In some pretty crazy news, Nouran Gohar has taken over the women's World No.1 spot after her win against Nour El Sherbini in the final of the recent Milwaukee Hong Kong Squash Open.
This is pretty big news as El Sherbini has held that spot for over a year now. Prior to that, Nouran Gohar was World No.1 back in August 2023 before El Sherbini overtook her and held the spot since then.
When I watched the Hong Kong Open women's final, I wasn't actually aware that the World No.1 spot was at stake, something which would have made that match even more exciting!
There's such intense competition at the top of the women's rankings and I believe that I've now written articles about El Sherbini, Hania El Hammamy, Nele Coll, and Olivia Weaver, however, I've never written one about Nouran Gohar!
Well, in light of this recent news, I think now is the perfect time to talk about 'The Terminator' AKA Nouran Gohar...
Background and History
Born on September 30, 1997, in Cairo, Egypt (a city that's product a number of awesome squash players in the past), Gohar was an exceptional young squash player (as you probably expected).
From articles I've read online about her past, Nouran's tenacious determination and strong work ethic have always been the cornerstone of her squash progress over the years.
I couldn't find a lot more information about Nouran's childhood, however, growing up in Egypt, a country where squash is absolutely massive, it's easy to assume that she will have lived and breathed squash in her younger years.
In total, as a junior, Gohar won the BJO three times (2012, 2015, and 2016), and, she also was a two-time World Junior Squash champion, winning consecutive titles in 2015 and 2016.
In 2016, Nouran was also part of the Egyptian team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Women's World Team Squash Championships. In 2018, she then won her second world team title as part of the Egyptian team that won the 2018 Women's World Team Squash Championships.
She had been playing at the level of an adult pro for some time by this point and her professional career was well underway...
Gohar's Career So Far
On top of these large junior titles mentioned above, Gohar's professional career was also well underway before she'd even reached the age of 19.
We actually need to run the clock back a little to look into her adult professional career.
Gohar claimed her first Tour title at the Prague Open back in December 2013 at just 16 years old. Gohar was seeded to win the event and she showed everyone why that was by beating Lucie Fialová to take the title.
She earned another title the following year at the Irish Open and then also went on to beat Omneya Abdel Kawy in the final of the Monte Carlo Classic.
This result brought her into the top 20 for the first time ever.
The wins didn't stop there for young Nouran. A strong quarter-final finish at the Texas Open (in April 2015) ensured that she would breach the top 15 in the world.
Looking at some other milestones of Nouran's incredible career so far, she defeated the 4 seed Camille Serme (from France) in the final of the Women's British Open Squash Championship (May 2019).
In this event, Nouran (who was seeded to come 7th) became the lowest seed to win the tournament in the modern era.
On her way to the final, Gohar had beaten two of her closest rivals at the time both Raneem El Weleily (who was 1 seed) and Nour El Tayeb (who was 3 seed).
This result boosted Nouran to the very top of the women's world rankings, reaching World No.1 for the first time ever in July 2020.
Since then, she has never dropped lower than World No.3 to this very day. A ridiculous achievement in and of itself that's a testament to her consistency and determination to be the best
The Terminator managed to make the final of the 2023 PSA Women's World Squash Championship after defeating 3 seed and close rival, Hania El Hammamy, in the semi-final.
However, despite being the number 1 seed, Nouran was defeated in straight sets by Nour El Sherbini. It was the third consecutive world final in which Gohar had been beaten by El Sherbini.
By this point, it was pretty clear that we had a few close rivalries at the top of the women's rankings and it was anyone's guess who would come out on top whenever Nouran Gohar, Hania El Hammamy, and Nour El Sherbini faced each other.
Last season, Gohar seemed to have gone off the radar a little due to injury, however, she quickly came back and showed everyone what she was made of by returning to win five events back to back at the end of the season.
This season, Gohar has been on top form yet again, notably taking the prestigious US Open title (beating El Sherbini in the final) which is a massive result for the Egyptian. But, it's the Hong Kong match I want to focus on!
Before that, I want to talk more about Gohar's style...
Image credit: Steve Cubbins
The Terminator's Style Of Play
Gohar is a relentless attacker, something that's quite commonly seen with Egyptian players, however, Nouran's aggressive style seems to be on a whole other level.
If you've ever watched her play, you'll have seen just how hard she hits the ball.
