Eltorgman riding momentum into NASH Cup

Salah Eltorgman, the top squash player for the top university team in Canada (Western), will have ‘home-court’ advantage at this week’s NASH Cup in London. He’s looking to continue his rise in the PSA rankings.

Salah Eltorgman at the Windsor Cup Bronze event in August, where he upset No. 56 Rui Soares (Portugal) to jump 54 spots in his world ranking (to No. 136).

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Salah Eltorgman isn’t worried at all.

As the top player on the 39-time defending OUA champion Western University men’s squash team, the 20-year-old is no stranger to pressure.

“You don’t want to be the team that ever ends the streak,” Eltorgman laughed. “This is like the greatest dynasty in sports history.”

So, no pressure, right?

“Ha. None.”

This week, Eltorgman takes a break from defending the local dynasty to turn his attention to the NASH CUP in London.

The 15th annual event will host 48 players from around the world, including 25 ranked in the top 100 in the world by the Professional Squash Association (PSA). The top male, Yahya Elnawasany from Egypt, was ranked No. 34 in the world when the draw was announced. The top female, Canadian Hollie Naughton, is ranked 19th in the world.

Players from 19 different countries will compete this year, including multiple players from Egypt, Canada, the United States, England, Mexico and Spain. Three countries (Portugal, Austria, Hungary) will be represented for the first time.

Last month, Eltorgman entered the Windsor Cup Bronze, the first PSA World Tour event of the season, as the 190th ranked player in the world. As a wild card selection, he then proceeded to defeat Rui Soares of Portugal, ranked 56th in the world. Despite then losing to Youssef Soliman in the second round, Eltorgman’s win propelled the Cairo, Egypt, native to 136th in the world.

“That was the biggest win of my career, so far,” he said. “I’m feeling really good on the court, feel like I have improved a lot during the summer.”

Now, he hopes the momentum he found in the Rose City follows him back to London.

For his opening match Tuesday, Eltorgman drew Tom Walsh of England (ranked No. 85 and the 10 seed at the NASH Cup). The winner of that matchup will face second seed Nick Wall of England (No. 44). (In a curious twist, Eltorgman could face a rematch with Soares in the quarter finals if both men get on a roll. Eltorgman would need to beat the second and fifth seeds in the tourney, the Nos. 44 and 55 players in the world.)

(Photo courtesy Salah Eltorgman).

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Eltorgman brings his aggressive game to the court, a big player at 6-foot-4 who fills a lot of space as he looks to create opportunities to attack. He has been conditioning over the summer to survive the bumps that come from a gameplan like that.

“My game and my body feel ready to go.”

The son of semi-pro tennis players, Eltorgman picked up his first squash racket at 6 years old in Egypt, and he continued playing the game when he moved to Canada at 13. Today, he travels to and trains in both countries.

Nobody can say exactly when Egypt was a squash superpower. The country of 110 million has produced countless numbers of top players since the 1930s. It is believed that former President Hosni Mubarak, a player himself, gave it a major boost in the 1990s when he made sizable investments in sport across Egyptian society.

“It’s a super close community there,” Eltorgman said. “The top players always stay connected to the more junior players, and so you have this system where an older generation gives back to the younger generation, and it keeps on going and going and going that way.” 

Nine players representing Egypt will participate in the NASH Cup.

(Photo courtesy Salah Eltorgman).

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A multi-sport athlete growing up (soccer and squash), Eltorgman opted for the indoor courts. Taking a gap year after high school, he jumped into PSA before Western’s reputation as a dynasty drew him to the Forest City.

“I saw the benefits of being part of a program like that, a team like that, and it was an easy decision,” said the second year Political Science major.

Besides, he points out, defending a dynasty is easier with your longtime friends around.

“To be honest, we don’t really feel the pressure. We’re really out there having fun. We know each other so well on the team,” Eltorgman said.

Take Dylan Deverill, for example. The team’s No. 2 player was the first match Eltorgman ever had in Canada when both players were 12 years old. That’s not uncommon on this Mustangs squad, where teammates have competed against each other in tourneys since they were kids.

“We know each other well; we push each other. There are no awkward moments between us at all. We compete, but we’re good friends. Once that happens, once you build that kind of group, you trust the process and don’t think about the pressure of winning.”

Despite the balance between school, university squash, and the pros, Eltorgman has thrived. He has represented Canada at the World Junior Squash Championship in 2017 and 2018, won the 2021 Canadian U19 Junior national championship, and represented Team Canada at the 2022 Pan American Squash Championships.

The NASH Cup locale, the London Squash Club, provides a bit of a ‘home-field’ advantage for Eltorgman, who plays his Mustangs home games there.

“This is so exciting. To play at the pro level, play amazing competition, not have to travel, and get to have my Western teammates around to cheer me on, that’s a huge positive for me,” said Eltorgman, who plans to go full-time pro after graduation.

“Squash has been incredible for me. I couldn’t ask for a better career or better sport. You meet so many people, you travel all over the world. I get to play a lot of squash, make a lot of friends, and meet so many fans, create connections in other leagues. That kind of atmosphere is amazing.”