Challenger Tour Round-Up: Mohamed and Beecroft Set Up Florida Final

Expression Network LLC Kinetic Racquet Women’s Squash 2024 

Top two seeds Farida Mohamed and Lucy Beecroft will go head-to-head for the Expression Network LLC Kinetic Racquet Women’s Squash title, after both coming from behind to win their semi-finals 3-1. 

England’s Beecroft had dropped game one in her quarter-final win over Nadia Pfister before turning things around, and her semi-final victory over rising US star Caroline Fouts followed a similar pattern. 

The No.2 seed had made the better start to game one, winning four of the first five points, but she was unable to convert that lead, going on to lose the game 13-11. 

From there though, she took control of proceedings, needing less than seven minutes to take the second 11-5 and level the score, before winning the third 11-7, with Fouts unable to recover from a 6-1 deficit. 

A fast start in game four was always likely to be crucial to the American’s hopes of getting herself back into the contest, but instead, she found herself 7-3 down inside five minutes. 

A stirring comeback got her back within a point at 8-7 down, but overhauling Beecroft’s lead would be one step too far, with the English player closing out victory to reach her third 20K final. 

To claim the title, Beecroft will have to get past top seed Mohamed, who came through a hard-fought battle with Marina Stefanoni. 

Like her compatriot Fouts, Stefanoni took game one to set the tone for a potential upset, and she will perhaps feel as though it was an opportunity missed. 

After losing the second 11-7, the young American had a 7-3 lead in game three, as well as a game ball at 11-10, and then had a 6-2 lead in the fourth. 

She led both advantages slip, though, with Mohamed using all her experience to get over the line, clinching victory with a perfectly weighted forehand drive down the line on match ball in the fourth. 

Mohamed and Beecroft will now go head-to-head for the sixth time on the PSA Tour, with the Egyptian having won all five of their previous encounters. 

Play begins at 1pm ET/5pm GMT on Saturday, March 30, streaming live on the SQUASHTV Live Streaming YouTube channel. 

Hollolan Kuntokeidas PSA 2024 

Egyptian Omar El Torkey moved one win away from a second consecutive PSA Tour title, booking his spot in the Hollolan Kuntokeidas PSA final. 

The 23-year-old – whose brother Kareem lost out in the semi-finals of the Liverpool Cricket Club Open yesterday – won the Aldi Hinckley Challenger as an unseeded player a week ago, and now has the chance to win another trophy in Finland. 

His semi-final win over France’s Joshua Phinera was relatively comfortable, finishing 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 in 24 minutes, and he will now play top seed Hafiz Zhafri of Malaysia for the title. 

The lefty was pushed hard by Manuel Paquemar, but came out on top in the end, taking just over 45 minutes to win 11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9. 

You can stay up to date with all the results on the Challenger Tour here.