Sobhy Battles Past Azman To Set Up Semi-Final Rematch With Orfi At Squash On Fire Open 

Home favourite and No.2 seed Sabrina Sobhy fought off the challenge of 19-year-old Aira Azman in five games to set up a repeat of last year’s semi-final against Amina Orfi at the Squash On Fire Open. 

Sobhy, who had never played the Malaysian before on the PSA Tour, settled into the match quickly, finding her length on the all-glass court in Washington DC and taking the opening game 11-4. 

Azman, who showed good deception throughout the match, bounced back in the second, playing extremely accurately into the front two corners and troubling Sobhy with her variety of shots. The World No.48 levelled the match at a game a piece and stuck with her opponent in the early stages of the third. 

However, Azman’s momentum was stalled at 4-5 down in the third as she was forced to call for the physio after contact between the two players when Sobhy was chasing down a drop-shot. Upon returning to the court, it was Sobhy who found her groove quicker, moving through the third to retake the lead in the match. 

The match took yet another twist as Azman forced her way to a deciding game after taking the fourth 11-9, but it was World No.15 Sobhy who eventually prevailed, racing her way through a six-minute final game to progress to the last four. 

After the match, Sobhy said: “I’m really relieved to have gotten through that quarter-final. It was a tricky opponent, and I wasn’t feeling my best physically, so on these days, it’s going to be some ugly squash, and getting through is the really positive thing. 

“I was pleased to have manoeuvred my way in and out, and although the concentration and frustration got a little carried away, I’m happy to have made it through in the fifth game.”

No.3 seed Orfi, who was runner-up at the PSA World Tour Bronze event last year, didn’t have it all her own way in her quarter-final bout against Rachel Arnold but eventually came through after four hard-fought games. 

Despite losing the opening game to the attack-minded Malaysian, Orfi bounced back in impressive style, moving her opponent effectively into the back two corners with her clean striking down both wings. The World No.13 drew level after an 11-5 second game before claiming the subsequent two games, 11-9 and 11-6, to advance to the last four. 

Elsewhere, defending champion Tinne Gilis reached the semi-finals following victory over No.8 seed Hana Moataz in four games. 

After a one-sided first game that Gilis dominated, Moataz fired herself into the contest with a string of attacking winners, driving powerfully down both sides of the court. The pair couldn’t be separated in the high-paced second game that lasted 18 minutes, but it was the Egyptian who eventually nicked it with a backhand drop shot winner at 14-13 up. 

Defeat in the taxing second game seemed to only spur Gilis on, with the World No.7 starting quickly in the third and never relinquishing control. The top seed moved 2-1 up in a flash and subsequently closed out the fourth by an 11-3 scoreline. 

After the match, Gilis said: “Hana put on a very good battle today. She didn’t make it easy for me and it was a good, good match. 

“I’m happy that I changed my tactics in the second game because I felt like she was all over me. I felt like I was hitting too hard with her in the second, which she likes to play, so I tried to mix up the pace a bit and give myself some time and try to be in front of her.”

Gilis’ opponent in the last four will be Hong Kong’s Tomato Ho, who conquered tournament wildcard Menna Walid by an 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 scoreline. 

The No.4 seed mixed up her pace and height on the front wall well to negate the hitting power of Walid, pushing her opponent deep in the court and dominating the ‘T’. Despite Walid hitting some counter-punches during the mid-phases of each game, Ho always held significant buffers, closing out the match in just under half an hour of action. 

In the men’s draw, No.4 seed Youssef Ibrahim reached his second semi-final in as many events after coming through a highly entertaining bout with No.5 seed Greg Lobban. 

In a match jam-packed with creativity, Ibrahim raced into an early 7-3 lead, but Lobban came charging back into the opening game with some impressive squash to clinch it 11-9. 

