I recently wrote a player profile on England's Jonah Bryant, and it really got me thinking about the future of squash and what it might look like.
In the men's game, players like Bryant, as well as Curtis Malik and Egypt's Mohamed Zakaria, are likely to be at the upper echelons of the rankings in the coming years, and the game could certainly look quite different by then.
However, looking over to the women's game, there's one young player who stands out like a sore thumb among the rest, and that's Egypt's Amina Orfi.
For this article, I did a bit of research into Orfi and her background, and I'll also be writing about her style of play, rivalries, and future in the game.
I often struggle when writing player profiles on younger players, especially when it comes to their background. Since they're relatively new to the professional spotlight, it's often difficult to find accurate information.
I've done my best to paint a precise image of Amina's story, but if you spot any errors, please let me know, and I'll update the article when I come to post it on our blog.
Anyway, currently aged 17, Amina Orfi was born on June 29, 2007, in Cairo, Egypt, and from a very young age, squash was a central part of her life.
Orfi grew up in a country widely recognized as the global powerhouse of squash, and she quickly began to make her mark on the sport’s junior scene.
This is all too common when it comes to Egyptian squash legends, and it's the reason why the country is so dominant in squash.
As you probably expected, Amina's junior career was extraordinary.
She became the first player in history to win the World Junior Squash Championship four times, capturing the title in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Orfi achieved the first of these titles aged just 15.
She didn’t just win once and defend the title, she did so repeatedly with commanding performances, including a straight-games victory over compatriot Nadien Elhammamy in the 2025 final on home soil in Cairo
In addition to her world junior titles, Orfi also dominated other age group events like the British Junior Open across multiple years, consistently showing she had the skill to compete at the highest levels from early in her development.
Amina Orfi began her professional journey on the PSA World Tour in 2022, transitioning quickly from her remarkable junior success into senior competition at a very young age.
Her early years on the tour saw steady progression, with Orfi claiming her first senior PSA title while still a teenager, competing against seasoned professionals and showing that her junior experience could translate into results on the main circuit.
In 2024, Orfi marked a significant breakthrough when she became the youngest player in history to win a PSA Gold-level event.
The youngster captured the VITAGEN Singapore Squash Open by defeating world No.3 at the time, Hania El Hammamy, in a gripping five-game encounter.
This milestone win was widely lauded and highlighted her ability to compete and win against the very best on tour.
One of the reasons why this win was so special is that Hania is part of what many people call 'the big 3' in women's squash.
The top three ranking spots have been dominated by Nour El Sherbini, Nouran Gohar, and Hania El Hammamy for a heck of a long time now, and squash fans have long been wondering when someone is going to break through.
It's pretty clear that Orfi was next on the list to break into that top three; however, I will also mention that America's Olivia Weaver is playing incredibly well right now and certainly has the potential to do so, too.
Beyond this victory in Singapore, Amina continued to build momentum throughout the 2024-25 season, adding further titles to her professional resume.
In early 2024, Orfi also recorded a notable victory at the PSA ACE Malaysia Cup, where she came through a long and competitive final to secure the trophy against top seed Sivasangari Subramaniam, who can be incredibly dangerous on her day.
The summer and autumn of 2025 were pretty groundbreaking for Orfi, too.
She capitalized on her improving form by winning the New Zealand Open in March and later the London Classic in September, the latter being a Gold-level event where she claimed her 8th PSA title with a dominant straight-games win in the final against Belgium's Nele Gilis.
Shortly after, in October, she added two more trophies to her growing list, prevailing at the Canadian Open and then the China Open, bringing her tally to 10 PSA titles by late 2025.
Still being a junior, this is an absolutely ridiculous run of results.
Orfi’s performances have also translated into an impressive ascent up the rankings.
After breaking into the top 10 in September 2024, she continued flying, and by October 2025 had reached a career-high world ranking of No.3, making her one of the youngest ever players, male or female, to break into that big three I mentioned!
