Amanda Sobhy

Amanda Sobhy (born June 29, 1993; Sea Cliff, New York) is the highest ranked American ever in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) world rankings.[1] She reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 6 in February 2016 after reaching the semifinals of two World Series PSA tournaments, The Malaysian Open and The Hong Kong Open.[2][3] She has won the U.S. National Championships four times: 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2018.

Amanda Sobhy
Country United States
ResidenceBoston, United States
Born (1993-06-29) June 29, 1993
Sea Cliff, New York, United States
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight152 lb (69 kg)
Turned Pro2015
PlaysLeft handed
Coached byThierry Lincou
Racquet usedHead
Websitewww.amandasobhy.com
Women's singles
Highest rankingNo. 6 (October, 2016)
Current rankingNo. 7 (July, 2020)
Title(s)17
Medal record
Women's squash
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
2015 TorontoSingles
2015 TorontoDoubles
2015 TorontoTeam
Last updated on: September 2016.

Sobhy was one of the eight players competing at the 2016 Women's PSA World Series Finals, but failed to make it out of the group stage, where she had a 1–2 record.

Early life

Amanda Sobhy was born in Sea Cliff, New York, to an Egyptian father, Khaled Sobhy, and an American Mother, Jodie Larson. Both of her parents played squash.[4]

Sobhy is a graduate of North Shore High School[5] where she played volleyball, softball and as left halfback of the school's varsity soccer team during her freshman year. In eighth grade she broke her right ankle and shattered her tibia while playing softball.[6]

In May 2015 she graduated from Harvard University, having majored in Social Anthropology[7] and minored in Global Health and Health Policy.

Career

Pre-college career

During the 2009 world juniors in Chennai, India, she defeated the third seed Laura Gemmel and following it, lost to Kanzy El Defrawy. During the semifinals, which happened few days later, she participated in a team competition with which she defeated Nour El Sherbini of Egypt who was just crowned junior world champion.[6]

On April 24, 2010, she won the Racquet Club International in St. Louis, Missouri,[8] making her the only player in women's professional squash, at the time, to have won three tournaments before the age of 17.[9]

On June 29, 2010, on her 17th birthday, Sobhy won the World Junior Squash Championships, thus becoming the first, and only, American winner of the prestigious event.[10] In the final she defeated Egyptian Nour El Tayeb with a score of 3–11, 11–7, 11–6, 11–7 in 37 minutes.[10]

College career

After serving a short suspension for issues related to accepting tournament prize money, Sobhy joined the Harvard team as a freshman in January 2012, and two months into the team wion her first national title.[11] She won the individual championship, and her Harvard team won the team championship. In 2013, Sobhy finished the 2012-2013 college season undefeated, having lost her first game to Trinity's number 1, Kanzy Emad El Defrawy.[12] The same year, Sobhy won the 2013 World Doubles Championship with Natalie Grainger.[13] She won her second consecutive individual championship and her Harvard team won the team championship. In March 2014, Sobhy won the Granite Open and finished the 2013-2014 college season undefeated with a perfect 17–0 record.[14] She won the individual championship for a third consecutive year. Sobhy finished the 2014-2015 college season with a perfect record and won her fourth individual intercollegiate title, defeating her sister Sabrina.[15] Sobhy finished her intercollegiate career undefeated in 62 matches, having dropped only two games in her four seasons of college competition.[16]

In December 2014, Sobhy led the US Women's Team to its best-ever finish in the World Team Championships, when she defeated world no. 6 Camille Serme in the deciding match to clinch fifth place over France.

In March 2015, Sobhy won her second US National Title, defeating Olivia Blatchford 11–7, 11–2, 11–9 in the final.[17]

In April 2015, having completed her college squash career, Sobhy won her first paycheck on the PSA tour, winning the Texas Open championship.[18]

2015 Pan American Games

In July 2015 in Toronto, Sobhy became the first squash athlete to win three gold medals in a single Pan American Games, winning Women's Singles, Women's Doubles with partner Natalie Grainger, and the Women's Team event with Grainger and Olivia Blatchford.[19] In the final of the Singles event, she beat American, Olivia Blatchford with a score of 11–8, 11–3, 11–3.[20]

Other championships

She claimed her 14th tour title when she won the NetSuite Open in San Francisco in September 2015, sharing her reward with Ramy Ashour.[21]

Sobhy is also an accomplished squash doubles player and started her professional doubles career on a winning note when she and partner Fernanda Rocha claimed the Boston Open title in November 2015.[22]

In January 2016, Sobhy reached the finals of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions held in Grand Central Terminal after beating top seed, Raneem El Welily in the Round of 16, five seed Alison Waters in the quarterfinals,[23] and Nouran Gohar in the semifinals to become the first American ever to reach the finals of the Tournament of Champions.[24]

In 2017 she participated at the New York's Tournament of Champions and defeated Nouran Gohar with the score of 8-11, 11–6, 11–6, 11–5.[25]

In 2018, Sobhy won her fourth US National Title at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, defeating Reeham Sedky 11–6, 11–8, 11–4.[26]

In 2019, Amanda Sobhy defeated Laura Massaro and Nour El Tayeb at the El Gouna International 2019 semifinals.[27]

In February 2019, she defeated Olivia Blatchford Clyne 6-11, 11–7, 11–1, 11–6 in 34 minutes.[28]

On May 21, 2019, Sobhy won the Allam British Open beating Samantha Cornett 11–4, 11–5, 11–3 in twenty-four minutes.[29]

Achilles injury

On March 11, 2017, during the semifinals of the Ciudad de Floridablanca 70K tournament held in Colombia,[30] Amanda was playing against Olivia Blatchford. She was up 10–5 in the third game, with match ball, and snapped her achilles.[31] She was out for 10 months,[32] having to skip the U.S. Open, in October, but would be ready to compete in the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, in January.[33] She is making a comeback, and is continuing to improve, as shown in the results of the tournaments she has played in.

