Yannick Wilhelmi Reaches Budapest Open Semi-Finals

UNSQUASHABLE player Yannick Wilhelmi produced a series of battling performances at the PSA Budapest Squash Open, ultimately falling just short of the final after a spirited semi-final showing against England’s Patrick Rooney.

The Swiss No.6 seed displayed his trademark resilience throughout the week at the City Squash Club. After coming through a gruelling five-game contest against compatriot and fellow UNSQUASHABLE player Iván Pérez in the second round, Yannick carried his momentum into the later stages of the tournament.

His clash with Iván Pérez proved to be one of the matches of the tournament, lasting 78 minutes and showcasing both players’ quality. Yannick edged the all-UNSQUASHABLE battle 11-6 8-11 13-15 11-2 11-4 to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

In the last eight, the 23-year-old stepped up a gear, defeating South African No.1, Dewald van Niekerk, in straight games. After clinching a tight opening game, Yannick asserted control to close out a commanding 13-11 11-6 11-7 victory in 51 minutes.

That result set up a semi-final clash with third seed Patrick Rooney. The Englishman, however, proved too strong on the day, edging a tense first game before tightening his grip on the match. Rooney advanced to the final with a 15-13 11-2 11-8 win in 45 minutes, leaving Yannick to reflect on a promising run that further underlined his progress on the PSA World Squash Tour.

Elsewhere in Budapest, Iván Pérez opened his campaign with a hard-fought 63-minute win over New Zealand’s Elijah Thomas, prevailing 11-8 8-11 11-6 11-6 before bowing out to Yannick in the 2nd round.

Second seed Nick Wall also carried UNSQUASHABLE colours in Hungary but suffered a surprise second-round exit at the hands of Dewald van Niekerk, who ended the Englishman’s hopes of a deep run.

2025 PSA Budapest Squash Open, City Squash Club, Budapest, Hungary
Final:
[1] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt. [3] Patrick Rooney (ENG) 11-6 11-5 11-9 (57m) 

Top seed Greg Lobban of Scotland defeated 3rd seed Patrick Rooney of England 11-6 11-5 11-9 in a 57-minute final to claim the 2025 PSA  Budapest Squash Open title.

For more information and to watch match highlights, visit: psasquashtour.com

Semi-Finals:
[1] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [7] Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) 11-9, 11-7, 13-11 (47m)
[3] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt [6] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) 15-13, 11-2, 11-8 (45m)

Quarter-Finals:
[1] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [5] George Parker (ENG) 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (36m)
[7] Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) bt [4] Balazs Farkas (HUN) 11-6, 7-11, 11-13, 11-8, 11-4 (62m)
[3] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt [9/16] Rui Soares (POR) 11-13, 11-3, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6 (62m)
[6] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) 13-11, 11-6, 11-7 (51m)

2nd Round:
[1] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt. Yassin Elshafei (EGY) 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (41m)
[5] George Parker (ENG) bt. Emyr Evans (WAL)11-4, 11-4, 11-8 (36m)
[4] Balazs Farkas (HUN) bt. Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) 10-12, 11-6, 11-8, 12-10 (74m)
[7] Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) bt. Rowan Damming (NED) 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 (79m)
Rui Soares (POR) bt. [8] Simon Herbert (ENG) 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 (52m)
[3] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt. Macéo Levy (FRA) 11-0, 11-9, 12-14, 11-8 (58m)
Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) bt. [2] Nick Wall (ENG) 11-9, 11-9, 11-4 (42m)
[6] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt. Iván Pérez (ESP) 11-6, 8-11, 13-15, 11-2, 11-4 (78m)

1st Round:
[1] Greg Lobban (SCO) [bye]
Yassin Elshafei (EGY) bt [WC] Benedek Takacs (HUN) 11-3, 11-1, 11-4 (22m)
Emyr Evans (WAL) bt Yannik Omlor (GER) 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 (31m)
[5] George Parker (ENG) [bye]
[7] Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) [bye]
Rowan Damming (NED) bt Daniel Poleshcuk (ISR) 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (23m)
Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) bt Khaled Labib (EGY) 11-5, 11-5, 6-11, 11-8 (50m)
[4] Balazs Farkas (HUN) [bye]
[3] Patrick Rooney (ENG) [bye]
Ziad Ibrahim (EGY) v Samuel Osborne-Wylde (ENG)
Rui Soares (POR) bt [WC] Simon Daniel (HUN) 11-3, 11-5, 11-9 (26m)
[8] Simon Herbert (ENG) [bye]
[6] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) [bye]
Iván Pérez (ESP) bt Elijah Thomas (NZL) 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6 (63m)
Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) bt. Dylan Molinaro (AUS) 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (31m)
[2] Nick Wall (ENG) [bye]

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) have released the draw for the 2025 Budapest Men's Squash Open which will take place at the City Squash Club from the 20th to 25th September.

Hungarian No.1 Farkas Balazs and Scotland’s Greg Lobban will headline the 2025 Budapest Squash Open which will be a PSA Copper-Level World Tour Squash event.

World No.47 Farkas Balazs, seeded fourth, is expected to attract strong home support as he bids for success in the Hungarian capital. The 28-year-old enters in excellent form, having recently captured the Silver Medal at the World Games in Chengdu. His path, however, is a challenging one, with the draw placing him in the same half as top seed Greg Lobban. The experienced Scot, currently ranked World No.20 and already the winner of 15 PSA World Squash Tour titles, will be targeting another deep run. Should both advance, the pair are projected to meet in a semi-final showdown.

The bottom half of the draw is dominated by English talent, with No.2 seed Nick Wall and No.3 seed Patrick Rooney on course for a semi-final clash if results follow the seedings. They are not without obstacles, though, with Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi (No.6 seed) and England’s Simon Herbert (No.8 seed) both capable of upsetting the order.

2025 Budapest Squash Open Draw:
[1] Greg Lobban (SCO) [bye]
[WC] Benedek Takacs (HUN) v Yassin Elshafei (EGY)
Emyr Evans (WAL) v Yannik Omlor (GER)
[5] George Parker (ENG) [bye]
[7] Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) [bye]
Rowan Damming (NED) v Daniel Poleshcuk (ISR)
Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) v Aly Hussein (EGY)
[4] Balazs Farkas (HUN) [bye]
[3] Patrick Rooney (ENG) [bye]
Ziad Ibrahim (EGY) v Samuel Osborne-Wylde (ENG)
Rui Soares (POR) v [WC] Simon Daniel (HUN)
[8] Simon Herbert (ENG) [bye]
[6] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) [bye]
Elijah Thomas (NZL) v Iván Pérez (ESP)
Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) v Hamza Khan (PAK)
[2] Nick Wall (ENG) [bye]

The 2025 Budapest Squash Open will take place at the City Squash Club from the 20th to 25th September.

For the latest match updates as they happen and details of how to watch live, visit: psasquashtour.com

UNSQUASHABLE will be represented at the 2025 Budapest Squash Nick Wall, Yannick Wilhelmi and Iván Pérez.