Qatar Classic : It’s Hammamy and Coll in Doha

Two out of Two for Hania …

World No.2 Hania El Hammamy  made it two wins from two this season after a sublime performance saw her defeat last year’s champion Nour ElSherbini in straight games.

El Hammamy began her season with silverware at the CIB Egyptian Open last month, and she continued her perfect start to the 2025-26 campaign with an 11-6, 15-13, 11-8 triumph against the defending champion to win the Qatar Classic for the second time.

The match was a repeat of last season’s PSA World Championships final, with El Hammamy looking to put recent history behind her following just two wins over the eight-time World Champion in their last 10 matches.

“It’s the first time I’ve won two titles back-to-back, it’s a dream start,” said El Hammamy.

“I never have a very good start to the season, so it’s been memorable. I’ve never been in this position before, I’m pretty pleased and I’m enjoying myself on court. I haven’t made a lot of changes [in the off season], but I’m on the right track and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

“I’m hoping [to reach World No.1 this season], but I don’t want to put expectations on myself. If I keep on improving at every tournament, then hopefully I can end as the World No.1.”

Coll – Breaking the losing run

Paul Coll became the first player from New Zealand to win the prestigious  Qatar Classic after ending a six-match losing run against World #1 Mostafa Asal in Doha.

Coll has been on the wrong end of a final result three times previously in Doha – the PSA World Championships in 2019 as well as at this tournament in 2020 and 2021. However, an immaculate performance from the 33-year-old saw him finally get his hands on a title here at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, winning 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5.

“I was on top of the world in London and then probably one of the darkest I’ve ever been after [the loss to Hawal],” said Coll. “I went back home and punished myself. I went back to my roots and did court sprints, a lot of work went into this and I’m absolutely stoked.

“I told myself to stay in front of the ’T’, not behind it, because I knew he was going short. I had to get up the court and had to counter everything. If he went ahead of me he could spark up, so I wasn’t switching off.

“It felt uncomfortable, I said to Rob [Owen, Coll’s coach] that I get stuck down the backhand side and I can’t inject any pace in the game, he [Asal] just controls me. He told me to get up the court and volley. He’s so good, it’s unbelievable how he can whip those kills in. I had to make it all about me today.

“It’s a long time since winning a major so I’m stoked.”

Day SIX : Straight-games wins for Sherbini, Hammamy, Asal and Coll as the finalists are decided in Doha

Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy and Mostafa Asal continued their perfect starts to the PSA Squash Tour season with wins over compatriots Amina Orfi and Fares Dessouky seeing them reach the QTerminals Qatar Classic finals in Doha.

El Hammamy’s match with Amina Orfi was a repeat of last month’s CIB Egyptian Open, with El Hammamy picking up where she left off in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza with an impressive 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 victory.

The World No.2 will now take on defending champion Nour ElSherbini, who maintained her perfect record against Belgium’s Tinne Gilis to reach a fourth successive Qatar final, as she bids to reclaim the title she last lifted in 2023.

In the men’s draw Asal is one win away from a first Qatar Classic title after beating Dessouky 11-4, 11-6, 11-6, reaching his ninth successive PSA final.  Coll  reached his third Qatar Classic final after a convincing victory over England’s rising star Jonah Bryant.

Day FIVE : Sherbini survives as Bryant downs Tamimi in Doha

Qatar’s Abdulla  Al-Tamimi suffered a suspected Achilles rupture to hand England’s Jonah Bryant a place in his maiden Platinum semi-final after a dramatic night of action on day five of the QTerminals Qatar Classic in Doha.

Bryant and Tamimi were locked in at two games apiece after 70 minutes of high-quality squash when Al-Tamimi went to ground after chasing a ball into the front left corner. A stricken Al-Tamimi had to be carried off court, with the match being awarded to Bryant, who will play training partner and second seed Paul Coll for a place in the final.

Coll came through an almighty battle with Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar for the second time this season as he booked his place in the semi-finals of this tournament for the first time since 2021.

Eight-time World Champion Nour ElSherbini came back from two games down to defeat France’s Melissa Alves.  “Melissa played amazingly, she was very accurate and attacking better than me in the first two games,” said El Sherbini afterwards.

Belgium’s Tinne Gilis earned her spot in the Doha semi-finals for the second time after toppling Egypt’s Farida Mohamed. Gilis will appear in just her third Platinum semi-final when she takes on ElSherbini.

Day Four : Quarter-Finalists settled in Doha

Egypt’s Fares Dessouky  reached his first major PSA semi-final in over four years after he upset compatriot Youssef Ibrahim to book his spot in the last four of the QTerminals Qatar Classic.

“I’m so happy to be back at this stage again,” said Dessouky. “I played very well today and hopefully I can in the next match. He’s in the top 10, so I was the underdog today. I used to play with these guys a lot, so I’m used to dealing with them.”

Dessouky will take on World #1 Mostafa Asal for a place in the title decider. Asal stormed into the last four after completing his eighth successive win over fellow Egyptian Youssef Soliman .

