Last week, Ali Farag ’14, a former Harvard men’s squash star, secured his fourth World Championship title for the third time in a row. The fourth PSA World Championship win was hard-earned for Farag, who had to battle through top-tier competition all weekend to make it to the final. In the semi-finals, Farag beat top-seeded Mostafa Asal 3-1 (11-5, 11-8, 11-13, 11-2). Farag had been out of action for several months due to an injury, but he has returned much stronger, securing the British Open and PSA World Championships in the last month alone.
Farag faced Karim Abdel Gawad in the final, a former world champion. Nevertheless, Farag defeated Gawad 12-10, 11-6, 11-6 in three matches, cementing his position as a squash star at the top of his game.
During his three years at Harvard, Farag’s incredible performance established him as one of the greatest in Harvard history. He won numerous awards, including the Ivy League Player of the Year, All-American First Team, and All-Ivy First Team for each of his three years. Farag was also named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2011-2012, after transferring from an American school in Cairo. He won the Pool Cup, was the CSA Individual Champion, and ranked #1 in college squash for both his sophomore and senior years. In his senior season, Farag led the Crimson team to win the CSA team championship by defeating Penn, Franklin & Marshall, and Trinity 9-0 to secure the title.
At the current PSA World Championship, seven former and current Crimsons competed, including Amanda Soby ’15 and Gina Kennedy ’20, who both advanced to the quarterfinals. On the women’s side, Sabrina Soby ’19 made it to the Round of 16, while Hana Moatas ’22 and Marina Stefanoni ’24 were eliminated in the opening round. On the men’s side, Timmy Brownell ’20 was eliminated in the first round, but Victor Kruan ’22 advanced to the Round of 32, alongside Farag.