World No.1 Nouran Gohar has won the SmartCentres PSA Squash Tour Finals for the fourth time after overcoming World No.4 Olivia Weaver in a thrilling women’s final at Revival Film Studios.
Gohar had won all 13 of her matches against Weaver on the PSA Squash Tour coming into today’s title decider, but was put under unrelenting pressure for much of the match by the USA No.1.
The Egyptian narrowly snuck the opening game on a sudden death tie-break, with very little to separate the pair after a number of gripping rallies which saw the ball fired into all four corners of the court with regularity.
Weaver – appearing in her first major PSA final – recovered impressively and played some of her best squash of the season to take the game to the sport’s top female player. She played at a blistering pace to outmanoeuvre Gohar, eventually bringing the scores back to one game apiece.
Weaver had her opponent penned in the back corners for much of the third game and looked on the verge of going ahead after building up an 8-3 lead. However she squandered a golden opportunity when, in the front left corner, she hit the ball straight onto Gohar’s racket when a drive down the line would have put her just two points away from a 2-1 lead.
That saw the momentum swing back in Gohar’s favour, with the No.1 seed taking eight points in succession to steal the third game right from under Weaver’s nose.
Gohar had the bit between her teeth at this point and stormed out of the traps in the fourth game, dropping just three further points to seal her 33rd PSA title. Gohar’s win adds to her PSA Squash Tour Finals wins in 2021, 2023 and 2024 and she is the only woman to have won this tournament on four occasions.
What Gohar had to say…
“Olivia is a great competitor and she has improved big time,” said Gohar.
“I really wanted to play her today, I like to play challenging matches and see where I am. I think what got me through today was the mental side and the crowd. When I was 8-3 down I just let it go and played my best. I was happy I shifted my mindset, and it’s all thanks to Haitham Effat (Gohar’s coach].
“I had to find something deep in me. The squash came out after, but I had the belief that even when I was down I had the ability to win. It’s the last match of the season, I had nothing to lose and I’m glad I managed to come back.
“I’m glad I’ve been able to win for a fourth time against a different opponent. I’m very proud of myself, I fought until the end and found a way to win.”
Result : [1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [2] Olivia Weaver (USA) 3-1: 11-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3 (61m)
