MOHAMED ELSHORGABY

 Titles 

• World Champion (2017),

• 4x Hong Kong Open (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018),

• 4x Qatar Classic (2013, 2015, 2017, 2022),

• 3x British Open (2015, 2016, 2019),

• 3x Oracle NetSuite Open (2017, 2019, 2022),

• 3x Tournament of Champions (2015, 2016, 2020),

• 3x US Open (2014, 2016, 2018),

• 2x Canary Wharf Classic (2018, 2020),

• 2x China Open (2016, 2019),

• 2x El Gouna International (2016, 2021),

• 2x Motor City Open (2011, 2014),

• 2x Windy City Open (2016, 2018),

• 2x World Tour Finals (2017, 2018),

• Abierto Mexicano (2014),

• British Grand Prix (2015),

• Channel VAS Championships (2017),

• Colombia Open (2016),

• Grasshopper Cup (2019),

• Macau Open (2011),

• Malaysian Open (2014),

• Manchester Open (2020),

• New Zealand Open (2022),

• Sky Open (2013),

• Singapore Open (2022),

• Squash on Fire Open (2022)

• Men's World Team Champion (EGY - 2011),

• 2x World Junior Champion (2008, 2009),

• Egyptian National Champion (2017),

• British National Champion (2022)

 

Biography

One of the most talented players on the PSA World Tour, Mohamed ElShorbagy had five stints at world No. 1, became world champion and is now approaching 50 Tour titles.

 

The Alexandria-born star rose to prominence in 2007 after becoming the first player in history to win a first PSA World Tour title at a five-star event. He then entered the record books again soon after, becoming the second man after Ramy Ashour to win the Junior World Championship twice when he triumphed in 2008 and 2009.

 

The Egyptian came close to winning the Senior World Championship in 2012 after beating James Willstrop in a tense five-match semi-final but lost to fellow countryman Ashour in the final. In 2013, he claimed his first World Series victory at the Qatar Classic and showed supreme form throughout the 2014 campaign, winning five events including World Series tournaments in Hong Kong and the US Open.

 

The latter in particular was important as he lifted ElShorbagy to world No. 1 for the first time in his career, thanks to his victory over Gregory Gaultier in the semi-finals, becoming the fourth youngest player to reach the milestone. He lost a second world championship final, to fellow countryman Ashour, at the 2014 tournament in Qatar in what has been dubbed one of squash's greatest matches of all time.

 

The Egyptian recovered from his World Championship heartbreak to claim the Tournament of Champions title in January 2015 and, after finishing runners-up at the Windy City Open and the El Gouna International, he won the British Open for the first time in his career. beating Gaultier in the final. ElShorbagy won the British Grand Prix title in September 2015 before celebrating 12 months atop the world rankings the following month.

 

After securing another PSA World Series triumph at the Qatar Classic in November, he dropped out of the world championship in the third round after a shock exit against James Willstrop as his search for the sport's biggest prize continued. However, a spellbinding streak of form from December 2015 to April 2016 saw ElShorbagy dominate the PSA World Tour, bringing him as many as six successive World Series title victories, including defending his British Open crown after ending a four-game winless run against Ashour. 

 

During this time, ElShorbagy also broke Ashour's record for the highest ever world ranking points average in April, a record he then broke again a month later. A superb season ended with a bang when he was crowned the 2016 PSA Men's Player of the Year.

 

ElShorbagy started the 2016/17 season strong enough with another victory at the US Open, but fell short of becoming the first player to win the Qatar Classic three times in a row after a final loss to compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad - just a month after Gawad had beaten him in the semi-finals of the world championship.

 

However, the following month, ElShorbagy became the third Egyptian player to spend an entire year atop the world rankings after topping the world rankings in December 2016. ElShorbagy suffered a dip in form during the 2016/17 season, l 1 suffering from his longest title drought in three years. The Egyptian lost in the semi-finals of the British Open to England's Nick Matthew, then came out in the quarter-finals of the El Gouna International Squash Open after losing to his younger brother, Marwan.

 

However, ElShorbagy's fortunes changed in the PSA Dubai World Series season finale as he beat England's James Willstrop 3-0 in the final to end the season on a high with a title. The Egyptian's 2017/18 season got off to an incredible start, winning seven of his first nine tournaments. He won the Oracle NetSuite Open and Channel VAS championships, sandwiching a second-place finish at the US Open.

 

The Beast went on to claim victories at the Qatar Classic, Hong Kong Open and PSA World Championships. Titles at the Windy City Open and Canary Wharf Classic also followed in the season. He finished second in the Grasshopper Cup and the British Open, before starting the 2018/19 season with another 2nd place, this time at the Oracle NetSuite Open. ElShorbagy claimed victory at the US Open, beating Simon Rösner in the final, before retaining his title at the Hong Kong Open. He finished second in the Tournament of Champions to start 2019.

 

After losing the world No. 1 spot to Ali Farag, ElShorbagy rebounded with tournament wins at the Grasshopper Cup and the British Open, as well as a second-place finish at the DPD Open. 'The Beast' started the 2019-20 campaign with two titles. He claimed victory at the JP Morgan China Squash Open, before also winning the Oracle NetSuite Open in San Francisco later that month. He then finished second at the US Open and the Channel VAS Championships before securing a third title of the season at the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York.