Farag Withdraws From ToC Due to Injury

World No.2 Ali Farag will not return to defend his J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions crown, due to an ongoing knee problem.

Farag, who claimed the title at Grand Central Terminal in May 2022 after beating Diego Elias in a thrilling four-game final, continues to suffer from a knee problem that first appeared at the U.S. Open.

The Egyptian featured at the Grasshopper Cup, but was clearly not himself, losing out to home favourite Nicolas Mueller in the second round. Since then, Farag has missed the MARIGOLD Singapore Squash Open and the Everbright Securities International Hong Kong Squash Open at the end of last year.

With Farag out of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, New Zealand’s Paul Coll becomes the top seed, with new World No.1 Mostafa Asal moving up to the No.2 seed.

Peru’s Diego Elias moves up to the top four seeds, with Egypt’s Fares Dessouky moving up into the top eight seeds. India’s Saurav Ghosal replaces Dessouky in the 9/16 seeding bracket, and now receives a bye through the opening day’s action in New York City.

Frenchman Auguste Dussourd now moves into the 17/32 seeding bracket, and he will take on Hong Kong’s Henry Leung in the first round. Faraz Khan comes into the draw, adding to the American contingent in New York, and he will face Swiss No.2 Dimitri Steinmann on day one.