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USA,
seeded to achieve their best finish for more than 30 years in next
week's SHOP.CA WSF Women's World Team Squash Championship in
Canada, are a 'team to be reckoned with' according to manager
Paul Assaiante.
The
6th seeds will be one of 20 nations represented - with all the world's
top ten players in action - in the 19th staging of the biennial World
Squash Federation championship at White Oaks Conference Resort &
Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, from 1-6 December.
USA,
whose best finish was sixth in the 1983 championship in Australia,
reached seventh in 2010 - but will be determined to improve on their
13th place finish in the 2012 championship in France.
The
squad will be led by Amanda Sobhy, the 21-year-old world No.10
from New York, supported by fellow 21-year-old Olivia Blatchford,
the world No.39, and Amanda's younger sister Sabrina Sobhy, the
17-year-old world No.51.
Also
in the squad will be Natalie Grainger, the 37-year-old former
world number one lured out of retirement to act as Player/Coach in her
latest appearance in the championship since making her debut in 1994.
"We
are incredibly excited to come up and compete in the world team
championships," said Assaiante. "We have a wonderful blend of experience
and youth, and our player coach Natalie Grainger certainly will
have us match ready.
"The
team selection was based on world ranking, national championships and
team trials and so the team pretty much self-selected!
"We
have Amanda Sobhy, who is one of the future stars on tour, and
has been able to reach #10 in the world while carrying a full academic
load at Harvard university.
"Olivia
Blatchford is playing the tour full time and really beginning to
achieve some results worthy of her commitment and efforts.
"Very
few in the world have the experience and game of Natalie Grainger,
former world number 1! And we are thrilled to have Sabrina Sobhy,
still only in high school but having a wealth of both junior and women's
world competitive exposure!
"All
in all an exciting team to head into battle! Our team members know each
other well, and it truly feels like a unified team!
"This
event does feel a bit different for us in that we truly feel we belong
there and belong there as a compelling and relevant squad."
USA
will begin their 2014 campaign in Pool C, which is led by third seeds
Malaysia - whose squad includes world number one Nicol David
- and also features North American rivals Canada, seeded 11, plus
Mexico and event newcomers Guatemala.
"Our
focus is forward and there are some amazing teams in the draw. Our pool
will be challenging and we will battle to ensure we come out in the
elite eight. NO easy task but one we look forward to competing for.
"We
have not set a team goal per se', but we want to send a message this
year that USA squash is here, and a team to be reckoned with!"
The
full Pool line-ups (with seeding in brackets) are as follows:
Pool A: [1] EGYPT, [8] IRELAND, [9] NEW ZEALAND, [13/16] COLOMBIA,
[17/20] CHINA
Pool B: [2] ENGLAND, [7] AUSTRALIA, [10] WALES, [13/16] GERMANY, [17/20]
SPAIN
Pool C: [3] MALAYSIA, [6] USA, [11] CANADA, [13/16] MEXICO, [17/20]
GUATEMALA
Pool D: [4] HONG KONG CHINA, [5] FRANCE, [12] SOUTH AFRICA, [13/16]
INDIA, [17/20] AUSTRIA
Official event website:
wsfwomensteams.com/
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