Paris Squash 2024 – Day Three: Afternoon Roundup

We are well underway on Day Three of Paris Squash 2024, with four more players booking their spots in the quarter-finals of the Platinum-level event. Read below to catch up on all the action from Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione.

Sobhy Holds Off Mohamed Charge To Reach Paris Quarters

World No.9 Amanda Sobhy was the first winner on day three of Paris Squash after holding off the a comeback from the dangerous Farida Mohamed in an all-action four-game encounter.

Sobhy and Mohamed started the match off at lightning speed, firing winners in from all areas of the court in a first game that lasted just six minutes. However, from 3-3, it was Mohamed whose tight margins resulted in a number of errors, and when combined with Sobhy’s own winners, helped the American to take the opening game 11-5.

After a second game that followed a similar theme and saw Sobhy double her lead, Mohamed began to cut out the unforced errors and challenge Sobhy’s defences on a more regular basis. Winner followed winner as the third game entered it’s end-phase, and it was the Egyptian who reduced the deficit to 2-1.

The match looked like it could be heading all the way to a deciding game, with Mohamed taking a slender 7-6 lead in the fourth. However, Sobhy showed her class and experience at the right time, playing tight, accurate squash to win five straight points and advance to her first Platinum quarter-final in nine months.

Result:

Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-1: 11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7 (36m)

Coll Through In Three After Attritional Steinmann Battle

No.2 seed Paul Coll advanced to the Paris Squash quarter-finals after battling past Dimitri Steinmann in an attritional three-game contest.

Both Coll and Steinmann have built reputations as two of the best movers on tour in recent years, and the early stages of the match certainly displayed this fact, with long, gruelling rallies taking place with regularity.

World No.24 Steinmann took an early lead in a gruelling opening game, surprising ‘Superman’ with his variety of boasts and angles. After moving into a 6-4 lead however, Coll began to reel the Swiss No.1 in, eventually taking a mammoth 24-minute first-game 11-9. Coll’s successfully converted game ball seemed a crucial moment in the match, with Steinmann feeling aggrieved after being awarded a no-let for a ball that bounced out towards the service line in the middle of the court.

The match continued in a similar vein in the next game, but it was Coll who began to take the ascendancy, forcing Steinmann into a series of tough movements, including an eye-catching dive onto the backhand wing.

After doubling his advantage through an 11-5 scoreline, Coll moved through the third game in composed fashion, finding his targets in the back corners and building a significant buffer on the scoreboard to his opponent. The No.2 sealed victory after 59 minutes of action to move through to the last eight in the French capital.

Result:

[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 (59m)

Gohar Powers Past Murphy In Three

Current World Champion Nouran Gohar set-up a tantalising quarter-final bout with Amanda Sobhy after easing past Wales’ Tesni Murphy in straight games.

‘The Terminator’, who finished runner-up at last year’s Paris Squash event, started quickly and never let Murphy get a proper foothold into the match, hitting strongly into the back two corners and picking the right moments to fire the ball in short.

Murphy provided some stern resistance in the second game, taking the ball especially well on the volley, but could never gain a significant buffer over the No.2 seed, with Gohar coming on strong in the latter phases to double her lead.

A rapid start to the third game ended any hopes of a Murphy comeback, with Gohar wrapping up the victory after 30 minutes of action.

Result:

[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Tesni Murphy (WAL) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 (30m)

Momen Ends Home Hopes With Clinical Display

Home hopes were brought to a close in the final match of the afternoon session, with No.7 seed Tarek Momen overcoming Baptiste Masotti in three games.

The first game was full of momentum swings, with Momen winning four straight points from the offset, before Masotti drew level at 4-4. The Frenchman fell away as the opener progressed though, with Momen taking seven of the next ten points to move into a one-game advantage.

Momen, who moved effortlessly throughout the encounter, continued to retrieve any attacks the Frenchman threw his way and countered many of these with some exceptional drops in the front corners. 

As the match progressed, ‘The Viper’ continued to silence the home crowd for large spells, not allowing Masotti a sustained spell of pressure to fight back into the match. The 36-year-old moved to match ball and converted at the first time of asking, sealing the match by an 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 scoreline.

Result: 

[7] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (36m)

The evening session of day three gets underway at 18:30 (GMT+2) from Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione and can be watched live on SQUASHTV. For more information on Paris Squash 2024, follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Threads, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok.