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27/09/2021
Netsuite Open 2021
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Netsuite Open 2021
Men's Draw
23 - 27 Sep
San Fransisco, USA, $121k |
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ROUND ONE
23/24 SEP |
QUARTERS
25 SEP |
SEMIS
26 SEP |
FINAL
27 SEP |
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[1] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY)
8-11, 11-8, 11-7 (49m)
Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) |
Mohamed Elshorbagy
16-14, 10-12, 11-5 (57m)
Karim Abdel Gawad |
Mohamed Elshorbagy
9-11, 11-7, 11-8 (63m)
Paul Coll |
Paul Coll
9-11, 12-10, 11-8,
11-8 (70m)
Ali Farag |
[6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
12-14, 11-7, 11-2 (51m)
Miguel Rodriguez (COL) |
[5] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY)
11-7, 11-7 (38m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) |
Marwan Elshorbagy
6-11, 11-5, 11-6 (39m)
Paul Coll |
[4] Paul Coll (NZL)
11-6, 11-8 (37m)
Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) |
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY)
12-10, 11-9 (19m)
[WC] Spencer Lovejoy (USA) |
Tarek Momen
11-8, 11-6 (32m)
Mostafa Asal |
Mostafa Asal
11-8, 8-11, 10-5 rtd (52m)
Ali Farag |
[7] Mostafa Asal (EGY)
11-3, 11-3 (29m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) |
[8] Joel Makin (WAL)
11-9, 11-6 (34m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) |
Joel Makin
11-9, 12-10 (35m)
Ali Farag |
Omar Mosaad (EGY)
11-4, 11-7 (23m)
[2] Ali Farag (EGY) |
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Netsuite Open 2021
Women's Draw
23 - 27 Sep
San Fransisco, USA, $121k |
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ROUND ONE
23/24 SEP |
QUARTERS
25 SEP |
SEMIS
26 SEP |
FINAL
27 SEP |
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[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
11-6, 11-7 (20m)
Hollie Naughton (CAN) |
Nouran Gohar
9-11, 11-6, 11-9 (35m)
Salma Hany |
Salma Hany
11-8, 11-8 (23m)
Joelle King |
Salma Hany
11-7, 11-8, 11-4 (32m)
Amanda Sobhy |
[6] Salma Hany (EGY)
11-3, 11-6 (15m)
Danielle Letourneau (CAN) |
[5] Joelle King (NZL)
12-10, 9-11, 11-8 (38m)
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) |
Joelle King
11-5, 11-5 (25m)
Hania El Hammamy |
[4] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
13-11, 11-6 (31m)
Olivia Clyne (USA) |
[3] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
11-5, 11-9 (22m)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) |
Sarah-Jane Perry
12-10, 11-6 (21m)
Joshna Chinappa |
Sarah-Jane Perry
11-7, 11-8 (19m)
Amanda Sobhy |
[7] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
11-8, 11-5 (19m)
Emily Whitlock (WAL) |
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
11-6, 11-7 (20m)
Olivia Fiechter (USA) |
Tesni Evans
11-3, 11-9 (18m)
Amanda Sobhy |
Nadine Shahin (EGY)
11-3, 11-4 (9m)
[2] Amanda Sobhy (USA) |
 Finals
Sobhy and Farag Claim 2021 Oracle NetSuite Open Titles
 US
No.1 Amanda Sobhy and Egypt’s World No.1 Ali Farag have won the Oracle NetSuite
Open titles, claiming victories at the PSA World Tour Gold event after beating
Egypt’s Salma Hany and New Zealand’s Paul Coll, respectively, at Embarcadero
Plaza in San Francisco.
The women’s final pitted home favourite Sobhy against World No.9 Hany, with the
Egyptian having already taken out World No.2 Nouran Gohar and World No.8 Joelle
King to reach the biggest final of her career to date.
The pair had met five times previously on the PSA World Tour, with the American
having won all of those contests, including their last meeting, which came just
two weeks ago in the quarter-finals of the CIB Egyptian Open.
