U.S. Open RD1 Roundup: Wildcard Stefanoni Claims Upset Against Letourneau

18-year-old wildcard Marina Stefanoni claimed the biggest upset on day one of the 2021 U.S. Open presented by Truist, with the Stamford-based World No.71 overcoming World No.19 Danielle Letourneau as the PSA World Tour Platinum event made its debut at the brand new, state-of-the-art Arlen Specter Squash Center in Philadelphia.

Stefanoni, a sophomore at Harvard University, looked like she could be on the verge of pulling off a shock win from the outset as she dominated proceedings and she will compete in the second round of a Platinum event for the first time following her 11-6, 11-2, 11-6 triumph.

“I feel quite good after that win,” said Stefanoni, who will play Egypt’s Nada Abbas next.

“Since coming back from COVID, my game has been a bit off, but it’s been steadily improving, so I’m glad it worked out and I’m trying to hit my targets.

“I love playing on glass courts, so to have my match on the glass court today was something special, and I’m hoping I can play on more glass courts in the future. [The Specter Center] is beautiful and the courts play really nicely. I’m really glad the U.S. Open is here this year.”

USA No.3 Olivia Fiechter was the other American to win in round one after she completed a 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 victory against Egypt’s Menna Hamed. Fiechter, who returned to the top 20 following the release of the PSA World Rankings earlier today, will play Australia’s Donna Lobban in the last 32.

“It’s [the Specter Center] incredible, I think the biggest thing is having the girls and the guys here on Team USA,” Fiechter said.

“We’ve been spread across the country for so long and especially on the women’s side we have so many top players. To be able to set that bar and to play practice matches is incredible. Now [Ong] Beng Hee is here, we’ve just got a strength and conditioning coach, it’s all really coming together and it’s every professional athlete’s dream to have a facility like this.”

Elsewhere, England’s Georgina Kennedy progressed to round two of a Platinum event for the first time as she beat the higher-ranked Haley Mendez, while Stefanoni’s younger sister, Lucie, bowed out at the hands of Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam.

In the men’s event, the top two ranked USA players – Shahjahan Khan and Todd Harrity – saw their tournaments come to an end at the hands of Mexico’s Cesar Salazar and Germany’s Raphael Kandra, respectively.

Salazar got the better of Khan by an 11-3, 4-11, 11-3, 11-5 margin and he will take on Egypt’s Youssef Soliman in the next round after Soliman beat India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar.

“Today, I’m happy with my performance because Shahjahan is improving a lot,” Salazar said.

“He’s doing a good job in tournaments. I’m happy with the victory. This is a fantastic place to play squash and is great motivation for players who want to come and play here.”

Meanwhile, Harrity came close to causing an upset against Kandra as the World No.44 took the German to a fifth game. Kandra moved through the gears though to wrap up an 4-11, 11-3, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4 victory.

The World No.22 will take on India’s Vikram Malhotra for a place in the third round.

“I came here quite prepared and I knew what to expect playing a local player.

“He had a good start and I didn’t feel like I got into it at all, so I just let it go at the end because I was too far away. I started to focus on the second game and I got into a flow. He broke through in the fourth game and then it was more of a mental game at the end of the day. I had a little bit more mentally and physically, and I think that made the difference today.”

The other two American men in action on day one – wildcards Faraz Khan and Timothy Brownell – also saw their events come to an end following respective defeats to Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller and France’s Victor Crouin.

The second round begins tomorrow when defending champions Ali Farag and Nouran Gohar join the fray. Play gets under way at 12:00 (GMT-4) and action from Glass Court East and Glass Court West will be shown live on SQUASHTV. Coverage from courts 14 and 15 will be shown live on the PSA SQUASHTV YouTube channel and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

Results – First Round: Men’s 2021 U.S. Open presented by Truist
Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 3-1: 5-11, 11-7, 11-2, 0-0 retired (29m)
James Willstrop (ENG) bt Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 (34m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt [WC] Faraz Khan (USA) 3-1: 11-8, 4-11, 11-4, 11-9 (50m)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt Bernat Jaume (ESP) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 (32m)
Auguste Dussourd (FRA) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 3-2: 6-11, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5 (68m)
Ramit Tandon (IND) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-1: 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 (75m)
Victor Crouin (FRA) bt [WC] Timothy Brownell (USA) 3-1: 11-4, 4-11, 11-5, 11-4 (43m)
Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 3-2: 9-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9 (80m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-1: 11-7, 7-11, 11-3, 11-2 (56m)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 3-1: 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6 (45m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (60m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Ben Coleman (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8 (65m)
Vikram Malhotra (IND) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10 (49m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-2: 4-11, 11-3, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4 (55m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Shahjahan Khan (USA) 3-1: 11-3, 4-11, 11-3, 11-5 (34m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (35m)

Draw – Men’s Second Round: To Be Played October 2nd
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) v Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA)
Joel Makin (WAL) v [6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
[5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v James Willstrop (ENG)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) v Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) v Auguste Dussourd (FRA)
Ramit Tandon (IND) v [4] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[3] Paul Coll (NZL) v Victor Crouin (FRA)
Karim El Hammamy (EGY) v Youssef Ibrahim (EGY)
Greg Lobban (SCO) v Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) v [8] Mostafa Asal (EGY)
[7] Diego Elias (PER) v Adrian Waller (ENG)
Vikram Malhotra (IND) v Raphael Kandra (GER)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Youssef Soliman (EGY)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Results – First Round: Women’s 2021 U.S. Open presented by Truist
Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 3-2: 7-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6, 12-10 (59m)
Lucy Turmel (ENG) bt Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 3-1: 11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4 (35m)
Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 (23m)
Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-1 (23m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [WC] Lucie Stefanoni (USA) 3-1: 11-5, 11-3, 9-11, 11-2 (26m)
Anna Serme (CZE) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 3-2: 11-9, 3-11, 14-12, 6-11, 12-10 (55m)
Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Menna Nasser (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-3 (23m)
[WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-2, 11-6 (21m)
Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt Ineta Mackevica (LAT) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 (23m)
Ka Yi Lee (HKG) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-2: 11-6, 1-11, 2-11, 11-6, 11-2 (36m)
Olivia Fiechter (USA) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (29m)
Donna Lobban (AUS) bt Nicole Bunyan (CAN) 3-2: 8-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5 (53m)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Jana Shiha (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 11-3 (40m)
Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-2: 6-11, 14-12, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7 (57m)
Emily Whitlock (WAL) bt Mayar Hany (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-5 (21m)
Tze Lok Ho (HKG) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-2 (32m)

Draw – Women’s Second Round: To Be Played October 2nd
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG)
Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Olivia Clyne (USA)
Lucy Turmel (ENG) v Melissa Alves (FRA)
Georgina Kennedy (ENG) v [8] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
[6] Joelle King (NZL) v Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
Joshna Chinappa (IND) v Anna Serme (CZE)
Nada Abbas (EGY) v [WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA)
Lisa Aitken (SCO) v [3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
[4] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v Ka Yi Lee (HKG)
Olivia Fiechter (USA) v Donna Lobban (AUS)
Nele Gilis (BEL) v Tesni Evans (WAL)
Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [7] Salma Hany (EGY)
[5] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Zeina Mickawy (EGY)
Farida Mohamed (EGY) v Emily Whitlock (ENG)
Tze Lok Ho (HKG) v Alison Waters (ENG)
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) v [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY)