada

The Smart Centres Canada Cup continues the tradition of a men’s tournament at Clubs across Canada, this year coming together with the Canadian Women’s Open with later stage matches played on the Glass Court at Brookfield Place.