It was Sobhy that came flying out of the traps, as the crowd buoyed her on. Her
line hitting was sublime from the off, and that helped her take the first game
11-7. The US No.1 continued that form into the second, and although Hany
threatened a run through the middle of the game, it was Sobhy that went two
games to the good.
The third was a foregone conclusion in the end, as ‘Southpaw’ ran out into an
8-2 lead in quick-fire fashion. She rounded out the game with a lovely backhand
drive down the line, to claim the biggest title of her career so far, and her
second Oracle NetSuite Open, after her win in San Francisco in 2015.
 “There
is literally steam coming off of my forehead. I am speechless, honestly,” Sobhy
said.
“I haven’t won a major title before and if I cry, it has been an emotional week!
It has been a long year, I am a bit frazzled so for me to win is extra special.
Those close to me knew the state I was in last week so I have to thank my
support system this past week. I have to really thank Charlie Johnson, who has
been my on-site support system this week.
“It really means a lot. I’ll wrap it up soon, but to come back after winning it
in 2015, and now to win it at a Gold level, it really means a lot, and to do it
on home soil is massive. I thank you all for being here in the cold and the rain
and for supporting me all week.
“I was a little bit edgy, I tried not to think it was a final. We were both
vying for our first major title, and so the nerves came. I felt a bit tense, but
I tried to be as aggressive as possible. We had one massive rally in the third
and I definitely felt that after a week of short matches! I am very pleased to
have won in three!”
In the men’s final, World No.1 Ali Farag secured a second victory at the Oracle
NetSuite Open after he defeated New Zealand’s Paul Coll in a four-game final,
which will go down as one of the best matches of the year to date.
The pair had faced each other 16 times on the PSA World Tour, with Coll having
won just two of those, but his most recent victory over the Egyptian came in the
Allam British Open final, where he claimed the biggest title of his career.
He started strongly in the first game, and came through to take it after winning
the last three points for an 11-9 scoreline. He then saved two game balls in the
second, before Farag was able to regroup and win it 12-10 to level the match at
one game apiece.
From there, the World No.1 was able to keep Coll at arms reach, winning the next
two games 11-8, 11-8, to secure his second victory in San Francisco, following
his win in the city in 2018. He now has three titles in the last three months,
after wins at the PSA World Championships 2020-2021, and the CIB Egyptian Open
2021.
 “I
prefer the best-of-five for sure, it suits my game and I think Paul would agree
with that. We both like to wear our opponents out. We are not the flashiest of
players who go for attacking shots, but I think we both did pretty well this
week to adapt,” Farag said.
“Both of us have struggled in the World Tour Finals in past years because of the
best-of-three, but I think this week we showed we are improving. As he said, it
is always enjoyable to be part of a match with Paul. You know it will be played
with fighting spirit, picking all the balls up, I don’t know where he gets them
from.
“As I always say, we always talk about his physicality, but his squash, his
technical prowess and his technical ability, they are improving day by day, and
they really are underrated. I am really proud to be a part of these matches and
I am looking forward to a lot more in the future together.”
The next tournament on the PSA World Tour will be the U.S. Open presented by
Truist, which takes place at the Arlen Specter Squash Center in Philadelphia
from October 1-6.
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Semi
Finals
Coll Downs Top Seed ElShorbagy As Finalists Confirmed At
Oracle NetSuite Open
 New
Zealand’s World No.3 Paul Coll is into the final of the Oracle NetSuite Open,
PSA World Tour Gold level tournament, after coming from behind to get the better
of Egypt’s Mohamed ElShorbagy at the spectacular Embarcadero Plaza in San
Francisco.
Coll had claimed only his second ever win over the ‘Beast from Alexandria’
earlier this year at the Allam British Open, en route to his first major title,
but he was able to secure win number three against the Egyptian in San Francisco
on Sunday evening.
It was ElShorbagy who started strongly though, coming flying out of the traps to
take the first game and hold the advantage in the match. However, from there,
Coll was able to find his line and length to frustrate the former World
Champion.
