Mohamed ElShorbagy

Mohamed ElShorbagy - Bio

One of the most talented players on the PSA World Tour, Mohamed ElShorbagy has had five stints at World No.1, become a World Champion, and is now nearing 50 Tour titles.

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

The Egyptian came close to winning the senior World Championship in 2012 after besting James Willstrop in a five-game semi-final thriller but lost out to compatriot Ashour in the final. In 2013 he claimed his first World Series win in the Qatar Classic and exhibited some supreme form throughout the 2014 campaign, winning five events including World Series tournaments at the Hong Kong and US Opens.

The latter in particular was significant because it elevated ElShorbagy to World No.1 for the first time in his career, courtesy of his victory over Gregory Gaultier in the semi-final, becoming the fourth youngest player to reach the milestone. He lost a second World Championship final, against compatriot Ashour, during the 2014 tournament in Qatar in what was dubbed one of the greatest squash matches ever.

The Egyptian recovered from his World Championship heartbreak to lift the Tournament of Champions title in January 2015 and, after finishing runner-up at both 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 lifted the British Grand Prix title in September 2015 before celebrating 12 months at the summit of the World Rankings the following month.

After claiming another PSA World Series triumph at the Qatar Classic in November, he dropped out of the World Championship at third round stage after a shock exit to James Willstrop as his search for the sport’s biggest prize continued. However, a spell-binding run of form from December 2015 to April 2016 saw ElShorbagy dominate the PSA World Tour, bringing him up to six successive World Series title wins, including defending his crown at the British Open after ending a four-match winless run against Ashour.

During that period, ElShorbagy also broke Ashour’s record for the highest ever World Rankings points average in April, a record he then shattered again a month later. A superb season was rounded off in style when he was crowned the 2016 PSA Men’s Player of the Year.

ElShorbagy started the 2016/17 season fairly strongly with another victory at the U.S. Open, but he missed out on becoming the first player to win the Qatar Classic on three successive occasions after a final defeat to compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad - just a month after Gawad had beaten him in the World Championship semi-final.

However, the following month saw ElShorbagy become only the third Egyptian player to spend a whole year at the summit of the World Rankings after he topped the December 2016 World Rankings. ElShorbagy suffered a slump in form during the 2016/17 season with the former World No.1 suffering from his longest title drought in three years. The Egyptian lost in the semi-final of the British Open to England’s Nick Matthew and then exited at the quarter final stage of the El Gouna International Squash Open after defeat by young brother, Marwan.

However, ElShorbagy’s fortunes changed at the season-ending PSA Dubai World Series Finals as he downed England’s James Willstrop 3-0 in the final to finish the season on a high with a title. The Egyptian's 2017/18 season got off to an unbelievable start, winning seven of his first nine tournaments. He won the Oracle NetSuite Open and Channel VAS Championships, sandwiching a runners-up finish at the US Open.

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

After losing the World No.1 spot to Ali Farag, ElShorbagy bounced back with tournament wins at the Grasshopper Cup and the British Open, along with a runner-up finish at the DPD Open. ‘The Beast’ started the 2019-2020 campaign with two titles. He took victory at the J.P. Morgan China Squash Open, before then also claiming the Oracle NetSuite Open in San Francisco later that month. He then finished runner-up at both the U.S. Open and the Channel VAS Championships before securing a third title of the season at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York.

ElShorbagy claimed the World No.1 spot for a fourth time in his career in February following his victory at Grand Central Terminal, and backed it up with a win over his predecessor, Ali Farag, in the final of the St. James’s Place Canary Wharf Classic in London, in what was the final men’s match on the PSA World Tour before the enforced COVID-19 suspension.

‘The Beast’ won the Manchester Open on his return to the court following the suspension of the PSA World Tour, downing Karim Abdel Gawad in the final. The ongoing battle for the World No.1 spot went the way of Farag in late 2020, with ElShorbagy dropping back down to No.2 in the World Rankings.

2021 started well for ElShorbagy, as he claimed yet another major title, winning the El Gouna International for the second time, before then making the finals of the CIB PSA World Tour Finals, the PSA World Championships, and the CIB Egyptian Open. In the summer, he spent another month at the summit of the World Rankings, occupying the position for the fifth time in his career, and taking his tally at the top to 50 months.

In his first outing of 2022, ‘the Beast’ claimed the victory at the Squash on Fire Open in Washington, D.C., before then making it into the semi-finals of the Optasia Championships. ElShorbagy made the finals of the CIB PSA World Championships and the Manchester Open, before switching his allegiance to play under the English flag.

In his first event representing England, he made the final of the Necker Mauritius Open Presented by Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, losing out to an in-form Diego Elias in the final. He then claimed the British Nationals title on his first attempt, winning the event in Manchester after defeating reigning champion Joel Makin in the final.

‘The Beast’ very much returned in 2022, as he started the new season in an amazing vein of form. He won on his first outing, claiming the Platinum level QTerminals Qatar Classic for a fourth time, before then also winning the Oracle NetSuite Open.

Victories at the Robertson Lodges New Zealand Open and MARIGOLD Singapore Squash Open followed, along with a win in his first appearance in an England shirt. He and Sarah-Jane Perry were the winning pair at the inaugural Carrus Nations Cup, beating hosts New Zealand in the final.

ElShorbagy started 2023 with an early exit in New York, but bounced back brilliantly to claim his 49th Tour title. He was the victor at the Black Ball Squash Open, and went on to finish the campaign with semi-final results at the PSA World Championships and the El Gouna International.