Giantkiller Elnawasany Conquers Cardenas To Reach Canadian Open Climax

World No.25 Yahya Elnawasany continued his giantkilling run in Calgary by reaching the final of the AirSprint Private Aviation Canadian Men's Open 2026 after an impressive 3/1 victory over No.3 seed Leonel Cardenas at Bow Valley Athletic Club.

Elnawasany, who approached the tie without a win against the world No. 14 from Mexico, having lost all five of their previous meetings, was looking to upset yet another top-four seeded player after the unbelievable five-game comeback against Marwan ElShorbagy 24 hours earlier.

In the opening game, Cardenas started the quicker of the pair, growing a 4-1 lead. Despite the No.3 seed coming out of the blocks quickly, Elnawasany's patience in the long rallies, and an adapting attacking style, allowed him to put his opponent under considerable pressure, as he was able to take a 5-4 lead.

However, the Egyptian world No.14 would wrestle the opener back in his favour, preventing his opponent from growing distance on the scoreboard.

With very little to separate the two on court, in what seemed more like a game of chess, Cardenas would eventually earn two game balls against Elnawasany. A few errors from the world No.25 were enough for the No.3 seed to pounce and claim the first 11-8 after 25 minutes.

After a brutal opening game, the duo would continue to battle hard on court, preventing one another from taking control of the second. However, as the game continued to develop, it was Elnawasany who was able to benefit in the battle of endurance.

The No.7 seed's patience in the long rallies and sharp attacking play caused Cardenas issues, as Elnawasany went on to win seven consecutive points, claiming the second 11-6.

Nearing the hour mark as the match moved into the third, two-minute rallies became a regular occurrence, with both players being pushed to the limit on the glass court in Calgary. As the third game unfolded, it was Elnawasany who would come out the stronger of the two, as he would race away from his opponent, winning six of the next seven points, to claim the third 11-6.

Moving into the fourth, the Egyptian would take full control of the contest and proved to be too much for his opponent, as he was able to win 11-4.

After the match, Elnawasany said: "I am feeling really good. Before I came to Canada, I never imagined that I would reach two finals in a row, let alone win a title, and play back-to-back here.

"I was suffering from the inconsistency in the previous years, so I am really happy that I could push and be consistent in a number of matches."

He continued: "It was tough in the first game, and it went his way. The second game was really close. I knew I was putting the work in to his legs, and today I knew it was a close first game and I knew it could swing my way, so I was ready to take the opportunity, and I was happy to do that."

Elnawasany will face the No.2 seed Victor Crouin in the final. Crouin, who arrived at this tournament after winning the Texas Open, secured his place in the final after a dominant straight games victory over Juan Vargas.

A finalist at the event in 2023, Crouin was able to impress the Calgary crowd in a dominant performance. Despite going 2-0 down in the opening two games, the Frenchman was able to comfortably re-establish control in the contest to overcome the No.6 seed, winning 11-6, 11-7.

With high-quality squash on display, the match proved to be very entertaining and was well-received by the loud and enthusiastic Calgary crowd. And with momentum in favour of the world No.5, he was able to seal his place in the final two with a dominant third game performance.

Crouin built up a 9-0 lead, and despite Vargas putting three points on the board, it wasn't enough for the world No.31, as Crouin went on to win the game 11-3.