Tournament of Champions 2023

Tournament of Champions 2023 : FINALS

[2] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) 3-0 [1] Nouran Gohar (Egy)   11-9, 3-1 rtd (20m)
[4] Diego Elias (Per) 3-0 [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (Egy)   11-2, 11-6, 11-4 (50m)

Elias and El Sherbini Claim J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions Crowns

Peru’s Diego Elias and Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini have captured the 2023 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions crowns, winning their  finals under the chandeliers of Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, New York City.

The ‘Peruvian Puma’ made the final of this event last year, losing out to then-World #1 Ali Farag in an exciting battle. This year, he came up against another Egyptian, in Marwan ElShorbagy, in the final and he was in sublime form, winning the match in straight games to secure his second Platinum title of the season.

“First of all, I am just super excited. I still can’t believe it! It is like a dream come true. This tournament, it has always been my favourite,” Elias said after his win.

“This is such an amazing city, and it’s always full for all the matches. I can’t believe I am here! I just want to thank everyone for making this tournament possible. J.P. Morgan, John Nimick and everyone that has made it possible.

“To Marwan, I think he is playing great squash and I want to congratulate him, and I hope we can play many more finals together!”

The women’s final was unfortunately cut short, with Nour El Sherbini claiming her fourth J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions crown after top seed Nouran Gohar had to retire early on in the second game.

“There are a lot of people I would like to thank. Firstly, I would like to thank Nouran for what she said,” El Sherbini said.

“As she said, we have had a lot of battles together from a long time ago and I am glad we are still having them now. I wish her a speedy recovery and hopefully she will be back again quickly, recover well and we can play another final at the next Platinum event hopefully.

Draws & Results

PSA LIVE SCORES  WATCH ON SQUASH TV

PSA LIVE SCORES  WATCH ON SQUASH TV

SEMIS : Elias Downs top seed Coll to reach back-to-back ToC Finals; Gohar and El Sherbini set to clash

The 2023 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions finals will be contested by 2022 men’s runner up Diego Elias and first-time finalist Marwan ElShorbagy, while top seeds Nouran Gohar and Nour El Sherbini will vie for the women’s title in Grand Central Terminal.

Peru’s Elias produced the biggest result of the day in an eighty-five minute four-game battle against top seed Paul Coll. Elias and Coll were facing off for the tenth time on Tour, with Coll coming into this clash with a tight 5-4 advantage over the Peruvian. It was an attritional start to the first game with both players trying to adapt to the hot and bouncy conditions, as the opening two rallies lasted for five minutes.

The Peruvian was the first to reach game ball but was forced into a tiebreak by Coll, to which the ‘Puma’ responded with a backhand cross-court drop to earn other game ball, which he took. After Coll leveled the game score in the second, Elias took control of the match from there on out, clinching the third game 11-3 and holding off a fourth game comeback to win the match 11-8 in the fourth.

“I love playing here, it is always a great atmosphere,” said Elias, who reached his first ToC final in May. “I always play my best squash here and I am just very happy with this result. I don’t know if people know, but it is my third Platinum final in a row so I am very happy with this. I have been training so hard for this and I am just happy that I could make another final. I am not the same player as I was before. I can keep going for a while, not like before where I would get tired if I played a few tough rallies. I am very happy with this, and it is always great playing Paul. He is a great friend of mine and it is always great playing in the most import stages of the tournament. I think we are now 5-5 in the head-to-head so I hope this rivalry can keep going.”

Elias will face the younger ElShorbagy brother who is set for his ToC final debut and first PSA Platinum final since 2021. The twenty-nine-year-old Egyptian ended Miguel Rodriguez’s impressive run in three games and reaches the final without dropping a game all tournament.

In the women’s draw, Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini and Hania El Hammamy had the sell out crowd on the edge of their seats. El Hammamy was bidding to reclaim the world No. 2 ranking and reach her first ToC final, but the six-time world champion had other ideas. All three of the opening games saw El Sherbini squander a lead with El Hammamy coming back to win the first 13-11. El Sherbini then held off her comeback to take the second 15-13. El Sherbini’s shotmaking made the difference at a crucial nine-all in the third game to go up 2-1, and the fourth game proved to be the only one where El Hammamy couldn’t stay within reach.

