Amanda Sobhy

Amanda Sobhy
CountryUnited States
Born (1993-06-29) June 29, 1993 (age 31)
Sea Cliff, New York, United States
ResidencePhiladelphia, United States
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight150 lb (68 kg)
Turned pro2015
PlaysLeft handed
Coached byWael El Hindi
Racquet usedHead
Websitewww.amandasobhy.com
Women's singles
Highest rankingNo. 3 (October, 2021)
Current rankingNo. 30 (December 2024)
Title(s)18
Medal record
Women's squash
Representing  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2020–21 Chicago Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Cairo Singles
World Team Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Cairo Team
Silver medal – second place 2024 Hong Kong Team
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2015 Toronto Singles
Gold medal – first place 2015 Toronto Doubles
Gold medal – first place 2015 Toronto Team
Gold medal – first place 2019 Lima Singles
Gold medal – first place 2019 Lima Doubles
Gold medal – first place 2019 Lima Team
Gold medal – first place 2023 Santiago Team
Silver medal – second place 2023 Santiago Singles
Silver medal – second place 2023 Santiago Doubles

Amanda Sobhy (born June 29, 1993) is an American squash player. A five-time national champion, she was the first U.S.-born player to reach the top five in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) world rankings.[1] She reached a career-high world ranking of No. 3 in October 2021 after reaching the semi-finals of the 2021 British Open and the 2021 CIB Egyptian Open, and winning the 2021 Oracle Netsuite Open.[2]

Early life

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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.[3]

Sobhy is a graduate of North Shore High School[4] 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.[5]

In May 2015 she graduated from Harvard University, having majored in Social Anthropology[6] and minored in Global Health and Health Policy.

Career

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Pre-college career

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During the 2009 world juniors in Chennai, India, Sobhy 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.[5]

On April 24, 2010, she won the Racquet Club International in St. Louis, Missouri,[7] making her the only player in women's professional squash, at the time, to have won three tournaments before the age of 17.[8]

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.[9] In the final she defeated Egyptian Nour El Tayeb with a score of 3–11, 11–7, 11–6, 11–7 in 37 minutes.[9]

College career

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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 won her first national title.[10] 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.[11] The same year, Sobhy won the 2013 World Doubles Championship with Natalie Grainger.[12] 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.[13] 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 Kanzy El Defrawy 3–1.[14] Sobhy finished her intercollegiate career undefeated in 62 matches, having dropped only two games in her four seasons of college competition.[15]

Professional career

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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.[16] In April, Sobhy won her first paycheck on the PSA tour at the Texas Open.[17]

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.[18] In the final of the Singles event, she beat American, Olivia Blatchford with a score of 11–8, 11–3, 11–3.[19]

She claimed her 14th tour title when she won the NetSuite Open in San Francisco in September 2015, sharing her reward with Ramy Ashour.[20] In 2015, Sobhy won the Richey Award.[clarification needed][citation needed]

In January 2016, Sobhy became the first American to ever reach the finals of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions,[21] [22] which she lost facing Egypt's Nour El Sherbini.[23]

In August 2016, Sobhy reached the finals of the Hong Kong Open, finishing runner-up to Nouran Gohar.[24]

Sobhy tore her Achilles tendon on her left leg in March 2017 during the semifinals of a tournament in Colombia.[25][26][27] She returned to play after 10 months at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions in January 2018.[28]

In 2018, Sobhy won her fourth US National Title at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, defeating Reeham Sedky 11–6, 11–8, 11–4.[29]

Sobhy won the J Warren Young Memorial Texas Open in 2019, beating England's Victoria Lust in the final.[30] In September the same year, she reached the final of the Open de France - Nantes, but lost against Camille Serme of France.[31]

In 2020, Sobhy won the Cincinnati Cup, beating England's Sarah-Jane Perry in the final.[32]

In 2022, she was part of the United States team that reached the final of the 2022 Women's World Team Squash Championships. It was the first time that the United States had reached the final.[33] In May 2023, she reached the quarter final of the 2023 PSA Women's World Squash Championship, before losing to number 3 seed Hania El Hammamy.[34]

In December 2023, Sobhy ruptured her Achilles tendon on her right leg at the Hong Kong Open. She underwent surgery in New York.[35]

In December 2024, Sobhy helped the United States win the silver medal at the 2024 Women's World Team Squash Championships.[36]

Personal life

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Sobhy 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.[37] She lives in Philadelphia.

