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Carol Weymuller Open 2022
You can watch the action live on
the Carol Weymuller YouTube channel
 

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Carol Weymuller Open 2022
Women's Draw
20 - 24 Apr
New York, USA, $51.25k

The indispensable magazine for serious Squash Players
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ROUND TWO
  21 Apr
QUARTERS
 22 Apr
SEMIS
  23 Apr
FINAL
 24 Apr

[1] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
11-3, 11-7, 11-3 (20m)
[WC] Akanksha Salunkhe (IND)

Rowan Elaraby
11-9, 11-7, 1-11, 11-8 (45m)
Sabrina Sobhy
Rowan Elaraby
11-9, 11-3, 11-7 (25m)
Nadine Shahin
Rowan Elaraby
11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6 (46m)
 Sivasangari Subramaniam
[7] Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (21m)
[9/16] Ineta Mackevica (LAT)
[8] Donna Lobban (AUS)
11-5, 11-6, 11-5
Karina Tyma (POL)
Donna Lobban
7-11, 11-3, 11-5, 13-11 (40m)
Nadine Shahin
[3] Nadine Shahin (EGY)
11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (22m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)
[4] Hollie Naughton (CAN)
11-8, 11-5, 11-3
[9/16] Nicole Bunyan (CAN)
Hollie Naughton
11-5, 11-4, 11-4 (23m)
 Sivasangari Subramaniam
 Sivasangari Subramaniam
11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10 (46m)
Farida Mohamed
[6] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
11-6, 11-4, 8-11, 11-5 (32m)
Marina Stefanoni (USA)
[5] Farida Mohamed (EGY)
13-11, 13-11, 11-7 (29m)
Lucy Beecroft (ENG)
Farida Mohamed
11-4, 11-4, 11-9 (27m)
Olivia Clyne
[9/16] Hana Moataz (EGY)
11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8
[2] Olivia Clyne (USA)

ROUND ONE

[1] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bye
[WC] Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) bt [9/16] Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 12-10, 11-4, 6-11, 11-13, 11-7 (57m)
[9/16] Ineta Mackevica (LAT) bt Julia Le Coq (FRA) 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (26m)
[7] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bye
[8] Donna Lobban (AUS) bye
Karina Tyma (POL) bt [9/16] Tessa ter Sluis (NED) 11-6, 6-11, 12-10, 11-7 (34m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt [9/16] Ka Yi Lee (HKG) 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4 (33m)
[3] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bye
[4] Hollie Naughton (CAN) bye
[9/16] Nicole Bunyan (CAN) bt Lily Taylor (ENG) 11-8, 11-1, 11-5 (16m)
Marina Stefanoni (USA) bt [9/16] Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 11-4, 11-7, 5-11, 7-11, 11-8 (50m)
[6] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bye
[5] Farida Mohamed (EGY) bye
Lucy Beecroft (ENG) bt [9/16] Tze Lok Ho (HKG) w/o
[9/16] Hana Moataz (EGY) bt Nadia Pfister (SUI) 11-2, 11-3, 4-11, 11-8 (28m)
[2] Olivia Clyne (USA) bye

HISTORY

2022 2021
Not held
2020 2019
Not held
2018 2017 2016

REPORTS

Elaraby Claims Biggest Title To Date



Egypt’s World No.8 Rowan Elaraby overcame the challenge of Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam on Sunday evening in Brooklyn, securing the PSA World Tour Bronze level title, the biggest of her professional career to date.

The pair had met three times before on the PSA World Tour, with the young Malaysian having won their most recent two encounters, including at the Manchester Open in 2021.

The 21-year-old Egyptian started strongly, finding her rhythm early, and stopping Subramaniam from playing her fluent attacking game. However, that turned around in the second, as the Malaysian fought back, with a better length to the back of the court, and pushing up in front of Elaraby to level the match at one game apiece.