“It’s always tough and tricky playing Hania and it’s always a physical game against her,” El Sherbini said. “I’m glad I won this time. It was a good win for me and a confidence building for me going into tomorrow. It was tough for me to lose the first game and I was very frustrated after losing it. She’s still young but has great experience already, she’s been in this position many times. Each game I had a big lead and it went quickly, she knows how to come back and she’s a fighter and fights for every point. Playing here is very special and being able to be in another final at the ToC is huge and hopefully it goes my way.”

Gohar, who now resides in Stamford, Connecticut, will defend her ToC title following a 3-0 win over New Zealand’s  Joelle King.

Day SEVEN : Top Seeds progress in second half of ToC quarterfinals

The remaining top seeds – Nour El Sherbini, Hania El Hammamy, Paul Coll and Diego Elias – progressed on the second day of  2023 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions quarterfinals play New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.

Of today’s matches only one extended beyond three games as El Sherbini -the only three-time women’s champion – ended Amanda Sobhy’s run. The six-time world champion earned a 2-0 lead, but the American saved a match ball and fought back to take the third game 13-11. El Sherbini regained control in the fourth and clinched a spot in her eighth ToC semifinal.

“It was a very tough game. Amanda was playing amazing in the third and she came back, she was 2-0 down, to come back fighting and wanted to win the game and the match,” El Sherbini said. “I was very frustrated to lose the third game but Greg [Gaultier, El Sherbini’s coach] told me to forget this game and focus on the fourth and to think point by point, and I think the start of the fourth was important and I got a big lead and that made the difference. I’m still playing, of course I want another title. The ToC is a special tournament for me. I play my best squash here, it was my first ever Platinum event win and it’s a lucky place for me, so hopefully I can get another one.”

El Sherbini will face off with compatriot Hania El Hammamy, who dispatched England’s Georgina Kennedy in three games.

 

The second men’s semifinal on Wednesday night will feature  Paul Coll and Diego Elias. Coll, who would become world #1 with his first ToC title this week, reached his first semifinal in Grand Central with a fifty-minute, three-game win over Egypt’s Fares Dessouky.

“I did all my preparations, mentally and physically so I was bang up for this match and feeling good.” Coll said. “He can hit a nick or an amazing shot at any stage so my accuracy was crucial and I was very happy with that tonight. I was happy with my front and back court game, I’m really enjoying the court, so it felt good tonight. I believe it’s my first semi-final at ToC, so pumped for that tomorrow. I’m playing my good friend Diego [Elias], we won’t be friends on court tomorrow but we’ll play it in the right spirit, it’ll be hard and tough and a good one for the crowd.”

Elias, the 2022 ToC finalist won just his second match in his twelfth attempt against Egypt’s Tarek Momen 11-6, 11-7, 11-6 in forty-nine minutes. xx

Draws & Results

PSA LIVE SCORES  WATCH ON SQUASH TV

PSA LIVE SCORES  WATCH ON SQUASH TV

Day SIX : Gohar survives and Rodrigues rolls back the years

Eight years after reaching his maiden Platinum semifinal in Grand Central, thirty-seven-year-old Miguel Rodriguez reached the last four again with another performance reminiscent of his prime, while defending champion and top seed Nouran Gohar overcame Nour El Tayeb in a five-game instant classic.

Rodriguez, world No. 14, proved that his second round win over Mohamed Elshorbagy was no fluke, backing it up with another thrilling performance full of acrobatics, precise shot-making and strategy against world No. 9 and seven seed Mazen Hesham – another player known for his flair and shot-making. Rodriguez emerged victorious 11-6, 4-11, 11-8, 11-8 after fifty-nine minutes, earning a standing ovation from the sold out crowd after the match.

“I knew that playing with Mazen, he’s at the peak of his game and I had plan A, B, C, D the whole alphabet,” Rodriguez said. “He’s very difficult to play because he can get winners from all four corners. I had to watch the ball very carefully, believe in my game, believe in my strengths, and that’s what I did today. I wanted to put the ball in uncomfortable positions, because he uses so much of his wrists to hit the corners and take the ball well wide, and he can play the ball from the back so I wanted to keep the ball close to him. He adjusted well in the second game, and I had to change the game again in the third and fourth and was able to push through.”

Rodriguez and Marwan ElShorbagy will vie for their maiden appearance in a ToC final after the Egyptian recorded a clinical three-game win against Frenchman Victor Crouin in the other men’s quarterfinal of the day.

