Stefanoni Stuns Beecroft in Five-Game Thriller to Reach Chestnut Hill Semis

USA's world No.44 Marina Stefanoni progressed to the biggest semi-final of her career after toppling No.2 seed Lucy Beecroft in a five-game thriller at the Chestnut Hill Classic on home soil.

The US No.4, delivered a performance full of resilience at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, managing to battle back from 7-2 down in the fifth game to clinch the subsequent tie-break 14-12 and join compatriot Olivia Weaver in the last four of the PSA Squash Tour Bronze event.

The 21-year-old will be one of three players competing in a maiden World Event semi-final, with No.4 seed Nour Aboulmakarim and No.5 seed Marie Stephan also recording milestone victories.

In a match which saw momentum swing back and forth with regularity, it was Beecroft who started the better of the two, finding her targets at the front of the court to devastating effect and taking a one-sided opener 11-3.

Over the course of the next three games, both players seized control of the match at different stages, but after forcing a deciding game and moving 7-2 up in the fifth, it looked to be Beecroft who made the defining move.

However, Stefanoni refused to go down without a fight, drawing upon the home crowd - which included a number of the US Squash coaching set-up - to great effect and winning eight of the following ten points to hold match ball on her racket. Match balls came and went for both players in a dramatic fifth-game tie-break, but it was Stefanoni who finally clinched victory after 57 minutes of gripping action.

After the match, Stefanoni said: "I'm super happy. This is going to be my biggest semi-final ever.

"She ran away with the first and fourth games, so I was just super happy with the comeback. I've been down before, so I knew that I could dig myself out if I needed to.

"It was great to be able to come back, save a match ball and get the win."

Stefanoni will face No.4 seed Nour Aboulmakarim in the semi-finals after the Egyptian ended the impressive run of Xin Ying Yee in four games.

The 21-year-old controlled proceedings throughout the opening two games, with her aggressive style of squash proving too strong for Xin Ying to handle.

Despite a third-game fightback from the Malaysian, Aboulmakarim returned to the court in the fourth with far more discipline and, soon after, wrapped up the 11-7, 11-2, 11-13, 11-5 win after 36 minutes of play.

Elsewhere, favourite Olivia Weaver continued her faultless progression through the draw with a comfortable 11-5, 11-2, 11-6 victory over England's Saran Nghiem.

World No.4 Weaver, who grew up playing junior squash at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, never looked in doubt of claiming the result in front of a packed house, with the US No.1 putting Nghiem under severe pressure throughout with her relentlessly accurate lines and lengths.

After booking her spot in the last four, Weaver said: "Saran is such a tough opponent, so I'm very pleased to get past an opponent like her.

"I credit so much of my relationship with this sport to this club and this community. I feel so lucky that I was able to learn the sport at this incredible club."

The defending champion will play France's Marie Stephan for a spot in the title decider after the No.5 seed battled past Ireland's Hannah Craig in four games.

Craig, who enjoyed a pair of superb victories in the previous two rounds, started the match full of confidence, with her accuracy levels down both wings, leaving Stephan few opportunities to attack.

The world No.78 took a one-sided opening game 11-4 but saw Stephan improve her levels dramatically as the match wore on, with the 28-year-old taking the next three games by 11-1, 11-5, 11-4 scorelines.