Day Five – Finals W Princeton/Harvard & M Trinity/Penn
Zeina Zein (Princeton) 3-1 Caroline Fouts (Harvard) 11-8, 12-10, 5-11, 14-12
Omar Hafez (U Penn) 3-1 Muhammad Ashab Irfan (Trinity) 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 11-3
A year ago, Zein became the sixth Tiger to win a CSA individual national title, and with Tuesday’s win in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal in New York, Zein joins Wendy Zaharko ’74, Demer Holleran ’89 and Julia Beaver ’01, becoming just the fourth Tiger – and 13th player in event history – to win multiple CSA national titles. Harvard’s Georgine Kennedy was the last to go back-to-back, winning in 2019 and 2020 after a title in 2017.
It’s Princeton’s 13th CSA individual title overall, and it comes a year after Zein became the first Tiger to win since Beaver won the last of her three titles in 2001.
It was another Harvard player, third-seeded Caroline Fouts, who got out to leads in both the first and second games against top-seeded Zein on Tuesday, 3-0 in the first and 6-0 in the second, in her bid to join Kennedy and others as Crimson players to win national titles, but Zein roared back each time, winning 11-8 and 12-10 before Fouts came back to get the third game 11-5. Zein fought off two game balls in game four to take the title, 14-12.
Zein grew her record in CSA championships to 12-1, making the semis as a freshman in 2024 before winning all five matches in sweeps last year and her first three matches this year. Teammate Alex Jaffe and then Fouts pushed Zein to a fourth game, and the lone loss, in the semis two years ago, saw Zein battle eventual champ Saran Nghiem of Harvard to five games.
University of Pennsylvania men’s squash senior captain Omar Hafez won the 2026 CSA Individual Championships men’s national title on Tuesday in the Big Apple, becoming only the sixth player in program history to do so.
The second seed in the Pool Trophy, the men’s top bracket at CSA Individuals, Hafez defeated fourth-seeded Muhammad Ashab Irfan of Trinity in Tuesday’s final, 3-1. For the second year in a row, the title match took place on the glass court at Grand Central Station in NYC.
Hafez took a commanding 3-0 lead in Tuesday’s first game, ultimately winning 11-5 to take an early lead. He then began the second game with the same positive momentum, taking a 6-3 lead. However, Irfan would not go away quietly as the Bantams freshman found a groove and cut into Hafez’s lead by scoring five straight points. Hafez was facing adversity for the first time in the match, but the Egyptian used his elite quickness and energy to get back into the game and took a 2-0 lead with an 11-9 game win.
While Hafez was in full command at the end of the second game, he appeared to sustain a back injury on the final point which caused him to exit the court gingerly. Irfan took advantage in the third game, securing an 11-6 victory which had him back in the match.
With a championship on the line, however, Hafez persevered through his injury and put on a show in the final game. The senior captain never trailed as he went on to win, 11-3, securing his first Pool Trophy title.
This is the first time in program history that Penn players have won back-to-back championships in the Pool Trophy, an event that dates back to 1931. Hafez’s teammate Salman Khalil won the title in 2025 (coincidentally, beating Hafez in the final). The program’s other Pool Trophy champions are Leroy Lewis (1938), Howard Coonley (1966), Palmer Page (1971), and Ned Edwards (1979).
Day Four – Semis:
Zeina Zein (Princeton) 3-1 Alexandra Jaffe (Princeton) 12–10, 11–8, 9–11, 11–7
Caroline Fouts (Harvard) v. Heng Wai Wong (Yale) 11-6, 14-12, 6-11, 11-3 (40m)Muhammad Ashab Irfan (Trinity) 3-0 Omar Azzam (Harvard) 11-7, 11-8, 11-9
Omar Hafez (U Penn) 3-1 Joachim Chuah (Trinity) 11-5, 11-4, 3-11, 11-4
The glass court lights came on at 11:40am, and with that, the CSA Individual Championships officially arrived at Grand Central Terminal — ushering in a whole new level of energy, atmosphere, and spectacle.
Zeina Zein Advances to Final with Semifinal Win
The opening semifinal featured Princeton teammates Zeina Zein and Alexandra Jaffe, squaring off on one of the most iconic stages in the sport.
Monday’s match was a rare non-sweep at CSAs for Zein, who has competed in 12 Ramsay Cup matches over three years and has gone 11-1, winning 10 of the 11 in three games. Zein made the semifinal as a rookie in 2024 before winning the title last year, going 5-0 with sweeps in all five matches. This year, Zein won her first three matches in a sweep before Jaffe pushed Zein to a fourth game.
While Jaffe was seeking to become the first Tiger freshman to reach the final since Hope Mackay ’92 in 1989 and make it back-to-back years with a freshman from any school in the final, after Stanford’s Riya Navani, who Zein defeated to win the 2025 title, Zein will instead become the first Tiger since Julia Beaver ’01 to appear in consecutive finals.
