After 19 years on tour and a staggering 759 matches under his belt, former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy has long been holding off the brightest talents the PSA Squash Tour has had to offer.
And later today, the battle-hardened 34-year-old will once again look to stand firm in a battle of generations against 17-year-old sensation Mohamad Zakaria, as the pair fight for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Diamond-level GillenMarkets British Open 2025.
Both hailing from the Egyptian city of Alexandria, there are noticeable similarities between Zakaria and ElShorbagy, with both players bursting onto the scene as teenagers with a blitz of high-profile wins.
Speaking ahead of his upcoming clash with Zakaria, ElShorbagy heaped praise on World Junior Champion, saying: “We literally just played in Chicago [at the PSA World Championships] two weeks ago, and as I’ve said before, he’s from where I am from, so I have known him since I was young.
“He’s going to be a superstar in the sport and it’s great to see that coming out of where I come from.
“When I retire, I’m going to be watching him play on TV for so many years, winning so many titles. But, yeah, I’m looking forward to playing him another time – it shows how good I have been playing for so long and it shows how good he has been playing on these big stages.”
Last month, ElShorbagy put on a masterclass to keep the youngster at arm’s reach in their PSA World Championship second-round bout, moving through to a straight-games win in Chicago.
However, the Englishman expects a far tougher test this time around from the ever-improving World No.16 when they step on court at Birmingham’s spectacular Rep Theatre today.
“[Last time we played], it was at the World Championships, and I think I just had more experience with the emotions of the match. Honestly, I played really well that day. I think lots of players would have struggled to beat me that day, if I’m honest.
“I hope that if he does beat me one day, it will be when I’m still playing really well, because that’s the test for him as well.
“I think he will play better tomorrow, he would have learned a lot from that last match, but it’s exciting to be playing him again, for sure.”
Despite the recent shock retirement of long-time rival and four-time World Champion Ali Farag, ElShorbagy admitted that the fire to compete at the pinnacle of the sport continues to burn as bright as ever.
“I’m still really enjoying the sport right now,” he said. “I get to play somebody who is 17 years old in the next round. I know that when I’m 50 years old, he is still going to be playing on tour.
“I enjoy being a part of big matches. I can trouble the top players from time to time, like at the Tournament of Champions with Ali, like at Optasia with Paul [Coll]. When I feel good I can trouble them on court, because the quality doesn’t go.
“You’ve got to make it tougher for the next generations, you can’t leave it that easy for them.”
On the retirement of Farag, a player whom he had met 32 times on the PSA Tour, 15 of which were finals, he added: “I had a feeling that it was coming soon [Ali Farag’s retirement], but didn’t think it was going to be this season.
“I think Ali is the greatest rival that I have had [in my career], he’s the toughest for me too. He’s been the player that I’ve played the most in finals. He’s someone who is going to go down as a great of the sport. I’m really sad that he left, for sure. He has done everything, and there was nothing else for him to do in the sport.”
Match Result : [5] Mohamed ElShorbagy (Eng) 3-0 [9/16] Mohamed Zakaria (Egy) 11-5, 13-11, 11-6 (53m)
Round Three of the GillenMarkets British Open continues today from 12:00 on SQUASHTV. Watch ElShorbagy take on Zakaria LIVE from 14:30 (GMT+1)
The GillenMarkets British Open 2025 takes place between May 31 – 8 June and will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV and select broadcast partners.
