Moataz Topples Mohamed To Reach Maiden Silver Quarter-Final At DAC Pro Squash Classic

Egypt’s Hana Moataz shocked compatriot and No.5 seed Farida Mohamed in straight games to progress to her maiden PSA World Tour Silver-event quarter-final at the DAC Pro Squash Classic.

Moataz, who sits 19 spots behind Mohamed in the current world rankings, backed up her opening-day victory over Marta Dominguez in impressive style, running away with an 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 victory in 25 minutes.

In a match that was dominated by traffic in the middle of the court and required regular interjections from the referee, it was the World No.36 who came out on top, setting up a tie against Rowan Elaraby in the last eight.

“I’m really happy with today’s win,” Moataz said after the match. “I think it is my first win against a top 20 player and I’m really happy I could win in three.

“I played Farida in El Gouna last season and there was a lot happening, and I lost my focus and lost that match, so today I was just trying to focus on my game and not get caught up with whatever is happening with my opponent. I’m glad I was able to stick to my plan and not get distracted by anything.

“In the third, I think I was 8-4 up and my mind was going, ‘Oh my god you are winning’, so I then told myself to calm down and stick to whatever I was doing because it was working. I’m just glad I was able to stick with it mentally.”

Meanwhile, reigning champion Olivia Weaver and 2021 winner Nouran Gohar both cruised into the last eight at the Detroit Athletic Club. Weaver, who is currently boasting a career-high rank of World No.6 and arrives on the back of claiming the Cincinnati Gaynor Cup title last week, needed just 21 minutes to defeat Nadine Shahin, while top seed Gohar powered past compatriot Menna Hamed.

In the first match of the afternoon No.4 seed Nada Abbas fought back from two games down to defeat Kenzy Ayman in a tough all-Egyptian affair.

The World No.18, who withdrew from the recent J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions due to injury, showed signs of rustiness in the opening two games of her comeback but turned the match on its head at the beginning of the third.

After forcing her way back to 2-2, both players traded points in early stages of the fifth, but it was Abbas who eventually proved too strong, claiming victory when a stroke was awarded in her favour.

“I’m really happy to make it through,” Abbas said after the match. “It wasn’t an easy match and I think I was pretty nervous at the beginning as I haven’t had the best start to the year. I had to pull out of TOC [J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions] due to injury, so I was a little bit nervous coming here.

“It took me two games to settle in and try to get into the match. I thought to myself that wasn’t how I wanted to lose [when 2-0 down in the match]. If I’m going to lose a match, I’m going to lose it fighting every point. In the third, I just kept trying and trying to get back into it and I’m glad I did.

“I feel like this match was a plus for me. I needed to play a match like this to get into the tournament. Hopefully, I can just get better now round by round.”

Elsewhere, Jasmine Hutton defeated her second English opponent in as many days as she fought her way past No.8 seed Lucy Beecroft in three games, while No.7 seed Melissa Alves safely progressed to the quarter-finals after a straight-game win over Cindy Merlo.

After some impressive recent results, which included a semi-final appearance at last week’s Cincinnati Gaynor Cup, No.3 seed Rowan Elaraby looked in imperious form on her way to victory over Malaysian teenager Aira Azman. No.6 seed Hollie Naughton, meanwhile, finished off the day’s play with a three-game victory over fellow left-hander Alicia Mead.

Day three of action from the DAC Pro Squash Classic commences at 16:45 (GMT-5) on Thursday, 8th February, with every second of action available to watch live on SQUASHTV. For more information on the DAC Pro Squash Classic, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

Results: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 RD2

[7] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Cindy Merlo (SUI) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 11-3 (21m)

[4] Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Kenzy Ayman (EGY) 3-2: 11-13, 4-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 (48m)

[2] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-0 (21m)

Hana Moataz (EGY) bt [5] Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (25m)

[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 (26m)

[3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Aira Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (23m)

Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt [8] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 (28m)

[6] Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Alicia Mead (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (24m)

Draw: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 Quarter-Finals

[4] Nada Abbas (EGY) v [6] Hollie Naughton (CAN)

[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)

[7] Melissa Alves (FRA) v [2] Olivia Weaver (USA)

Hana Moataz (EGY) v [3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)