NEW YORK CITY — Salman Khalil and Omar Hafez represented the University of Pennsylvania men's squash team today in the semifinals of the 2025 CSA Individual Championship.
Sophomore Khalil played first against Yale's Tad Carney on the Tournament of Champions glass court in Grand Central Station. Khalil controlled the match early, taking the first two games despite the fight from Carney in game two. Khalil fell behind early in game three, but reasserted himself and rallied to bring the score to five all. Carney kept with him to seven all, before Khalil took his play up a notch. He proceeded to run away with the game, Carney pleading with officials for lets in the final three points awarded. With the win, Khalil has secured a spot in the final match for the men's individual title and the Pool Trophy tomorrow afternoon.
"I came here to win," Khalil said after the match. "Making it to the final is just another step, but it doesn't mean that much to me unless I win tomorrow."
Khalil began his rest and recovery time cheering on his teammate, junior Hafez, in his semifinal match against Trinity's Joachim Chuah. The battle between Hafez and Chuah was exciting from the start, the two of them both masters at mobility and utilizing the whole court. Hafez stayed toe-to-toe with Trinity's top player through game one, but was bested by Chuah by a few points. Hafez looked strong in game two, winning handily to even the match score.
The two danced around the court in game three, with many changes of speed and lots of diverse shot angles as the game progressed. Hafez scurried the length of the court through a long rally to earn the fourth point, and dove to win his seventh point in a similar battle. Capitalizing on a couple of errors from Hafez, Chuah was able to even the score at seven all as he pushed past Hafez for the game ball. Hafez battled to extend the game to extra points, battling through two game balls to do so. He took game three after twelve points that took 22 minutes to complete.
Game four posed a challenge for both athletes from the beginning as Chuah suffered a blood injury that required a stoppage of play at one all. When play resumed, Hafez picked up right where he left off, staying warm and battling back and forth with Chuah. The game became more physical as it continued, coming to a head as Hafez led the game 9-7. Chuah closed the gap by a point after forcing a stroke, and an error by Hafez brought the game to nine all. Hafez then executed a squeeze to take the lead again, before Chuah saved the match ball and pushed the game to extra points. Hafez capitalized after an error from Chuah with a perfect squeeze to defeat Chuah and earn his spot in the final.
Khalil and Hafez will battle in the Pool Trophy Final tomorrow afternoon in what is sure to be an incredible match. Regardless of the outcome, the Pool Trophy will belong to a Quaker for the first time since the 1970s. History will be made tomorrow, the final day of the 2025 CSA Individual Championship in New York City.
Today's Matches
Pool Trophy Semifinals
Salman Khalil (P) defeated Tad Carney (Yale), 11-4, 11-9, 11-7
Omar Hafez (P) defeated Joachim Chuah (Trinity), 8-11, 11-5, 12-10, 13-11
Up Next
Pool Trophy Final
Salman Khalil (P) will play against Omar Hafez (P) at 2:15 p.m. tomorrow.
Information for the tournament, including live scoring and bracket information, can be found on the tournament's website, linked here.
For the latest on Penn Squash, follow @PennSquash on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
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