She still sits at World No.3 ahead of Nour El Sherbini and Olivia Weaver. Nouran Gohar is currently World No.2, and Hania El Hammamy holds the top spot.
In the 2025 PSA World Championships, Amina was seeded in the top tier and reached the later rounds before falling in a hard-fought match against Nada Abbas, showing that she's not unbeatable at the moment.
It's losses like this that will be huge learning moments for Amina.
Her professional career so far has shown ridiculously rapid growth, and she's already made a bunch of historic achievements.
This is a pretty clear sign that she's destined for greatness.
Image credit: Steve Cubbins
I watch the majority of Amina Orfi's matches when they're on SquashTV, especially in the bigger events, and I think I've got a pretty good grasp of her playing style.
Watching someone that young play the way she does is almost unbelievable.
An interesting comparison to make is with Mostafa Asal, who also came onto the PSA World Tour at a very young age.
It was very clear from the moment he became a professional that he was a level above the rest; however, it was also easy to spot a number of issues with his game.
Many of Mostafa's shortcomings could perhaps have been due to his young age and inexperience at the time; however, I really don't see this being the case when it comes to Amina Orfi.
She already plays with the confidence, patience, pace, and aggression you’d expect from a seasoned pro, and the focus she has is just as impressive, as this is often an area in which younger players need some time to develop.
At its core, Orfi’s game is built on pressure through pace and precision.
She doesn’t wait for opponents to make mistakes; she bullies them into positions where they struggle to dictate play.
This is very distinct from the typical Egyptian style of play. Lots of attacking with power and using the middle of the court to execute dying lengths and apply pressure.
Her length hitting is remarkable, consistently forcing opponents deep and making them work just to stay in rallies.
In that win in Singapore that I mentioned, Orfi dominated El Hammamy with relentless deep drives that kept her opponent pinned behind her while she held the T for much of the match.
This was a clear sign of how her game can control a contest rather than just compete in it.
One thing that immediately stands out is how often Orfi takes the ball early.
She actively seeks to dictate tempo by picking up pace and pushing opponents back before they’ve fully set themselves.
It’s an assertive style that is again very commonly seen among Egyptian players; however, Orfi seems to be able to do it a level above the rest.
Her movement is deceptively efficient, too.
At 167 cm and still developing physically, she’s not the biggest athlete on court, but she covers ground very well, especially when she knows what she wants to do with the next shot.
That ability to sprint into position, fire a low, attacking ball, then recover quickly has helped her grind out long, draining points at crucial moments in matches.
When I watch Orfi, my coaching background sometimes kicks in a little, and I think that an area in which she's still evolving is in variety and shot selection.
At times, especially when matches get tight, Orfi can look a bit one-dimensional compared to the very top players who mix in drops, boasts, and delicate touch play to break up rhythm and keep their opponents guessing.
That’s hardly surprising given her age and experience, and it’s partly why she has ups and downs in certain matches against the big 3.
But as she continues to add nuance to her attacking game, I'm hoping that we'll see her acquire a little more flair and creativity.
Perhaps what ties Amina's style together most is her mindset under pressure.
Orfi plays with intent; she doesn’t seem overwhelmed by big stages or big opponents, and she rarely shies away from the rough end of a rally and I don't know if I've ever seen her lose her head, which is something else commonly seen in younger players.
That competitive edge is already one of her biggest assets on tour.
Overall, Orfi’s style is aggressive, high-tempo, and increasingly polished.
She’s got the weapons to beat anyone on the tour on her day, and as she continues to add layers, there’s every reason to think her game will keep evolving into one of the most complete around.
Another thing I want to quickly mention is her mindset, which, this season, has made the shift from being starstruck when hitting with her idols to now being firmly committed to playing at their level.
I'll leave you with this quote from Amina in a PSA article I read:
"When I see both Nour [El Sherbini] and Nouran [Gohar], I’m obviously respecting them and their accomplishments, but I’m no longer starstruck like I was.”
It's really cool to see her consciously making this mental shift in perspective, and I think things like that can go a very long way.