Both players were happy to play into the front two corners with regularity, leading to a stop-start match that lacked lengthy rallies into the deep areas of the court. And it was Ibrahim who thrived in this game state, levelling proceedings by an 11-5 scoreline, and seemingly enjoying the new ball which was requested by his opponent in the next game to take a 2-1 advantage. From there, the Egyptian took an early lead in the fourth and never let Lobban back in, closing out the match with a slick tweener which Lobban fired back into the tin. 

After the match, Ibrahim said: “I played really well, much better than yesterday, and I think I started really well. After losing the first, I just tried to maintain myself mentally and kept pushing forward from there. We were both attacking very differently. 

“I’m playing well this week, and I played well last week, so I’m just going to focus on my recovery, and whoever I play tomorrow, I’m going to look forward to it.”

Ibrahim will play compatriot Youssef Soliman for a spot in the title decider after the No.2 seed ended the run of home favourite Todd Harrity in four games. 

Despite losing out in a tight 12-10 opening game – which was full of lengthy, physical rallies – Soliman kept his composure to work his way back into the match. The World No.12, who arrived in Washington DC on the back of a semi-final appearance at the Pittsburgh Open, won the subsequent three games 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 to walk off court after 53 minutes of action. 

Meanwhile, defending champion Victor Crouin put on an immaculate display to defeat No.6 seed Saurav Ghosal by an 11-6, 11-3, 11-5 scoreline. 

The World No.11, who defeated Mohamed ElSherbini to lift the title last year, looked in sublime form right from the offset, finding a consistent length into the back two corners before looking to cut the ball in short with deadly accuracy. Ghosal did his best to stick with the Frenchman throughout the match – with an outrageous trick shot late in the third one particular highlight – but Crouin proved too strong, needing just 26 minutes to seal victory. 

 “It was good to get away with another quick win,” Crouin said after the match. “Saurav is one of the most experienced players, and he can turn things around really quickly. 

“I needed to make sure that he wasn’t going to cut off my cross courts and put them away. So my plan was just that I hit my targets in the back corners. To be honest, though, I was just focussing on my performance and trying to get the best out of myself.” 

In the last match of the evening, No.3 seed Iker Pajares fought off a spirited comeback from No.8 seed Nathan Lake to win a back-and-forth five-game contest.

The Spaniard started at a high pace, pushing his opponent to all four corners of the court and reaping the rewards when taking the ball in short. The World No.20 took the opening two games of the match by 11-7 scorelines, but the momentum of the match flipped dramatically in the third as Lake began to find his targets.

A blitz of early winners in the third helped World No.25 Lake claw one game back, before he brought the match level with some accurate squash. However, Pajares steadied the ship in time to hold off the charging Englishman in the fifth, with the physical efforts made by Lake throughout the match starting to show. Pajares moved to match ball after 54 minutes of play and sealed victory at the first time of asking, setting up a rematch of last year’s semi-final against Crouin.

The semi-finals of the Squash On Fire Open 2024 commence at 13:00 (GMT-5) on Saturday, 17th February and will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV. For more information on the Squash On Fire Open 2024, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

Results: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Women’s Quarter-Finals

[3] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt [6] Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-1: 8-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-6 (45m)

[2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Aira Azman (MAS) 3-2: 11-4, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5 (57m)

[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [8] Hana Moataz (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 13-15, 11-2, 11-3 (44m)

[4] Tomato Ho (HKG) bt [WC] Menna Walid (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (29m)

Draw: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Women’s Semi-Finals

[3] Amina Orfi (EGY) v [2] Sabrina Sobhy (USA)

[1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [4] Tomato Ho (HKG)

Results: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Men’s Quarter-Finals

[4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt [5] Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-1: 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5 (45m)

[2] Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-1: 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 (53m)

[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt [6] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-5 (26m)

[3] Iker Pajares (ESP) bt [8] Nathan Lake (ENG) 3-2: 11-7, 11-7, 3-11, 8-11, 11-4 (54m)

Draw: Squash On Fire Open 2024 Men’s Semi-Finals

[4] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v [2] Youssef Soliman (EGY)

[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) v [3] Iker Pajares (ESP)