It's not just that she has the ability to hit the ball hard, it's the fact that she can do it on every single shot that's so impressive. Her lengths, volleys, and kills are nearly always slammed with unbelievable pace.
This is why she's nicknamed 'The Terminator'.
When she comes up against lower-ranked players, this proactive, powerful style of play doesn't allow her opponents to get into any kind of rhythm. Gohar dictates the pace of play so well that nobody can play their own game against her.
She takes a very dominant and positive T position after every single shot and hunts for that volley wherever she can, meaning that opponents have to focus on keeping the ball tight and accurate, slowing down the pace so as not to let Gohar take those volleys.
Another one of Gohar's greatest strengths is her fitness, something that isn't touched upon or mentioned particularly often.
Of course, being at the top level of any sport means that you need an impeccable level of fitness, strength, and flexibility. This is even more important in brutal sport like squash.
However, to play the way Gohar does for long periods of time will be incredibly physically taxing.
If you think about how tiring it can be to hit a ball hard over and over again, then imagine doing this for an entire five-set match, that's what Gohar has to do again and again, and she does it well!
She is capable of playing long, grueling matches without losing focus or intensity.
Mentally, Gohar is relentless as well. She really lives up to that Terminator nickname. You can see it in her face every time she plays, she's absolutely immersed and focused on the match at hand.
It takes a lot to get into her head, however, another thing about her game that I absolutely love is her passion. You will sometimes see her get angry or frustrated if she loses crucial points or rallies, but, she does a superb job of forgetting about it as soon as the next rally begins.
I also wanted to briefly mention Gohar's technical abilities (as, so far, I've kind of described her as a ferocious attacker and nothing else). It's important to note that Nouran's touch is pretty awesome too.
She can hit winners from all over the court and is especially threatening from the back. She's shown on many occasions that she can finish off a rally with a straight drop or kill from deep in the back of the court.
Lastly, Nouran's off-court persona should be mentioned too.
Despite her on-court presence being possibly perceived as cold and relentless, from what I've heard and seen, Gohar is warm, approachable, and deeply passionate about the sport.
She often speaks about her commitment to continuous improvement, emphasizing that her success is a result of hard work and a desire to always get better.
Gohar's grounded personality has made her a role model for aspiring players around the world. She frequently interacts with fans, sharing insights into her training, mindset, and journey through social media and interviews.
Gohar vs El Sherbini In Hong Kong
Now, I wanted to briefly run through this major final between Nouran and Nour in the recent Hong Kong Open.
These two have been rivals for years now and every single time they play, you just know that it's going to be an epic match.
In this particular clash, it was Nour who took the first game 11-6 (despite Gohar getting a 6-3 lead).
El Sherbini usually does an awesome job of carrying her momentum through to the following matches if she gets off to a good start, however, Gohar stopped her in her tracks by taking the second game 11-5.
It seemed like Gohar had really warmed up and gotten her head into the game at this point. She was hitting hard and hitting well, making her targets on every single length and kill she went for.
El Sherbini, who is known for her superb accuracy and ability to apply pressure over and over again before going in for the winner, was struggling to get any opportunity to get in front or go for shots.
With that said, the third and fourth games were both close calls. Nouran took them both 11-9, however, they really could have gone either way.
Like many high-pressure clashes, this match had its fair share of traffic issues.
It's easy to see why this happens when both players are so desperate to reach every single shot their opponent makes as early as possible, collisions and decisions are pretty common.
The match lasted just under an hour (at 55 minutes in length) and I must say that I enjoyed it a heck of a lot!
This is now Gohar’s third time sitting at the top of the PSA World Rankings (after holding the spot in both 2020 and 2022).
It should be mentioned that these two leave everything out there on the court after they play. It seems like they get on incredibly well off-court, however, the rivalry and drive to win are massive as soon as they step on the court together.
With that said the rivalry at the top of the women's world rankings extends further than just these two...
Image credit: Steve Cubbins
Competition At The Top Of The Women's Rankings
So, just to touch on how much a massive result the Hong Kong win was for Gohar, I should mention how dominant El Sherbini is and has been.
'The Warrior Princess' (El Sherbini's nickname) has a whopping seven World Championship titles to her name, with only Nicol David boasting more world crowns.
I could list all of Nour's titles and achievements but that would take me too long, in total she's made 71 finals and won 43 titles which is just unbelievable. In comparison, Gohar has made 55 finals and won 30 of them, so she still has some catching up to do in that department.
