Team USA’s Amanda Sobhy and Olivia Blatchford are set to compete in the PSA Tour’s penultimate World Series event of the season this weekend, the 2018 El Gouna International in Egypt.
Sobhy, the three-time U.S. champion and former world No. 6, is the first in action against Wales’ Tesni Evans on Friday, April 20, at 1:30pm local time, 7:30am EDT. The Harvard graduate has never lost Evans in their six previous matches, but Evans enters the match with a career high ranking of world no. 12 and having won an individual bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games earlier this month. Should Sobhy, world No. 23, advance to the second round, the Bostonian could meet top see and world No. 1 Nour El Sherbini.
Blatchford, world No. 13, enters the draw as the thirteen seed with a first-round match up against Egyptian Hania El Hammamy on Saturday, April 21, at 1:30pm local time, 7:30am EDT. The Wilton, Connecticut-native defeated El Hammamy earlier this year in their only previous match up during the Cleveland Classic. A victory for Blatchford could set up a second round match up with Egypt’s world No. 3 Nour El Tayeb, who is seeking her third World Series title of the season in addition to the U.S. Open and Windy City Open.
The Allam British Open closes the 2017-2018 World Series Calendar next month, May 15-20. Both Sobhy and Blatchford will need strong performances in Egypt and England for a chance to qualify for the season-ending Dubai World Series Finals, June 5-9.
Watch all El Gouna International glass court matches live on SquashTV, April 20-27.
