New Zealand Squash Open 2026 : It’s Paul and Tinne !!

Kiwi #1 Paul Coll and World #10 Tinne Gilis have been crowned the 2026 New Zealand Squash Open champions after claiming wins over Mohamad Zakaria and Nele Gilis on finals night at a packed-out Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch.

World #2 Coll powered his way through to a third consecutive New Zealand Open title in emphatic style after defeating a physically fatigued Mohamad Zakaria in straight games. Playing in front of his friends and family, the 33-year-old put the hammer down to secure his 31st PSA Tour title after just 38 minutes of play.

“Yeah, it’s amazing,” Coll said after the match, “I was pretty excited, but also pretty nervous coming into this week. It’s one of the biggest ones for me to win, and when it’s a packed-out theatre in your hometown, there’s always a little bit of nerves.

“Especially those last couple of rounds, I got a lot of goosebumps just walking down through the theatre, so I had to come on and control myself on court. It really is dreams come true for me.”

In the women’s final, Tinne Gilis overcame older sister Nele in four games – only her second win in ten PSA meetings w3ith her sister –  to lift her first PSA title  since October 2024

“I can’t find my words right now,” Tinne said. “I’m just trying to let it sink in. I just wanted to fight through the whole match no matter what happened.

“Obviously, playing against Nele is always the biggest challenge on tour, especially when everyone is behind her as well.”

Semi-Finals : Zakaria outlasts Makin as finalists decided in Christchurch

Eighteen-year-old World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria came through the longest match of the season to clinch his spot in the final of the New Zealand Squash Open, outlasting World #6 Joel Makin in a 125-minute epic.

On a night that set up an an all-Gilis women’s final, continued Kiwi #1 Paul Coll‘s hattrick title hunt, and kept the possibility of a husband-and-wife double in play, it was rising star Zakaria who stole the show with an incredible 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 13-11 victory inside a packed out Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch.

“I’m super happy that the cramping ended at the end and that I get to fight another day,” Zakaria said after the match. I swear I was thinking back to every time I was in the gym and not wanting to do something – it’s for the sake of matches like these. I’m so happy that it has paid off because I have been really working hard.

“I’ve been doing loads of work on my squash with JP [Jonathon Power], and I think he’ll be happy with this – he won’t be happy with the length, though, but he will be happy with the result!”

Zakaria will face off against two-time defending champion  Coll in tomorrow’s final after the home favourite eased past Spain’s Iker Pajares in straight games.

In the women’s draw, sisters Tinne and Nele Gilis set up a blockbuster title decider after coming through their semi-finals with Marina Stefanoni and Torrie Malik.

 Tinne said: “I thought I started really well. Obviously, Marina, being Marina, does some ridiculous stuff. She made me work so hard to get over the line at the end of the third game there. That’s the fighter she is.

“I always say that if we have to play each other, I’d rather do it in a final,” Tinne added on the upcoming final with older sister Nele. “So playing the final against her tomorrow is amazing. Obviously, we both want to win, so no matter what, I’ll definitely give it my all.”

Third seed Nele, meanwhile, saw her semi-final with the unseeded Torrie Malik cut short due to a retirement from the Englishwoman early in the third game.

World #13 Nele will be looking to win a second New Zealand Open title alongside husband Coll, with the pair lifting the same titles together back in 2023.

Day Four : Malik stages comeback as top seed Coll reaches last four again

World#45 Torrie Malik staged one of the comebacks of the season to continue her career-best run, recovering from a serious-looking injury to defeat Nour Heikal in five games at Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch.

Malik looked down and out of her contest with World #46 Heikal after hyperextending her left knee early in the fourth game and then going 8-2 down and just three points away from a quarter-final exit.

However the Englishwoman produced a tremendous turnaround, reeling off eight straight points to steal the fourth game before closing out a dramatic 8–11, 11–7, 3–11, 12–10, 11–7 victory to reach her maiden Silver-level semi-final.

“I’m a bit like ‘what just happened!’ Obviously, I went into a mental state after my injury where I had to focus, relax and just think that I had absolutely nothing to lose as I was 8-2 down. I just wanted to let the arm go and try reset. I think I did mentally well to stay strong.

“You never really know with a hyperextension how bad it is, but luckily, it was okay to carry on. It’s a bit painful now, but hopefully I’ll be fine.”

Malik will face third seed Nele Gilis in the semi-finals after the Belgian #2 overcame a slow start to hold off a dangerous attacking display from sixth seed Aifa Azman.

Elsewhere in the women’s draw top seed Tinne Gilis defeated eighth seed Lee Ka Yi in four games, and fifth seed Marina Stefanoni came through a back-and-forth five-game duel.

