Team USA’s Timmy Brownell won his first career PSA title–the 2022 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions Challenger–qualifying for the ToC main draw Saturday, April 30, in New York City’s Grand Central Station.
The men’s final pitted Penn senior Aly Abou Eleinen against world No. 83 Brownell, a Harvard graduate. The vocal crowd had friends and supporters of both players in attendance, and were treated to a thrilling fifty-seven-minute final that Brownell edged 11-8, 8-11, 14-12, 11-9.
“Obviously, this is one of the biggest stages in squash, and it’s easy to lose yourself in the moment, so the motto of the day was to just enjoy it, try and be myself,” Brownell said. “To do that, you have to play the right shots and I feel like I came out in the first game playing a bit scared. My heart rate was way up, probably a little bit anxious. Sometimes you have to hit the tin and I can be pretty good at that.”
Brownell will make his second career ToC main draw appearance against Egypt’s world No. 29 Karim El Hammamy Sunday at 4pm local time. The ToC Challenger title is the twenty-four-year-old’s first career PSA title, two years after turning professional and basing himself at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
“This title shows the good work that we’re putting in at the Specter Center,” Brownell said. “It goes under the radar, but Coach Beng Hee, Coach Bridget and Adam Hamill are running a great program and it feels great to get a result for them.”
Brownell joins seven other Americans in the main draw including Todd Harrity, Shahjahan Khan, Amanda Sobhy, Sabrina Sobhy, Olivia Fiechter, Olivia Blatchford Clyne and Haley Mendez.
For more information and tournament coverage visit tocsquash.com.