World Of
Squash Hails Historic Sobhy Success
Leading
figures from the world of Squash are hailing the success of Amanda Sobhy,
the US teenager who this month became the first 16-year-old to win four WISPA
World Tour squash titles.
Just two weeks
after upsetting the top seed in the final of the Racquet Club International
in St Louis in April to clinch her third Tour crown - thereby overtaking
Malaysia's reigning world number one Nicol David's two-title record
established as a 16-year-old in July 2000 - New Yorker Sobhy went on to claim
the New England Open trophy in Massachusetts.
Sobhy's
earlier success took her to a career-high world No39 ranking in the May WISPA
list - and further progress can now be expected in the June rankings.
And the
left-hander, who is coached by her father Khaled Sobhy at The Creek
Club in New York, still has more than a month to go before celebrating her
17th birthday (on 29 June)!
"After seeing
Amanda here last year in Amsterdam during the World Open, with great
results, it's obvious she has that extra something to beat the top girls even at
such a young age," said Nicol David, the 26-year-old from Penang who has
topped the women's world rankings since 2006.
"She is one of
the rare squash players that naturally has an all-round squash sense and amazing
timing on the ball. I'm sure with her father's experience it transfers - while
her determination to excel certainly shows when she competes. She has proven
that by winning WISPA tournaments already at 16 years old. There will be a lot
more coming her way."
Former world
number one Natalie Grainger, the WISPA President and Principal and
top-ranked player in the USA, added: "Amanda is a striking player and someone to
watch out for! I first saw Amanda play when she was 12 and came to T-Position
squash camp, and it was obvious then that she was a talented little girl, with
the Egyptian flair of her father, Khaled, a squash player and coach himself.
"I have
enjoyed being involved with her squash a little and seeing her develop into the
attacking, powerful and exciting player that she has already become at such a
young age," continued the world No12. "She has drive, commitment and a great
attitude towards competition. I am extremely excited about the standard of
junior squash in the United States, with Amanda and Olivia Blatchford
leading the pack, they will both be representing the National team this year in
New Zealand I am sure."
Sobhy herself
pays tribute to her father: "He was the person who got me into squash at the age
of 12. He used to be one of the top juniors in Egypt and then made it into the
top 30 in the world back in his day. Squash has always been a huge part of his
life and he continued the sport when he came to the US and taught it to my older
brother Omar, me and my younger sister Sabrina.
"Without my
dad hammering me day after day with brutal workouts and non-stop squash, I would
never be at the level that I am at today. As much as I don't want to work that
hard some days, I must thank my dad for putting up with me all these years!
"When going
into the St. Louis tournament, trying to win it in order to make history wasn't
even on my mind," added the latest WISPA star. "I didn't even care if I won it -
I just went out there and played. If I won, great; If I didn't, that's OK.
"However,
after I won my third WISPA title, the realisation of me making history as the
youngest player ever to win three WISPA titles at the age of 16 finally hit me.
All I could say to people for the next week was that I just made history. It was
the most amazing accomplishment ever because my name would go down in the books
for ever, and no one can take that away from me.
"Also it was a
great way of getting recognised and getting my name out in the open. As squash
is a relatively minor sport in the US, it was great when local newspapers in New
York wanted to do an article about my accomplishments.
"Although I
just made history, there are still further goals to achieve. I'm working hard to
try to win the World Juniors at the end of June, and also there's always my goal
of trying to improve my WISPA ranking each month," Sobhy concluded.
Kevin
Klipstein,
the CEO of U.S. Squash, added: "U.S. SQUASH is very proud of Amanda and what she
has managed to accomplish. Becoming the youngest player to ever win four
championships on the WISPA Tour certainly put her on the global squash map. This
success is a tribute to her hard work and dedication and an indicator of the
increasing strength of junior squash in the United States.
"Since Amanda
is also a U.S. SQUASH Scholar-Athlete, she is a great role model for other
junior players in the US, not only on the court, but also in the classroom. We
look forward to continuing to support her meteoric rise on the international
stage as she, along with Olivia Blatchford, lead the United States
contingent at the Junior Women's World Championships this summer."
| 