Sobhy's family, including her brother, Omar and sister Sabrina, are all squash players. Before picking up squash, Sobhy played tennis, admiring Venus and Serena Williams. She began playing squash at the age of eleven, winning the first tournament she ever entered.[citation needed]

Amanda and have been referred to as "The Williams Sisters of Squash."[38]

Major World Series final appearances

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Tournament of Champions: 2 finals (0 title, 2 runner-ups)

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Outcome Year Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 2016 Egypt Nour El Sherbini 11–4, 9–11, 12–10, 11–8
Runner-up 2022 Egypt Nouran Gohar 11–7, 11–7, 11–3

Hong Kong Open: 1 final (0 title, 1 runner-up)

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Outcome Year Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 2016 Egypt Nouran Gohar 6–11, 12–10, 11–7, 11–8

CIB Black Ball Open: 1 final (0 title, 1 runner-up)

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Outcome Year Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 2021 Egypt Nour El Sherbini 13–11, 11–5, 6–11, 11–7

See also

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Official Women's Squash World Ranking

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Rankings Recalculation Sees Sobhy Become First US-Born Player to Reach Top Five of PSA World Rankings". Professional Squash Association. April 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  2. ^ "Sobhy Becomes First US-Born Player to Reach World's Top Three - PSA". psaworldtour.com. October 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  3. ^ Berg, Aimee (January 13, 2017). "How Amanda Sobhy intends to become the best squash player in the world". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  4. ^ Albanese, Laura (July 20, 2015). "LI's Sobhy looks to take on the world in squash". Newsday. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Zug, James (June 1, 2011), The Strongest Tree: Amanda Sobhy, retrieved September 24, 2019
  6. ^ Kng Zheng Guan (August 19, 2014). "Studies and squash go hand-in-hand for Sobhy". The Toronto Star. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  7. ^ "Sobhy takes St. Louis title". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  8. ^ "Squash Week brings pros to Southampton". The East Hampton Press/The Southampton Press. August 17, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Sobhy claims world title in Cologne". Cologne, Germany. June 29, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  10. ^ Coppinger, Catherine E. (March 5, 2012). "Sobhy, Farag Win Squash National Championships". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  11. ^ Nelsen, Brenna R. (May 30, 2013). "Female Athlete of the Year: Amanda Sobhy". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  12. ^ "U.S. victory in World Doubles women's final". US Squash. April 15, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  13. ^ "Amanda Sobhy Defends Granite Club Open Title as Top Seed". US Squash. February 17, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  14. ^ "Meet the Venus and Serena of squash". The Boston Globe. February 19, 2015.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "Champions Harrity and Sobhy spearhead exciting new era for US Squash". Squash Mad. March 15, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  17. ^ "Amanda Sobhy Wins Biggest Title in Texas". US Squash. April 12, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  18. ^ "Amanda Sobhy aiming for a third gold". Squash Mad. July 17, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  19. ^ Kramer, Daniel (July 14, 2015). "Roommates Sobhy And Blatchford Take Gold, Silver In All-U.S. Squash Final". Team USA. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  20. ^ "Amanda Sobhy and Ramy Ashour Win NetSuite Open". US Squash. September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  21. ^ Davis, Noah (January 15, 2016). "Rising Squash Star Has Triumphant Week Despite Loss in Tournament Final". The New York Times. p. B9.
  22. ^ Burke, Brad (December 6, 2016). "2016 TOC Finalist Amanda Sobhy Will Meet the Media". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  23. ^ Davis, Noah (2016-01-15). "Rising Squash Star Has Triumphant Week Despite Loss in Tournament Final (Published 2016)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  24. ^ "Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open 2016 Results - Women". PSA World Tour. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  25. ^ "Ciudad de Floridablanca Squash 2017 Colombia". www.squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Amanda Sobhy Undergoes Successful Achilles Surgery". USA Squash. March 21, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "Former USA No1 Amanda Sobhy returns to squash in New York after 10-month injury absence". Eurosport. January 18, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  29. ^ "Amanda Sobhy Claims Fourth National Title on One Year Anniversary of Injury". US Squash. March 10, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  30. ^ "Sobhy Wins Fifteenth and Largest PSA Title in Texas | US Squash". US Squash. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  31. ^ "France's Serme and New Zealand's Coll Reign Supreme At Open de France - Nantes - Professional Squash Association". PSA World Tour. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  32. ^ "Amanda Sobhy Tops World No. 7 Perry in Cincinnati Cup Final | Team USA Squash". US Squash. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  33. ^ "Egypt defeat USA in thriller to retain WSF Women's World Team Championship". World Squash. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  34. ^ "2023 World Championship draws". PSA. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  35. ^ Reporter, Aleks Phillips U. S. News (2023-12-25). "America's best squash player just won't quit". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  36. ^ "Egypt complete historic clean sweep of WSF World Squash Team Championship titles". World Squash. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  37. ^ "Head signs Amanda Sobhy, the great hope of American Squash". HEAD. January 21, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  38. ^ "Sabrina Sobhy". Harvard. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by PSA Women's Young Player of the Year
2014 		Succeeded by
Current holder
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