Second and  fourth seeds Hania El Hammamy and i will meet in a mouthwatering semi-final clash in the women’s event following convincing wins over Malaysian duo Sivasangari Subramaniam and Aira Azman.

The quarter-finals conclude on Day Five with four more matches in doha.

Day Three : Bryant downs Zakaria in mammoth battle in Doha

England’s Jonah Bryant came out on top in a gripping five-game battle with Mohamad Zakaria at Doha’s Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex to book his spot in the quarter-finals of the QTerminals Qatar Classic for the first time.

Bryant, 20, and Zakaria, 18, have been touted as future World #1s and today’s match gave a tantalising glimpse into what could be yet to come, with Bryant prevailing after a 109-minute thriller.

The pair had one win each against each other on the PSA Squash Tour, while Zakaria got the better of Bryant in the final of the 2024 British Junior Open last year. However, things went the way of the Englishman today in Doha as he completed an 6-11, 16-14, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7 victory to reach his first Platinum-level quarter-final.

“I put a lot of work in, in the background, to be able to perform like this physically,” said Bryant afterwards. “It all seems worthwhile when you then go out and do it on the court for 109 minutes.”

Bryant’s quarter-final opponent will be local favourite Abdulla  Al-Tamimi after the Qatar star came  from a game down to defeat France’s Sebastien Bonmalais. Al-Tamimi will compete in the last eight at this tournament for the first time since 2022, while a win for either player will see them secure maiden spots in the semi-finals of a Platinum event.

Kiwi Paul Coll and Egypt’s  Mohamed Abouelghar will face off in the other quarter-final match on the bottom half of the men’s draw following  wins over Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann and Spain’s Iker Pajares.

France’s Melissa Alves  reached her first Platinum quarter-final since the 2021 U.S. Open after going through at the expense of Malaysia’s Aira Azman, who was forced to retire due to a concussion. Alves goes on to face defending champion Nour ElSherbini next.

ElSherbini overcame a one-game deficit to beat wildcard Nour Heikal 8-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 to reach the quarter-finals for the fifth successive time.

Belgium’s Tinne Gilis and Egypt’s Farida Mohamed will also compete for a place in the last four. Gilis beat Fayrouz Aboelkheir 3-2, while Mohamed dispatched Mariam Metwally in four games.

Day Two : Aira reaches first Platinum Quarter-Final in Doha

Malaysia’s Aira Azman celebrated her 21st birthday by reaching the quarter-finals of a Platinum event for the first time, beating Egypt’s Zeina Mickawy to join compatriot Siva Subramaniam in the last eight of the QTerminals Qatar Classic.

2023 champion Hania El Hammamy continued her title challenge with a 3-1 victory over England #2 Jasmine Hutton. El Hammamy conceded the first game after Hutton stormed out of the traps in an attacking start, but El Hammamy weathered the storm to take three unanswered games. El Hammamy will play Sivasangari next while Azman meets fourth seed Amina Orfi.

Egypt’s Fares Dessouky  reached the last eight after coming out on top in a five-game battle against India’s Abhay Singh, coming back from 2-1 down to win 11-13, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3. It’s the first time in over three years that Dessouky has reached back-to-back quarter-finals at major PSA events, having also reached the last eight at the CIB Egyptian Open earlier this month. He will play fellow Egyptian Youssef Ibrahim for a place in the semi-finals.

World#1 Mostafa Asal booked his spot in the quarter-finals after a straightforward win over Frenchman Gregoire Marche. Asal, who reached the final last year and won the CIB Egyptian Open earlier this month alongside El Hammamy, will play fellow Egyptian Youssef Soliman next.

Round One : Zakaria upsets Makin as seeds tumble

Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria earned the biggest win of his career to date after taking out third seed Joel Makin on a day which saw eight of the top 16 seeds exit the Platinum-level QTerminals Qatar Classic in round one.

Zakaria had lost out to Makin in the third round of the CIB Egyptian Open earlier this month but dominated proceedings today at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, winning 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 in 67 minutes to score his first win over a player inside the world’s top four.

Zakaria will go up against Englishman Jonah Bryant in the last 16, with Bryant beating Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller. Egypt’s Youssef Ibrahim is also through after upsetting fourth seed Marwan ElShorbagy, winning 16-14, 11-7, 12-10.

Two former champions in Karim Gawad and Mohamed ElShorbagy saw their events come to an end against lower-ranked opposition. Gawad fell to India’s Abhay Singh, while ElShorbagy lost out to Spain’s Iker Pajares.

In the women’s event, Malaysia’s Aira Azman got the better of fifth seed Satomi Watanabe, while eighth seed Gina Kennedy saw her tournament come to an end against France’s Melissa Alves.

USA’s Olivia Weaver was the other seed to bow out of the tournament after the third seed withdrew from her match against Egypt’s Farida Mohamed due to injury.

Defending champion Nour El Sherbini began her tournament with a comfortable 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 win against fellow Egyptian Sana Ibrahim. The eight-time World Champion will play Nour Heikal next.