Even though Amina Orfi is still just starting her professional career, she’s already been involved in some fascinating head-to-head battles with the big names in the game.
There are certainly a couple of emerging rivals that are worth highlighting.
One of the most talked-about clashes so far has been her matchups with Nour El Sherbini.
El Sherbini is one of the most successful women’s players in history, and Orfi’s first victory over her came in a marathon quarter-final at the El Gouna International, where Amina came through a gripping five-game battle to reach her first Platinum semi-final.
That win instantly elevated Orfi’s profile, showing she could overcome one of the all-time greats when it mattered most.
The pair have played four times in total, with Orfi winning two and Sherbini winning two.
Against Nouran Gohar, Orfi has run into the typical barrier that many rising stars face against a world-class player.
Gohar has gotten the better of Orfi in all five of their clashes, most notably in the British Open semi-finals, where the experienced World No.1 (at the time) beat her in straight games.
These contests aren’t always about the result; they often represent important learning experiences for Orfi as she measures herself against the current benchmark players in the women’s game.
Hania El Hammamy is another top Egyptian Orfi has squared off against; however, Orfi has also only come out on top once out of their 6 matches.
A Hammamy clash has that intriguing mix of seasoned prowess vs. young power.
Battling with someone of Hammamy’s calibre, with a consistent presence deep in Platinum events, is part of Orfi’s educational ladder on tour.
What I will mention is that her record against Gohar and Hania isn't amazing yet; they've had a fair few close battles, and I think that Amina's on the verge of figuring out how to secure the wins.
Olivia Weaver is someone who needs to be part of the discussion when we talk about those top spots.
Orfi has crossed paths with the American multiple times in 2025.
They’ve met in finals and semi-finals of significant events, such as at El Gouna, where Orfi defeated Weaver in straight games to seal a big semi-final spot.
They also played in the Australian Open final, where Weaver came out on top, delivering a competitive, tactical match that highlighted how both players are pushing each other into consistent high-level encounters.
Similar to El Sherbini, Orfi and Weaver's head-to-head stands at two wins each.
What makes these matchups compelling is not just the names involved but what they represent for Orfi’s progression.
Against El Sherbini and Gohar, she’s seen the established elite; against Hammamy, she’s tested herself against relentless precision, and against Weaver, she’s had to deal with a style different from that Egyptian way of playing that she may be used to.
These rivalries are still early in their arcs, but they’re already giving us hints about the types of challenges that will define Orfi’s rise as she chases the peak of women’s squash.
With everything Amina Orfi has already achieved before the age of 18, from her historic junior run to climbing into the world’s top three, it’s easy to forget that she’s still in the earliest phase of her professional career.
The next step for her is clear: breaking through at the major Platinum events.
She’s already shown she can push, and even beat, the very best, but turning those one-off wins into sustained deep runs is what will lift her to that next tier.
She has reached platinum finals before, such as the 2025 El Gouna event, in which she beat Weaver 3-0. Orfi just needs to get over that finishing line once, then she'll know what it takes.
An unpopular opinion (that I’d honestly love to be proven wrong about) is that I don’t think Orfi will leapfrog Nouran Gohar or Hania El Hammamy to reach No.2 or No.1 before the end of this season.
The first half is gone, the second half is packed, and those two are just incredibly strong and consistent right now.
That said, Orfi is absolutely capable of beating them; the real question is whether she can do it consistently enough, in the biggest moments, to mount a full-season challenge.
A Platinum title would be a massive milestone, and I think that it's within her reach.
Even if she doesn’t grab one immediately, simply holding onto her World No. 3 ranking would be hugely impressive given her age and the strength of the top end of the women’s game.
What’s exciting is that Orfi is only going to get better as she gains experience.
She’s already shown she belongs in the same conversations as the established stars, and with a bit more consistency at the deep end of major events, the future could be very big for her indeed.
Looking longer term, I would put money on her reaching World No.1 in the next few years ...
... and I'll leave it on that note!
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