Riding high after his recent World Championship triumph, World No.1 Mostafa Asal couldn’t be better placed for his title defence at the upcoming GillenMarkets British Open 2025 – a potential victory which would be his fifth straight piece of silverware on the PSA Squash Tour.
The British Open, the oldest and most established tournament on the PSA Tour calendar, has seen some of the greatest players of all time battle it out to lift the famous trophy throughout its illustrious history. Last year, it was Asal’s moment in the limelight, with the Egyptian sensation capturing the title after an epic five-game final with then-World No.1 Ali Farag.
As he returns to the stunning Rep Theatre in Birmingham a year on, Asal reflects upon this title victory as one of the highlight moments in his career to date.
“It was really amazing,” he said. “I was struggling at the beginning of the season – I couldn’t get titles. I guess I didn’t get a major title since I came back. I won Black Ball, but the British Open was the first major title victory that season. The British Open is the most prestigious event on tour.
“The crowd there [at The Rep Theatre], the venue, it was unbelievable. There were lots of people there and it was a really good game of squash [in the final]. Having the support of Pontefract squash there, Mick Todd and James [Willstrop] were there with me. They were just saying how important the British Open is on tour.
“I was feeling that I wasn’t quite there to win titles. I thought maybe the following season I would start focusing on winning the big titles, but to get the British Open title was something unbelievable and something I really appreciated.
“The British Open is as unique as the World Championships. Most of the legends have won this tournament and you see lots of people, Jansher [Khan], Jahangir [Khan], Geoff Hunt, they have all held this trophy. I was so proud to lift that trophy last year.”
Asal has often delivered his very best squash on the biggest of stages, with ‘The Raging Bull’ thriving on the fuel of a sell-out crowd and fervent atmosphere.
And the Diamond-level British Open, held at the iconic Rep Theatre in Birmingham, is a venue which the 24-year-old is certainly looking forward to returning to this week.
“I love having a big crowd when playing,” Asal said. “I enjoy bringing up the crowd, I love the atmosphere. I love to get our sport into the best shape. What we can have here, for example, at Palm Hills – an amazing crowd and an amazing setup!
“At the British Open, there is such a good crowd in an iconic venue at the Rep Theatre. You can feel the noise.
“You can just see how much all of the investment from the PSA and all of the work is changing the game every season. I love that.”
The complexion of the British Open has changed dramatically for Asal in the last week following the immediate retirement of four-time World Champion and World No.2 Ali Farag from the sport.
Up to this point, Farag and Asal have dominated the Platinum events on the PSA Squash Tour this campaign, with the pair meeting in the finals of five major events since the Egyptian Open last September.
However, with Farag no longer in the fold, the pre-tournament favourite tag will fall solely on Asal, with his scintillating run of 19 straight wins across the Optasia Championships, El Gouna International, PSA World Championships and Palm Hills Open, making him the man to beat.
On how he is looking to adapt from being the hunter at last year’s British Open – a tournament which he started as World No.4 – to becoming the hunted, he said:
“I always have the feeling of ‘I can win this event, and I can win this title’, so I am always thinking I am the hunted, even if it is not on paper in the last season and a half. This mindset brings you to your A game.
“Maybe you do lose some events, but it’s not the end of the world, because we are having so many tournaments, and it is getting to the end of the season, so everyone wants to prove that they are finishing on a high. But yeah, hopefully, we are going to finish it on a high.”
At the age of just 24, Asal has already enjoyed success that many players would only dream of. With World Championship and British Open titles under his belt, as well as having reached World No.1 in the men’s rankings on two separate occasions, Asal now believes the pressure is off his shoulders as he looks into the future.
“I’m loving the sport,” he said. “Everything else that I achieve now is a bonus, to try and win these things again and again.
“I’m so happy and proud of myself to have achieved these great things already, and now it’s about relaxation, getting those titles again, and they will be a huge bonus.”
The GillenMarkets British Open 2025 takes place between May 31 – 8 June and will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV.
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