Olivia Blatchford’s run in the 2017 Orascom Development PSA Women’s World Championship came to an end Monday with a three-game, second round loss against Egypt’s three seed and world No. 4 Raneem El Welily in El Gouna, Egypt.
The twenty-four-year-old from Wilton, Connecticut, marked her first appearance in the World Championship second round following an upset over world No. 17 Donna Urquhart in the first round Saturday.
Playing on the glass court Monday, El Welily commanded the match against the world No. 19, winning 11-5, 11-6, 11-1 in twenty-four minutes.
“I’m definitely happy with the way I played today,” El Welily said. “It was the first time I’ve ever played Olivia so to come away with a 3-0 win is pleasing and unusual for me. I know she’s played on glass courts before but I think the conditions today were very different to what she’s experienced before. It’s windy on there and you never know what’s going to happen with the ball—you have to react and take it as it comes.”
El Welily will face England’s Laura Massaro in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
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