USA No.1 Sobhy Returns to Defend Oracle NetSuite Open Title

The draws for the 2022 Oracle NetSuite Open have been released, with United States No.1 and defending champion Amanda Sobhy starring alongside Peru’s Diego Elias in San Francisco between September 30 – October 4. The prestigious tournament, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary on the San Francisco waterfront, moves to Building 12 at Pier 70, a restored, renovated and historic maritime building set to become the hub of Brookfield Properties’ massive Dogpatch neighborhood development.

Sobhy claimed the women’s title in 2021 at Embarcadero Plaza, putting in a string of confident performances to win the title without dropping a game. The 29-year-old will be the top seed for this year’s edition as she aims to become the first female player to win the Oracle NetSuite Open on three occasions.

After a bye through to the opening round of the competition, the American will do battle with either Hong Kong’s Tsz-Wing Tong or Egypt’s Hana Ibrahim, before possibly then facing off against national team-mate Olivia Clyne, the tournament’s No.6 seed, in the quarter finals.

New Zealand’s Joelle King, who became the joint-most decorated squash player in Commonwealth Games history this summer, will be the No.2 seed for the tournament. She will begin her campaign against either Hong Kong’s Tomato Ho or Ka Yi Lee.

Egypt’s Farida Mohamed, who took her biggest title at the RMCLUB Women’s Open Presented by Expression Networks in Mauritius in June, and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Hollie Naughton will make up the rest of the top four seeds for the event.

The men’s event will be led by Elias, who is the only Peruvian player in history to reach the world’s top five. The World No.4 will begin his week in San Francisco against either Hong Kong’s Henry Leung or US No.1 Shahjahan Khan.

England’s Mohamed ElShorbagy will be aiming for a third Oracle NetSuite Open crown, to tie France’s Gregory Gaultier as the most in the history of the event, and he will begin against either American wildcard Zane Patel or India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar in the second round.

Mohamed’s younger brother, Marwan, along with fellow Egyptian Mazen Hesham, will be amongst the top four seeds, with Hesham scheduled to face either Mazen Gamal or India’s Ramit Tandon in the last 16. Marwan could face USA’s Faraz Khan or Mexico’s Cesar Salazar in the second round.

A glass court will be erected in Pier 70 for the event, while SquashZone, the Olympic Club and the University Club will host some of the action from the earlier rounds of the tournament.

The tournament will use a best-of-three games scoring format up to and including the semi-finals, before reverting to the traditional best-of-five games scoring format for the finals.

All of the glass court action at the Oracle NetSuite Open will be streamed live on SQUASHTV. 

Tickets can be bought on the tournament website here.

For more information on the Oracle NetSuite Open, you can follow the event on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Men’s First Round Draw: Oracle NetSuite Open

[1] Diego Elias (PER) – [Bye]

Henry Leung (HKG) v [9/16] Shahjahan Khan (USA)

[9/16] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) v Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY)

[8] Youssef Soliman (EGY) – [Bye]

[7] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) – [Bye]

Nick Wall (ENG) v [9/16] Tayyab Aslam (PAK)

[9/16] Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Faraz Khan (USA)

[4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) – [Bye]

[3] Mazen Hesham (EGY) – [Bye]

Mazen Gamal (EGY) v [9/16] Ramit Tandon (IND)

[9/16] Lucas Serme (FRA) v David Baillargeon (CAN)

[5] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) – [Bye]

[6] Saurav Ghosal (IND) – [Bye]

Rui Soares (POR) v [9/16] George Parker (ENG)

[9/16] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) v [WC] Zane Patel (USA)

[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) – [Bye]

Women’s First Round Draw: Oracle NetSuite Open

[1] Amanda Sobhy (USA) – [Bye]

Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) v [9/16] Sana Ibrahim (EGY)

[9/16] Chan Sin Yuk (HKG) v [WC] Riya Navani (USA)

[6] Olivia Clyne (USA) – [Bye]

[7] Hana Ramadan (EGY) – [Bye]

Emilia Soini (FIN) v [9/16] Anna Serme (CZE)

[9/16] Rachel Arnold (MAS) v Cristina Gomez (ESP)

[4] Hollie Naughton (CAN) – [Bye]

[3] Farida Mohamed (EGY) – [Bye]

Lucy Beecroft (ENG) v [9/16] Enora Villard (FRA)

[9/16] Nicole Bunyan (CAN) v Marie Stephan (FRA)

[8] Lisa Aitken (SCO) – [Bye]

[5] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) – [Bye]

Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v [9/16] Zeina Mickawy (EGY)

[9/16] Tomato Ho (HKG) v Ka Yi Lee (HKG)

[2] Joelle King (NZL) – [Bye]