Tarek Momen (born 23 February 1988 in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
) is a professional
squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
player representing
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. He is a former World Champion, and reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 3 in February 2019.
Career overview
A PSA member since 2005, Tarek Momen found time to graduate in Electronic Engineering at the American University in Cairo before devoting himself 100% to the Tour – and first breaking into the top 20
world rankings in August 2010, then celebrating a career-high No10 in April 2013.
The latest Egyptian to break into the world top ten, Momen reached his first Tour final at the Thessaloniki Open in Greece in March 2006 as a qualifier – upsetting No2 seed
Daryl Selby
Daryl Selby (born 3 November 1982 in Harlow) is a former professional squash player who represented England. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 9 in April 2010. His sister is professional squash player Lauren Selby. He attende ...
in the semi-finals before losing out to Spanish favourite
Borja Golán
Borja Golán (born 6 January 1983 in Santiago de Compostela) is a Spanish retired professional squash player. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 5 in April 2014.
Career overview
In August 2009, in the Colombian Open final, Borj ...
in the final.
It was five years later before he converted a final appearance into a winner's cheque – claiming his maiden title at the 2011 Irish Open in Dublin. Unseeded, Momen dismissed No2 seed
Olli Tuominen
Olli Tuominen (born 15 April 1979 in Helsinki) is a professional squash player who represented Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares lan ...
, then third seed
Saurav Ghosal
Saurav Ghosal (born 10 August 1986, in Kolkata, West Bengal) is a professional squash player from India and reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 10 in April 2019. He completed his schooling at Lakshmipat Singhania Academy in Kolka ...
before overcoming Australian favourite
Stewart Boswell 12-10, 11-7, 8-11, 11-3 in the final.
And later in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, two significant titles came Momen's way: Firstly, seeded three in the
Colombian Open
The Colombian Open, or Abierto de Colombia, is a golf tournament on the Colombian Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamérica that was first played in 1945. It has also on occasion been an event on the Tour de las Americas.
In 2001, Camilo Villegas
Ca ...
, he ousted local hero
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría (born 9 January 1940) is a Costa Rican economist, lawyer, businessman and politician who served as President of Costa Rica from 1998 to 2002. He was minister of planning from 1968 to 1970 and minister of ...
in the final to win the PSA International 35 title in Bogota – then, unseeded, he carved his way through the
Malaysian Open field in Selangor, dismissing
Borja Golán
Borja Golán (born 6 January 1983 in Santiago de Compostela) is a Spanish retired professional squash player. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 5 in April 2014.
Career overview
In August 2009, in the Colombian Open final, Borj ...
in four games in the semi-finals before overcoming fellow countryman
Mohamed El Shorbagy
Mohamed ElShorbagy ( ar, محمد الشوربجي, born 12 January 1991 in Alexandria) is an Egyptian-English professional squash player. He represented Egypt from a young age until June 2022, and is currently representing England. He reached ...
, the event's second seed, 12-10, 6-11, 12-10, 8-11, 14-12 in the 109-minute final.
The PSA International 50 title marked the third and biggest of his career.
The Selangor success had extra significance for Momen as the women's title was won by compatriot
Raneem El Weleily
Raneem Mohamed Yasser Saad El Din El Welily ( ar, رنيم محمد ياسر سعد الدين الوليلي; born 1 January 1989, in Alexandria, Egypt) is a former professional squash player from Egypt. She has reached a career-high world ranki ...
, the then world No2 who later became his wife.
Momen's 2013 campaign began strongly with a surprise semi-final finish in the
Swedish Open
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
after a five-game upset over 4th seed
Daryl Selby
Daryl Selby (born 3 November 1982 in Harlow) is a former professional squash player who represented England. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 9 in April 2010. His sister is professional squash player Lauren Selby. He attende ...
in the opening round.
Last 16 round finishes in successive
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
events, the
North American Open
The North American Open is an annual international professional squash tournament. Started in 1966, this tournament was one of the most prestigious professional events behind the British Open and the World Open.
The 2014 North American Open is l ...
and
PSA Kuwait Cup in March – coupled with a quarter-final berth in the
KL Open, where he was unseeded – all led to his career-high No.10 ranking the following month.
And the
British Open
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
in May saw the 25-year-old record his best ever performance in the event when he upset seventh seed
Peter Barker to reach the quarter-finals.
Away from the Tour, Momen made his senior debut for
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
in the
World Team Championship in June in France, where he won all but one of his matches for the title-holders.
SquashInfo Player Profile
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Personal life
Tarek is married to Raneem El Weleily
Raneem Mohamed Yasser Saad El Din El Welily ( ar, رنيم محمد ياسر سعد الدين الوليلي; born 1 January 1989, in Alexandria, Egypt) is a former professional squash player from Egypt. She has reached a career-high world ranki ...
, an Egyptian professional squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
.
He also has a bachelor's degree in engineering from the American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
in Cairo.
On 2 January 2021, Momen and El Weleily welcomed their first child, a boy named Shahir.
References
External links
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*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Momen, Tarek
1988 births
Living people
Egyptian male squash players
21st-century Egyptian people