Last year, Zein’s title was the program’s first since Beaver, who won three straight from 1999 to 2001. Cornell’s Sivasangari Subramaniam, in 2022 and 2023, was the last player to make it to back-to-back finals, and Harvard’s Georgina Kenneday, in 2019 and 2020, was the last player to win consecutive titles.
The defending champion, showed why she holds that title, navigating a tight, high-quality matchup to earn a four-game win: 12–10, 11–8, 9–11, 11–7. The teammates were closely matched throughout, trading long rallies and momentum swings, but Zein’s composure in the big moments proved decisive.
Fouts Advances to the Final with Four-Game Win
The second women’s semifinal featured a high-quality matchup between Caroline Fouts (Harvard) and Heng Wai Wong (Yale). Fouts advanced to the final with an 11-6, 14-12, 6-11, 11-3 victory in 40 minutes.
Wong capped off an outstanding tournament run, highlighted by a major upset of the #2 seed in the Round of 16 on Saturday in a five-game battle just under an hour. She followed that performance with a composed four-game win on Sunday to book her place in the semifinals.
Fouts entered the match coming off one of the most dramatic contests of the weekend — a five-game, hour-long quarterfinal against her Harvard teammate. After dropping the first two games in that match and facing two match balls in the third, Fouts battled back to secure a five-game win.
Carrying that momentum into today’s semifinal, Fouts looked sharp and in control, playing confident, attacking squash, to close out the match and earn her spot in the final.
Irfan Powers Through to the Final at Grand Central
The men’s semifinals opened with a marquee matchup as Omar Azzam (Harvard) faced Muhammad Ashab Irfan (Trinity), two players who had already delivered statement performances earlier in the tournament.
Azzam entered the match riding momentum after upsetting the tournament’s top seed on Saturday and surviving a grueling 96-minute quarterfinal on Sunday. Irfan, meanwhile, had made headlines of his own by eliminating the tournament’s defending champion in the quarters.
Irfan ultimately advanced with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 victory, but the scoreline hardly told the full story. The match stretched 65 minutes, defined by long, tactical rallies and calculated shot-making from both players.
A brief injury timeout in the second game, after Azzam was struck by Irfan’s follow-through, momentarily paused play, but the level remained exceptionally high throughout.
Hafez Returns to the Final After 2025 Semifinal Rematch
The final men’s semifinal featured a familiar and highly anticipated matchup between Joachim Chuah (Trinity) and Omar Hafez (Penn), a rematch of last year’s semifinal at the 2025 Individual Championships.
After 54 minutes of high-level, physical squash, Hafez advanced to the final with an 11-5, 11-4, 3-11, 11-4 victory. It was a hard-fought match between two fierce competitors and long-standing rivals, marked by intensity, composure, and mutual respect. Following a long weekend of play, Hafez once again emerged on top, mirroring last year’s result.
The University of Pennsylvania men’s squash captain Omar Hafez advanced to Tuesday’s championship match of the CSA Individuals after defeating No. 3 Joachim Chuah in the semifinals, 3-1.
Chuah had an early 5-2 lead in the first game as Hafez had his back against the wall. However, the senior captain did not back down and went on to score the next nine points, winning the first game 11-5.
Hafez continued to flourish in the second game as he jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, taking the second game, 11-4.
Down 2-0, Chuah looked to mount a comeback in the third game as he went on to win, 11-3.
With Chuah cutting into the lead and dominating the third game, Hafez once again faced adversity but overcame it. Hafez took a 2-0 lead in the fourth game, but Chuah would not surrender easily, tying the game 2-2.
The two players went back and forth for the next few points before Chuah exited with a bleeding injury. At that point, the score read 5-4 in favor of Hafez as he was beginning to find his groove again.
Once Chuah returned to the court after a few minutes, Hafez did not miss a beat as he scored the next three points and led 8-4 after an impressive rally that lasted over two minutes.
Hafez scored the final three points and won the fourth game, 11-4, as he advanced to the CSA Individual Championships final match for the second consecutive season.
The significance of the moment was evident at the conclusion of the match, as the two players shared a long embrace — a reflection of both the magnitude of the stage and the respect they hold for one another.
Day Three – Quarters
Women:
Heng Wai Wong (Yale) completed the final women’s quarterfinal of the day with a four-game win over Thanusaa Uthrian (Trinity).
Wong earned the victory in 33 minutes, taking the match 11-4, 11-5, 4-11, 11-4, and carried forward the momentum from her win over Malak Khafagy in the previous round.
Fouts Prevails in Five-Game Teammates’ Battle
Harvard teammates Caroline Fouts and Saran Nghiem delivered one of the matches of the tournament, going the distance in a 59-minute, five-game quarterfinal.
