GillenMarkets London Squash Classic ~ Thursday 28 March to Monday 1 April 2024

🏆 Stand by for five days of world-class squash in iconic surroundings as the inaugural GillenMarkets London Squash Classic takes place at Alexandra Palace.

NEWSFLASH: The 2024 London Squash Classic is a wrap!

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CONGRATULATIONS to Sivasangari Subramaniam and Paul Coll the women’s and men’s champions respectively at the 2024 GillenMarkets London Squash Classic.  No.7 seed Subramaniam enjoyed a dream week at Alexandra Palace.  The Malaysian star beat world No.1 El Sherbini in the quarter-finals, before taking down world No.4 Nele Gilis in the last four en route to the final where Subramaniam saw off world No.2 Hania El Hammamy. 

In the men’s competition, number one seed Coll proved himself the squash king of London, following up March’s triumph at the Optasia Championship with victory in north London.  The New Zealander’s London Squash Classic final against Mostafa Asal was cut short due to the Egyptian retiring hurt – but not before Coll had shown the class that, in the space of a month, has propelled him to back-to-back PSA World Tour titles.

2024 EVENT PREVIEW

The London Squash Classic is a new event replacing the Canary Wharf Squash Classic on the PSA World Tour calendar.  The draws have been made and New Zealand’s Paul Coll and Egypt’s Nour ElSherbini are the top seeds in the men’s and women’s events respectively.  See below for the draw details in full!

Over the last two decades the Canary Wharf Classic has established itself as one of the most highly anticipated events in the squash calendar.  The title has been held aloft by world champions such as Mohamed ElShorbagy and Nick Matthew, as well as former world No.1 James Willstrop.  In 2023 New Zealand’s Paul Coll took the honours, becoming a three-time winner after coming from behind to beat Wales’ Joel Makin 3-1 in the final.  

The proposed refurbishments to the East Wintergarden venue – where the Canary Wharf Squash Classic has taken place since its launch in 2004 – are such that it can no longer host a squash event.  A new era commences in spring 2024 when the Canary Wharf Squash Classic is replaced by the London Squash Classic.  Taking place from Wednesday 27 March to Monday 1 April the first round (on Wednesday 27 March) will take place at Coolhurst Squash Club with the second round matches onwards (Thursday 28 to Monday 1 April) hosted at the famous Alexandra Palace.  The new event will features a men’s and women’s draw.

Get ready for some spectacular action on an all-glass court in north London.  The world’s male and female stars are set to serve up explosive entertainment at the London Squash Classic which, like the Canary Wharf Squash Classic before it, is a PSA Gold-level event.  

👀 Read on for news of the draw, the latest ticket information, timings and travel tips ⤵️

LONDON SQUASH CLASSIC – TICKETS & TIMINGS

🎟️ Tickets for the London Squash Classic are off sale.

🎫 Hospitality packages are off sale.  

🏆 Matches start daily at 12 noon and 5pm. 

LONDON SQUASH CLASSIC – DRAW

Men’s event

Top Seed

World No.3 Paul Coll is the number one seed.  Coll has won six times on English soil, making up 50% of his total World Tour titles, including last year’s GillenMarkets Canary Wharf Classic.  England is a hunting ground for the 31-year-old who has won two Platinum titles this season, as well as the New Zealand Open.  The Kiwi will be determined to continue his fine form in the best-of-three format.  He’ll be up against either USA’S Timothy Brownell or Egypt’s former Canary Wharf Classic winner Fares Dessouky in round two on Thursday 28th March.

Other Seeds

The No.2 seed in the men’s event will be world No.4 Mostafa Asal. The Egyptian claimed the first World Tour silverware on offer in 2024 capturing the Florida Open title in emphatic fashion.  ‘The Raging Bull’ is also no stranger to success in the best-of-three format, having won the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals on the last three occasions.  He’ll be looking to repeat his success in the format to claim a second title this year.  Asal kicks off his title challenge on Friday 29th March against Abdulla Al-Tamimi or Nick Wall.

Having put his injury issues behind him, No.3 seed Karim Abdel Gawad has already won three titles this season.  The Grasshopper Cup, Malaysia Cup and Pittsburgh Open are in the Gawad trophy cabinet.  The 2016 World Champion will be hoping to continue his fine form as he faces the winner of Ramit Tandon and Eain Yow Ng in his opening match after a round one bye.

Former world champion and world No.1 Mohamed Elshorbagy completes the top four seeds.  He looks to claim silverware for the first time since the Black Ball Open in March 2023.  Elshorbagy has lost out in a fifth game in seven of his last nine events, the last two coming at the hands of Mazen Hesham.  Elshorbagy will be determined to bounce back strongly and use the experience of his 710 career matches to put together a confident week in London.  He will start his campaign in round two against either England’s Adrian Waller or bogey player Youssef Ibrahim.