In the men’s draw, two-time defending champion Paul Coll booked his place in the last four with a dominant 3-0 win over Malaysian #1 Eain Yow Ng. Coll will face unseeded Spaniard Iker Pajares for a spot in Sunday’s final after the World #34 ended the impressive run of Matias Knudsen in an entertaining four-game victory.

In the bottom half of the men’s draw second seed Joel Makin and third seed Mohamad Zakaria set up a mouth-watering semi-final after the pair claimed wins over England’s Patrick Rooney and seed Nicolas Mueller. .

Day Three : Pajares and Malik star on day of upsets

World #34 Iker Pajares produced a near-faultless display to surge into the quarter-finals, stunning World #11 Jonah Bryant in four games at Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch. On a day of upsets in which three unseeded players progressed to the last eight stage of the Silver-level event, it was Spanish National Champion Pajares who delivered the pick of the performances by overturning the No.4 seed by a 10-12, 11-6, 12-10, 11-4 scoreline.

After a brutal 31-minute first game went the way of Bryant in a tie-break, Pajares responded in terrific fashion, taking the second then saving two game balls to take the third  before moving through a largely one-sided fourth game to seal the victory after 85 minutes.

“I’ve been struggling with some performances with my body lately – I don’t know what happened today, I just felt so good. I felt very strong, I wasn’t getting tired, and I was very confident in myself.
“I had crazy matches last year with Jonah and I always lost them in five. After the 2-1 lead today, I just knew I had to push very hard. I have a massive opportunity against my friend Matias [Knudsen] tomorrow. We’re staying together and we said this morning, ‘let’s meet tomorrow in the quarters.’”

Elsewhere in the men’s draw two-time defending champion Paul Coll got his hat-trick hopes underway in somewhat nervy style, eventually getting the better of the powerful Moustafa Elsirty in four games.

In the women’s draw World #45 Torrie Malik claimed one of the biggest wins of her career after twice coming from behind to defeatsecond seed Salma Hany in five games. Awaiting Malik in the quarter-finals is another unseeded player in Nour Heikal, who overcame eighth seed Tomato Ho in four games. The pair will both go into tomorrow’s match eying a spot in a maiden Silver-level semi-final on the PSA Squash Tour.

The other two winners in the women’s draw were Nele Gilis and Aifa Azman, who claimed comfortable three-game wins over Haya Ali and Marie Stephan, while Matias Knudsen and Eain Yow Ng rounded out the men’s quarter-final line-up after coming through tough tests with Auguste Dussourd and Melvil Scianimanico.

Round One : Dunbar strikes again

Kiwi Wildcard Oliver Dunbar took centre stage on the opening day of the New Zealand Squash Open for the second year running, stunning World #49 Velavan Senthilkumar in five games at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch.

Twelve months on from recording his maiden World Events win on the PSA Squash Tour at the Silver-level event, World #125 Dunbar once again produced a quality performance on home soil to hold off a late comeback from Senthilkumar and set up a second-round tie with two-time World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria.

“It was nice to do it last year, but there was a bit more pressure on me this time around. But I enjoy playing on this court, so I’m looking forward to another game on it tomorrow.
“Over the last year or so, I’ve definitely got better at the mental side of my game. It was good to be able to come through after being 2-0 up and seeing him come back to force a fifth game.
“It’s an incredible court and stage here. I’m so happy to play on it whenever I can. It’s been great to have lots of my friends here and have some people from my club come down to watch me today.”

Meanwhile, Former World #.3 and 11-time New Zealand National Champion Joelle King‘s return to PSA Tour action ended in an agonising defeat at the hands of Canadian #1 Hollie Naughton.
The 16-time PSA Tour winner, whose last appearance on tour was 10 months ago at the 2025 Irish Open, matched Naughton blow for blow late into a thrilling fifth game; however, it was World #37 Naughton who hung on to clinch an 11-2, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 victory.

Elsewhere, New Zealand Wildcard Kaitlyn Watts fell just short of replicating Dunbar’s win, losing out to England’s Grace Gear in a back-and-forth five-game duel.

Action over at the Christchurch Squash Club saw plenty of drama, with France’s Melvil Scianimanico continuing his recent fine form with a five-game win over Henry Leung, while Egypt’s Nour Heikal and Ukraine’s Alina Bushma overcame Joshna Chinappa and Alicia Mead by the same scoreline.

Round Two : Makin survives inspired Chotrani display to reach Quarters

World #6 Joel Makin survived an inspired display of attacking squash from Veer Chotrani to reach the quarter-finals of the, holding off the World #45 in five games at Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch.

Despite the 39 positions between the pair in the PSA World Rankings, Makin was forced to deliver a high-quality performance to ensure his title hopes didn’t unravel before they had even taken shape, eventually holding off the Indian#3 by a 14-12, 14-12, 8-11, 9-11, 11-2 scoreline.