The third game was the closest in the match, and after it was poised at 8-8, it was the Egyptian who was able to grind out the winning shots to hold a 2-1 lead in the match, and that would prove crucial going into the fourth, and ultimately, the final game of the contest.

Subramaniam held a lead through the midpoint of the court game, but once Elaraby started to find her length again, she became unstoppable. The World No.8 won the fourth 11-6 to claim a 3-1 victory, and the first Bronze level title of her career.

“[I am] overwhelmed! I’m really happy actually. I have been training really hard to come this far. This is my biggest title so far,” she explained.

“I think I stuck to the plan today, concentrating on my length as Siva has great hands and is really tricky. So I had to make sure I didn’t give her the opportunity to attack.

“I think I lost concentration in the second game but I tried to remind myself to hit it hard and deep and it worked in the end. It’s amazing to be here and it feels like home. The crowd is amazing, I think they made a huge difference in the tournament.”
 
Elaraby & Subramaniam To Meet In The Final

The finalists of the Carol Weymuller Open 2022 were decided last night as No.1 seed Rowan Elaraby and Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam have advanced in contrasting styles to set up a match for the title.

The pair had never previously met on the PSA World Tour but had played in the Egyptian National Championships, with Shahin winning a tight match 13-11 in the fifth game. The Brooklyn crowd would have been hoping for a similar showing in yesterday’s encounter.

It was Shahin who started the better of the two and capitalised on a nervy start from her younger opponent and ran out to a 6-1 lead. From this moment, the No.1 seed started to find her rhythm again and started to fight her way back into the game. After an error from Shahin and a winning boast from Elaraby, the World No.8 took the game 11-9.

This momentum continued for Elaraby as she grew in confidence and started to work her compatriot into all four corners of the court and give Shahin no opporuntities to attack. Elaraby took the floowing two games 11-3, 11-7 to book her place in the final in just 25 minutes.



Elaraby (above left) had this to say after her match:

“I think today I wasn’t finding my drop shots and when I tried to do them in the 1st game she was on them all the time. So I focused on my length game until I found my winning shots at the end of the first game.

“Nadine is great athlete and she has good movement so I had to make sure I moved her around the court to get the best of her. I think this is the biggest final for me so far and I think I’ll just concentrate on my match and not get excited. I’ll wait to see who I am playing tomorrow!”

The second semi-final of the night was between World No.22 Sivasangari Subramaniam and Egypt’s World No.26 Farida Mohamed. The pair had both caused upsets to reach the semi-final stage with Subramaniam beating Hollie Naughton and Mohamed beating No.2 seed Clyne.


Subramaniam & Mohamed in action

The Malaysian No.1 took a 2-0 lead in the match as her contrast of light movement counteracted the hard hitting and aggressive style of Mohamed to keep moving the Egyptian and limit her chances to hit into space.

Mohamed showed her fighting spirit however and got herslef back in the match by winning the third game 11-6. Errors were startign to creep into Subramaniam’s game which only spurred Moahmed on. After a few more interactions with the referee, the Malaysian’s concentration and patience was being tested.

The Malaysian managed to recover from a 5-1 defecit in the fourth game and regain her concnetration to fight her way back into the game. The unforced errors were now coming from the Egyptian’s racket coupled with more refereeing decisions. Mohamed took a 3-minute injury break but managed to continue with the match and forcer a tiebreak. The Malaysian held strong and closed out the match 12-10 to reach her first finak since 2019.

“I feel really really happy, this is my biggest final,” said Subramaniam.

“In February I lost in the semis of a 50K and I’m so happy to make it through. It’s always tough to play Farida. She’s a huge fighter. It was more of a mental game today and I think I did really well to hold one and finish in 4. I’ve played Rowan a couple of times and ever since juniors we’ve been playing and I just hope to stick to my game plan and do my best.”

