PSA Awards : Fitz & Jonah inducted to Hall of Fame

Squash legends Jonah Barrington and Sarah Fitz-Gerald have been inducted as the newest members of the PSA Hall of Fame following the PSA Awards dinner held at The Book Rotunda in Birmingham on the eve of the GillenMarkets British Open finals.

Barrington and Fitz-Gerald have become the seventh and eighth members of the PSA Hall of Fame, which was launched in June 2024 to recognise the achievements of the game’s most influential characters, past and present.

They join previous inductees Jahangir Khan, Susan Devoy, Nicol David, Jansher Khan, Geoff Hunt and Michelle Martin.

Barrington is one of the sport’s most pioneering figures and, together with the likes of Hunt and Ken Hiscoe, brought about the birth of the professional game after creating the International Squash Players Association – the precursor to the PSA – in 1974.

Barrington won the British Open on six occasions between 1967-1973 and was famed for the incredible fitness and dedication to training that established him as one of the toughest squash players of all time.

Known affectionately as ‘Mr Squash’, Barrington received a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at the turn of the century and notably coached the likes of Mohamed and Marwan ElShorbagy, who contested the PSA World Championships final in 2017.

Fitz-Gerald’s tally of five World Championship titles is bettered only by Nour El Sherbini and Nicol David, while two British Open wins and 39 months at World No.1 underline her credentials as one of the finest squash players of her generation.

Away from the professional tour, Fitz-Gerald claimed a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and helped Australia win the WSF World Team Championships on six occasions. She also served as Vice-President of World Squash for eight years and served as Chairperson of the Women’s International Squash Players Association for 11 years.

Fitz-Gerald has been recognised for her achievements away from the squash community too, being named a Member of the Order of Australia in 2004 shortly after her retirement, while she was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2010.

PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough said: “Jonah Barrington and Sarah Fitz-Gerald have left incredible legacies in the sport and we are delighted to be given the chance to recognise their achievements by inducting them into the PSA Hall of Fame.

“Jonah’s influence on squash is impossible to overstate. As both a six-time British Open champion and a driving force behind the creation of the professional game, he helped lay the foundation for everything we see today on the PSA Squash Tour.

“Sarah’s achievements as a five-time World Champion speak to her ability as a player, while her long-standing service to the sport through various leadership roles shows her deep commitment to squash. Both Sarah and Jonah have been true ambassadors for the sport.”

PSA Awards 2024/25 : Sherbini & Farag voted Players of the Season

Egyptian duo Nour El Sherbini and Ali Farag have been named as the 2024-25 PSA Players of the Season following the PSA Awards dinner held tonight at the Book Rotunda in Birmingham, England on the eve of the GillenMarkets British Open final.

The pair were chosen by a combination of votes from both the PSA Awards Committee and fans on the PSA Squash Tour website.

El Sherbini ends World No.1 Nouran Gohar’s reign of three straight Player of the Season awards after equalling the legendary Nicol David’s incredible haul of eight World Championship titles last month in Chicago.

That was one of four trophies El Sherbini won this season, with the CIB Egyptian Open, Paris Squash and QTerminals Qatar Classic titles also making their way into the 29-year-old’s hands. El Sherbini took 39% of the vote, beating Gohar into second place with 32%.

Meanwhile, Farag has been named PSA Male Player of the Season for the third time, less than a fortnight after he sensationally announced his retirement from the professional game.

Farag won the U.S. Open, J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, Grasshopper Cup, Texas Open and Singapore Open during the campaign, while he also reached a fifth World Championship final, losing out to World No.1 Mostafa Asal.

That didn’t stop Farag from taking 42% of the vote though, beating Asal into second with 28%.

“I did not expect to win this one!” Farag admitted. “The fans have been very generous to give me a proper send off. I believe a lot of players deserve to win the Male Player of the Year award, but here I am! Thank you very much.”

Farag also received the PSA Men’s Spirit of Squash Award for the eighth time, while El Sherbini shared the women’s award with Japan’s Satomi Watanabe. The award is voted for by PSA players and is presented to the players who best demonstrated true sportsmanship during the season.

World Junior Champion Amina Orfi and India’s Anahat Singh have shared the award for the PSA Young Female Player of the Season. Orfi, who has won this award for the third time in succession, won her maiden Gold event – the Singapore Open – in addition to the New Zealand Open and Ace Cup this season, while she also broke into the world’s top five.

Singh, meanwhile, won eight Challenger Events this season, including the JSW Indian Open on home soil. At one point, Singh boasted a 29-match unbeaten run, while she also won the Asian qualifying event to make her debut at the PSA World Championships.

Singh’s exploits also saw her take home the award for PSA Challenger Female Player of the Season. England’s Sam Todd won the PSA Challenger Male Player of the Season award following a season which saw him bounce back from a lengthy injury layoff as he won a trio of tournaments, whilst reaching two more finals.

Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria won the PSA Young Male Player of the Season. The 17-year-old won the Nash Cup and Bermuda Open, while he also became the second youngest man in history to reach the top 20 of the PSA World Rankings – bettered only by the legendary six-time World Champion Jahangir Khan.

El Sherbini won the award for PSA Moment of the Season after her record-equalling World Championship triumph, while the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions final between Nouran Gohar and Hania El Hammamy was voted by PSA fans as the PSA Women’s Match of the Season.

The Paris Squash semi-final epic between Ali Farag and Diego Elias was voted the PSA Men’s Match of the Season. Meanwhile, Watanabe and Gregoire Marche won the PSA Shots of the Season for efforts at the Tournament of Champions and Optasia Championships, respectively.

The final award of the night was the PSA Services to Squash Award, which is awarded to a player, coach or other individual involved in the game to honour an outstanding commitment and service to the sport.

This year’s award went to photographer Steve Line, who has been capturing the biggest moments in the sport for over 40 years since first photographing the Chichester Festival in 1982.

The PSA Awards dinner also saw two more players inducted into the PSA Hall of Fame. The legendary Jonah Barrington – a six-time British Open and one of the pioneering figures responsible for the sport’s ascension to professionalism in the 1970s – and Sarah Fitz-Gerald – a five-time World Champion and two-time British Open winner – were recognised for their incredible legacies.