Egypt’s Hana Moataz shocked compatriot and No.5 seed Farida Mohamed in straight games to progress to her maiden PSA World Tour Silver-event quarter-final at the DAC Pro Squash Classic.
Moataz, who sits 19 spots behind Mohamed in the current world rankings, backed up her opening-day victory over Marta Dominguez in impressive style, running away with an 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 victory in 25 minutes.
In a match that was dominated by traffic in the middle of the court and required regular interjections from the referee, it was the World No.36 who came out on top, setting up a tie against Rowan Elaraby in the last eight.
“I’m really happy with today’s win,” Moataz said after the match. “I think it is my first win against a top 20 player and I’m really happy I could win in three.
“I played Farida in El Gouna last season and there was a lot happening, and I lost my focus and lost that match, so today I was just trying to focus on my game and not get caught up with whatever is happening with my opponent. I’m glad I was able to stick to my plan and not get distracted by anything.
“In the third, I think I was 8-4 up and my mind was going, ‘Oh my gosh, you are winning’, so I then told myself to calm down and stick to whatever I was doing because it was working. I’m just glad I was able to stick with it mentally.”
Elsewhere, reigning champion Olivia Weaver and 2021 winner Nouran Gohar both cruised into the last eight at the Detroit Athletic Club. Weaver, who is currently boasting a career-high rank of World No.6 and arrives on the back of claiming the Cincinnati Gaynor Cup title last week, needed just 21 minutes to defeat Nadine Shahin, including a perfect final game, while top seed Gohar powered past compatriot Menna Hamed.
Meanwhile, No.4 seed Nada Abbas avoided a scare against Egyptian compatriot Kenzy Ayman, coming from two games down to book her spot in the quarter-finals.
Day three of action from the DAC Pro Squash Classic commences at 16:45 (GMT-5) on Thursday, 8th February, with every second of action available to watch live on SQUASHTV. For more information on the DAC Pro Squash Classic, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Results: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 RD2
[7] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Cindy Merlo (SUI) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 11-3 (21m)
[4] Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Kenzy Ayman (EGY) 3-2: 11-13, 4-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 (48m)
[2] Olivia Weaver (USA) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-0 (21m)
Hana Moataz (EGY) bt [5] Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (25m)
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 (26m)
[3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Aira Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 (23m)
Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt [8] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 (28m)
[6] Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Alicia Mead (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (24m)
Draw: DAC Pro Squash Classic 2024 Quarter-Finals
[4] Nada Abbas (EGY) v [6] Hollie Naughton (CAN)
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
[7] Melissa Alves (FRA) v [2] Olivia Weaver (USA)
Hana Moataz (EGY) v [3] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