With that said, El Sherbini is a couple of years older than Gohar and has had an extra 2 years on the PSA Squash Tour too, so it's interesting to see how they match up.
Head-to-head, El Sherbini seems to have the edge over Gohar at the moment with 25 wins to 14 losses, however, Gohar has now beaten El Sherbini the past two times they've played (both being 3-1).
Nour has won the three clashes before that, so it does certainly seem to be a bit of a see-saw between the two.
With that said, the rankings and rivalries extend even further with Nouran Gohar and Hania El Hammamy (the current World No.3) having a slightly more bitter rivalry. I'm not exactly sure where this started, but, the pair have had their share of issues and on-court arguments in the past.
I believe there was an incident in which Nour hit El Hammamy with the ball which further fueled tensions between the two, and, in nearly all of their matches, there are often traffic issues with many decisions having to be made.
In my opinion, this is an awesome rivalry to have. These two players are right at the top end of the women's rankings and I can imagine it drives a decent boost in viewership whenever they face each other in an event.
Gohar and El Hammamy bring somewhat contrasting styles to the court. While Gohar is known for her ferocious power and aggressive play (as I mentioned earlier), El Hammamy combines exceptional court coverage with creativity and finesse.
While Gohar’s dominance has often given her the upper hand, El Hammamy has proven she’s more than capable of toppling her fellow Egyptian, particularly in the critical moments of major finals.
Their rivalry, fueled by their competitive drive, definitely adds an extra layer of intrigue to the women’s game and I'm absolutely here for it!
Then, at World No 4, Olivia Weaver is carrying the torch for the United States and making her mark as one of the most exciting players in women’s squash at the moment.
I recently wrote an article all about Weaver’s game being built around her versatility, fitness, and discipline. She’s capable of mixing pinpoint accuracy with sharp attacks and remarkable adaptability to different playing styles.
With that said, Weaver is still yet to claim a win over The Terminator with Gohar winning all 12 of their clashes.
However, I really can't discount Weaver at the moment as she seems to be getting better and better every time she plays. I think it's only a matter of time until she claims a top-level scalp.
Then, at World No.5, there's Nele Coll (formerly Nele Gilis).
Known for her exceptional fitness and defensive prowess, Coll has earned a reputation as one of the hardest-working players on the tour. Her ability to retrieve seemingly impossible balls and turn defense into attack has given her a massive ranking boost over the past season or two.
But, yet again, Gohar seems to have the edge, also winning all 12 of the pairs clashes.
This is a real testament to Nouran's consistency at the top end of the rankings, however, it seems to be El Hammamy and El Sherbini that she will still be most concerned about overcoming.
What Does The Future Hold?
I think it's worth noting just how exciting the women's game is at the moment.
The dynamic at the top of the women’s rankings is a testament to the incredible depth and diversity of talent in squash today.
With Gohar setting the standard, El Hammamy pushing her to the brink, Coll and Weaver continuing their rapid ascent, I think that the women’s game is in a very exciting era.
El Sherbini will be very hungry to take back that World No.1 position in the second half too.
It's really tough to make any predictions for Gohar since she's World No.1.
Do I think that she will hold onto that spot forever? No.
Do I think that she'll reach it again and again in the future? Definitely.
I guess the main question is, how long can she stay there?
It's interesting to hear players talk about rankings in interviews. Often they (rightly) note that they don't focus on their ranking, instead they focus on each match and tournament and playing their best, then the ranking increases will come with that.
However, it's a little different when the World No.1 position is concerned. This is a goal spot for any squash player to reach. It's an absolutely massive milestone, and, to hold that position for any length of time is likely to be the dream for most players.
I don't think that being World No.1 makes any player less hungry either. You've got to fight to retain that position and I think Gohar is amazing at doing just that.
We've got some exciting tournaments next half in which we're very likely to see Gohar face El Hammamy and El Sherbini on many occasions.
There's the J.P. Tournament of Champions, the El Gouna International, the 2024- 2025 PSA World Championships, the British Open, and the PSA Squash Tour Finals too.
I think we're due to see some of the best squash we've ever witnessed from the women's top five. Perhaps Gohar has figured out how to tackle El Sherbini and she'll be able to hold this position for the foreseeable, however, I don't think it'll be that easy.
Nour will have a response and I can't wait to see what happens the next time these two play!
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