Awards

In 2015, Sobhy became a recipient of the Richey Award.[34]

Personal life

Sobhy currently resides in Boston, and serves on the board of the Squash Education Alliance, and is heavily involved in various urban squash programs. On January 21, 2019, after many years playing for Harrow Sports, Sobhy signed a long-term contract with HEAD, the global sporting brand with a focus on delivering high-performance products across a variety of athletic disciplines.[35]

Amanda Sobhy has a brother, Omar, and a sister, Sabrina. Both of them are accomplished squash players as well. Before picking up squash, Amanda played tennis, admiring the Williams Sisters. At the age of eleven, she started squash, since she would watch her older brother Omar play with her father. Squash came naturally to her as she won her first tournament. Over the next year, Sobhy was playing both Tennis and Squash. She decided with her father to make the decision of concentrating on squash.

Major World Series final appearances

Tournament of Champions: 1 final (0 title, 1 runner-up)
Outcome Year Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up2016 Nour El Sherbini11–4, 9-11, 12–10, 11-8

Hong Kong Open: 1 final (0 title, 1 runner-up)
Outcome Year Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up2016 Nouran Gohar6–11, 12–10, 11–7, 11–8
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See also

Official Women's Squash World Ranking

References
  1. "Amanda Sobhy". Professional Squash Association. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  2. WISPA player profile
  3. SquashInfo Player Profile
  4. Berg, Aimee (January 13, 2017). "How Amanda Sobhy intends to become the best squash player in the world". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  5. Albanese, Laura (July 20, 2015). "LI's Sobhy looks to take on the world in squash". Newsday. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  6. Zug, James (June 1, 2011). "The Strongest Tree: Amanda Sobhy". Retrieved September 24, 2019. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  7. Kng Zheng Guan (August 19, 2014). "Studies and squash go hand-in-hand for Sobhy". The Toronto Star. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  8. "Sobhy takes St. Louis title". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  9. "Squash Week brings pros to Southampton". The East Hampton Press/The Southampton Press. August 17, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  10. "Sobhy claims world title in Cologne". Cologne, Germany. June 29, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  11. Coppinger, Catherine E. (March 5, 2012). "Sobhy, Farag Win Squash National Championships". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  12. Nelsen, Brenna R. (May 30, 2013). "Female Athlete of the Year: Amanda Sobhy". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  13. "U.S. victory in World Doubles women's final". US Squash. April 15, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  14. "Amanda Sobhy Defends Granite Club Open Title as Top Seed". US Squash. February 17, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  15. "Meet the Venus and Serena of squash". The Boston Globe. February 19, 2015.
  16. "Former Squash Star Amanda Sobhy '15 Makes History Winning Three Golds at Pan Am Games". The Harvard Crimson. July 22, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  17. "Champions Harrity and Sobhy spearhead exciting new era for US Squash". Squash Mad. March 15, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  18. "Amanda Sobhy Wins Biggest Title in Texas". US Squash. April 12, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  19. "Amanda Sobhy aiming for a third gold". Squash Mad. July 17, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  20. Kramer, Daniel (July 14, 2015). "Roommates Sobhy And Blatchford Take Gold, Silver In All-U.S. Squash Final". Team USA. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  21. "Amanda Sobhy and Ramy Ashour Win NetSuite Open". US Squash. September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  22. "2019 MFS Boston Pro Am". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  23. Davis, Noah (January 15, 2016). "Rising Squash Star Has Triumphant Week Despite Loss in Tournament Final". The New York Times. p. B9.
  24. Burke, Brad (December 6, 2016). "2016 TOC Finalist Amanda Sobhy Will Meet the Media". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  25. "Sobhy Secures Emotional Win Over Gohar Following Injury Lay-Off". PSA World Tour. February 26, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  26. "Amanda Sobhy Claims Fourth National Title on One Year Anniversary of Injury". US Squash. March 10, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  27. "El Gouna Was a 'Mental Breakthrough' For Amanda Sobhy". PS AWorld Tour. June 26, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  28. Reuthe, Sean (February 25, 2019). Thatcher, Alan (ed.). "World champion ElShorbagy came to bury Cesar, but Mexican fights to the end". Squash Mad. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  29. "Sobhy Sets up Third Round British Open Clash Against El Welily". US Squash. May 21, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  30. "Ciudad de Floridablanca Squash 2017 Colombia". www.squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  31. "Amanda Sobhy Undergoes Successful Achilles Surgery". USA Squash. March 21, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  32. "Sports Injuries: Squash's Amanda Sobhy reveals how she found happiness after Achilles surgery". Excelle Sports. April 25, 2017. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  33. "Former USA No1 Amanda Sobhy returns to squash in New York after 10-month injury absence". Eurosport. January 18, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  34. "Amanda Sobhy Named 2015 Richey Award Winner". The Harvard Crimson. February 16, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  35. "Head signs Amanda Sobhy, the great hope of American Squash". HEAD. January 21, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Sarah-Jane Perry		 PSA Women's Young Player of the Year
2014		 Succeeded by
Current holder
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