DIEGO ELIAS

Titles

• 2x Motor City Open (2020, 2022),

• Canada Cup (2019), Macau Open (2019),

• Manchester Open (2021), Mauritius Open (2022),

• Qatar Classic (2021), US Open (2022)

• 2x World Junior Champion (2014, 2015),

• 4x Pan American Games Medalists (1x Gold, 1x Silver,
2x Bronze)

 

Biography

Low-key Peruvian Diego Elias is one of the most gifted youngsters on the PSA World Tour, and has already become one of the best South Americans to have played the game, having reached the top three in the world rankings in October 2022.

 

After joining the PSA World Tour in May 2013, Elias would win his first title a year later at the Regatas Resistencia Open-Tour De Las Americas where he stunned the crowd despite being a wildcard for the event. In doing so, Elias became the first Peruvian to win a PSA World Tour title.

 

Three months later, he claimed the accolade of becoming the first Peruvian to become the junior world champion after failing to lose a single match during the event and beating Omar Elatmas in the final. The following month he doubled his PSA World Tour title tally by winning the Salt Lake City Open and in December 2014 he broke the top 50 in the world.

 

He claimed his first-ever PSA U15 crown at the Costa Rica Open with a straight victory over Alan Clyne in the final in June 2015 to cap off a stellar 2014/15 season for the teenage sensation. Elias started the 2015/16 season with a succession of quarter-finals. He then reached the Netsuite Open semi-final where England's James Willstrop got the better of him to advance to the final.

 

The Peruvian then reached the semi-final but lost to Ryan Cuskelly at the Harrow Charlottesville Open in 2016, before advancing to the final the following week at the Nash Cup, where Declan James edged him on a five exhausting. Games. However, Elias won his own title, this time winning the Reidbuilt Homes Edmonton Open in 2016, beating Cesar Salazar. This was followed by two semi-final appearances at the Suburban Collection Motor City Open and the Holtrand Open in 2017.

 

The 2017/18 season started well for the Peruvian Puma, as they reached the semi-finals of the Oracle NetSuite Open. He then reached the same stage of the Channel VAS Championships the following month. Elias then reached the Sporta Guatemala XI Torneo Internacional PSA 2018 final, where he was defeated by fellow South American, Miguel Rodriguez.

 

He was part of the Peruvian team that won the doubles at the South American Games, as well as the singles itself. Elias also won the Pan American Championship. The Peruvian made another appearance in the semi-finals of the Channel VAS Championships in 2018, before reaching the same stage of the Qatar Classic. He then finished second to Karim Abdel Gawad at the Pakistan Open, before losing to Mohamed Abouelghar in the Motor City Open final in early 2019.

 

Elias won the Canada Cup and the Macau Open in 2019, before finishing second at the XII Torneo Internacional PSA Sporta in Guatemala, where he lost to Miguel Rodriguez in the final. The 2019-20 campaign began with a final appearance in Philadelphia, as he reached the semi-finals of a major tournament for the second time in his career. He then made the quarter-finals of the world championships in Qatar.

 

After an early exit from the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in early 2020, the "Peruvian Puma" won the Motor City Open, before reaching the last four of the Troilus Canada Cup. Elias made the quarter-finals of the Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family and the St. James's Place Canary Wharf Classic before the Tour was suspended due to COVID-19.

 

The 'Peruvian Puma' reached the quarter-finals of the CIB Egyptian Open, the first Platinum tournament of the 2020-21 campaign, but lost to eventual finalist Tarek Momen in a five game long affair. Elias has also reached the last eight of the last two events of the year, including the Qatar Classic and the CIB Black Ball Squash Open.

 

After recovering from an injury that kept him sidelined for the first half of 2021, Elias returned with a quarter-final result at the PSA World Championships, before going on to win the Silver level of the 'Manchester Open, beating Welshman Joel Makin in the final at National Squash. Center.

 

The 'Peruvian Puma' then made history later in the year, becoming the first man from his country to win a major title, beating Paul Coll to win the Qatar QTerminals Classic. The victory propelled him into the top five of the world rankings for the first time in his career. He ended 2021 with a semi-final result at the Canary Wharf Classic.

 

Elias started 2022 by beating Fares Dessouky and winning the Sturbridge Capital Motor City Open, before finishing second at the inaugural Optasia Championships in Wimbledon, England. A second final appearance in 2022 came at the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions, where he lost to world No. 1 Ali Farag