Fayrouz Aboelkheir defeated Nada Abbas (Photo PSA)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir and Georgina Kennedy will face off in a rematch of their Swedish Squash Open final bout when they contest the Canadian Women’s Open title tomorrow night at Brookfield Place, Toronto.
Aboelkheir, who was victorious against Kennedy in Stockholm at the start of the month, downed fellow Egyptian Nada Abbas to mark her first appearance at this event with a place in tomorrow’s title decider.
The 20-year-old ruthlessly dispatched her opponent in the first with a 11-1 victory, but Abbas provided much sterner tests in the second and third games. However errors from Abbas proved costly in both games, as Aboelkheir edged the second 11-9 before taking the third 11-8 to progress to tomorrow’s final.
“Nada’s [Abbas] a great player and playing her is not easy so I came in today and I knew I had to be focused from the very beginning. I’m happy I closed it in three,” she said.
“I think [your legs] are never fresh, but definitely I feel happy and more fuel in my tank probably than other players so I’m happy.”
Kennedy also earned her place in tomorrow’s final with a comprehensive 3-0 win against 2024 champion Tinne Gilis.
England No.1 Kennedy – who had never lost to Gilis on the PSA Squash Tour – stretched her unbeaten streak over the Belgian to five matches following a 11-5, 11-2, 11-3 triumph in half an hour.
“Tinne’s my best friend on Tour without a doubt. With that means we know everything about each other, we know everything that’s going on,” she said post-match.
“Tinne is the biggest fighter I know. She’s so tough. She’s obviously not at 100% right now but she’s still putting herself in positions where she’s stepping out to compete and that just shows her character. It’s really hard playing against her all the time.
“I try not to worry about the score. I think every day is a new day, but it’s always a bonus to go into [the final] after playing a shorter match.”
In the Canada Cup, also being held at Brookfield Place, Diego Elias came out on top in an entertaining encounter with former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy.
Elias, who hasn’t lost to ElShorbagy on the PSA Squash Tour since the semi finals of the Black Ball Open in 2023, extended his winning streak against the former World Champion with a convincing 3-0 success.
The top seed for the event moved superbly and was clinical all over the court to seal a 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 victory in just 24 minutes.
“He’s [ElShorbagy] a very close friend of mine and he’s been at the top of the game for 20 years,” he said.
“It’s always a pleasure to be back on court with him and there’s been so many tough matches with him. It’s a pleasure to be back on court with him.”
Leonel Cardenas, the No.2 seed in Toronto, will be Elias’ opponent after the Mexican overcame Dimitri Steinmann in straight games.
A monumental 26-minute opening game, which Cardenas edged 11-9, appeared to have taken a physical toll on Steinmann in the ensuing games with Cardenas winning 11-7 and then 12-10 in the tiebreak despite a late surge from Steinmann.
“Dimitri [Steinmann] is a great player, he’s a strong player and I knew how important the first game was so I had to make it physical,” he said.
“I love this court and playing in Toronto and I feel like it’s my second home. I’m happy with my result tonight.”
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Canadian Women’s Open
[1] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt. [5] Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-0: 11-1, 11-9, 11-8 (35m)
[2] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt. [3] Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-0: 11-5, 11-2, 11-3 (30m)
Canada Cup
[1] Diego Elias (PER) bt. [3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 (24m)
[2] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt. [5] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 12-10 (57m)