Makin said: “Ranking-wise, there’s a massive gap, but I’ve seen him play at his highest level. I rewatched him versus Ali Farag at the World Champs last year, and not many trouble Ali like that. Usually, Ali battered those lower-ranked players, so disrupting and trading with him shows the very high levels he can play at.

“I was wary he could do that, and I could cope with him in patches. However, he was just hitting so many outright winners, so credit to him for that.”

Makin will face unseeded Patrick Rooney in the quarter-finals, after the Englishman overcame No.6 seed Curtis Malik in a hard-fought four-game duel. Despite Rooney seeing four match balls slip through his grasp at the backend of the third game, and a further opportunity go begging at 10-9 up in the fourth, the World #48 hung on to record an 11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 13-11 victory over his compatriot.

The other two winners in the men’s draw were third seed Mohamad Zakaria and seventh seed Nicolas Mueller, who will face off in the last eight after  victories over Kiwi Wildcard Oliver Dunbar and Yannick Wilhelmi.

In the women’s draw women’s top seed Tinne Gilis got her campaign underway with a commanding straight games win over Ukraine’s Alina Bushma. The Belgian #1 was joined by fourth seed Aira Azman, fifth seed Marina Stefanoni and eighth seed Lee Ka Yi in the quarter-finals after the trio all claimed three-game wins over Tsz-Wing Tong, Marina Stefanoni and Hollie Naughton.

Preview :

The PSA Squash Tour heads to New Zealand for the 22nd New Zealand Squash Open. 48 male and female players will descend on Christchurch for the Silver level event, all hoping to feed on the energy of the knowledgeable and enthusiastic crowd to produce their best squash.

The event gets underway tomorrow (3rd March) with the finals taking place on the 8th March. All the action will be live on SQUASHTV with play once again coming from an all-glass court situated at the award-winning Isaac Theatre Royal. Christchurch Squash Club will also host matches on day one with play getting underway at 12:00 (GMT+13) across both venues.

Since the event returned to the PSA calendar after a nearly 30-year hiatus, New Zealand #1 Paul Coll has featured in all the finals, winning in the last two editions. The hometown favourite is a former World #1, multiple major event winner and dominant force on the PSA Squash Tour. He once again carries the hope of the nation into the event as the top seed, but visibly relishes the chance to play in front of a home crowd and will leave everything on the court for his fans.

Don’t miss Stuff Article: Paul likes to keep his distance to his rivals 

Wales’ Joel Makin is the No.2 seed as he looks to return to form after recent injury setbacks. The 2025 Tour Finals champion is still finding his fitness again after a knee injury and will be keen to return to competitive action to gather momentum heading into an extremely busy period of the season.

Two up-and-coming stars of the game sit in the 3/4 seeding positions, as Mohamad Zakaria and Jonah Bryant look to upset the top seeds and fight for the title. Zakaria already has Copper, Bronze and Gold titles to his name but a Silver title still eludes the current World No.9. Bryant, however, only has a Copper level event to his name but has made big strides in the major events this season, reaching at least the quarter finals in five of the six.

Belgium’s Tinne Gilis tops the women’s draw, as she looks to claim a first PSA title since the Canadian Women’s Open in 2024. Gilis has only failed to reach the quarter finals in one major event so far this season, showing great consistency at the top of a very competitive women’s game.

Egypt’s Salma Hany is the No.2 seed for the event, as she looks to reach her first final of the season. The former World No.7 was a semi-finalist in 2025, losing out to World No.6 Satomi Watanabe. Hany is another who has been struggling with injury issues this season, missing four of the six majors. She still sits just outside the world’s top 10 and knows that a Silver event title will go a long way in her pursuit of a return to that milestone.

The 3/4 seeds for the women’s event are former champion Nele Gilis and Malaysian No.2 Aira Azman. Gilis may see New Zealand as her second home, as the wife of Paul Coll. She certainly holds strong memories on and off the court here as she looks to become a multiple champion of the event after her win in 2024. Azman is proving to be a difficult player to come up against on the PSA Tour and has been operating around the 20 in the world mark since her run at the Qatar Classic earlier in the season. It feels as though a breakthrough event win is needed for Azman to assert herself as a regular top 20 player and this could be the event to do it in.

Aside from Coll, there is plenty of local interest in both draws. None more interesting than the return of former World No.3 Joelle King. The 2022 NZ Open champion and 11-time national champion will feature in a PSA event for the first time since May 2025, as she attempts to climb back up the rankings and return to consistent play on the PSA Squash Tour. Kaitlyn Watts, Ella Lash, Elijah Thomas and Freddie Jameson also all feature in round one and will need the full support of the home crowd to advance.