Strong draw heading to Dallas
By ELLIE MAWSONÂ
England’s No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry and United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy have been seeded to meet each other in the final of the J Warren Young Memorial Texas Open when the PSA Bronze tournament takes place from March 26-31 in Dallas, United States.
The Texas Open is hosted in Dallas and Houston in alternative years and is the second oldest women’s professional squash tournament to be held in the United States.
This year’s tournament, which will be held at the T Boone Pickens YMCA, sees the prize purse increase as the tournament becomes a PSA Bronze tier event for the first time with a star-studded line-up set to descend on Dallas later this month.
World No.6 Perry is the top seed and has been drawn to meet World No.13 Sobhy in the final, but will first have to navigate a draw that contains the likes of compatriot and World No.14 Victoria Lust, former World No.1 and World Champion Rachael Grinham and Netherland’s Milou van der Heijden.
Perry. along with the other top eight seeds at the tournament. will receive a bye into the second round, where she will face either Egypt’s Hana Moataz or Scotland’s Lisa Aitken for a place in the quarter-finals.
At the opposite end of the draw, Sobhy – who will face either Canada’s Nicole Bunyan or Czech Republic’s Anna Serme in round two – will have to do battle with the likes of recent British National champion Tesni Evans and Egyptians Nadine Shahin and Nada Abbas.
Meanwhile, home hopes Haley Mendez and Olivia Fiechter will start their tournaments against Netherlands’ Tessa ter Sluis and Colombia’s Catalina Pelaez, respectively.
For more information on the tournament visit: www.texasopen.net.Â
Main Draw: J Warren Young Memorial Texas Open, T Boone Pickens YMCA, Dallas, USA (March 26-31).
[1] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [Bye]
Hana Moataz (EGY) v [9/16] Lisa Aitken (SCO)
[9/16] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v Menna Nasser (EGY)
[7] Rachael Grinham (AUS) [Bye]
[6] Milou van der Heijden (NED) [Bye]
Salma Youssef (EGY) v [9/16] Tinne Gilis (BEL)
[9/16] Emilia Soini (FIN) v Nadia Pfister (SUI)
[4] Victoria Lust (ENG) [Bye]
[3] Tesni Evans (WAL) [Bye]
Catalina Pelaez (COL) v [9/16] Olivia Fiechter (USA)
[9/16] Hollie Naughton (CAN) v Ali Loke (WAL)
[8] Nada Abbas (EGY) [Bye]
[5] Nadine Shahin (EGY) [Bye]
Tessa ter Sluis (NED) v [9/16] Haley Mendez (USA)
[9/16] Nicole Bunyan (CAN) v Anna Serme (CZE)
[2] Amanda Sobhy (USA)Â
Pictures courtesy of PSA