Story of 2025
The 2025 London Squash Classic provided a fitting start to the new PSA Squash Tour season last September, with Alexandra Palace once again playing host to a week of high-quality squash, surprise results and plenty of drama.
Defending champions Paul Coll and Sivasangari Subramaniam returned to London hoping to repeat their title-winning performances from 2024, while a strong field across both draws meant there were plenty of potential storylines from the opening round onwards. By the end of the week, Coll had successfully defended his title, while Amina Orfi emerged as the women’s champion.
Round One
The tournament began at Coolhurst Tennis & Squash Club before moving to the spectacular Alexandra Palace Theatre, and there were already plenty of talking points from the opening matches.
Perry Malik produced one of the biggest men’s wins of the opening round, saving six match balls before overcoming Scotland’s Greg Lobban in a dramatic three-game encounter. The victory earned Malik a second-round meeting with Youssef Ibrahim. There was also a notable win for Adrian Waller, who defeated No.13 seed Leonel Cardenas in straight games, while Jonah Bryant progressed past Nick Wall and Miguel Rodriguez overcame Mohamed ElSherbini.
In the women’s draw, England wildcard Grace Gear produced a notable upset against Hana Moataz. At the same time, Sabrina Sobhy marked her return to the PSA Tour after a year away with a victory over Hollie Naughton.
Round Two
The second round was where the tournament really began to take shape as the top seeds entered the fray.
Tesni Murphy produced one of the standout women’s results, defeating No.7 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir to reach the quarter-finals. Murphy, fresh from winning the British Nationals, continued her excellent run with a comeback victory over the Egyptian.
Former British National champion Jasmine Hutton also caused an upset, coming from a game down to defeat No.4 seed Tinne Gilis. The Englishwoman’s victory set up a meeting with defending champion Subramaniam in th quarter finals.
There was further home success for Georgia Adderley, who ended Georgina Kennedy’s hopes with a comeback victory. It was Adderley’s first win over Kennedy in ten attempts.
At the top of the women’s draw, Amina Orfi continued her progress with a comfortable victory over Sabrina Sobhy, while Satomi Watanabe advanced after a battle with Tesni Murphy.
The men’s draw, meanwhile, saw the leading contenders survive, although defending champion Paul Coll came extremely close to an early exit. Coll was pushed to the limit by former World No. 7 Mohamed Abouelghar, saving three match balls before eventually edging through 11-6, 10-12, 13-11. It was a major scare for the defending champion and a defining moment in the early stages.
Elsewhere, Diego Elias, Joel Makin, Eain Yow Ng and Marwan ElShorbagy all progressed, setting up an intriguing quarter-final line-up.
Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals brought two significant results in the men’s draw.
Joel Makin produced an impressive comeback against Mohamed ElShorbagy, recovering from a 6-2 deficit in the deciding game before winning nine of the final 11 points to seal a 49-minute victory.
Eain Yow Ng also caused an upset, defeating fourth seed Marwan ElShorbagy in straight games to reach the semi-finals for the first time.
At the top of the draw, Diego Elias saw off Youssef Ibrahim, while Coll recovered from his earlier scare to defeat Youssef Soliman in just 26 minutes.
The women’s quarter-finals saw defending champion Subramaniam defeat Jasmine Hutton, while Orfi comfortably overcame first-time Gold quarter finalist Georgia Adderley.
Watanabe fought back from a game down to defeat Tesni Murphy, while Nele Gilis advanced without hitting a ball after top seed Olivia Weaver withdrew with an adductor injury.
Semi-finals
The semi-finals opened with Nele Gilis continuing her impressive run by overcoming third seed Watanabe in four games. The Belgian had endured a difficult period on the PSA Tour but produced one of her best performances of the year to win 11-7, 11-13, 11-2, 11-3 and reach her first Gold-level final since November 2023.
Orfi then ended Subramaniam’s title defence, with the second seed producing another assured performance to win 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5. The result sent Orfi into her first London Classic final and set up an intriguing meeting with Gilis.
The men’s first semi-final was arguably the match of the round as Makin once again got the better of Elias. Having defeated the Peruvian at the PSA Squash Tour Finals earlier in the summer, Makin repeated the feat in London, winning 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 14-12 after 80 minutes. The victory gave him another chance to claim a major title.
The final match of the day was a more straightforward affair. Defending champion Coll produced a commanding display against Ng, winning 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 in just 39 minutes to book his place in a second consecutive London Classic final.
That left Coll and Makin to contest the men’s title, while Orfi and Gilis would battle for the women’s crown.
Finals
The women’s final brought together second seed Amina Orfi and eighth seed Nele Gilis.
Gilis had enjoyed an impressive run to the final, overcoming Watanabe in the last four after benefiting from Weaver’s withdrawal in the quarter-finals. Orfi, meanwhile, had looked increasingly dangerous as the tournament progressed, including her win over defending champion Sivasangari Subramaniam.
The Egyptian teenager started strongly and quickly established control of the contest. Gilis was unable to find a consistent way through Orfi’s pressure, as the Egyptian took the opening two games 11-4, 11-5. Orfi continued to dictate the tempo in the third and completed a straight-games victory, winning 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 in 49 minutes.
The victory gave Orfi her second Gold-level title and her eighth PSA Tour title overall. It was also her first Gold trophy since the Singapore Open in November 2024.
The men’s final saw defending champion Paul Coll take on Joel Makin, with plenty at stake for both players. Makin knew that victory would see him move ahead of Coll in the world rankings, while Coll was aiming to defend his title and create distance between the pair in the rankings.
The opening game set the tone for a closely fought contest. Makin pushed Coll hard, but the New Zealander held his nerve to take a tight first game 13-11.
That proved to be the turning point. Coll began to exert greater control over the rallies and pulled away in the second, taking it 11-7. Makin continued to battle in the third, but Coll maintained his advantage and closed out an 11-8 victory to complete a 3-0 win after 75 minutes.
The victory secured Coll’s 29th PSA Tour title and saw him successfully defend the trophy he had won in London in 2024. It was also his first Gold-level title since winning the same event 17 months earlier.
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