The year is 2018, and she is in the car with her mom, taking a bite of a slice of her favorite pre-practice snack — green apples with lemon and cinnamon — and dreading the hours of squash to come. She is not yet aware of what it is like to fall in love with the sound of winning and the grip of the racket when she serves. Now-sophomore Malak Khafagy was 14 years old. Soon, she will be the star player on the Penn women’s squash team, but not yet.
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Khafagy grew up with a younger sister, supportive parents, and an intensely competitive squash-centered environment.
It felt like something out of a 2000s teen movie: two competing squash clubs in the city, both vying for the top national spots. Khafagy's family was involved with both clubs, but they chose to have her train at the Sporting Club, where she honed her skills. Despite her unprecedented talent, Khafagy did not always thrive in the sport.
“I wasn’t the strongest, but I had this grit inside, you know? That feeling when you really wanna win,” Khafagy said.
Sometimes, she stated, despite her mental toughness, the physical demands of the sport took a toll, and she felt desperate to quit. Her body could not withstand the demand that intensive squash asked of its best players, and so she changed the program.
“At that time I actually became more focused on gaining muscle and getting stronger over squash technique itself,” Khafagy said.
From this, things fell into place, and an athlete in her element was born.
This change happened to coincide with the onset of COVID-19, which Khafagy suprisingly credited with rekindling her love for the sport. By being unable to play, she learned to miss what she had once dreaded, valuing not just the sport but also the thrill of competition in a whole new way.
“Her dedication to the game is unmatched. She puts in the extra hours, refines every detail, and never settles for anything less than her best,” Khafagy's coach in Egypt, Youssef Hamed, said. “Beyond her talent, it’s her relentless work ethic and unwavering determination that set her apart. She’s not just a great player; she’s a leader, a competitor, and someone who lifts everyone around her.”
However, there was another key source that served as motivation for Khafagy: her mom. The very person who drove her two hours to Cairo for every practice, encouraged her to push through the mental block, and reminded her that every setback was just a setup for a comeback.
By age 17, Khafagy had begun not only to win but to flourish. Nationally ranked and rising ever higher in the rankings, she sought out a greater challenge — intercontinental tournaments. Her first ever one was a winning campaign in Denmark, where she fell in love with the thrill of winning in a foreign place.
Unexpectedly, a few months later, Khafagy was approached by Penn’s coaches at just the right time. She had lost a match in Egypt that she had initially deemed an easy win, creating an out: the United States and Penn’s campus. After much back-and-forth and an initial year at an Engineering school in Egypt, Khafagy transferred to Penn. Coming into her first season at Penn, Khafagy was No. 26 in the world rankings.
Not for a second has Khafagy regretted her decision. With the smooth team camaraderie and an excellent track record, Malak fit right at home in a country more than five thousand miles away from her birthplace.
“[Khafagy] is one of the biggest reasons why our team returned to the top five this season. Her ability, work ethic, and infectious personality have elevated the level of her teammates,” coach Jack Wyant said.
Looking back on the season, Khafagy smiled when recounting the celebration the team shared after their win against Princeton, who had held a record of 9-1 before losing to Penn.
Though due to an injury, she was not able to celebrate in person with the team, Khafagy remembers what the win meant to her.
“It meant so much to me, knowing the team had my back,” Khafagy said. “I know how much that win meant to every single person on the team.”
Now, bolstered by their overall 15-4 and conference 5-1 ratio, Khafagy believes the team is more than ready to win the College Squash Association Team Championships in the future. This year, the team fell to top-ranked Trinity College in the CSA semifinals.
While the squash season has concluded this year, Khafagy emphasizes she is far from done with the sport. Instead, she will turn to her other love: professional squash. Though bolstered by less support, she comments on the “indescribable thrill that exists when playing alone and for one’s self,” and she is ready to return her attention to this part of her career in the upcoming months.
Khafagy's relationship with squash has transformed from a challenge to a passion, and she now only holds drive and love for the sport — a stark contrast to her beginning feelings of dread and worry. Yet, in the end, some things also never change like Khafagy's pre-practice snack of green apples with cinnamon.
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