Amanda Sobhy avenged her 2014 Carol Weymuller defeat against Emma Beddoes Friday in the quarterfinals of the $58, 000 PSA Stars on the Bund China Open, setting up a semifinal clash against newly-crowned world No. 1 Raneem El Welily Saturday in Shanghai.
Beddoes, who reached a career high of world No. 11 this month, had defeated Sobhy, world No. 19, in Brooklyn last fall in their most recent match up. But it was Sobhy who pulled off her second 3-0 victory of the tournament against the English international, 11-4, 11-5, 11-8, in forty minutes.
Second-seeded El Welily awaits Sobhy in the semifinals Saturday in their first encounter since the 2015 Tournament of Champions, which El Welily won. This month, the Egyptian ended Nicol David’s unprecedented nine-year run as world No. 1 to reach the top of the world’s rankings for the first time in her career.
Their semifinal will take place Saturday on the glass court set up across the river from the scenic Shanghai skyline at 6:30pm local time, 6:30am ET.
In the top half of the draw, Egyptian world junior champion Nouran Gohar upset top seed and world No. 2 Nicol David in four games.
For more information on the China Open, visit the official tournament page.
Yay! I get to play on this court tomorrow!! What an unreal view! Through to the semis n now playin Raneem! #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/RU4IQa8064
— Amanda Sobhy (@itssobhytime) September 4, 2015