Friday, March 29, 2024

El Torky topples home favourite Sobhy in Berwyn final

Lightning strikes twice for Sobhy as she loses final for the second successive year 
By MICHAEL CATLING – Squash Mad Reporter

World number 39 Heba El Torky overcame home favourite Sabrina Sobhy in straight games to win the Liberty Bell Open at Berwyn, USA.

El Torky, who was the top seed for the $5,000 event, lost to Sobhy in the quarter-finals of the National Capital Open in August but the 22-year-old Egyptian exacted a measure of revenge as she capitalised on a below-performance from the second seed to win 11-5, 11-2, 11-8.

The Alexandria-based player was given a stern test by fellow compatriot Salma Nassar in the semi-finals, but was untroubled in an anti-climatic final as Sobhy succumbed to defeat in less than half an hour.

The American, who lost in the final to Olivia Blatchford last year, seemed a shadow of the player who recorded straight game victories in her three matches en route to the final as El Torky (pictured right in blue) romped into a 2-0 lead.

And although the world number 47 offered greater resistance in the third game, El Torky deservedly secured victory 11-8 to claim her sixth WSA Tour title.

Final Results:

[1] Heba El Torky (EGY) v [2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 11-5, 11-2, 11-8

Semi-final Results:
[1] Heba El Torky (EGY) 3-1 [4] Salma Nassar (EGY) 12-14, 13-11, 11-8, 11-7
[2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-0 [6] Hollie Naughton (CAN) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8

Quarter-final Results:

[1] Heba El Torky (EGY) 3-0 [5] Nayelly Hernandez (MEX) 11-2, 11-3, 11-5
[4] Salma Nassar (EGY) 3-0 [7] Cecelia Cortes (USA) 11-4, 11-7, 11-2
[6] Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-1 [3] Carrie Ramsey (ENG) 11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4
[2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-0 [8] Diana Elisa Garcia Fierro (MEX) 11-5, 11-5, 11-7

First Round Results:

[1] Heba El Torky (EGY) 3-0 Kelsey Engman (USA) 11-8, 11-5, 11-3
[5] Nayelly Hernandez (MEX) 3-0 Summi Mudgil (USA) 11-3, 11-7, 11-4
[4] Salma Nassar (EGY) 3-0 Raneem Hassan Sharaf (EGY) 11-8, 11-6, 11-5
[7] Cecelia Cortes (USA) 3-1 Enora Villard (FRA) 11-7, 8-11, 13-11, 11-7
[6] Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-0 Roxanna Keshavarz (ENG) 11-2, 11-2, 11-2
[3] Carrie Ramsey (ENG) 3-0 Alex Clark (SCO) 11-7, 11-3, 11-5
[8] Diana Elisa Garcia Fierro (MEX) 3-1 Ivonne Diaz (MEX) 11-3, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9
[2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-0 Celia Allamargot (FRA) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7

Picture courtesy of Tournament of Champions website

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