Full name | Karim Abdel Gawad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nickname(s) | The Baby Faced Assassin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | Egypt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Alexandria, Egypt | 30 July 1991|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Residence | Cairo, Egypt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 72 kg (159 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turned pro | 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retired | Active | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Plays | Right Handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Hisham El Attar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Racquet used | Harrow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Men's singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | No. 1 (May 2017) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current ranking | No. 7 (December 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Title(s) | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tour final(s) | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
World Open | W (2016) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Karim Gawad (born 30 July 1991) is an Egyptian professional squash player. He is a former world individual champion and world number 1 and a three-times world team champion.
In November 2016, he won the 2016 World Open Squash Championship in Cairo in Egypt against Ramy Ashour. He became the third Egyptian to win the World Championship after Amr Shabana and Ashour. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 1 in May 2017. [1] [2] Later in 2017, he was part of the Egyptian team that won the 2017 Men's World Team Squash Championships in France and repeated the success with Egypt at the 2019 Men's World Team Squash Championships in the United States.
In 2020, he suffered a major injury during the final of the 2020 Manchester Open. He damaged his heel, which eventually led to ten months out of squash and his world ranking plummeted as a result. [3]
In May 2023, he reached the final of the 2023 PSA Men's World Squash Championship, after defeating second seed Diego Elías in the quarter final and third seed Mohamed El Shorbagy in the semi final. [4] In the final he lost to compatriot Ali Farag but Gawad became the first unseeded player since Rodney Martin in 1991 to reach the world championship final. [5] It completed a remarkable comeback from the injury he suffered the previous year.
Gawad was recalled to the Egyptian team for the 2024 Men's World Team Squash Championships in Hong Kong and secured a third career gold medal in the Championships. [6] [7]
Major tournaments include:
Year/Season | Tournament | Opponent | Result | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Hong Kong Open | Ramy Ashour | Loss (1) | 9-11 11-8 6-11 11-5 6-11 |
2016 | PSA World Championships | Ramy Ashour | Win (1) | 5-11 11-6 11-7 2-1 (retired) |
2016 | Qatar Classic | Mohamed El Shorbagy | Win (2) | 12-10 15-13 11-7 |
2017 | Tournament of Champions | Grégory Gaultier | Win (3) | 6-11 11-6 12-10 11-6 |
2017 | El Gouna International | Grégory Gaultier | Loss (2) | 6-11 8-11 7-11 |
2018 | Black Ball Open | Ali Farag | Win (4) | 11-6 13-11 7-11 11-8 |
2019 | El Gouna International | Ali Farag | Loss (3) | 9-11 10-12 3-11 |
2018-19 | PSA World Tour Finals | Mohamed Abouelghar | Win (5) | 12-10 11-6 5-11 8-11 12-10 |
2019 | Egyptian Open | Ali Farag | Win (6) | 11-6 11-8 11-8 |
2019-20 | PSA World Tour Finals | Marwan El Shorbagy | Loss (4) | 6-11 5-11 3-11 |
2022-23 | PSA World Championships | Ali Farag | Loss (5) | 10-12 6-11 6-11 |
Outcome | Year | Location | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2016 | Cairo, Egypt | Ramy Ashour | 5–11, 11–6, 11–7, 2-1 (retired) |
Runner-up | 2023 | Chicago, USA | Ali Farag | 10–12, 6–11, 6–11 |
Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2016 | Mohamed El Shorbagy | 12–10, 13–15, 11-7 |
Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 2016 | Ramy Ashour | 11–9, 8–11, 11–6, 5–11, 11-6 |
Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2016 | Ali Farag | 11–4, 11–7, 11-5 [8] |
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