Controversial Ending Leads Ali Farag To Back-To-Back J.P. Morgan Tournament Of Champions Titles

Will Weissman

Ali Farag celebrates after defeating Diego Elías in the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions on January 31, 2025.

On the brink of his tenth Tournament of Champions (TOC) event, World No. 1 Ali Farag began the tournament filled with excitement and anticipation for the challenge ahead. The Egyptian spoke beforehand: “It’s my favorite tournament of the season. The vibe that it brings is unlike anything we have on the tour with so many people around. I got to World No.1 for the first time on that court so there’s great memories for me there and I can’t wait to be back again.”

The Egyptians TOC event began as the top seed against a difficult opponent in Egypt's Youseff Soliman, and current World No. 11. He had a sluggish start to the match, dropping the first game 11-5. Still, in typical fashion, Farag quickly found his groove in the following games. Farag’s pressure was too much for Soliman to overcome, who decisively lost the last three games. 

In the second round, Farag faced World No. 21, Qataris Abdulla Al-Tamimi. The Egyptian underwent a similar story as with his first match. However, this time, he had a lapse in the second game. Nevertheless, Farag pulled through in the last two games to reach another quarter-final spot. 

Next up, Farag had a monumental matchup against former World No. 1 and one of the sport's greatest players, Mohamed El Shorbagy. The two had an absolute screamer of a match with a packed house at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The crowd watched Farag fall to a 2-0 deficit, but as expected, Farag battled back, bringing the match to a fifth game. In the face of being down 8-3 in the final game, Farag pulled out the win in an exhausting 72 minutes of action. 

The Egyptian faced another challenging opponent in the semi-finals against New Zealand’s Paul Coll and current World No. 4. While Coll stayed even with the top seed through the mid-stages of the first game, Farag's patience granted him an early lead. The Egyptian finished strong again in the second game, winning the final four points to take the game 11-7. While the Kiwi’s aggressiveness ramped up in the third, Farag responded by playing his best squash of the match. His ability to dominate the center of the court and control the pace proved too much of an uphill battle for Coll. 

Up against Farag in the finals was Peruvian and World No. 3 Diego Elías. Having already played each other six times so far this season, the two expected another quality match. Unlike Coll, Elías found more success in taking the volley early and shooting with precision and tightness to the side wall. The Peruvian managed to squeeze an error from Farag to take a critically important early lead against the tournament's top seed. He carried the same momentum into the following game, coming out early 5-2. Nevertheless, Farag showed composure under pressure, lengthening the rallies and forcing his opponent to the back of the court and later into a tiebreak. His new strategy paid off as he evened up the match to one game apiece. 

The two produced an absolute battle in the third game, with the crowd treated to yet another tiebreak. Farag’s superiority in experience on tour became evident as he came out on top 14-12 after an unforced error from Elías. While both had just played nearly an hour of fast-paced and exciting squash, the moment proved slightly too big for the Peruvian. His frustration showed in the fourth game as he faced an early 5-0 deficit. After receiving two conduct strokes for racket abuse and dissent, Farag quickly closed out the match 11-1 to win his fourth Tournament of Champions event. 

After the match, Farag said, “This title means so much to me. Obviously, I thought we played an incredible first three games. Diego and I have been pushing each other so hard. It’s very unfortunate how the match ended today. I really don’t know who’s at fault here. I feel sorry for everyone involved, but I’m definitely looking forward to playing Diego again in the future.” 

With a fourth Tournament of Champions Title, Farag only continues to add to his greatness in pro squash. While already a long-time veteran on the PSA World Tour at the age of 32, the Egyptian has pushed his game to the next level with each tournament. On the back of one of the best seasons of his career, Ali Farag has shown that his tenure at the top of the game is far from over.