He took the second game 11-7, and as dusk turned to night, the Kiwi was able to
wrap up the match, winning the third game 11-8 to seal his place in the final of
the Oracle NetSuite Open, where he will face Egypt’s World No.1 Ali Farag, in a
repeat of that final in Hull last month, when Coll became the first Kiwi to ever
win the British Open crown.
“I am extremely proud. I have a lot of respect for Mohamed. He has given me so
many beatings. I try to learn lot from him, he is a class player so I am very
happy to get that win,” Coll said.
“Extremely tough conditions, you have to pay so much attention too every shot
and put a lot of effort into getting down into the corners, getting under the
ball. A lot of mental effort and super happy!
“I want to be at that level, like the top guys, where you can adapt to any
court. I don’t want my game to juts suit one conditions, I want to adapt my game
to every court, and play well at every tournament. It is the consistency I train
for, it is the consistency I want, so it is very rewarding to get a good win in
some tricky conditions.”
 Farag
came up against compatriot Mostafa Asal in the semi-finals on Sunday evening,
with the World No.1 having won seven of their eight previous matches on Tour.
This one eventually went the same way, but it was not without its challenges for
the reigning World Champion. After securing the first game, he saw Asal fight
back to take the second and send the contest in to a decider. Farag started
strongly in the third, winning seven straight points, before the match ended
with Asal retiring, after injuring his shoulder whilst diving in an attempt to
get the ball.
“It is terrible, I hate to see such a thing, especially if I am on court with
him. Five or six years ago, Nour [El Tayeb, Farag’s wife] tore her labrum in the
shoulder diving on court, so I hope it is nothing even remotely as serious,” the
World No.1 said.
“I hope it is just a spasm which will go away the next day because Mostafa is
such a brilliant player for the Tour. He is a top, top player at the age of 20.
When you were introducing him, I was in awe in what he has achieved by the age
of 20 already, he is a brilliant player. We leave it all out there on court, the
very last rally shows it all really, and I really hope it is nothing serious.”
 US
No.1, and home favourite, Amanda Sobhy continued her incredible form in this
tournament to book her place in the women’s final, as she won a third straight
match inside 20 minutes on the glass court at Embarcadero Plaza.
Having defeated Nadine Shahin in just nine minutes in the first round, and then
gotten the better of Welshwoman Tesni Evans inside 20 minutes in the
quarter-finals, Sobhy came into her last four clash with England’s Sarah-Jane
Perry fresh, and it showed, as she came out firing.
Perry had no answer for the World No.6 in the early stages of both games, and
that put pay to her chances, as Sobhy rode the home crowd to the finish line,
sealing the deal in just 19 minutes.
“I am feeling good, feeling fresh. It is not easy, but I just told myself to
come out as fast as I could out of the blocks and to not let up. If I win, and
it’s a short game then I would still have the reserves if it went to three. That
first game was crucial so I tried to go as fast as I could, and thankfully it
paid off,” Sobhy said.
 The
American will face World No.9 Salma Hany in the final, after she secured another
upset, a day after taking out the tournament’s top seed, and the World No.2,
Nouran Gohar.
On semi-finals night, Hany came up against New Zealand’s World No.8 Joelle King,
and she was in control throughout their contest. The Egyptian needed just 23
minutes to take the victory, moving through to the biggest final of her career
so far.
“It feels really amazing. Just getting out here and playing on this court, and
in front of this crowd is a real pleasure. I just kept telling myself to just
think about this special moment, enjoy my game, enjoying this venue and this
city. As I told you yesterday, I don’t want to go home, so I am glad I made it
to the final,” she said after her win.
The finals of the Oracle NetSuite Open take place tomorrow with play starting at
19:15 (GMT-7), with glass court action from Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco
live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the Oracle NetSuite Open, please visit the
tournament website,
along with their
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram pages.
|
Quarter
Finals
Hany Takes Out Top Seed Gohar To Reach Oracle
NetSuite Open Semi-Finals
 World
No.9 Salma Hany is into the semi-finals of the Oracle NetSuite Open after she
took out the tournament’s top seed, and fellow Egyptian, Nouran Gohar, in a
deciding game at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco.