The final of the 2022 Carol Weymuller Open gets underway at 19:30 (GMT-4) today (April 24).
Mohamed & Subramaniam Set Up Surprise Semis Matchup



Farida Mohamed in action

Egypt’s Farida Mohamed and Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam will lock horns in the semi finals of the Carol Weymuller Open after they achieved respective wins over No.2 seed Olivia Clyne and No.4 seed Hollie Naughton at The Heights Casino in Brooklyn.

World No.26 Mohamed controlled her fixture against home favourite Clyne from start to finish, with Clyne only really getting into the match in the third game. Mohamed had a considerable height advantage and used it to great effect, cutting the ball short at every opportunity and punishing her opponent on the volley to run out an 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 winner in 27 minutes.

“It’s my first and biggest semi final so far, so I’m really happy,” said Mohamed after reaching the last four of the PSA World Tour Bronze event.

“She has so much experience and she’s World No.17 and the No.2 seed in the tournament, so I had to be prepared mentally and physically. I’m really happy with the way I played and I’m looking forward to the match with Siva. It’s the first time I have played Siva, so it’s exciting to play new players and great to play someone new.”

Subramaniam put in a similarly impressive performance as she too dispatched a higher-ranked opponent, with the World No.22 – who is currently studying at Cornell – defeating Naughton by an 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 margin in just 23 minutes.

“I felt really good on court today,” said Subramaniam.

“I stuck to my game plan, keeping the balls into the corner and following up in my short game. Hollie is a big fighter, so needed to keep to going until the end. Tomorrow, there is no pressure on me, and I want to play my best and enjoy the game.”


Sivasangari Subramaniam takes on Hollie Naughton

There were no upsets to be found on the opposite side of the draw as top seed Rowan Elaraby and No.3 seed Nadine Shahin set up an all-Egyptian semi final.

Elaraby, the World No.8, beat USA’s Sabrina Sobhy in the longest match of the day, winning 11-9, 11-7, 1-11, 11-8 in 45 minutes. The pair were neck and neck until 9-9 in the first and 7-7 in the second game, at which point some crucial errors from Sobhy handed momentum to her opponent, who closed out both games.

A magnificent performance from Sobhy saw her cut the deficit in half in the third game – dropping just one point in the process – but once again Elaraby came out on top in the business end in the fourth game, pulling away from 8-8 to secure the win.

Elaraby said: ”I feel amazing, and I’m very happy to be through today. I have played ‘Beans’ [Sobhy’s nickname] before and I know what a great player she is, and I wasn’t expecting any less today.

“I had to give it everything and more to get through in the fourth, playing a fifth is obviously worse than winning in four. For tomorrow, I will try not to concentrate on who I am playing and will concentrate on just me and the ball.”

Elaraby will take on Shahin next after she defeated Australia’s Donna Lobban 7-11, 11-3, 11-5, 13-11 in 40 minutes. There was controversy at the end of the fourth game, when Lobban thought she had drawn level, only to have the referee call a let at match ball due to being unsure about Shahin’s pickup.

That decision rattled Lobban, who was convinced she had won the point, and a couple of errors later, she was trudging off court having been defeated.

“It’s always nice to play those experienced players,” said Shahin.


Nadine Shahin (left) takes on Donna Lobban (right)

“I think I managed very well given it was the first time we played. She’s so experienced and I am the higher seed, so I had all the pressure. It’s the first time to make the semis of a $50k event, so I have no pressure against the top 10 players.”

The semi-finals of the 2022 Carol Weymuller Open get underway at 15:30 (GMT-4) today (April 23).

For more information on the event, visit the tournament website or follow the PSA World Tour on Twitter or Facebook, InstagramYouTube, TikTok and the Carol Weymuller YouTube channel.
 
Home Hope Clyne Survives Five-game Epic To Reach Quarters



The USA's Olivia Clyne survived a spirited fightback from Egypt's Hana Moataz to reach the quarter-final of the Carol Weymuller Open at the Heights Casino in Brooklyn, New York.

