Mostafa Asal posing with the men's trophy at the British Open squash tournament in Birmingham. PSA WORLD TOUR

In a thrilling all-Egyptian finals day at the spectacular Birmingham Rep Theatre, Mostafa Asal and Nouran Gohar claimed the 2024 British Open titles by defeating world number ones Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini.

Asal clinched his first British Open title with a captivating 11-5, 2-11, 13-11, 4-11, 12-10 victory over defending champion Farag in a men’s final that lasted 79 minutes. While Farag was competing in his fifth consecutive British Open final, Asal, making his debut in the historic event's title match, overcame a championship ball to secure the 15th title of his career and etch his name on the prestigious British Open trophy.

“It’s unbelievable, I’m almost running out of words, I’m almost crying,” said Asal post-match. “To win against Paul (Coll, in the semi-finals) and Ali is amazing. I was 6-2 up in the final game and then the emotions came in, and Ali came back to 9-7. 

"It was almost going the other way, but what a relief. At the beginning of the season I had no structure until I went to Pontefract to work with James (Willstrop). To play the squash that I’m winning at the moment is all credit to them.”

World Champion Gohar captured her second British Open title by defeating El Sherbini with a scoreline of 11-6, 17-15, 3-11, 7-11, 11-4 in the longest women’s British Open final on record. Lasting 91 minutes, the match was a high-octane battle, with El Sherbini overturning a two-game deficit in an attempt to avenge her recent PSA World Championship final loss to Gohar.


Mostafa Asal and Nouran Gohar both won the men's and women's British Open squash title in Birmingham, respectively. PSA WORLD TOUR
Mostafa Asal and Nouran Gohar both won the men's and women's British Open squash title in Birmingham, respectively. PSA WORLD TOUR


Despite El Sherbini's history of overcoming Gohar in three previous British Open finals, Gohar, playing some of the best squash of her career, powered through to take the decisive fifth game. This victory marks her fourth consecutive PSA title.

“It felt like a never-ending story today although I was 2-0 up,” said Gohar. “El Sherbini won her first World Championships title from 2-0 down, so if anyone can come back, it is her. She played better when she was down, and I tried to prepare for that, but it was very difficult to stop. 

“I feel like I can trust my physicality right now. I can go out there and play for 100 minutes, I’m injury-free, I can hit whatever shot whenever I want, so why not win every single match I can? I think after the World Championships, it was a major relief and there was pressure off me. (This week) it was more about enjoying myself and proving to myself that I am the best right now.”