Gohar came into the PSA World Tour Gold level tournament off the back of winning
the CIB Egyptian Open in front of the Pyramids and she also held a 100% record
over Hany, having won all seven of their previous encounters on Tour.
It was the World No.2 that was able to close out the first game 11-9, after
finding herself 9-8 down, but from there, it was all Hany. The tournament’s No.6
seed won six straight points at the end of the second game to come from 5-6 down
to win it 11-6 and take the match into a decider.
She then held a lead throughout the entirety of the final game, but ‘the
Terminator’ brought it back to 9-9. However, the World No.9 was able to win the
last two points of the contest to book her place in the semi-finals.
“I’m pretty happy. When I stepped on court today all I was thinking is that I
don’t want to go home too soon from this tournament,” Hany said.
“I was really enjoying my time on court and every time my head went to the score
and I was getting close, I just told myself to enjoy every rally and not rush
the win. Nouran is an unbelievable player, we go way back since we were
nine-years-old. She’s younger than me, but I learned a lot from her. She is such
a fighter and to share the court with her today was a pleasure. I’m glad I came
out the winner.
“I just kept my head in the rally itself and forgot about the score, I wanted to
spend as much time as I could on court. I wanted to win, but I also wanted to
enjoy playing here and I think that made the difference. I wasn’t rushing
winners, when Nouran is down she gets scary and it’s like taking a piece of meat
to a lion. You don’t want to look at her, you just want to focus on your game.”
The Egyptian will now face New Zealand’s World No.8 Joelle King in the
semi-finals, after the Kiwi got the better of Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy in
straight games to make it into the last four of a tournament for the third time
in 2021.
 “It
was one of those matches where I wasn’t really listening to what the score was,”
King said after the match.
“I have been up in the last few matches I have been up against her and she’s
come back and beaten me, so there’s just no letting up with someone like her.
She is so hungry, she’s an amazing player and the future of our sport. I just
didn’t let up at all and I felt really good.”
US No.1 Amanda Sobhy and English No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry will meet in the other
women's semi-final on Sunday evening, after they came through their respective
matches against Wales' Tesni Evans and India's Joshna Chinappa in straight
games.
In the men’s draw, World No.9 Mostafa Asal caused the lone upset of the day, as
he defeated former World Champion Tarek Momen in straight games, to book his
place in the semi-finals of the PSA World Tour Gold level tournament.
It was the pair’s first meeting since their fractious battle at the CIB PSA
World Tour Finals in June. Asal showed his qualities throughout, to secure an
11-8, 11-6 victory to book his place in the last four.
 “It
is a really difficult feeling to play again so much intense squash after the
World Tour Finals. I was down at the British Open and CIB Egyptian Open, some
difficult times. So to be able to compete in an amazing city and in front of an
amazing crowd. It’s packed today!” Asal said.
“All the squash fans know what happened after the match at the World Tour
Finals. Tarek wrote on social media some bad stuff with me, but I have all the
respect to Tarek. I have been watching him since I was a kid. we were at the
same club so I grew up watching him play, so I said sorry to him for anything
and I wanted to play a great match with him.”
Asal will face World No.1 Ali Farag in the last four, after his fellow Egyptian
got the better of Welshman Joel Makin in a pulsating contest, in which both
players gave it absolutely everything for 35 minutes.
 “I
always love getting on court with someone who gives maximum effort. He is the
prime example of 110% effort. The more respectable thing was that that point got
me to 7-7. He was doing a lot of work and he then won the next two points. Any
other player would probably have folded at that point and I thought I had the
confidence, but it is a testament to his work ethic. He got a standing ovation
from the crowd and rightly so!” Farag said.
Top seed Mohamed ElShorbagy and New Zealand's No.1 Paul Coll will meet in the
second men's semi-final, after they defeated Egypt's Karim Abdel Gawad and
Marwan ElShorbagy, respectively.
