Fayrouz Aboelkheir and Mohamad Zakaria (Photo PSA)
Egyptian pair Fayrouz Aboelkheir and Mohamad Zakaria lifted the Swedish Open squash titles in Stockholm after overcoming Georgina Kennedy and Joel Makin, respectively.
Aboelkheir created history by becoming the first-ever women’s champion of the Swedish Open, emphatically beating English No.1 Kennedy 3-0.
The World No.7 didn’t drop a single game all week, and the 20-year-old was in red hot form in the title decider with Kennedy, dominating the middle of the court throughout their 31-minute battle.
Kennedy, who was impressive in her come-from-behind victory in the quarter finals and her semi-final triumph, struggled to dislodge Aboelkheir from the ‘T’ as the Egyptian claimed a sensational 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 victory for her eighth PSA Squash Tour title.
“I’m feeling over the moon,” she said.
“I’m very happy to win another title and one here Stockholm. This city is amazing so I wanted to leave it with a very good note and I’m very happy to be here.
“It feels special [becoming the first women’s champion of the Swedish Open]. To say I’d be the first one to ever win this event is a new record for me and I can’t wait to come back and just do more records in this space.
“I don’t remember the last time I won an event without dropping a game, but I’m just very happy and I played against top players this week. I’m very pleased with my performance and how I stuck to it. I’m just grateful for it.”
Meanwhile in the men’s event, Zakaria landed his ninth Tour title by defeating Makin 3-1.
Zakaria, meeting Makin for a fourth time in 2026, fended off a spirited fightback from the Welshman to clinch the crown.
World No.6 Zakaria, who’s endured two battles over 100 minutes in duration with Makin this year, played out another lengthy bout with the World No.8 in Stockholm.
The 19-year-old stormed into a 2-0 lead, but Makin dug deep to strike back in the third to halve the deficit. A new ball request from Zakaria at the end of the third game paid dividends for the top seed, as he dominated the fourth 11-2 to close out the 77-minute clash.
“I feel very proud for several things,” he said.
“First is really recovering from a very low spot last week when I lost in Qatar. It was an important step in my career because I got to really focus on the changes I need to do instead of dwelling on the loss.
“I’m really proud of myself now because I put a lot of work not just on court, but mentally to try to accept that I need to change some stuff. It’s easier said than done, it’s very tough and I’m happy with the people around me.
“The matches with Joel [Makin] are now becoming a classic. They’re always very tough physically, but I think this time the difference was the first two games. I had the upper hand a little bit and I was trying to get in front and not let balls get behind me.
“At the third, I took my foot off the gas pedal a little bit and he played very well. I’m happy that he’s recovering from his injury and he’s getting back to the Joel Makin we all know.”
The next stop on the PSA Squash Tour is the CIB Egyptian Squash Open 2026, a Diamond-level event, with qualifying rounds held between 6-8 October and the main draw taking place between October 10-16.
Result
Men’s Final: [1] Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) bt [2] Joel Makin (WAL) 3-1: 11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 11-2 (77m)
Women’s Final: [1] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt [2] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 (31m)
