The draws for the most prestigious event on the PSA Squash Tour calendar – the British Open – will see World No.1s Mostafa Asal and Hania El Hammamy leading the fields in June.
Dominant Asal he looks to win the British Open for the second time in his career. The 24-year-old has proved to be an unstoppable force on the Tour this season, winning all but one of the major events and losing only two matches all season so far.
Asal has reached the British Open final on the last two occasions, winning in 2024 but losing in last year’s final to Diego Elias. He’ll be determined to reclaim the trophy this year and become the latest multiple-time British Open champion.
Two-time champion Paul Coll is the No.2 seed this year as he looks to become the fifth male player to win the British Open three times since 2000.
Coll has been Asal’s main contender this season due to injuries to other players and managed to get the better of the World No.1 in Qatar in October. Since then, Coll hasn’t managed to beat Asal but has maintained a consistently strong level. He’ll be hoping to turn that into another title this week in a place he visits regularly to work with coach Rob Owen.
Defending champion Elias and 2016 World Champion Karim Gawad occupy the Joint third seeding places.
Elias’ season hasn’t gone the way he would have liked so far. A knee injury sustained in the Egyptian Open final ruled him out until January, and he’s struggled to get back up to speed with the leading players.
However, the recent Optasia Championships final with Asal will give him great confidence heading into a busy end to the season.
World No.4 Gawad is set for his 13th British Open main draw appearance in Birmingham this year. A record only beaten by Mohamed ElShorbagy, who will feature in his 15th later this season.
Gawad has reached the semi-finals of the British Open on two occasions throughout his career but has never progressed to a final. With the skills and deception still a huge part of the Egyptian’s game, he is capable of beating anyone on his day.
He’s been drawn in the same half as No.2 seed Coll, whilst a repeat of the 2025 final is seeded to happen in the top half semi between Asal and Elias.
The 5/8 seeded players in the men’s draw are all more than capable of causing an upset to reach the semi-finals. British duo Joel Makin and Marwan ElShorbagy both sit in the bottom half of the draw, with Makin seeded to face Paul Coll and Elshorbagy due to take on Karim Gawad.
France’s Victor Crouin and Egypt’s World Junior champion Mohamad Zakaria complete the top eight seeds in the top half, both looking to end positive seasons on a high. World No.7 Youssef Ibrahim will miss out on this year’s British Open due to exceptional circumstances.
2022 British Open women’s champion and current World No.1 Hania El Hammamy is hoping to win both of the Diamond events this season.
With the absence of Nouran Gohar, 25-year-old El Hammamy has risen to the task and been a dominant force, claiming four major event titles.
Her successful partnership with two-time British Open champion Laura Massaro has been a turning point in her career, success that the pair will be hoping will take the World No.1 to another British Open title.
Three-time champion and great of the modern game Nour ElSherbini, will certainly have something to say about El Hammamy’s pursuit of the trophy. After a shaky start to the season, the eight-time World Champion has found top form since December, losing only two matches (both to El Hammamy) and claiming three titles.
ElSherbini has a knack for peaking for the World Championships and could be heading to the British Open as a nine-time World Champion, which would make her the most successful player in the event’s history.
ElSherbini has reached the final in six of the last eight times that she’s featured and will be desperate to put herself in that title-deciding match once again.
Despite the dominance of the world’s top two players, it hasn’t been all plain sailing. No.3 and No.4 seeds Amina Orfi and Olivia Weaver have both made life difficult for the leading pair at times this season.
Orfi beat ElSherbini at the U.S Open and held a match ball in the Windy City Open final, whilst Weaver led 9-3 in the fifth game against El Hammamy in the Tournament of Champions final. Both players will be hoping that this is the major event where they can finally taste victory and end the run of ‘The Big Three’ at major events.
No.5 and 6 seeds Sivasangari Subramaniam and Satomi Watanabe have established themselves as the clear contenders to the top players this season and their presence in the draw might make their potential quarter final opponents, ElSherbini and Weaver slightly worried.
Fayrouz Aboelkheir and Tinne Gilis complete the top eight seedings as they look to end their seasons in good form.
