Bahl and Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup – Day Two: Ayman Downs No.8 Seed in Five-Game Thriller

A upset on day two of the Cincinnati Gaynor Cup as Kenzy Ayman defeats No.8 seed Emily Whitlock in an exciting contest. The Egyptian earned a early advantage as she got the better of a 12-10 tie break in an electric first game. The Welshwoman rallied well, upping the tempo and playing a near perfect second game, conceding just one point.

Ayman came back into the encounter, playing accurate squash as she took the third game 11-9. Whitlock again reacted to being behind and took a decisive 7-2 lead as she looked to comfortably take the match to a deciding game, but Ayman stayed in the game, closing the gap to 9-8 before the World No.23 could finally level the match once again. The fifth game continued in a similar, volatile manner with the pair trading points in spite of multiple decisions slowing down the pace of the encounter.

Whitlock earned two match balls at 10-8, but failed to convert and Ayman played well in all corners of the court as she overturned the deficit in the tie break and came out the victor at 13-11.

“It was really tough,” said Ayman afterwards. “[Whitlock] is really tough. I’m really happy with my performance and winning today is really big for me.

“To play in round three of a big event means a lot for me and I’m really excited to play tomorrow.”

After a win for Jasmine Hutton in the first game of her match against Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby, the Englishwoman conceded the second game 11-6 to a resurgent Elaraby. The players looked more evenly matched in game three with Hutton taking the game 11-9, only for the Egyptian to retaliate and win the fourth 11-7.

The 58-minute match reached a fitting end, with the Egyptian having a slight advantage as the two were neck-and-neck approaching the match’s exciting conclusion. Elaraby had the advantage as two competitors battled to the end, and it came to be a decisive lead as the Egyptian pushed on to an 11-9 victory in the game five.

Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir continues her run of form with an upset over No.5 seed Sarah-Jane Perry. The World No.14 took the first game 11-5, but the Egyptian found her footing and won three consecutive games to book her spot in the quarter finals against World No.8 Tinne Gilis.

“I’m very happy to get through today and another tough match on my tour,” said Aboelkheir after the match. “Playing against SJ is not easy at all, and playing her for the second time in the same week is not easy definitely.

“She’s one of the best players on tour so I’m happy. I rewatched my match, but I didn’t have much time to work on my weak points there.”

The second match of the day saw Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam and Rachel Arnold face off against each other. In a fast-paced affair, the pair traded tie-break wins, before World No.15 Subramaniam pushed on in the third game, stretching Arnold across the court in a game of long, gruelling rallies. The work paid off as Subramaniam went on to win the match with consecutive 11-6 results in the third and fourth games.

No.1 seed Georgina Kennedy made a strong start to her Cincinnati campaign, recording a 3-0 win over Egypt’s Nadine Shahin. Home favourite Olivia Weaver started off round two with a convincing victory over Mariam Metwally while her compatriot Emma Trauber, who wowed the Cincinnati crowd on day one with an upset over Finland’s Emilia Soini, came undone to No.2 seed Tinne Gilis.

Tesni Murphy began her tournament with what she described as a “rollercoaster” of a match against Marina Stefanoni. The young American played well to the front of the court and made it difficult for the Welshwoman, but Murphy came out triumphant after four games.

The quarter-finals commence at 17:00 in Cincinnati, available to watch live on SQUASHTV.

Stay up to date on the Cincinnati Gaynor Cup 2024 on the PSA website or by following the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

Results: Bahl & Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup 2024 Round Two
[3] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt Mariam Metwally (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 12-10 (28m)
[6] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-1: 10-12, 13-11, 11-6, 11-6 (42m)
[7] Tesni Murphy (WAL) bt Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-1: 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 (47m)
[1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 (22m)
Kenzy Ayman (EGY) bt [8] Emily Whitlock (WAL) 3-2: 12-10, 1-11, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11 (55m)
[4] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-2: 8-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9 (58m)
[2] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [WC] Emma Trauber (USA) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-8 (29m)
Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt [5] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-1: 5-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (42m)

Draw: Bahl & Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup 2024 Quarter-Finals
17:00 [6] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [3] Olivia Weaver (USA)
18:00[1] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) v [7] Tesni Murphy (WAL)
19:00 [4] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) v Kenzy Ayman (EGY)
20:00 Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) v [2] Tinne Gilis (BEL)