Team USA’s world No. 8 Amanda Sobhy is safely through to the second round of the Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open, while qualifier Olivia Blatchford exited the World Series tournament against world No. 5 Nouran Gohar at Hong Kong Football Club.
Sobhy was the first of the two Americans in action on Tuesday against Hong Kong’s world No. 20 Joey Chan. The Harvard graduate eased through to the second round 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 in twenty-five minutes.
Sobhy will play England’s world No. 13 Sarah-Jane Perry next in the second round, Thursday, August 25, at 12pm local time, 12am ET. Perry reached the second round via a ninety-four-minute marathon victory over fellow Englishwoman Victoria Lust.
After two, three-game victories in qualifying, Blatchford drew recently-crowned world junior champion and world No. 5 Nouran Gohar Wednesday. The Egyptian continued her good form in her first match of the tournament, defeating Blatchford 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 in thirty minutes.
Blatchford will travel up the Chinese coast to Shanghai, where she will compete in the $70, 000 Stars on the Bund China Open, August 30. Blatchford is seeded eighth in qualifying.
Watch both match replays and follow live Hong Kong Open action on SquashTV.