Nghiem came out strong, taking the first two games 11–7, 11–6, and moved within two points of the match when she held two match balls at 10–8 in the third. Fouts responded with composure, saving both match balls and claiming the game 12–10 in a pivotal moment.
Fouts carried that momentum into the fourth, staying focused and disciplined to win 11–3. The fifth was tight throughout, with the score level at 9–9 before Fouts closed out the final two points to secure the match.
Final score: Fouts def. Nghiem 7–11, 6–11, 12–10, 11–3, 11–9.
Princeton is assured of a finalist, as Zeina Zein and Alexandra Jaffe will face each other in the first semi on the 26th.
Zeina Zein (Princeton) is the first player through to the Women’s Semifinals, defeating Franka Vidovic (Penn) in the opening quarterfinal of the day.
The defending CSA Individual Champion was sharp from the start, earning a straight-games win 11-3, 11-5, 11-9 in just 26 minutes. Zeina now punches her ticket to Monday’s Semifinals on the Glass Court at the Tournament of Champions.
Alexandra Jaffe (Princeton) booked her spot in the women’s semifinals with a four-game win over Lucie Stefanoni (Harvard) in the second quarterfinal of the day. Jaffe set the tone early, taking the first two games 11-9, 11-5 before Stefanoni mounted a response in the third (11-9).
Jaffe closed the door in the fourth, sealing the match 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6. She advances to the semifinals on Monday at the Glass Court at the Tournament of Champions.
Men:
Azzam Survives Five-Game Marathon to Reach Men’s Semifinals
Omar Azzam (Harvard) earned a dramatic quarterfinal victory over Lo Wa-Sern (Trinity) in a match that had just about everything.
Fresh off his upset of the No. 1 seed, Azzam came out firing, taking the opening two games. Late drama followed in the second, as Azzam required a five-minute bleeding injury break at 10–9 before returning to close it out 12–10.
Lo Wa-Sern responded with poise and intensity, leveling the match by claiming the third and fourth games. The deciding fifth was tight throughout, with both players trading points until Azzam finally pulled away to win 11–9, sealing the match after 96 minutes on court.
Muhammad Ashab Irfan (Trinity) advanced to the men’s semifinals with a win over Salman Khalil (Penn) in the second men’s quarterfinal of the day.
Irfan set the tone early, playing fast, precise squash to earn a straight-games victory 11-7, 11-5, 11-3 in 35 minutes
Joachim Chuah (Trinity) moved into the men’s semifinals with a straight-games win over Marwan Abdelsalam (Penn).
Chuah earned the victory in 32 minutes, winning 11-9, 11-7, 11-3, and delivered a composed, high-level performance throughout the match.
Club Locker _ Events _ 2026 CSA Individual Championships 
Day Two
Men
First major shakeup in the men’s draw. Omar Azzam (Harvard), the 13/16 seed, has knocked off #1 seed Tad Carney (Yale) in a three-game match that lasted 40 minutes. Azzam came out strong and stayed in control throughout, earning the upset by scores of 11-3, 12-10, 11-5.
Women
Alexandra Jaffe (Princeton) produced the first upset of the women’s Round of 16, defeating #5 seed Charlotte Pastel (UVA) in four games. Jaffe, seeded 9/12, knocked off Pastel — the #1 player for Virginia — while Jaffe plays at #2 for Princeton, marking a significant result in the draw.
Lucie Stefanoni (Harvard) advanced by closing out the match efficiently in three games against Sohaila Ismail (Penn), winning 11-7, 11-7, 11-9.
Franka Vidovic (Penn) wasted no time securing her spot in the quarterfinals, dispatching Amelie Haworth (Stanford) in straight games, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6. Calm, composed, and in control throughout, Vidovic becomes the first player to punch her ticket into the final eight.
Shortly after, Zeina Zein (Princeton) reminded everyone why she’s the defending Individual Champion. Zein delivered a sharp three-game win over Malak Taha (Penn), 11-7, 11-8, 11-8, showing excellent pace and consistency from start to finish. She looks locked in and very much in championship form.
The Stage is Set.
The draws, schedule, and final seeding for the 2026 College Squash Association Individual Championships are now live — and beginning tomorrow, the top 56 men and top 56 women in college squash will come together to compete for individual national titles.
Over the next several days, the very best collegiate players in the country will battle through a full championship draw, culminating on one of the most iconic squash stages in the world.
College squash is at its best when the community shows up — and this week is exactly why. From the first ball on Friday to national champions crowned on the glass court at Grand Central Terminal, this event is a celebration of everything that makes the college game special. We invite players, alumni, families, and fans to be part of it: follow the matches, share the moments, and join us in person as the sport’s top collegiate athletes compete on one of squash’s most iconic stages.