The No.2 seed and World No.17, who went out in the quarter-final stage in 2016 and 2018, went into the match as the firm favourite against the 22-year-old World No.64.

The match appeared to be going to seedings early on as the Brooklyn-born Clyne took a hard-fought opening game 11-9.

Moataz, though, deservedly struck back with an 11-9 win of her own, with the Egyptian utilising her array of attacking shots and capitalising on any errors from Clyne.

The players then traded games, with Clyne retaking the lead with an 11-7 game-three win before being pegged back again by an 11-8 Moataz win in game four.

In the decisive fifth game, it was Clyne – cheered on by vocal home support – who was able to keep her nose in front. The 29-year-old produced an assured display in a high-energy contest to end the thrilling match with an 11-8 win to set up a quarter-final clash with Egypt's No.5 seed Farida Mohammed, who earlier in the day beat England's Lucy Beecroft 3-0.

Afterwards, Clyne said: “Honestly, it’s just nice to win a match! It’s been a rough couple of months and a win is a win. Just happy to play tomorrow and have another match back to back. Hana is a great player with lots of potential and one hell of a head of hair!

“It’s almost better when it’s hard as then you are ready for a hard [match] the next day.”


Sabrina Sobhy in action at the 2022 CIB Black Ball Open

Joining Clyne in today's quarter-finals will be fellow American and No.7 seed Sabrina Sobhy, after the 25-year-old World No.23 put in an impressive performance to dispatch Latvia's World No.44 Ineta Mackevica 3-0 in 21 minutes.

Sobhy, whose combination of lightning speed and deceptive power proved too much for Makcevica, faces a tough quarter-final match against top seed and World No.8 Rowan Elaraby, who beat Indian wildcard Akanksha Salunkhe 3-0 in 20 minutes.

After her match, Sobhy said: “Nerves are always present at the first match of every tournament, so I am trying to keep a very simple game plan. I am happy with the win and looking forward to tomorrow's match.”

Meanwhile, the third American involved in the second round, Marina Stefanoni, saw her run ended by a 3-1 defeat to Malaysia's No.6 seed Sivasangari Subramaniam. The World No.22 will play No.4 seed Hollie Naughton in the quarter-final after World No.17 Naughton bested Nicole Bunyan 3-0 in an all-Canadian affair.

Also through to the quarter-finals are Egypt's No.3 seed Nadine Shahin, who beat compatriot Fayrouz Aboelkheir 3-0 and Australia's No.8 seed Donna Lobban, who beat Poland's Karina Tyma 3-0.


Rowan Elaraby (right) in action at the 2022 Allam British Open. The top seed faces the USA's No.7 seed Sabrina Sobhy

The quarter-finals of the 2022 Carol Weymuller Open gets underway from 17:30 (GMT-4) today (22 April).

For more information on the event, visit the tournament website or follow the PSA World Tour on Twitter or Facebook, InstagramYouTube, TikTok and Carol Weymuller YouTube channel.
 
Wildcard Salunkhe In Opening Day Shock



The 2022 Carol Weymuller Open got off to a thrilling start as Indian wildcard Akanksha Salunkhe stunned Hong Kong’s Tsz-Wing Tong to record the biggest win of her career to date.

World No.99 Salunkhe, playing in her first ever match on the PSA World Tour, got off to a perfect start in the opening match at the Heights Casino in Brooklyn, New York, as she made a rapid start to take the first two games against World No.53 Tong.

The experienced Tong, though, soon hit back and appeared to have steadied the ship after recording 11-6 and 13-11 wins to find parity.

The 23-year-old Indian, though, then rallied spectacularly, controlling play as Tong made a number of costly errors, to take the decisive fifth game 11-7.

Salunke’s reward for her performance is a second-round match against top seed and World No.8 Rowan Elaraby.

Speaking afterwards, Salunkhe said: “I’m still running on adrenalin! It’s so awesome to win. It’s my first win in a 50K and beating someone so highly ranked!

