Squash Inspire – Women’s Open: Baltayan Back from the Brink, Fouts Sets Up Ray Meeting

French teenager Lauren Baltayan continued her impressive run at the Squash Inspire – Women’s Open presented by Expression Networks LLC & Play Squash Academy, saving two match balls en route to beating Menna Walid in the quarter-finals. 

The 16-year-old had already knocked out No.7 seed Yasshmita Jadish Kumar in round two, and followed that up by coming from behind to defeat Egypt’s Walid in a breathtaking five-game match in the last eight. 

With her high-tempo, energetic style of play on full display, Baltayan took game one 11-7 after being 6-4 down, but was unable to carry her momentum into game two, dropping it 11-4. 

Walid then took game three 11-9 to move within one game of victory, and then fought back from 3-0 down in game four to make it 6-6. 

Baltayan, though, pulled clear in the closing stages of that game to send the match into a decider, and then gave herself a crucial early advantage by winning four of the first five points. 

But Walid hauled herself back into contention, setting up a dramatic finale that was fitting of the hard-fought contest to that point. 

From 5-8 down, Walid strung together four points in a row before bringing up a match ball moments later at 10-9 up. 

Baltayan saved that one plus the one that followed at 11-10 when a Walid forehand hit the tin, and the Frenchwoman clinched victory on a stroke a couple of points later, reaching her first ever 15k semi-final. 

Her opponent in that semi-final will be another Egyptian in the form of Nardine Garas. 

The No.3 seed enjoyed a routine victory over Germany’s Katerina Tycova in her quarter-final, winning 11-6, 12-10, 11-4 in less than half an hour. 

The second semi-final will pit former World No.18 Danielle Ray against one of the rising stars of North American squash, Caroline Fouts. 

Continuing her comeback from a serious knee injury, Ray came through in five games against India’s No.4 seed Akanksha Salunkhe for the second time in as many months. 

The pair had gone head-to-head at the St. James Open presented by Argent Bridge Advisors in December, with Ray winning in five that day too, and she repeated the trick in Maryland to book her spot in the final four. 

Fouts, meanwhile, showcased more of her glowing potential with an impressive win over France’s Enora Villard, the No.2 seed. 

The 18-year-old upset another Frenchwoman in Melissa Alves as a wild card at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions last week, and continued her good run with a 3-1 win over Villard here. 

The win also secured Fouts a spot in her fourth straight semi-final on the PSA Challenger Tour, but she will hope to go at least one better than in her previous three, when she fell at this stage. 

The semi-finals of the Squash Inspire – Women’s Open will stream live on the Play Squash Academy Instagram channel. 

Results: Women’s Quarter-Finals 

Lauren Baltayan (FRA) bt Menna Walid (EGY) 3-2: 11-7, 4-11, 9-11, 11-8, 13-11 (51m) 
[3] Nardine Garas (EGY) bt Katerina Tycova (GER) 3-0: 11-6, 12-10, 11-4 (26m) 
[5] Caroline Fouts (USA) bt [2] Enora Villard (FRA) 3-1: 11-13, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 (48m) 
Danielle Ray (CAN) bt [4] Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) 3-2: 11-6, 6-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7 (55m)