RESULTS: Women's LiveStuff Open,Tuxedo Park, New York, USA
Millie Makes Tour Title Breakthrough In
New York
Successive upsets over seeds – including
the top two - in the inaugural Women's LiveStuff Open in the USA
led England’s Millie Tomlinson to her maiden title on the
Women’s Squash Association World Tour after victory over second seed
Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy in the final of the WSA Tour 5 event
at LiveTechnology Holdings in Tuxedo Park, New York.
With her studies at Yale University
now behind her, the recently-crowned World University Champion from
Derbyshire is now focussed on her professional squash career.
The unseeded 22-year-old defeated
Mexico’s No4 seed Ivonne Diaz, then sixth seed Nayelly
Hernandez, also from Mexico, before lining up against event
favourite Sabrina Sobhy, the US number four, in the semi-final.
The English underdog downed the top seed
in four games to reach the first final of her career – while, in the
other semi, Egyptian El-Defrawy despatched Canada’s third string
Nikki Todd in straight games to claim her sixth final appearance.
The climax was a marathon encounter –
with both players experiencing the longest matches of their careers.
Tomlinson took a two-game lead, but El-Defrawy, the 20-year-old world
No74, struck back to draw level.
Tomlinson, ranked 119 in the world,
refused to buckle and found second wind to reclaim the initiative in the
decider to close out the match 11-7, 11-9, 2-11, 10-12, 11-8 to become a
WSA Tour title winner for the first time after 90 minutes.
