Top Squash Open Marks 33rd Edition with Elite Invitational Final

On Friday 6 and Saturday 7 March 2026, the 33rd edition of Luxembourg’s prestigious squash tournament, the Top Squash Open, took place at the eponymous Top Squash club in Sandweiler.

This year’s edition brought together 69 players across several categories, with 15 nationalities represented as local players competed alongside international professionals. The Elite Invitational Event featured four players competing in a round-robin format. Headlining the event was French player Grégoire Marche (world No. 17), alongside fellow Frenchman Toufik Mekhalfi (world No. 57). They faced Luxembourg Squash Technical Director Christopher Votion, a former top-three junior in Belgium, and Luxembourg international Danny Hutchins.

The tournament also included PSA Satellite competitions with professional draws. The men’s event featured a sixteen-player draw, while the women’s tournament consisted of an eight-player draw. Luxembourg’s Amir Samimi (world No. 252) entered the men’s competition as the top seed, while Italy’s Rafaela Albuja (world No. 197) led the women’s draw as the number “one” seed.

“This year we had both a PSA women’s draw and a PSA men’s draw, which is the first time we’ve done that,” said tournament organiser Nathan Sneyd in a comment to Chronicle.lu. “It’s a positive step and shows that the game is growing.”

He added that the event also provides opportunities for leading national players, such as Amir Samimi, to compete at a high level.

In the men’s PSA Satellite draw, England’s Caleb Boy advanced to the final after defeating Luxembourg’s Amir Samimi in straight sets, 11-9, 11-6, 11-3. Spain’s Ignacio Fajardo secured the other place in the title match with a four-set victory over Germany’s Yukhym Bielikov, 11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5.

The English player took control of the final early, winning the first two sets 11-3 and 11-8. Ignacio Fajardo attempted to mount a comeback by taking the third set 12-10, but Caleb Boy regained momentum and closed the match in the fourth set, 11-8, to claim the title.

“I didn’t really know what would happen, to be honest,” said 20-year-old English player Caleb Boy, the former British Under-19 champion. He added: “It was a group of players that were very strong. My quarter-final match was really tough against another English player, Lewis Doughty. In the semi-finals I played Luxembourg’s No. 1, who is also very strong and someone I’ve known for a long time. Both matches could have gone either way. The final was also tough against a great player from Spain. I could have lost in the quarters or semis, but in the end it went my way.”

In the women’s PSA Satellite tournament, top seed Rafaela Albuja of Italy advanced to the final after defeating Spain’s Montserrat Fajardo in straight sets, 12-10, 11-3, 11-5. France’s Sara Bonmalais secured the other place in the title match with a five-set victory over Egypt’s Enas Mohamed, 11-5, 13-11, 7-11, 10-12, 11-6.

In the final, Rafaela Albuja produced a dominant performance, defeating Sara Bonmalais in straight sets, 11-6, 11-3, 11-1, to claim the title.

In the Elite Invitational Event, the final featured French players Grégoire Marche and Toufik Mekhalfi, who had each overcome their opponents earlier in the competition to set up the decisive encounter. The match proved to be one of the highlights of the weekend, going the full five sets as momentum shifted several times between the two players. Toufik Mekhalfi took the opening set 11-4, but Grégoire Marche responded by levelling the match in the second. After Mekhalfi again moved ahead by winning the third set 14-12, the 36-year-old Marche showed his experience, fighting back once more before closing out the match in the fifth set to secure the Elite Invitational title (11-4, 6-11, 14-12, 4-11, 6-11).

Speaking after the match, Grégoire Marche said he was pleased to return to Luxembourg for the tournament. “Last year was a great event and I really enjoyed it,” he told Chronicle.lu. “When I received the invitation again from Nathan Sneyd, the director, I said yes straight away. The calendar is very busy at the moment, but I was happy that I could make it.”

The French player added that he is currently enjoying a strong run of form. “I had some great results in January and February, so I’m very happy with that. I’m just trying to enjoy every moment. I’m 36 years old now, so I’m getting towards the end of my career, but I feel like I’m playing some of my best squash. I’m currently ranked No. 17 in the world and I still feel like I can push a bit more, so we’ll see how far I can go.”

Grégoire Marche’s next major event will be the Optasia Championships 2026, a PSA World Tour Gold tournament scheduled to take place in the United Kingdom at the end of March.