By ALAN THATCHER (Squash Mad Editor)
History will be made in the U.S. Open this week when three American women line up together in the third round for the first time following wins from Olivia Clyne and the Sobhy sisters, Amanda and Sabrina.
World No.22 Clyne has reached the last 16 of this event for the first time since 2018 after she upset in-form World No.15 Farida Mohamed in the last match of the day, winning 2-11, 11-8, 14-12, 11-6 to delight the home fans.
Mohamed was runner-up to Amanda Sobhy in the Oracle NetSuite Open final last week in San Francisco, but Clyne finished strongly in the fourth game to win a place in the last 16 against No.8 seed Salma Hany.
After the Egyptian dominated the first game, Clyne dug in to turn the match on its head, clinching a famous victory in 36 minutes.
“It feels incredible,” said Clyne. “It’s not the win, although that feels amazing, and I’m so excited to be on the glass court on Tuesday and yes, being surrounded by my family and friends is incredible.
“But it was being the last match on with the whole back wall being packed and 99.9% of the people cheering for me and the atmosphere was electric. I felt that for the first time in a long time, I was so present in each rally and even when things went wrong I was really there.”
She will be joined in the last 16 by United States No.1 Amanda, who dispatched France’s Melissa Alves in straight games to ensure she will take on South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller for a place in the quarter-finals.
Fuller fought through to win a nailbiting contest against England’s Lucy Turmel, clinching a fifth-game tiebreak 12-10 after 64 minutes.
Amanda said: “It’s the first match in after a quick turnaround from San Francisco, so I’m just happy to win in three and have the the support of the home crowd and my coach here as well as friends and family.
“I’m loving squash at the moment. I love playing, I’m healthy, I’m having fun out there, I like where my squash is at and I feel really confident in my team. I’m just trying to enjoy every challenge and every opportunity that this season gives me.”
Sabrina, world No. 20, edged Canadian world No. 17 Hollie Naughton 11-3, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8 after 66 minutes to reach her first career U.S. Open third round.
The 25-year-old will face Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy on Tuesday evening after the world No. 2 took out Team USA’s world No. 9 Olivia Fiechter in three games in front of a packed home crowd.
England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and Wales’ Tesni Evans are the only British players to make the last 16.
Perry beat Chan Sin Yuk of Hong Kong in four games and meets Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb tonight.
Evans overcame Egypt’s Nadine Shahin in a phenomenal five-setter, finishing strongly to win the ffith game 11-2 in 55 minutes. Her reward is a last-16 tie tomorrow against No.2 seed El Sherbini.
Welsh team-mate Emily Whitlock lost in straight games to top seed Nouran Gohar, while England’s Julianne Courtice lost in four to Tinne Gilis (Belgium) and Scotland’s Lisa Aitken lost a tough battle 11-9 in the fifth against Yathreb Adel of Egypt.
Round three of the U.S. Open begins tomorrow (October 10). All of the action will be shown live on SQUASHTV from 17:00 (GMT-4).
PSA Platinum 2022 U.S. Open, Arlen Specter Center, Philadelphia, USA.
Women’s Second Round:
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Emily Whitlock (WAL) 3-0: 11-3, 11-9, 11-1 (29m)
Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 3-2: 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9 (63m)
Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 12-10, 11-1 (37m)
[7] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-1: 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 (37m)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Chan Sin Yuk (HKG) 3-1: 11-13, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (37m)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Hana Ramadan (EGY) 3-1: 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-4 (37m)
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) bt Lucy Turmel (ENG) 3-2: 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10 (64m)
[4] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (37m)
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Olivia Fiechter (USA) 3-0: 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 (44m)
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-2: 11-3, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8 (66m)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 3-1: 7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 (42m)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Jana Shiha (EGY) 3-2: 11-5, 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5 (61m)
[8] Salma Hany (EGY) bt Mariam Metwally (EGY) 3-0: 15-13, 11-8, 13-11 (41m)
Olivia Clyne (USA) bt Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-1: 2-11, 11-8, 14-12, 11-6 (36m)
Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-2: 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-13, 11-2 (55m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-0: 12-10, 11-3, 11-7 (27m)
Women’s Third Round (Top Half, October 10):
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Yathreb Adel (EGY)
Nele Gilis (BEL) v [7] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) v [4] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
Women’s Third Round (Bottom Half, October 11):
[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [5] Joelle King (NZL)
[8] Salma Hany (EGY) v Olivia Clyne (USA)
Tesni Evans (WAL) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
U.S. Open coverage on Squash Mad:
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Pictures courtesy of PSA World Tour