Europe’s finest squash players descend on Budapest this week for the traditional season curtain-raiser: the ESF European Individual Closed Championships.
The early rounds will take place at City Squash Club with the latter stages at Millenáris Building D, an 1,800sqm multi-purpose event and exhibition space located at Millenáris Park in the Hungarian capital.
With defending champions Victor Crouin of France and Tinne Gilis of Belgium installed as top seeds, all players have now discovered their paths to potential glory with the publication of the men’s and women’s draws.
Much attention in the build-up to the men’s competition has focused on the first appearance on the European squash stage of Mohamed ElSherbini, following his recent switch from Egypt to Slovenian colours (read our interview with him here).
World no.49 ElSherbini, a 5/8 seed, is in the top half of the draw and will face either Poland’s Jakub Pytlowany or Daniel Lutz of Austria in round two. He could meet three-time winner Crouin in the quarter-finals, with the winner of that potential clash meeting [3/4] Nicolas Mueller thereafter.
Second seed Dimitri Steinmann, seeking his first European individual title, is seeded to meet [3/4] Baptiste Masotti of France in the semi-finals. Spain’s [5/8] Ivan Perez, winner of last week’s $36k PSA in Valencia, will be one to watch in the bottom half.
In the women’s draw, sisters Tinne and Nele Gilis-Coll are seeded to meet in the final for a third time. Youngster sister Tinne has won both their previous EICC final encounters in 2022 and 2025, but Nele is a two-time winner of the title in 2019 and 2023.
Spain’s Marta Dominguez, crowned World University champion two weeks ago, has withdrawn, so Ukraine’s Alina Bushma steps up as 3/4 seed alongside France’s Melissa Alves, the finalist from two years ago in Cuenca.
Bushma, the world no.48 who’s based in Philadelphia, is seeded to face Tinne in the semi-finals, with French Guiana-born Alves set to face Nele, if the event goes with the seedings.
Check out the draws for the 2026 ESF European Individual Closed Championships here
You can watch the 2026 ESF European Individual Closed Championships for FREE on European Squash TV!
We will also have highlights on the European Squash Federation’s official Instagram and Facebook accounts