“That end for me was emotional, it’s very special,” Rodriguez said. “I made my first semifinal here in 2015, when I beat Gregory Gaultier. Getting that result after eight years, it’s something very special for a professional player. I’ve been through many tough times and I knew that this time was going to come again at some point. I’ve done the job, it’s been an amazing year and week. Thank you all for the support.”

Fireworks went off during the evening session between Egypt’s world No. 1 Nouran Gohar and world No. 6 Nour El Tayeb as Gohar pulled off a dramatic five-game comeback. The pair had met sixteen times previously on Tour, with Gohar having won eleven of those battles, including four times in 2022. It was El Tayeb who started the stronger in the opening game, but Gohar responded by running away with the second game and came back from 6-2 down in the third to go up 2-1. El Tayeb regrouped in the fourth, but Gohar went into ‘Terminator’ mode in the fifth to take the match 11-6 after seventy-five minutes.

Gohar spoke admirably of El Tayeb’s journey of giving birth to her first child in 2021 and then breaking back into the world’s top ten.

“Nour had been playing amazing, we’ve been playing a lot in the last season and this season,” Gohar said. “I don’t know where to start, she’s a player and a character and coming back and playing like this is unbelievable and I have so much respect for her. It seemed like I was annoyed but I really enjoyed this battle, we have been battling it out for the last seven years and I hope the crowd enjoyed that one. I was trying to not be too emotional out there, but I was nervous. It’s a 3-2 cracker in 70 minutes so it was tough obviously and there are certain matches where you just have to hang in there. They [other players] are playing their best and when they play against me they always seem to play their best so I have to adapt, defend and absorb a bit so it was a very hard one today.”

Gohar will face New Zealand’s fourth seed Joelle King who continued her momentum from the third round and ended unseeded Jana Shiha’s stellar run in three games to reach her third consecutive ToC semifinal.

The second half of the ToC semifinals will be determined Tuesday night with match play starting from 5pm local time.

Day FIVE : Quarter-Finals set as Kennedy produces sole upset

The 2023 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions quarterfinal lineup is set following the completion of the second half of the third round, with England’s Gina Kennedy producing the only upset on Day Four at Grand Central Station.

Sunday featured special themes including Kids and Family Day presented by Dunlop and Nicol Squash, and women’s night presented by Open Squash.

During Women’s night, Kennedy was interviewed about balancing life on and off court, the importance of academics, and her newfound love of the New York City squash community as an Open Squash professional. Earlier that afternoon, Kennedy demonstrated her ability on court with her second five-game comeback win of the tournament, knocking out Egypt’s seventh seed Rowan Elaraby 8-11, 3-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-2 in fifty-two minutes.

“My goal coming into this was was to at least reach the quarters so I’m proud of myself for reaching my goals. I’m not going to be content with that, I’m going to push as far as I can. It feels great to be out there competing this what we train for, we train for moments like. There’s a balance of enjoying the occasion but also stepping up to the occasion as well. The crowd really helped me get through that. I’m so lucky to be a part of Open Squash. I already feel at home here because I studied here for four years and I love coming back. Now being a part of Open Squash I feel even more at home, maybe I’ll have to move to America.”

Elsewhere in women’s draw, Amanda Sobhy reached her fourth career ToC quarterfinal, outlasting compatriot Olivia Clyne in a close four-game contest. Egypt’s Three-time ToC champion Nour El Sherbini and third seed Hania El Hammamy both comfortably progressed in three games.

The afternoon session featured a special doubles exhibition including former ToC champions and World No. 1’s Peter Nicol, Jonathan Power, Gregory Gaultier and Nick Matthew, who put on a dazzling show for the ToC crowd.

Later that afternoon, two top five players in Diego Elias and Paul Coll took to the court in hopes of getting one step closer to reaching the same world #1 mantle and maiden ToC title.

The Peruvian Puma, who reached the 2022 final in May, came through an entertaining encounter with Egypt’s Mohamed ElSherbini, who took the second game off Elias to his frustration. Elias recovered to decisively win in the third and fourth games to seal passage to the quarters where he will face veteran Tarek Momen.

“I knew it would be tough, we played in Hong Kong and I won pretty easy so knew he would come here and try and beat me and do his best,” Elias said. “He played a lot better than in Hong Kong and I’m just happy to win. I’ll just focus on the next round. I’m excited for the next round, I just want to play better go further in the tournament.”