The semi-finals of the Oracle NetSuite Open take place tomorrow with play
starting at 18:45 (GMT-7), with glass court action from Embarcadero Plaza in San
Francisco live on SQUASHTV.
For more information on the Oracle NetSuite Open, please visit the
tournament website,
along with their
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram pages.
|
Round
One Bottom Half
World No.1 Farag Leads Seeds Into Oracle NetSuite Open
Quarter-Finals
 Egypt’s World No.1 Ali Farag is through to the quarter-finals of the Oracle
NetSuite Open, after getting the better of compatriot Omar Mosaad in straight
games on the glass court at the PSA World Tour Gold level event.
The reigning two-time World Champion was in great form as the temperature
started to drop at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco, but he showed his class
throughout the contest to take victory in 23 minutes.
Farag took the first 11-4, and was in complete control throughout the opening
exchanges. The ‘Hammer of Thor’ started to mount a comeback in the second game,
but the World No.1 was able to withstand the pressure, and he took the win with
a lucky winner which went through Mosaad’s legs en route to the front wall.
“It is not only affection, but I have idolised him [Mosaad] since a young age.
We grew up playing for the same club and he was World No.3 when I first started
on Tour. He was giving me lots of advice and he still is! We share the fitness
trainer so we train with each other a lot and I have nothing but maximum respect
for him and a lot of affection as well!” Farag said.
“My goal is obviously to try and win it but there a lot of great names in the
draw. Every top player is playing it and it is no coincidence because John
Nimick knows how to put on a great event. All of us wait to come back to this
beautiful city of San Francisco, with this great set-up, this amazing crowd and
this court! None of this would happen without John and his amazing team. They
take very care of us and obviously, the sponsor keeps coming back again! Evan
[Goldberg, EVP of Oracle NetSuite], we can’t thank you enough!
“[Having a baby] is the best thing to happen to both of us in our lives so far.
It is such a blessing and Nour [El Tayeb, Farag’s wife] is such a selfless mum.
She is doing the job while I am here, but she has been hitting the gym already
and she is aiming to come back to play in front of you guys! I can’t wait for
that because I miss her being here!”
29-year-old Farag will now face Joel Makin in the quarter-finals of the Oracle
NetSuite Open, after the Welshman got the better of Indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal
earlier on in Friday’s action.
Elsewhere, 2019-2020 World Champion Tarek Momen got the better of USA’s Spencer
Lovejoy in a quick-fire contest, while Mostafa Asal beat compatriot Mazen Hesham
to make the last eight.
In the women’s draw, US No.1 Amanda Sobhy needed just nine minutes to book her
place in the quarter-finals of the Oracle NetSuite Open, as she blew Nadine
Shahin away on the glass court at Embarcadero Plaza.
 The American had the home crowd behind her, and she rode that wave, dropping
seven points in a rapid-fire match, one of the quickest ever on the PSA World
Tour. She will now face Welsh No.1 Tesni Evans in the last eight on Saturday
evening.
“It has been a process, looking back. My injury, the whole road and journey that
I have been on. To see that I was World No.5 was really a testament to the hard
work. I have enjoyed it for that period of time, and now I need to keep going,
solidify into the top five and hopefully keep going up,” Sobhy said.
“It’s been a tough time for everybody. I moved to Philly in August 2020, in the
middle of the pandemic and everything was closed, the clubs were closed, the
schools were closed, so I had nowhere to train.
“The Racquet Club of Philly took me in and they became my home. From there, and
because that was the only club in the city that was open. A lot of the college
students, the Drexel [University] team some of the [University of] Penn guys
were there, so was my sister. It was just a blast and I think that being able to
fully enjoy training and my squash there, that’s what kept me going. In this
situation, if you’re not loving what you’re doing, it will be really difficult!”
