Final : it’s Tayeb in four
[1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-1 [3] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 10-12, 14-12, 11-5, 11-4 (51m)
Brutal first two games with a very accurate SJ, who took the first game and started the second one with a very good variation of shots and amazing racquet skills to set herself 10-5 up. That was not enough, though, to take the second game, as Nour saved 8 game balls to tie the match showing an incredible physicality and mental toughness.
After the first two games, Nour came out really strong and used her short shots in a very smart way, always catching SJ off guard. The English woman made few mistakes in both the 3rd and 4th game, which Nour used to cruised her way and eventually win her second Cleveland Classic title.
PhotoGallery from Andrea Dawson
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Semis :
[1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-0 [5] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
Good length and width from Nour during the first game, trying to cover Joshna’s attacking shots. Joshna came out really strong and competitive in the second game, with an 8-5 lead.
After a very long rally, with a lot of variety in shots and amazing retrieval skills, Nour came back to win the second game 11-8.
Third game was started with inconsistency from Joshna and followed by a mentally strong Nour coming through looking fully fit after her ankle injury on Friday.
[3] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-0 [2] Joelle King (NZL)
A good start of the match from Joelle, who took the lead in the first game to set herself 10-8 up. SJ pulled up an amazing fight to save several game balls and got the first game.
A second game led by extremely skillful SJ, who cruised her way to the third with a 2-0 advantage.
Joelle started being more consistent in the 3rd game, but was not enough to stop SJ’s way to the final.
Quarters :
[1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-0 Farida Mohamed (EGY)
The young Farida made too many unforced errors. Even though Nour seemed to not feel 100% after yesterday’s match, she managed to stay calm and minimize her movement to get the victory in 3 straight games.
[5] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 3-2 [4] Annie Au (HKG)
A very entertaining match with two different players trying to implement their own pace. A seesaw of lobbs and drops from Annie Au, but also hard shots, straight lines and volleys from Joshna.
[3] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-1 [6] Alison Waters (ENG)
Very well contended match. Impressive length from Alison, putting a lot of pressure on Sarah, who used her hold and touch abilities to mix the pace of the game and, ultimately, turn the tables and get the victory in very close 4 games.
[2] Joelle King (NZL) 3-0 Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA)
A very good performance from Joelle, who started very steady, error-free squash, keeping the pressure on Olivia. The new yorker pulled up a brave fight, but she was not consistent enough.
Round Two
Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-2 Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
Very competitive match between a very strong Sabrina Sobhy and Nour El Tayeb, who managed to come back after a 2-1 down and a 15 minutes injury break.
Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-1 Salma Hany (EGY)
Salma could not find her natural length and accuracy. The young Farida got to implement her game plan of hard hitting and high pace to make the first upset of the night.
Joshna Chinappa (IND) 3-0 Menna Nasser (EGY)
After the first very competitive game, Menna had an injury and had to retire.
Annie Au (HKG) 3-0 Nadine Shahin (EGY)
Annie Au managed to keep the match at a slow pace, anticipating Nadine’s shots with fast movement and accuracy in the front of the court.
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-0 Menna Hamed (EGY)
SJ used good line and length, moved her opponent into and out of the corners with good hold and touch. Menna’s game plan was aggressive, but she could not find her accuracy.
[6] Alison Waters (ENG) 3-0 Mayar Hany (EGY)
A very long and competitive first game, with a lot of variety in shots and pace. Alison used her physicality to win in 3 straight games.
Blatchford Clyne (USA) 3-1 Victoria Lust (ENG)
A very competitive match between 2 players ranked 2 positions apart. Very close match all the way through. Olivia managed the important stages of the match better.
Joelle King (NZL) 3-0 Hollie Naughton (CAN)
Hollie put up a good fight, especially in the first game. Joelle was in control and kept her pace and variety of shots to win in 3.
PhotoGallery from Andrea Dawson
Round ONE : Dramatic comebacks from Sabrina and Holly to secure round two berths
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-2 Ineta Mackevica (LAT)
Ineta got off to a good start volleying the ball and taking advantage of opportunities to go two games up. In the third game, Sabrina found her length and created more opportunities that led her to victory.
Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-0 Jessica Turnbull (AUS)
Both players hit the ball clean and with good length. Farida gave herself the edge by- , being a little bit more aggressive, hunting the volley in important stages of the match.-
Menna Nasser (EGY) 3-1 Nadia Pfister (SUI)
Menna dominated the T during the first 2 games, forcing Nadia to hit some errors. Nadia managed to turn the tables in the forth. The quality of Menna’s squash went high to lead her way to the victory.
Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0 [WC] Marina De Juan Gallach (ESP)
Nadine started really well, taking advantage of the lack of length in Marina’s game. Even though Marina was more competitive during 2nd and 3rd games, that was not enough to take Nadine out of her way to victory.
Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0 Salma Youssef (EGY)
Competitive match between 2 players ranked only 3 positions apart. Menna got off a really good first game. Even though Salma raised her game in the second and third games, Menna managed to stay mentally strong during 3 straight games.
Mayar Hany (EGY) 3-0 Sarah Cardwell (AUS)
Mayar took better care of her opportunities by being aggressive in the front of the court and managed to win in 3 games.
Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) 3-0 Anna Serme (CZE)
A very accurate and sharp Olivia cruised her way to victory in 3 straight games.
Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-2 Ali Loke (WAL)
Very good start of the game in Ali’s side, who went 2-0 up with a match ball in the 3rd game. Ali used good variation, breaking Hollie’s rhythm. Hollie dug in mentally and physically strong and came back to win in 5.
El Tayeb and King seeded to meet in Cleveland Classic final
Egypt’s World No.4 Nour El Tayeb and New Zealand’s World No.6 Joelle King are seeded to meet in the final of the Cleveland Classic after the main draw for the PSA World Tour Bronze event was released today.
Defending champion El Tayeb, who defeated Wales’ Tesni Evans in the final last year, is the top seed at the event taking place at the Cleveland Racquet Club and, along with the other top eight seeds, receives a bye into the second round where she will face either Latvia’s Ineta Mackevica or USA’s Sabrina Sobhy.
Seeded on the same side of the draw as El Tayeb is Wales’ World No.9 Evans, India’s World No.12 Joshna Chinappa and Egypt’s World No.14 Salma Hany.
UPDATE 22-Jan : Tesni withdraws injured, Annie Au to 4th seed, Victoria Lust to 8th, Nadia Pfister comes in.
At the opposite end of the draw is King, who won the Cleveland Classic title in 2018, and she will face either Canada’s Hollie Naughton or Wales’ Ali Loke in the second round.
Seeded on the same side of the draw as her is England’s No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry – who she could face in the semi-finals should the seeding go to plan – England’s former World No.3 Alison Waters and Hong Kong’s World No.11 Annie Au.
Home interest comes in the form of USA No.1 Olivia Blatchford Clyne and World No.39 Sabrina Sobhy, with both players enjoying good runs at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions which took place this month in New York. They will begin their tournaments against Czech Republic’s Anna Serme and Latvia’s Ineta Mackevica, respectively.
The wildcard spot is taken up by Spain’s Marina De Juan Gallach, who was born in Valencia, Spain but now resides in Cleveland.