Coll, who would reclaim the world #1 ranking with his first ToC title, put on a strong performance against France’s Sebastien Bonmalais, including a stellar rally where both players were diving on opposite ends of the court. Coll will face Egypt’s Fares Dessouky, who dispatched Qatar’s Abdulla Al Tamimi in three games.

Monday will see the top half of the quarterfinals play out with match play starting at 5pm local time.

Day FOUR : Shiha takes centre stage as Asal bows out

Twenty-one-year-old Jana Shiha recorded the first top ten upset of her career in her Grand Central debut against Sarah-Jane Perry, while new world #1 Mostafa Asal conceded his third round match after one game due to illness.

Shiha, who finished her studies just last month in Egypt and entered the her first ToC ranked world #44, earned her debut in Grand Central with two upsets against world  Zeina Mickawy and Joshna Chinappa. Shiha’s first encounter against Perry was a five-game loss at the Hong Kong Open just last month where the Englishwoman came back from 2-0 down to win.

Shiha nearly experienced a similar comeback loss after winning tie breaks in the first two games 14-12, 14-12 before Perry stormed back 11-8, 11-6 in the third and fourth games. Shiha clinched the match 11-9 after sixty-two minutes despite Perry saving numerous match balls.

“I had no idea this was going to happen,” Shiha said. “I had a tournament last week and a really bad loss first round.

But then I was like, ‘Honestly, I’m just going to go for it. Do whatever I do, play my best.’ I had two matches on a traditional court, never played TOC, never had the opportunity on the glass court. I have nothing to lose. But yeah, great run until now. Played SJ last month in Hong Kong lost in five too, I was 2-1 up, so I kind of knew what I was going to do, but also a little bit different because that was on the traditional court again.

“That was my goal, to reach Grand Central, honestly,” Shiha said. “I was like, I had a first round, always tough with the Egyptian, my friend Zeina, and then I played Joshna, two tricky matches, but I was like, again, just you have nothing to lose.”

Shiha will make her debut in a Platinum quarterfinal Monday evening against fourth seed Joelle King, who recovered well from a difficult five-game opening match to defeat world Nele Gilis in a decisive three games. The other top half women’s quarterfinal will be contested between  Nouran Gohar and  Nour El Tayeb who both won in three games against Mariam Metwally and Sabrina Sobhy.

The men’s draw endured another seismic shape up with the exit of Mostafa Asal, who officially ascended to the world #1 ranking for the first time this week. After losing the first game 12-10 against France’s Victor Crouin, Asal conceded the match due to illness.

Crouin’s quarterfinal opponent will be Marwan ElShorbagy, who stopped the surging Nicolas Mueller in his tracks with a skillful 3-0 win.

“Yeah very happy to win in three,” ElShorbagy said. “I lost to Nicky three times in the last 12 months, so I know how dangerous he could be, especially in that court. He loves this court, I remember when he beat [Karim Abdel] Gawad, when he was world No. 1 on this court. And he played very well against Joel Makin a couple of days ago. So, yeah, it’s always tough against Nicky, so skillful. You have to be very sharp. We all love coming back here and then playing at the Grand Central Terminal, one of the best venues on the PSA World Tour.”

The other top half men’s quarterfinal will come down to thirty-seven-year-old Colombian Miguel Rodriguez and Mazen Hesham.

With the current world’s top three men – Ali Farag, Mohamed ElShorbagy and Mostafa Asal – all out of title contention, “Superman” Paul Coll now takes the pressure on his shoulders knowing that a ToC title would send the Kiwi back to the world #1 position. Coll will be in action Sunday evening at 6pm against France’s Sebastien Bonmalais.

Day THREE : Sobhy and Clyne set up all-American R3 clash

The Third Round will feature an all-American clash between Amanda Sobhy and Olivia Clyne  after both players advanced in three games on Friday. One month after making history for Team USA by recording a second place finish at the Women’s World Team Championship together, Sobhy and Clyne will face each other in Grand Central Sunday evening.

Clyne, world #20, produced one of two upsets at the New York Athletic Club with France’s Sebastien Bonmalais joining her in the third round after defeating Scotland’s Greg Lobban. Cheered on by a partial gallery, the American took out Canada’s Hollie Naughton in a comprehensive performance, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 in twenty-seven minutes.

