Elnawasany in another upset win

World No.25 Yahya Elnawasany has reached the final of the Airsprint Private Aviation Canadian Men’s Open 2026 after an impressive 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 victory over Leonel Cardenas, marking an unbelievable tournament.

He will take on World No.5 Victor Crouin secured his place in the final after a dominant 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 victory over Juan Vargas.

Elnawasany, who entered the contest without winning a match against the World No. 14, having lost all five of their previous meetings, was looking to upset yet another top-four seeded player, after yesterdays unbelievable five-game comeback.

In the opening game of the semi-finals in Calgary, Cardenas started the quicker of the pair, growing a 4-1 lead. Despite the No.4 seed coming out of the blocks quickly, Elnawasany’s patience in the long rallies and an adapting attacking style allowed him to put his opponent under considerable pressure, eventually taking the lead at 5-4.

However, the World No.14 would wrestle the opener back in his favour, preventing his opponent from growing distance on the scoreboard.

With very little to separate the two on court, in what seemed more like a game of chess, Cardenas would eventually earn two game balls against Elnawasany. A few errors from the World No.25 were enough for the No.4 seed to pounce and claim the first 11-8 after 25 minutes.

After a brutal opening game, the duo would continue to battle hard on court, preventing one another from taking control of the second. However, as the game continued to develop, it was Elnawasany who was able to benefit in the battle of endurance.

The No.7 seeds patience in the long rallies and sharp attacking play caused Cardenas issues, as Elnawasany went on to win seven consecutive points, winning 11-6.

Nearing the hour mark as the match moved into the third, two-minute rallies became a regular occurrence, with both players being pushed to the limit on the glass court in Calgary.

As the third game unfolded, it was Elnawasany who would come out the stronger of the two, as he would race away from his opponent, winning six of the next seven points, to claim the third 11-6.

Moving into the fourth, the Egyptian would take full control of the contest and proved to be too much for his opponent, as he was able to win the match 3-1, reaching his second consecutive final in recent weeks, coming off the back of winning the McMillan Goodfellow Classic Copper event.

Reaching his second consecutive final, Elnawasany said: “I am feeling really good, before I came to Canada I never imagined that I would reach two finals in a row, let alone win a title, and play back-to-back here.

“I was suffering from the inconsistency in the previous years, so I am really happy that I could push and be consistent in a number of matches.”

He continued: “It was tough first game, it went his way, the second game it was really close. I knew I was putting the work in to his legs, and today I knew it was a close first game and I knew it could swing my way, so I was ready to take the opporunity and I was happy to do that.”

In the other semi-finals, despite going down two points at the start of the first game, Crouin was able to take control of the contest, winning the next seven points to take a 7-2 lead. From then on the No.2 seed was able to move into cruise control, winning the opener 11-6.

The second game continued to display high-quality squash, with the Calgary crowd making their voices heard in appreciation of the entertaining match. Vargas would once again take a 2-0 lead, but unlike the opener, was able to hold the lead for some time, at 4-2.

However, with momentum favouring the Crouin, the points distance from his opponent proved not great enough, as the No.2 seed would level the scores to 5-5, before marching on to an 8-5 lead.

Following the comeback in the second game, the determined Crouin would then punish the No.6 seed as he was able to take a two-game advantage, winning 11-7.

In the final game of the match, Crouin’s dominant performance would reach its peak, as he established a 9-0 lead. And despite Vargas putting three points on the board, it wasn’t enough for the World No.31, as Crouin would win the game 11-3.

A previous finalist at this event in 2023, Crouin will now face Yahya Elnasawany, as he looks to win his second consecutive event after his triumph at the 2026 Texas Open.

Following the match, Crouin said: “I mean it was a great match, probably my best match here in Calgary, in the last 3 years so very happy with that performance.

“I want to win this title after I made the final in the first year, and the semi-finals last year, so hopefully I can win this title this year.

“I  am happy to be here, and be back on court for another day,” he added.

Semi-final results: [7] Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt. [3] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 3-1: 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 (86m); [2] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt. [6] Juan Vargas (COL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 (39m)