HOUSTON — World No.1s Ali Farag and Nouran Gohar of Egypt triumphed in Houston, winning the 2025 Texas Squash Open titles with victories over Mostafa Asal and Hania el-Hammamy.
There were storylines beyond just the trophies at stake going into the two finals, with Asal knowing he would regain the men’s World No.1 ranking with a win, while Gohar was seeking revenge for her defeat to El-Hammamy at last month’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.
Much of the talk ahead of the women’s final had been about the severity of Gohar’s knee injury, but despite wearing a brace on her left leg – as she had done all week – she moved with relative freedom throughout game one, closing it out with a crunching backhand kill down the line.
The players exchanged a brief word as they headed off court and it was El Hammamy who made the better start to game two, hitting a pair of crisp winners to end the first two rallies.
She went on to dominate game two to draw level before hitting an outrageous winner on the first point of game three, a brilliant inside-out backhand drop that sent Gohar the wrong way.
The 24-year-old couldn’t help but smile at her own moment of magic, raising her arm to the crowd who responded with an even louder cheer.
She was unable to capitalise on the crowd’s energy, though, as Gohar rediscovered her rhythm to move back in front 2-1, with both players requesting a new ball to start game four.
The World No.1 had enjoyed considerable success down the backhand side in game three, highlighted by a pair of typically powerful kills, prompting El Hammamy into attacking the forehand side more often in game four.
But Gohar dealt with everything that came her way, playing accurate squash throughout and continuing to have success down the left-hand wall, bringing up three match balls at 10-7.
She saw the first two come and go, the second on a backhand boast that might have been a winner had it not clipped the tin, but she would not be denied a third time, hitting a perfectly-weighted cross-court backhand that left El Hammamy no chance of a return.
“I’ve been pleased with the way things have ended,” she said, discussing her injury, after the win.
“To be honest, I had zero expectations before coming to this event, knowing the situation I was in. It’s part of the sport obviously and it’s how you adapt. Not everyone was convinced or happy that I was playing this one, especially my physiotherapist and my team back home.
“But I think no one knows their body more than the athlete themselves and I was hoping for the best a bit from my body and I’m very proud of it.
“That was the main win for this week, to just play and not be injured even more.”
That was followed by an anti-climatic ending to the men’s final, as Farag beat Asal in a match that only lasted two games.
Farag won this event in both 2022 and 2024 – not playing in 2023 – and has been the men’s World No.1 since June 2023, but came into this final knowing that defeat to ‘The Raging Bull’ would see the 23-year-old overtake him at the top of the rankings.
Farag had also lost his three most recent encounters with Asal, all by a 3-1 scoreline, but put an end to that streak on the all-glass show court at Houston Squash Club, dominating the first two games before seeing his opponent retire injured.
Farag, though, was full value for his lead when the match did come to an end, playing exceptionally accurate squash throughout, weaving a majestic web around both the court and his opponent.
