Diego Elías on his way to being number 1: What comes next for the Peruvian after his first US Open?

When Diego joined the PSA World Tour in 2013, no one imagined how big he could become. But this 16-year-old boy was not just a rookie. He was a great dreamer and a true warrior.

He himself was in charge of weaving achievements that no other Peruvian could achieve before in this sport and, by hand, he became what he is today, one of the best in the entire planet.

Last weekend, Diego Elías accomplished one of the most valuable feats of his career, by winning the US Open, the most important squash tournament in the United States and one of the most prestigious on the PSA Tour. The Peruvian made history by reaching the grand final of the tournament, where he faced none other than the Egyptian Ali Farag, who until that day was number two in the world (today he is number 1).

With all the motivation on top, the national squash player started the match optimally, placing himself above his rival on the scoreboard at the start. However, the Egyptian suffered a knee injury and the match had to end in just two minutes. Although not in the way he would have liked, the Peruvian was crowned champion and added his 12th PSA title to his showcase. And the joy continues to spread.

“The only thing that fits Peruvians is to feel very proud of Diego, because what he has done is equivalent to winning a US Open, Roland Garros, or Wimbledon in tennis. This is possibly the most important tournament in the world of squash”highlights Ricardo Montoya, a columnist for this newspaper and one of the journalists who most closely follows the international career of the national racket.

Thanks to this success, Diego Elías was able to climb a position in the world ranking (3rd) with 14,205 points, the best of his career. But even the ‘Puma’ – as they call him on the circuit – does not reach his ceiling. After his consecration at the US Open, now more challenges are just as important for him.

Whats Next?

“Diego has improved his level and is intractable. I really feel that he is at the best level of him ever”, assures Ricardo Montoya. And nothing more true than reality. The Peruvian has reached the boiling point of his career and will surely continue his successes.

But we must bear in mind that Diego Elías has not yet achieved the greatest goal that he has set for himself at 25 years old. At this point, the Peruvian seeks to be the best in the world in his discipline and there is no doubt that he will fight tirelessly to achieve it.

“My goal is still trying to be number one and I think I’m on the right track.”expressed the national squash player in an interview with this newspaper.

The ‘Puma’ is only two steps away from achieving it. In front of him, he only has Paul Coll and Ali Farag in second and first place in the ranking respectively. It will be a matter of time before he can overcome them, because at least in terms of level he is already on par with both, even better, for some specialists.

“To be number one in the world, you need the stars to align a little bit. I think that he is already better than Coll (2nd) and Farag (1st), or at least he is very even with them ”says Ricardo Montoya.

But that is not the only rival that Diego must have in his sights. At least Mohamed ElShorbagy (4th) was already able to overcome him, but it is Mostafa Asal (5th) who looks like the main stumbling block for the Peruvian -currently and in the future- to achieve his greatest goals.

At 21, Asal is one of the world’s brightest ‘jewels’ in squash. Her talent is simply exceptional. The curious thing is that the Egyptian has already faced the Peruvian five times and always won (100%). He is the only rival that Diego has not yet been able to defeat, but surely this will change sooner rather than later, when they meet again.

“Diego is called to be the world number now, because he is four years younger than Coll and Farag. This year or next will happen. But Diego’s rival in the future is Mostafa Asal, we have to see how he grows up. I would like to see him against him now, in his prime.”Montoya points out.

Diego, in addition to being number one, also wants to become world champion in the near future. For now, he is now in Zurich (Switzerland) competing in the Grasshopper Cup 2022, with the goal of raising a new title.

Then, before the end of this year, the Peruvian has five more tournaments scheduled on the calendar, in which he will seek to add as many points as possible to continue climbing the ranking. Perhaps by then he will already be celebrating his number one dream; maybe not yet and in 2023 he will have to keep fighting. Be that as it may, his name is already inscribed in the most glorious pages of national sport.

“If Diego manages to become number 1 in the world, I think we would be talking about one of the 10 best Peruvian athletes in history. It is having a phenomenon in a sport, which is not very usual in Peru”Montoya sentence.