Silicon Valley Open : It’s Siva and Mohamad !!

Dominant displays from Subramaniam and Zakaria to claim the titles

Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam and Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria produced dominant displays to claim the Silicon Valley Open titles, beating Farida Mohamed and Victor Crouin in straight games to secure the Gold event trophies.

The first match on finals night saw Subramaniam maintain her strong start to the season to claim her first PSA title of the new campaign against Mohamed, a second Silicon Valley Open for the Egyptian but a first at Gold event level.

“I’m really happy with how I performed the whole week,” said Sivasangari. “I try to stay as positive as I can and I think I’ve been doing well so far. This season, I’ve lost in three semi-finals but won the Asian Games so I’m pleased with the start and keen to push on.  The main goal is to win a major event. I’ve already got Gold titles, and I think the next step is to win a major.”

The men’s final saw France’s Crouin take on new World #5 Zakaria for the third time in, with the Frenchman looking to maintain his unbeaten record against the 19-year-old. But Zakaria won the opening two games 11-5, 11-8 and continued to impress in game three as he took a 10-3 lead before clinching the title.

“I’m very happy. Both with the result and with my performance towards every match,” said Zakaria. “I think I kept adding shots, kept adding pieces that were missing each day, and I think it was a great end to a great week.”

Semis : Crouin down top seed Elias as Mohamed survives five game thriller

Victor Crouin and Farida Mohamed came through dramatic five-game encounters to upset the seedings and move into the finals – a maiden Gold event final for Mohamed and second successive Silicon Valley Open final for Crouin.

Crouin took on top seed and recent Egyptian Open Champion Diego Elias, and after the first four games were shared Elias struggled to keep focus in the decider, as third seed Crouin ran through to claim the game 11-3 to move into a third final of the season.

“It’s good to be in the final again,” said Crouin. “Another tough one, going all the way to the fifth game. It definitely wasn’t the best squash from either of us, with a lot of stop-and-start play and arguments with the referee, but as always, I’m happy to find a way to get through.

Crouin’s opponent in the final will be 19-year-old World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria. The Egyptian overcame Mohamed Elshorbagy in straight games to reach a second Gold event final of his career.

The women’s final will see last year’s runner-up Sivasangari Subramaniam take on 2022 Silicon Valley Open finalist Mohamed,  who ended home hopes in the event, beating Marina Stefanoni in a five-game clash while Subramaniam ended the run of Indian teenager Anahat Singh in four games.

“It was a very tough one mentally, I would say,” admitted Mohamed. “I’m okay physically but mentally it took a lot. A lot was happening. I tried to stay composed. I lost my mind a little bit but I just reminded myself that staying composed was going to get me the win. So, I’m really proud of myself today.”

Quarters : Mohamed & Singh reach maiden Gold Semis

On another exciting day of action in San Francisco, Egypt’s Farida Mohamed and India’s Anahat Singh scored the wins of the day as they defeated defending champion Olivia Weaver and sixth seed Salma Hany to reach their first Gold event semi-finals.

Mohamed faced USA #1 and second seed Weaver for the seventh time, and scored only a second ever win, in straight games.

“The past few months haven’t been the easiest,” admitted Mohamed. “My mom went through surgery and she still supports me, no matter what. She was with me in the first tournament, even one week after her surgery. “She believed in me, even at my worst. I knew she really hoped I would win today. She stayed up till 6 a.m., and I could hear it in her voice when I called her before the match. I really wanted to win this for her. I just wanted to make her happy.”

Mohamed will now face USA’s Marina Stefanoni in the semi-finals after she defeated Egypt’s Sana Ibrahim in straight games. The top half semi-final will see a repeat of the recent Asian Games final as Singh takes on third seed Sivasangari Subramaniam. Singh came through a topsy-turvy clash with Hany in five-games while Subramaniam reached the semi-finals in comfortable fashion, overcoming compatriot Rachel Arnold 3-0 in 24-minutes.

The men’s draw saw all the higher-seeded players advance in contrasting styles. The Squash Zone crowd had to wait until the final match of the evening for a thriller, as third  seed Victor Crouin came from two games down to beat Egypt’s Kareem ElTorkey.

“Omar has so many shots and is so deceptive. But I kept digging in and tried not to think too much because overthinking can hinder me sometimes. I had to take a bit more risk than usual today as I needed winners too. At this stage of my career, every time I come to a tournament, the goal is to win it. That’s the big picture, but you have to narrow it down to each day and get through the rounds. I’d have felt better if I’d got through more comfortably, but I’m through and that’s what matters.”

