Emily Whitlock Beats Sabrina Sobhy to Win WSA Tour Title No10 by Howard Harding November 17, 2014
- England's 20-year-old Emily Whitlock became one of the youngest
players to notch up a 10th title on the WSA World Tour when she beat
local hope Sabrina Sobhy in the final of the Women's Boar's Head Sports
Club Open in the USA.
The world No28 from Colwyn Bay in Wales (pictured above, right, with
Sobhy) reached the final of the WSA Tour 10 squash event at Boar's Head
Sports Club in Charlottesville, Virginia - the 15th of her career -
after stopping Egypt's unseeded Menna Nasser in the semi-finals.
It was a breakthrough all-American clash in the other semi, between the
country's third-ranked Olivia Blatchford and fourth-ranked Sobhy - in
which 17-year-old Sobhy clinched her maiden Tour win over her
21-year-old rival, upsetting the No2 seed in four games.
"Both payers started nervously going point for point through to
six-all, with the majority of the rallies finishing on errors," said
the club's Director of Squash Mark Allen of the final. "Whitlock
settled the better towards the end and closed the first game out well.
"In the second and third Whitlock was dominant, playing a game of good
width and length that was containing Sobhy who was clearly feeling the
effects of a tougher path to the final. There were flashes of the usual
brilliance off the racket from Sobhy, but only to snatch a point here
and there as Whitlock was in firm control of the centre of the court.
"In the end, a comfortable win for Whitlock, who always looked likely
to be the tournament winner from the very outset ," concluded Allen.
The 11-7, 11-5, 11-3 victory is the latest success in double European
Junior Champion Whitlock's fledgling senior career - her second
successive Tour title in the USA and the tenth overall in just 33
months!
"I'm happy to win here in Charlottesville, the facilities are
fantastic," said Whitlock afterwards. "I didn't actually feel like I
played well on Saturday but I'm pleased to have played well against
Sabrina.
"She's a tough opponent and although playing on glass court was tricky, I'm happy to have made improvements during the weekend."
RESULTS: Women's Boar's Head Sports Club Open, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
