The St. James Open: Malik to Face Stefanoni in Final After Ending Ray’s Run

Torrie Malik ended Danielle Ray’s run at The St. James Open presented by Argent Bridge Advisors, beating the Canadian 3-1 to reach her biggest ever PSA Tour final. 

The 19-year-old came into this event having lifted her biggest title to date at the 9k Northern Joe Cup in November, but now has the chance to add a 15k crown to her resume after ending Ray’s quest for glory. 

Having come through two five-game thrillers in the last two rounds, Ray made a fast start to this semi-final, winning the opening game 11-4 in just six minutes,  

Malik responded well to square things up by claiming game two 11-9, but soon found herself on the back foot again in game three, 6-1 down after little more than two minutes. 

But this was where the momentum changed, as the young English star reeled off six straight points to get her nose back in front, closing out the game 11-8 soon thereafter. 

In both of her five-game wins earlier this week, Ray had come back from 2-1 down, but Malik ensured there would be no repeat here, storming into a 7-1 lead in game four, which she soon converted into an 11-4 scoreline to clinch her spot in the final. 

The result gives Malik the opportunity to cap an already-impressive year with another title, having won six events on the PSA Challenger Tour in 2023. 

No other player has won more than four, but to win a seventh she will have to get past another rising star of the sport, Marina Stefanoni. 

Stefanoni – a Harvard teammate of Saran Nghiem, who Malik beat to win The Northern Joe Cup – booked her spot in the final with a hard-fought 3-1 win over No.4 seed Haya Ali. 

Playing on home soil, the young American took just seven minutes to win game one 11-7, but Ali found her feet in game two, bringing up two game balls at 10-8 up. 

Stefanoni, though, won four points on the bounce to take the tie break 12-10 and give herself a two-game lead. 

Undeterred, Ali hit back in game three, winning a tie break of her own to give herself hope, albeit only after saving a match ball at 11-10 down. 

Ali then had a 10-8 lead in the fourth, but just as she did from the same position in game two, Stefanoni came up trumps when it mattered most, winning four points in a row to end the contest and book her spot in the final. 

Results: Women’s Semi-Finals 

[5] Torrie Malik (ENG) bt Danielle Ray (CAN) 3-1: 4-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4 (31m) 
[2] Marina Stefanoni (USA) bt [4] Haya Ali (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 12-10, 11-13, 12-10 (46m)