The quarter-finals of the Oracle NetSuite Open take place tomorrow with play
starting a at 13:00 (GMT-7), with glass court action from Embarcadero Plaza in
San Francisco live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the Oracle NetSuite Open, please visit the
tournament website,
along with their
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram pages.
|
Round
One Top Half
ElShorbagy Survives Abouelghar Test As Oracle NetSuite
Open Commences
 Egypt’s
World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy had to come from behind in his opening
match of the Oracle NetSuite Open, battling back to defeat compatriot
Mohamed Abouelghar on the opening day at Embarcadero Plaza, San
Francisco.
The PSA World Tour Gold level tournament got underway on Thursday
afternoon with ElShorbagy as the top seed for the event, and he came up
against fellow Egyptian Abouelghar, aiming to extend his 100% winning
record over ‘the Bullet’.
It was all but plain sailing for the ‘Beast from Alexandria’ as he found
himself 7-2 down in the first game in quick time, with Abouelghar going
on to take the first game with ease. From there, though, ElShorbagy did
what he always does, fight back.
He took the second game 11-8, and following a third game that was
littered with stoppages, for refereeing decisions and court attendance,
ElShorbagy eventually got over the line after 48 minutes of action,
advancing to the last eight.
“I think the most relaxed out of the three of us today was the referee,
so I have to thank him for staying relaxed. He had two tense, dramatic
squash players arguing all the time!” the World No.2 said.
“But having Abouelghar in the first round is very tricky. I was very
nervous before the match and everyone could see how tense I was, arguing
at some decisions that I had no right to argue about as well, and the
referee did a good job. He knew how tough that first round was, and he
did a very experienced job.
“The last three years here, I have made three finals. I have won two but
this is actually one of my favourite tournaments of the whole year. I
love coming back here, coming back to San Fran. Everyone knows how much
I love playing here. I told my mother, and she has been everywhere with
me, but she has never come to San Fran before. This year I told her that
she had to come, that she would love it here.”
ElShorbagy will now face another former World Champion and World No.1 in
Karim Abdel Gawad in the quarter-finals after the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’
downed Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez in a deciding game.
Much like ElShorbagy, Gawad found himself behind after the first game.
The World No.6 lost the first on a tie-break 14-12, but from there, he
allowed the ‘Colombian Cannonball’ to score just nine points, fighting
back from a game down to win 2-1.
 “Best
of three is a totally different story. For me, it’s almost a different
sport, sometimes you’re up 2-0, sometimes you’re 2-0 down and things can
turn around. In the last period I’ve been on and off, so I just wanted
to play my best. I was a bit worried at the beginning of the match, I
didn’t want to lose in the first round and Miguel is a very dangerous
player,” Gawad said.
“After the first game I just told myself to leave everything on court
even if I lost in the first round. I just wanted to play my best squash,
tried to win and hopefully I can win again. I had more confidence [in
the second]. I wanted to play my game, he was the one controlling the
game, so I wanted to play my game at the end.
“When I came back on court in the third, I wanted to play an attacking
game with more winning shots and I’m glad it worked. Miguel can come
back at any time, in the first game I was 10-8 up and lost that one. The
second game, I was 5-3 up and he came back, so I wanted to focus on
every point.”
World No.2 Nouran Gohar, the top seed in the women’s draw at this year’s
Oracle NetSuite Open, got her debut campaign in San Francisco off to the
perfect start, defeating Canada’s Hollie Naughton for the second
straight event.
The pair met in the second round of the CIB Egyptian Open, with Gohar
winning their contest at the New Giza Sporting Club, in what was the
first step to her victor in front of the Pyramids less than a week ago.
She showed her confidence and class throughout her second clash with
Naughton in the space of ten days, and needed just 20 minutes on court
at Embarcadero Plaza to take the victory and advance to the last eight.
 “It
has been five years now, but because of university I have missed it
every time so I am glad this year. Actually, I had my graduation today
but I was not going to miss coming to San Francisco this year!” Gohar
said.
“I was really excited. When I saw it on the calendar, I think I was one
of the first people to enter my name. I was really looking forward to
it. It is a beautiful city and I have been hearing about it a lot. It
has not disappointed me!”
