Wildcard Hawal Stuns Malik As Qualifiers Run Riot At Egyptian Open

Teen wildcard Adam Hawal stunned - and qualifiers Lauren Baltayan, Nardine Garas and Patrick Rooney continued their dream runs - as the main draw of the 2025 CIB Egyptian Open got underway at Club O West in Giza.

The CIB Egyptian Open, a Diamond-level event on the PSA Squash Tour, is taking place from 12-19 September, with an incredible all-glass court being erected in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza, alongside traditional courts at Club O West.

Egyptian Hawal came into the tournament a real underdog, with the world No.252 given little chance against English world No.32 Curtis Malik.

The 17-year-old, playing in his first ever major PSA event, tore up the script in his hometown, showing no fear and going on the attack to edge the opener 13-11.

Malik steadied the ship in game two, drawing level 11-9.

Hawal came back again in game three, though, reclaiming the lead with an 11-6 win.

The expected Malik response never materialised in game four, with Hawal storming into an unassailable lead as he took the first nine points of the game. Malik fought hard and avoided conceding a bagel, but could not prevent defeat, with Hawal completing a famous victory with a crushing 11-2 win.

"I remember being a kid watching this tournament at the pyramids. I can't believe I'm playing here and I won my first round match!" Hawal admitted afterwards.

"I wouldn't be here without my family and my coaches, thanks to them. And Amna [El Trabolsy, Egyptian Squash Federation President] for awarding me the wildcard. It's a privilege to be here."

Baltayan, Garas and Rooney, meanwhile, had impressed during their three-match qualification campaigns, with world No.44 Rooney and world No.72 Baltayan storming through without dropping a game, while world No.53 Garas overcame compatriots Nadien Elhammamy, Hana Ismail and Habiba Hani to qualify.

French 18-year-old Baltayan, playing in a major PSA event for just the third time in her career, faced a tall order against Hong Kong's world No.33 Ka Yi Lee, but put in an incredible performance to upset the odds. The Frenchwoman, who is part Egyptian and trains nearby at Black Ball Sporting Club, took a 2/0 lead with 11-6, 11-5 wins before Lee hit back 11-9 in game three.

Baltayan, however, held her nerve, resetting well and, cheered on by friends and family, clinched victory with a dominant 11-3 win in game four to reach the second round of a major for the first time in her career.

"I'm over the moon right now. It's such a prestigious event and I'm very happy with the way I'm playing and the squash I've been producing this whole week," Baltayan said afterwards.

Former world No.18 Rooney has suffered a challenging period since reaching his highest world ranking in 2023, with the 28-year-old struggling for form and fitness, dropping to world No.65 earlier this year.

In Giza, though, the Englishman has looked close to his best once again, powering through qualifiers and dominating today against world No.33, reading his opponent's attacks perfectly to record a shock 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 victory and earn a matchup with No.8 seed Youssef Soliman.

"I'm getting close to back to where I was two years ago, near my best," Rooney said afterwards. "I think it's definitely an advantage [coming through qualifying] but there was no pressure on me and now there's no pressure on me at all. If there was no pressure today, there certainly won't be against Soliman."

World No.53 Garas, too, recorded a straight games victory, defeating struggling Canadian world No.29 Hollie Naughton 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 in 21 minutes.

"I knew she was going to come after me today, but I think my game now is more aggressive, more solid, and that helped me a lot," Garas said.

Garas will go up against compatriot Nada Abbas - who reached the semi-finals last year - in the next round.

Elsewhere, in one of the matches of the day, world No.19 Rachel Arnold survived being match ball down as she took out Malaysian compatriot Aifa Azman in a five-game epic.

Three months ago, the pair played out a hotly-contested five-gamer in the Asian Championships, and today's match was another fiery clash.

World No.42 Azman struck first to take the opening game 11-9. Arnold looked to be in complete control when she took the next two games 11-5, 11-5 and led 9-3 in game four, only for Azman to drag her way back in, taking the fourth game 13-11 to force a fifth game.

Azman came within a point of victory when she led 10-9 in game five, only for Arnold to save the match ball and take the decider into a tie-break. In a controversial moment, Azman stopped playing with Arnold on the floor after making an unlikely retrieval, but no let was awarded, to Azman's fury. Arnold, who had felt she'd been unlucky with a number of refereeing decisions earlier in the match, took full advantage, capitalising on the momentum to bring the match to a close 12-10.

That match was one of 10 that went to five games, with USA's Timothy Brownell, Malaysia's Aira Azman and Scotland's Georgia Adderley all fought back from two games down to win in five.