PHILADELPHIA – Egyptian stars World No.2 Hania El-Hammamy and World No.1 Mostafa Asal capped off a remarkable campaign at the 2025 US Open Squash Championships, each lifting the title in commanding fashion after straight-game wins over Amina Orfi and Paul Coll in Philadelphia.
El-Hammamy captured her maiden US Open crown with a hard-fought 11-9, 12-10, 12-10 triumph over compatriot and World No.3 Amina Orfi.
The win extended her unbeaten run on the PSA World Tour to 15 matches and secured her third consecutive major title of the 2025/26 season.
The 24-year-old No.2 seed produced her trademark mix of athleticism and tactical precision, using the lob to great effect to disrupt Orfi’s attacking rhythm.
In doing so, El-Hammamy moved to within striking distance of World No.1 Nouran Gohar in the PSA World Rankings and lifted her 17th career title after 57 minutes of high-quality play.
El-Hammamy continued to ride her wave of confidence early in the third, charging into a 5-0 lead with some sublime squash. The combination of her athleticism and the tactical use of her lob as a reset option proved crucial in negating Orfi’s attacking threats.
Orfi continued to battle away in the third game, though, reducing the deficit to 7-7 and later 10-10, with El-Hammamy spurning her first Championship Ball after clipping a regulation drop shot into the tin. However, once again, the 25-year-old kept her cool to bring up another Championship Ball and convert at the second time of asking with a stunning flicked dropshot.
“I am out of words for so many reasons, but being a US Open champion is amazing,” El-Hammamy said.
“I have reached the final twice before and I couldn’t make it, and I guess it’s third time lucky. It’s such a prestigious event; it is one of the biggest titles on the PSA Tour, so finally getting my first US Open title means a lot.
“I am really proud of everything. I am really proud of the way I managed to get myself up from where I was a year ago, and it just means a lot to be here and lift this trophy,” El-Hammamy added according to psasquashtour.com.
Meanwhile, Asal joined El-Hammamy in lifting the US Open title without dropping a game all week after claiming a supreme 11-9, 11-3, 11-3 victory over No.2 seed Paul Coll.
The current World No.1 and World Champion avenged his recent defeat to the Kiwi No.1 in the Qatar Classic final with a performance filled with crisp line hitting and aggressive stroke play into the front two corners.
After taking a nip-and-tuck 20-minute first game by an 11-9 scoreline, Asal took full advantage of a dramatic drop off in the ball, hitting a penetrating length which World No.3 Coll struggled to match.
‘The Raging Bull’ grew ever more confident as the match entered the second and third games, with the Egyptian powering through to his second US Open title after 57 minutes of play.
The one-way traffic continued into the third game, with Asal becoming ever more confident and powering into an insurmountable 8-0 lead. The Egyptian wrapped up a perfect week of squash in which he didn’t drop a single game with a devastating straight kill off the serve of Coll.
“It is amazing to bounce back, they always say that ‘once a beast always a beast,” Asal said.
“I didn’t drop a game throughout and it is an amazing feeling to bounce back. I am really proud of myself and my team. It was a tough few weeks, but to be mentally tough and mentally strong is the most important thing in life.
“I just want to say to all the juniors out there struggling and having a lot on their minds while playing the tournament, you have to believe in yourself and your abilities.
“Once you are a champion, you are always a champion. I am really happy that I was able to carry on as myself after two losses, and I wasn’t looking good in the last tournament.”