“I had a really good offseason and was due for a big result,” said Blatchford Clyne, who started playing squash at the Heights Casino in Brooklyn as a child. “I feel like all of the hard work paid off tonight and I was on top of my game. It was really special to do it in front of friends and family, and to have my US Squash support network here with Coach Beng Hee and Bridget. I’ve been coming to the ToC since 1999 and it’s definitely my favourite tournament. It’s a dream to play on the glass court in Grand Central and I couldn’t be more excited to get out there on the eve of my 30th birthday Sunday.”

Sobhy, the 2016 ToC runner up and world # 5, made quick work of her tournament opener as anticipated, dispatching Malaysia’s Aifa Azman 11-8, 11-2, 11-6 in twenty-three minutes.

Two matches proved to be standouts on the day, including the second match on the glass court between  Georgina Kennedy – who won the Carol Weymuller Open last week in Brooklyn – and world  Tinne Gilis. The English international came back from 2-1 down to win 11-9, 9-11, 1-11, 11-7, 11-9 after sixty one minutes with the crowd deservingly giving both players a standing ovation for their heroics.

“Yeah, I’m really happy to win that, I had a good week in Edinburgh and then went straight into the Carol Weymuller event in Brooklyn,” Kennedy said. “So I’ve had a good few matches and I came into this event really confident, but also came in knowing that I had a really tough draw. We trained together and we lived together in Nottingham, so we know each other very well. I think when I’m playing my friends, I just struggle to find that like tenacity that I need. That’s why in the fifth I started screaming a little bit. I felt like I needed to get a bit of fire in my belly because that’s when I play my best squash, when I’m really focused.”

Egypt’s Youssef Soliman and Youssef Ibrahim produced the longest match of the tournament so far with Soliman grinding out a five-game win 11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7 in eighty-nine minutes at Nicol Squash. Egypt’s Mohamed Elsherbini also needed five games to get past Columbia graduate Ramit Tandon 12-10 in the fifth also at Nicol squash.

In Grand Central, the remaining top seeds including top seed Paul Coll, fourth seed Diego Elias, third seed Hania El Hammamy and second seed Nour El Sherbini all advanced in three games to open up their ToC week.

All remaining matches will take place on the glass court with the round of sixteen set to take place over the weekend with matches from 12pm noon.

Day TWO : Rodriguez stuns Mo ElShorbagy as Round Two gets under way

Thirty-seven-year-old Miguel Rodriguez resurrected the same form that saw him reach the 2015 ToC semifinals, dispatching third seed Mohamed ElShorbagy in the biggest upset of the tournament so far at Grand Central Terminal.

Directly following the presentation of a proclamation from New York City Mayor Eric Adams recognizing the ToC’s “skilled squash players from around the world” who “showcase their impressive abilities, while fostering a cultural exchange between participants and spectators alike, who are united by their enthusiasm for this fast-moving racket sport,” Rodriguez and ElShorbagy put on a performance of that very spirit.

Eager to reclaim the world #1 ranking and earn his fourth ToC title, ElShorbagy came out of the gates strong and took the first game 11-6. The Colombian Cannonball started to find his form in the second game and won a crucial tie break 12-10 to level the game score. With the crowd starting to turn in his favor, Rodriguez won a close third 11-9 and held a steady lead in the fourth to win 11-9, 11-5 in fifty-two minutes. The result marked Rodriguez’s third career win against the Englishman in their twentieth encounter.

“I came without pressure, of course, I was expecting a tough match and, you know, playing Ali Farag, Tarek Momen, the top five guys, it’s always very tough, especially in the first rounds like, I mean, the first match,” Rodriguez said. “But overall, I think I played very smooth today. I was just trying not to play the same way I play. You know, every time, like defending and maybe waiting for mistakes. My strategy was to keep more like at the back, at the corners and maybe when I had like a loose ball going for the shots and still doing my trick shots and everything went well and yeah, I feel very smooth without tension, because usually those kind of matches, it gives you a lot of tension in your body and you start to worry too much about what’s going to happen or what’s happening during the match.”

While the Colombian pulled off the biggest upset of the first two days of play, numerous seeds and higher-ranked players narrowly survived close encounters.

New Zealand’s fourth seed Joelle King held off a five-game comeback from Wales’ Emily Whitlock in Grand Central, while England’s eightth seed Sarah-Jane Perry came back from 2-1 down against Egypt’s world No. 14 Salma Hany to win in five at the Harvard Club.

