Egyptian squash players continued their strong presence on the international stage as six players secured places in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Silicon Valley Open, held in the United States from October 20 to 24, with a total prize fund of $120,000.

The Egyptian players earned their places after several impressive performances in the second round, including comfortable victories and closely contested five-game matches.

However, the tournament also produced a major surprise as eight-time world champion Nour El Sherbini suffered an early exit following a straight-game defeat to India's Anahat Singh.

Despite the elimination of some well-known players, Egypt still has six representatives competing for places in the semifinals, keeping its hopes of further success alive.

Six Egyptians Advance

Mohamed Zakaria delivered a convincing performance against Colombia's Miguel Rodriguez, winning 3-0 with game scores of 11-8, 11-3, and 11-5 to secure his place in the quarterfinals.

In the women's competition, Sana Ibrahim also recorded a straight-game victory, defeating Japan's Satomi Watanabe 11-7, 11-4, and 11-7 to advance to the next round.

Yahya Elnawasany faced a much tougher challenge against Matthias Knudsen in one of the most exciting matches of the second round.

After a closely fought contest, the Egyptian player claimed a 3-2 victory, winning the deciding game 11-5 to book his quarterfinal spot.

Salma Hany also progressed after defeating fellow Egyptian Nardine Garas 3-1.

Hany lost the opening game 9-11 but recovered to win the following three games 11-3, 12-10, and 15-13.

Farida Mohamed added another Egyptian victory by overcoming Torrie Malik 3-1, with game scores of 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, and 11-8.

Karim El Torkey completed Egypt's six-player quarterfinal lineup following a dramatic five-game victory against Japan's Ruiyan Suko.

El Torkey won the first two games before his opponent fought back to level the match.

The Egyptian eventually secured the deciding game 12-10 to complete a hard-fought 3-2 win.

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Shock Exit

While six Egyptians celebrated qualification, Nour El Sherbini suffered one of the tournament's biggest upsets after losing to India's Anahat Singh in the round of 16.

Singh defeated the eight-time world champion 3-0, winning 11-8, 11-8, and 11-7 to end El Sherbini's campaign earlier than expected.

The result attracted attention because of El Sherbini's remarkable achievements and experience at the highest level of international squash.

Singh will now face another Egyptian player, Salma Hany, in the quarterfinals.

Hany will aim to continue her successful run, while the Indian player hopes to build on her impressive victory.

Egyptian player Karim Abdel Gawad also exited the tournament after suffering a 3-1 defeat against Pakistan's Noor Zaman.

Zaman won the match with game scores of 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, and 11-6, ending Abdel Gawad's hopes of reaching the next round.

Egypt originally entered the Silicon Valley Open with 12 players across the men's and women's competitions.

The men's lineup included Adam Hawal, Yahya Elnawasany, Karim El Torkey, Mohamed Zakaria, and Karim Abdel Gawad.

The seven women representing Egypt were Nour Aboul Makarem, Nardine Garas, Haya Ali, Sana Ibrahim, Nour El Sherbini, Salma Hany, and Farida Mohamed.

Following the second round, six Egyptians remain in contention.

Mohamed Zakaria, Yahya Elnawasany, and Karim El Torkey represent Egypt in the men's quarterfinals, while Sana Ibrahim, Salma Hany, and Farida Mohamed continue in the women's draw.

Attention now turns to the quarterfinal matches, where the Egyptian players will look to maintain their momentum and move closer to the tournament titles despite the unexpected exits in the earlier rounds.