She will now face compatriot Salma Hany in the last eight, while New
Zealand’s Joelle King and Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy will face off in the
quarter-finals after they defeated USA’s Sabrina Sobhy and Olivia Clyne,
respectively.
The first round of the Oracle NetSuite Open continues tomorrow at 13:00
(GMT-7), with glass court action from Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco
live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the Oracle NetSuite Open, please visit the
tournament website,
along with their
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram pages. |
ElShorbagy and Gohar Headline Oracle NetSuite Open
Draws
The draws for the men’s and women’s Oracle NetSuite Open, PSA World Tour
Gold tournament have been released with the event set to bring
world-class squash back to San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza between
September 23-27.
Four previous winners of the Oracle NetSuite Open will be present this
year, with Amanda Sobhy, Sarah-Jane Perry, Ali Farag and defending men’s
champion Mohamed ElShorbagy all in action as the tournament returns to
the PSA World Tour calendar following a hiatus in 2020 due to the global
COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s Oracle NetSuite Open will see all 30 matches played on the
Squash Engine Court on Embarcadero Plaza in the shadow of the iconic San
Francisco Ferry Building. A best-of-three games format will be used once
again at the event up to and including the semi-finals, with both title
deciders reverting to best of five.
ElShorbagy, the current World No.1, will be the top seed for the men’s
event in San Francisco, and his campaign will start against compatriot
Mohamed Abouelghar in a tough first round fixture.
He then faces the possibility of meeting either Colombia’s Miguel
Rodriguez or 2016 World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad in the
quarter-finals. Either Paul Coll - who won the historic Allam British
Open last week - or younger brother Marwan ElShorbagy await in the
semis, before a possible meeting with familiar foe Farag in the final.
Farag will be the No.2 seed for the tournament but will return to World
No.1 ahead of the tournament, with his run to the final of the British
Open ensuring he will overtake ElShorbagy on September 1. A
mouthwatering first round clash against CIB PSA World Tour Finals winner
Mostafa Asal awaits Farag, while either Fares Dessouky or India’s Saurav
Ghosal will lie in wait for his last eight encounter.
From there, Farag could face either World No.3 Tarek Momen or Peru’s
Diego Elias in the last four before a potential meeting with ElShorbagy
in the final, one that could have a large say in the battle for World
No.1
World No.2 Nouran Gohar heads the women’s draw as she makes her Oracle
NetSuite Open debut and she begins her campaign against Canadian No.1
Hollie Naughton. She could then face either another Canadian in Danielle
Letourneau, or Egypt’s Salma Hany in the second round.
The former British Open champion is then in line to do battle with
either compatriot Hania El Hammamy or New Zealand’s Joelle King in the
semis, before a possible meeting with either 2015 champ Sobhy or
two-time winner Perry in the final.
Perry is a real crowd favourite after wins in 2017 and 2018 and she will
start her campaign against Rowan Elaraby, before facing either Belgium’s
Tinne Gilis or Indian No.1 Joshna Chinappa in the quarter-finals.
US No.1 Sobhy, meanwhile, faces Egypt’s Nadine Shahin in the first round
before a possible contest with compatriot Olivia Fiechter or Welsh No.1
Tesni Evans. Perry would await Sobhy in the last four, if the two make
it to that stage.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2021 Oracle NetSuite Open and you can
make sure you reserve your seat to be a part of the action. Find out
more information
here.
Following recent mandates from the San Francisco Department of Public
Health and to ensure the safest possible experience for fans,
supporters, players and the city of San Francisco, the 2021 Oracle
NetSuite Open will require proof of full vaccination or a negative
COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of admission for all attendees 12 or
older.
Action from the tournament will be shown live on
SQUASHTV.
For more information on the Oracle NetSuite Open, please visit the
tournament website,
along with their
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram pages.
|
ROUND ONE
23/24 SEP |
QUARTERS
25 SEP |
SEMIS
26 SEP |
FINAL
27 SEP |
|
