Egyptian Open squash: Joachim Chuah and Xin Ying Yee qualify, seven Malaysians in Giza main draws

Malaysia will have seven players in the main draws of the CIB Egyptian Squash Open in Giza. Joachim Chuah and Xin Ying Yee each won an all-Malaysian qualifying final, and Yasshmita Jadishkumar got in as a lucky loser after losing to Xin Ying. Main-draw play starts on Saturday 10 October.

This follows the all-Malaysian women's qualifying final between Xin Ying Yee and Yasshmita Jadishkumar, which we covered earlier, and reports its result.

Xin Ying edges Yasshmita, both go through

The women's qualifying final was close all the way. Xin Ying won 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 in 46 minutes. Yasshmita won the third game, but her compatriot held on in a tight fourth.

Both reached the final without dropping much. Xin Ying beat Egypt's Salma El Alfy 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 and England's Kiera Marshall 11-9, 11-8, 11-8. Yasshmita beat France's Énora Villard in straight games, then needed four games to beat Wales' Lowri Roberts.

Losing the final was not the end for Yasshmita. Olivia Weaver and Melissa Alves withdrew, which opened lucky-loser places, and she took one. She plays Egypt's Mariam Metwally in the first round. Xin Ying plays England's Lucy Turmel.

Joachim Chuah beats Sanjay Jeeva in men's qualifying

The men's qualifying final was also between two Malaysians. Joachim Chuah lost a long first game 12-14 to Sanjay Jeeva, then won the next three 11-5, 11-0, 11-4 in a 54-minute match. His first-round opponent is Switzerland's Nicolas Mueller.

Joachim had beaten Egypt's Abdullah Hafez and Aly Tolba in straight games earlier in qualifying. Sanjay beat Germany's Yannik Omlor, then compatriot Ameeshenraj Chandaran 12-10, 13-11, 11-5. Duncan Lee and Mohammad Syafiq Kamal went out in the first qualifying round, both to Egyptian players.

The Asian Games champions return

The two biggest Malaysian names come straight from the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. There, Sivasangari Subramaniam and Ng Eain Yow won the singles gold medals, and Malaysia also won both team titles.

Sivasangari is the fifth seed in the women's draw. She has a first-round bye and is scheduled to start in the second round on Sunday 11 October. Eain Yow is the 16th seed in the men's event. The PSA schedule has him playing Spain's Iván Pérez on Saturday.

Aira Azman plays Hong Kong's Tomato Ho in the first round on Saturday, and Rachel Arnold also opens on Saturday against a qualifier.

Why Giza matters

The Egyptian Open is a Diamond-level event, the top tier of the PSA World Tour, and it is the first Diamond tournament of the new season. It runs from 6 to 16 October, with matches near the Great Pyramid of Giza. Egypt is five hours behind Malaysia, so evening sessions in Giza finish late at night in Malaysia.

Malaysia has seven players across the two main draws. Several of them must beat higher-ranked opponents to progress, including the qualifiers and lucky loser.

Key takeaways

• Xin Ying Yee beat Yasshmita Jadishkumar 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 to qualify, and Yasshmita also entered as a lucky loser.
• Joachim Chuah came from a game down to beat Sanjay Jeeva 12-14, 11-5, 11-0, 11-4.
• Seven Malaysians are in the main draws: Sivasangari Subramaniam, Ng Eain Yow, Aira Azman, Rachel Arnold, Xin Ying Yee, Yasshmita Jadishkumar and Joachim Chuah.
• Fifth seed Sivasangari has a first-round bye and is due to start on Sunday 11 October.

FAQ

Who are the Malaysian first-round opponents at the Egyptian Open? Xin Ying Yee plays Lucy Turmel, Yasshmita Jadishkumar plays Mariam Metwally, Aira Azman plays Tomato Ho, and Joachim Chuah plays Nicolas Mueller.

What is a lucky loser in squash? A lucky loser is a player who lost in the qualifying final but still gets into the main draw because another player withdrew. Yasshmita got in this way after Olivia Weaver and Melissa Alves pulled out.

When does the 2026 Egyptian Open end? The tournament runs until Friday 16 October in Giza, Egypt.

Sources: Infinity Sport, PSA World Tour, SquashInfo, Bernama, Olympics.com