London Squash Classic – M’s Entry List

1. Paul Coll (NZL)
2. Mostafa Asal (EGY)
3. Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
4. Mohamed Elshorbagy (ENG) – pictured above in second-round action
5. Tarek Momen (EGY)
6. Joel Makin (WAL)
7. Marwan Elshorbagy (ENG)
8. Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
9. Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY)
10. Iker Pajares (ESP)
11. Fares Dessouky (EGY)
12. Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)
13. Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY)
14. Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
15. Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT)
16. Nathan Lake (ENG)
17. Adrian Waller (ENG)
18. Auguste Dussourd (FRA)
19. Raphael Kandra (GER)
20. Nick Wall (ENG)
21. Karim El Hammamy (EGY)
22. Ramit Tandon (IND)
23. Timothy Brownell (USA)
24. [WC] Declan James (ENG)

Women’s Event

Top Seed

For the first time in over a decade there is a major women’s event in the capital and, fittingly, world No.1 and world champion Nour ElSherbini heads the draw.  The 28-year-old is enjoying one of her most successful seasons to date.  She has already claimed five wins from six finals.  The top seed will be determined to add a sixth title to her tally for the season and stretch her lead at the top of the world rankings ever further.  Emilia Soini or Tesni Murphy will be ElSherbini’s opponent in round two on the Thursday of the event after an opening round bye.

Other Seeds

World No.2 Hania El Hammamy is the second seed for the event, as she looks to put together a strong week to try and win her first trophy of 2024 and third of the 2023/24 season.  It’s hard to believe that El Hammamy is only 23 years old.  The Egyptian is a force to be reckoned with when she pulls together the best elements of her game.  She has nearly 300 matches to her name including 20 World Tour final appearances.

Over the winter, third seed and world No.3 Nouran Gohar spent four months away from the PSA World Tour due to injury.  However, she returned at the Florida Open in January and picked up right where she left off to reach the Gold event final.  From there, Gohar lead 2-0 against Nour ElSherbini in the final of the J.P Morgan Tournament of Champions but couldn’t convert.  The determination and competitiveness of the former world No.1 always makes her a threat.  She’ll be looking to capture a first title of the season in London.

Belgium’s Nele Gilis occupies the fourth seeding position. The Belgian is another who has had previous success in the best-of-three format.  She beat her sister Tinne in the Open de France de Squash final in 2022. The 28-year-old has exited early in her opening two events of 2024.  Now she looks to respond in strong style to challenge the top three.

London Squash Classic – W’s Entry List

1. Nour ElSherbini (EGY)
2. Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
3. Nouran Gohar (EGY)
4. Nele Gilis (BEL)
5. Georgina Kennedy (ENG) – pictured above in second-round action
6. Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
7. Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
8. Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
9. Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
10. Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)
11. Hollie Naughton (CAN)
12. Satomi Watanabe (JAP)
13. Emily Whitlock (WAL)
14. Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
15. Lucy Turmel (ENG)
16. Tesni Murphy (WAL)
17. Mariam Metwally (EGY)
18. Katie Malliff (ENG)
19. Malak Khafagy (EGY)
20. Nicole Bunyan (CAN)
21. Grace Gear (ENG)
22. Enora Villard (FRA)
23. Emilia Soini (FIN)
24. [WC] Alicia Mead (ENG)

M & W Wildcards

The wildcards for the event are former world No.15 Declan James and world No.54 Alicia Mead.  30-year-old James is making a comeback from an injury-plagued two years.  This saw him drop outside the world’s top 100 for the first time since 2013.  James is back competing again now and determined to climb back up the rankings.

Women’s wildcard, Mead, will be competing in her sixth World Tour event at the London Squash Classic.  The 28-year-old has been steadily moving up the rankings and now sits at her highest position of world No.54.  This after winning the London Open back in November.  The Englishwoman faces tough opposition in her opening match as she faces Malaysia’s top ten-hunting Sivasangari Subramaniam on day one.

LONDON SQUASH CLASSIC – TRAVEL

🚊🚗 Travel tips: The closest railway station is Alexandra Palace overground at the Wood Green entrance to the park.  It’s on the Great Northern line and trains run direct from Moorgate, via Old Street, Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park.  Or take a train from Kings Cross, changing at Finsbury Park.  The nearest tube station is Wood Green on the Piccadilly line, a journey time of 20 minutes from Piccadilly Circus.  Exit the station and go to bus stop A to pick the up the W3 bus to Alexandra Palace.

The W3 bus runs from Finsbury Park and Tottenham directly to the venue.  If driving, the East car park is open most days.  There are 1,200 parking spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis.  The recommended donation is £3 per vehicle.  This goes towards the costs of looking after the Palace and the Park.  Plan your journey using the Transport for London website.

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