“A really tough one there, coming back from 2-1 down against any player is really difficult. But especially against someone like Salma with the quality that she possesses and the skills that she has,” Perry said. “A couple of those games there, I was really getting done because I was leaving the ball loose. So I had to really just knuckle down, focus on my length, then my shots and then look for the opportunities to attack. Thankfully, I just managed to go up a few gears and the start of the fifth and I could sort of sense she was a bit tired so I wanted to take advantage of that. I was really pleased with the fifth game particularly.”

After reaching the quarterfinals in his ToC debut last May, France’s world #10 Victor Crouin advanced in five games, 11-9 in the fifth against young Englishman Nick Wall.
Thirty-three-year-old Nicholas Mueller has been in the some of the best form of his career this season with a career high ranking of world #13, and backed it up with a sparkling five-game win over the tenacious  Joel Makin in the first men’s match on the glass court.

Team USA’s Sabrina Sobhy will face Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb in the third round following a four-game win against nineteen-year-old Egyptian Nour Aboulmakarim. Pushed on my a partial home crowd, Olivia Fiechter pushed top seed Nouran Gohar to four games, eventually falling in sixty-four minutes.

Friday will see the second half of the second round play out on the glass court and at Nicol Squash and New York Athletic Club with matches starting from 12pm.

Day ONE : Moataz and Tandon pull off five-game comebacks

Columbia graduate Ramit Tandon and Harvard graduate Hana Moataz will make their debuts in the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions second round after pulling off five-game comebacks against higher-ranked opponents.

The first round of ToC matches took place at the New York Athletic Club, River Club, Nicol Squash and Harvard Club with Tandon and Moataz providing the two most dramatic results of the day.

Tandon, world No. 40, opened his sixth ToC appearance on the back foot at Nicol Squash,finding himself down 8-11, 15-17 against Germany’s world No. 20 Raphael Kandra. The Indian international then came back to earn his first ToC main draw victory 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 after seventy-one minutes.

“I just kept fighting. It comes down to the basics,” Tandon said. “Growing up, people just tell you, to fight to the last point and that’s a little tricky because most of the time when you’re down and out, you don’t really come back. So to believe in that and to keep fighting, it’s something I’m really proud of today.”

The former All-American will take on Egypt’s world No. 30 Mohamed Elsherbini Friday at the Nicol Club for a chance to reach the glass court in Grand Central.

In May, the College Squash Association recognized Harvard’s Moataz with the Betty Richey Award for her exemplary play and sportsmanship throughout her college career on the glass court in Grand Central. The Egyptian is one step closer to playing on the same court following just her second career Platinum victory – a gritty 8-11, 11-13, 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 comeback against England’s world No. 31 Lucy Turmel.

“I think she had a really good start. I kind of had a slow start,” Moataz said. “I played way better towards the end. I think I was just really stressed in the beginning so I was just trying to enjoy it a bit more and play some proper squash towards the end. I think I’m more aggressive towards the middle. I like to volley and attack more, I feel like I was very passive in the beginning and she kept boasting a lot and I didn’t get any of it, but I think I was playing much better towards the end. I’m happy I was able to get it together and I think I’m just going to take it match by match.”

Elsewhere in the first round, ToC debutantes Nick Wall and Jana Shiha defeated higher-ranked Shahjahan Khan and Zeina Mickawy. Veteran Cesar Salazar defeated compatriot Leonel Cardenas in straight games just months after Cardenas overtook Salazar as the highest-ranked Mexican on the PSA World Tour.

Thursday will field the first half of the second round with the tournament’s top seeds making their first appearances, and glass court play in Vanderbilt Hall commencing at 12.00.

25th Anniversary edition at Grand Central

The 2023 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions will recognize its twenty-fifth year in Grand Central Terminal with a slate of special events celebrating and bringing together the squash community as the world’s best players vie for the prestigious PSA Platinum titles.

The world’s top squash players return to contest the first Platinum ToC held in its traditional January staging since 2020. Tickets are still available to watch world class squash and take part in special events celebrating the ToC, New York and U.S. squash communities.

Qualifying :  Akanksha Salunkhe and Hollis Robertson will make their ToC debuts after winning the wild card playoffs at the Yale Club on Tuesday. Salunkhe opened the evening with a resolute victory over U.S. junior Anna Shumway 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 in nineteen minutes. Robertson, the top ranked U19 player in the country, came from 0-2 down to beat Wales’ former Peter Creed 8-11, 3-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 in sixty-one minutes.