Crouin will take on top seed Diego Elias in the semi-finals after the Peruvian defeated Egypt’s Yahya Elnawasany with Egyptian retiring with an injury after losing the opening two games.

The bottom half semi-final will see a clash of youth versus experience, with sixteen years separating current World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria and 2017 World Champion Mohamed Elshorbagy. Zakaria defeated France’s Baptiste Masotti whilst Elshorbagy ousted Pakistan’s Noor Zaman, both coming from a game to to win in four

Round Two : Singh & Zaman score biggest career wins

On a day full of shocks and upsets, the quarter-finalists were decided in Redwood City with Anahat Singh and Noor Zaman delivering seismic upsets.

Indian teenage sensation Singh downed eight-time World Champion Nour ElSherbini in straight games while Pakistan’s Zaman defeated defending champion Karim Abdel Gawad to reach his third Gold event quarter final.

“It feels unreal to be honest,” said Singh after her win. “I grew up watching every single match of hers. We have the same coach as well and I admire her so much. I want to achieve everything that she has in the game and to share a court with her is such an honour and she’s an inspiration to everyone. The game plan ended up working pretty well for me today so I’m just so glad that it went my way.”

Zaman took a two game lead against second seeded Gawad, and despite the third game going in the Egyptian’s favour Zaman regrouped to seal the match in four games.

“I have no words at this moment,” said Zaman. “He’s a legend of the sport, the current World No.4 and such a good player so to win feels amazing. We played in Chicago last season and he beat me 3-0 but today I felt more prepared mentally and physically and I think I’m ready now to start beating these top guys and that is what I’m aiming for now.”

Elsewhere on day two Egypt’s Sana Ibrahim scored an impressive win over fourth seed Satomi Watanabe in straight games to reach her first quarter final of the season. There were also surprise wins for Rachel Arnold and Baptiste Masotti, who overcame USA’s Amanda Sobhy and France’s Gregoire Marche.

Women’s second seed Olivia Weaver returned to competitive action after last featuring in a PSA event in June. The American confidently defeated England’s Saran Nghiem in straight games, much to the home crowd’s delight.

Round One : Evans shines on Gold debut

The Silicon Valley Open 2026 presented by Oracle NetSuite got underway today in Redwood City with Wales’ Emyr Evans scoring the win of the opening round on his Gold event debut.

The Welshman received a late call up to the event after a withdrawal in the men’s event and grasped the opportunity with both hands, defeating training partner and close friend Patrick Rooney in four games to set up a meeting with third seed and last year’s runner-up Victor Crouin.

“It’s never easy to play a friend on tour and certainly not a close one like Pat,” said Evans. “We were training together in Liverpool on Friday actually, when I got the call-up to play. I hoped it wouldn’t be Patrick who I played but that’s just the way these things go sometimes.”

In the women’s event England’s Saran Nghiem scored the only upset of the day as she took out Hong Kong’s Lee Ka Yi in four games. The Harvard graduate stormed out the gates in game one, winning in four games.

PSA Preview

The PSA Squash Tour heads to Redwood City next for the Silicon Valley Open 2026 with a strong field assembled for this Gold-level event.

Diego Elias leads the men’s draw after his Egyptian Open triumph, arriving in California with confidence and another title in his sights. Defending champion Karim Gawad knows what it takes to win here and will be determined to repeat last year’s success. Victor Crouin returns after finishing runner-up in 2025, looking to turn another deep run into a title, while newly crowned World #5 Mohamad Zakaria will be eager to prove he belongs among the Tour’s leading contenders.

Danger lurks elsewhere in the men’s draw with 2017 World Champion Mohamed Elshorbagy and four-time French National Champion Greg Marche looking to use all their experience to gatecrash the semis. Whilst up-and-coming Egyptians Kareem ElTorkey and Yahya Elnawasny will certainly prove to be tricky customers to the top four seeds

Eight-time World Champion Nour ElSherbini tops the women’s draw, looking to close the gap on World #1 Amina Orfi and World #2 Hania El Hammamy by claiming a second 2026 Gold title. Home favourite Olivia Weaver returns from injury as the second seed, aiming to rediscover her best form and defend her title in front of the American crowd. Asian Games champion Sivasangari Subramaniam arrives with momentum and will be keen to convert her recent performances into more silverware, while fourth seed Satomi Watanabe continues her search for a first Gold-level title.

More home interest features in the top eight seeds in the women’s draw as Marina Stefanoni and Amanda Sobhy will be looking to harness the support of the home crowd to cause upsets. Whilst Egyptian duo Salma Hany and Farida Mohamed will be looking to make their mark in the Gold level event.