Paul Coll wins DR21 Motor City Open 2025

Paul Coll of New Zealand defeated Mexico's Leonel Cardenas 8-11 12-10 11-9 11-9 in a marathon 91-minute final of the DR21 Motor City Squash Open in Detroit to claim his first PSA World Squash Tour title of the 2024/25 season.

The World No.4 was the strong favourite at the Birmingham Athletic Club following the withdrawal of four-time champion Diego Elias, however the Kiwi was pushed to the limit in a physically gruelling contest, displaying his trademark endurance, precision hitting, and unwavering mental resilience to claw his way back after dropping the opening game. The 32-year-old was forced to dig deep, fending off a game ball in the second before edging out his opponent in two closely-contested final games.

With little separating the two players, the New Zealander's composure in the crucial moments proved decisive as he pulled ahead from 7-7 in the third and 8-8 in the fourth to close out a hard-fought victory and securing his maiden Motor City Squash Open title at his third attempt.

Professional Squash Association (PSA) Men's DR21 Motor City Squash Open 2025, Birmingham Athletic Club, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit, USA
Final:
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [7] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 (91m)

Professional Squash Association (PSA) Men's DR21 Motor City Squash Open 2025, Birmingham Athletic Club, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit, USA
Semi-Finals:
[7] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt [3] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 (49m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [4] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (67m)

Professional Squash Association (PSA) Men's DR21 Motor City Squash Open 2025, Birmingham Athletic Club, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit, USA
Quarter-Finals:
[7] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt [9/16] Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (33m)
[3] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt [9/16] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 (62m)
[4] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt [9/16] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 11-13, 11-3, 11-2, 11-2 (49m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [6] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 11-13, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 11-5 (85m)

A dramatic day of at the DR21 Motor City Squash Open in Detroit saw Miguel Rodriguez denied a quarter-final place by Baptiste Masotti of France who eventually prevailed in a gruelling 95-minute 2nd round encounter.

A 30-minute opening game set the tone of an eagerly contested and enthralling match, with both players showing their incredible retrieval skills as they traded games up to a decider on the traditional court inside the Birmingham Athletic Club.

A burst ball at 9-9 in the fifth game added yet more drama to the occasion which saw the Frenchman eventually close-out a 12-14 11-3 8-11 11-6, 11-9 victory.

Professional Squash Association (PSA) Men's DR21 Motor City Squash Open 2025, Birmingham Athletic Club, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit, USA
2nd Round:
[9/16] Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bt [1] Diego Elias (PER) w/o
[7] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt [9/16] Nathan Lake (ENG) 11-7, 9-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-5 (73m)
[9/16] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt [5] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) 12-14, 11-3, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9 (95m)
[3] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Simon Herbert (ENG) 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (41m)
[4] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bt Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 11-4, 1-11, 11-4, 11-6 (37m)
[9/16] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) bt [8] Greg Lobban (SCO) 12-10, 15-13, 11-9 (56m)
[6] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) bt Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) 11-8, 11-5, 13-11 (37m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Jonah Bryant (ENG) 11-7, 10-12, 13-11, 11-8 (86m)

Professional Squash Association (PSA) Men's DR21 Motor City Squash Open 2025, Birmingham Athletic Club, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit, USA
1st Round:
[1] Diego Elias (PER) bye
[9/16] Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bt David Baillargeon (CAN) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (36m)
[9/16] Nathan Lake (ENG) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 (38m)
[7] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bye
[5] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bye
[9/16] Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) 11-2, 11-2, 11-6 (31m)
Simon Herbert (ENG) bt [9/16] Patrick Rooney (ENG) 11-7, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4 (40m)
[3] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bye
[4] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bye
Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) bt [9/16] Henry Leung (HKG) 11-5, 12-10, 11-5 (31m)
[9/16] Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) bt Rui Soares (POR) 10-12, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, 13-11 (60m)
[8] Greg Lobban (SCO) bye
[6] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) bye
Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) bt [9/16] Timothy Brownell (USA) 11-8, 4-11, 11-13, 11-4, 11-7 (48m)
Jonah Bryant (ENG) bt [9/16] Alex Lau (HKG) 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 (23m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bye

The DR21 Motor City Open Squash 2025, the second PSA World Squash Tour Silver-level event of the year, will be staged at the Birmingham Athletic Club in Detroit, USA from the 4th to 8th February.

Reigning World Squash Champion Diego Elias will lead the field as the top seed, aiming to secure his fifth consecutive Motor City Squash Open title. The Peruvian has dominated the event since 2019, boasting a 16-match unbeaten streak. His challengers this year will include last year’s runner-up and current World No.4 Paul Coll, alongside World No.13 Eain Yow Ng and World No.14 Aly Abou Eleinen in a highly competitive 24-man draw.

Paul Coll, who claimed three PSA World Squash Tour titles by this point last season, is still searching for his first trophy of the 2024/25 squash season. A strong showing here could propel him back towards the top of the PSA World Squash Rankings and provide a crucial confidence boost as he looks to end the dominance of Diego Elias.

Third and fourth seeds Eain Yow Ng and Aly Abou Eleinen will be looking to shake up the draw. The tactical maturity of Eain Yow Ng has made him a formidable opponent for the world’s elite, though victories against top 10 ranked players remain elusive which is a trend he hopes to reverse in Detroit. Meanwhile, Egypt's Aly Abou Eleinen, who secured a statement win over World No.2 Mostafa Asal earlier this season, will need a similar level of performance to challenge the top seeds. If he and Paul Coll progress as expected, they will meet for the first time in a highly anticipated semi-final clash.

UNSQUASHABLE will be represented by Yannick Wilhelmi of Switzerland who will face France’s Baptiste Masotti in the 1st round for an opponunity to play fellow UNSQUASHABLE players Miguel Rodriguez of Colombia.