“I felt really excited to play. I played her recently and I lost 12-10 in the fifth so it felt really good to get my revenge! I definitely have no pressure tomorrow. I’m looking forward to getting on court with Rowan, who’s so good, and learning from her.”


Marina Stefanoni (left) in action last year at the U.S. Open

Salunke’s win was far from the only upset of the day, though, as the USA’s World No.67 Marina Stefanoni thrilled the home crowd by surviving a fightback from Egyptian World No.50 Sana Ibrahim.

As Salunkhe had done earlier in the day, Stefanoni took the first two games in rapid succession, only for Ibrahim to battle back to 2-2 with 11-5, 11-7 wins.

In a thrilling final game, both of the 19-year-olds went all out for the win. Eventually, though, it was the American who was able to make the breakthrough, taking the final game 11-8 to seal a 50-minute 3-2 win.

“I feel great. I’ve never played this tournament before so it’s really nice to play and win the 1st round. I thought I played well. Sana takes advantage of all opportunities so I had to be very tidy and I fought hard. I’ve had a couple of five gamers recently so it’s nice to know that I can push to the end,” Stefanoni said afterwards.

On her second-round opponent Sivasangari Subramaniam, she said: “I am excited to play Siva. I played her in college Nationals in the semis and lost in 3 but towards the end it was close, so I am excited for a rematch.”

Joining Stefanoni in the second round is the only other North American who was involved on day one, World No.52 Nicole Bunyan set up an all-Canada clash with No.4 seed Hollie Naughton by beating England’s World No.65 Lily Taylor 3-0.

Elsewhere, there were wins for Latvia’s Ineta Mackevica, Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir, Poland’s Karina Tyma and Egypt’s Hana Moataz.


Top seed Rowan Elaraby (front) enters the draw and will play Salunkhe for a place in the q-f

Round two of the Carol Weymuller Open gets underway from 17:30 (GMT-4) today (21 April).

Entering the draw today will be the eight seeded players, with the USA’s No.2 seed Olivia Clyne taking on Egypt’s Hana Moataz and No.3 seed Nadine Shahin playing an all-Egyptian affair against Fayrouz Aboelkheir.

For more information on the event, visit the tournament website or follow the PSA World Tour on Twitter or Facebook, InstagramYouTube, TikTok and SQUASHTV.
 
Preview

Elaraby Headlines Carol Weymuller Open Draw



The draw has been released for the upcoming Carol Weymuller Open, a women’s PSA World Tour Bronze level event that will take place from April 20-24, with Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby and home hope Olivia Clyne leading the way.

The Heights Casino will play host to the tournament, which was postponed from its original dates in February due to a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the region, where World No.9 Elaraby will be the top seed for the competition.

The young Egyptian will receive a bye through to the second round of the tournament, where she will face either USA’s Sabrina Sobhy, or wildcard Akanksha Salunkhe, the Indian who has reached the finals of her last two events on the PSA Challenger Tour. Possible meetings with Canada’s Hollie Naughton, and compatriot Nadine Shahin would lie in wait.

Clyne will be the leading lady in the bottom half of the draw, and the American will take on either Australian No.1 Donna Lobban or Egypt’s Menna Nasser in the second round. The World No.12 could then face another Egyptian in No.7 seed Farida Mohamed in the quarter finals, before doing battle with Indian No.1 Joshna Chinappa in the last four.

Apart from wildcard Salunkhe, the rest of the 24-strong field will all be members of the world’s top 60, and there will be 12 nationalities involved in the Bronze level event, including the Scottish duo of Lisa Aitken and Georgia Adderley and Hong Kong’s trio of Tze Lok Ho, Tsz-Wing Tong and Ka Yi Lee.

For more information on the event, visit the tournament website or follow the PSA World Tour on 
Twitter or Facebook, InstagramYouTube, TikTok and SQUASHTV.

HISTORY

2022 2021
Not held
2020 2019
Not held
2018 2017 2016