5:53 pm
16 Feb 2025

Satomi Sinks Top Seed As Momen Survives Scare In Cleveland

17 Jan 2025

Japan's Satomi Watanabe upset No.1 seed Georgina Kennedy to reach the Squash in the Land 2025 semi-finals, while Tarek Momen held off a stirring fightback from rising star Jonah Bryant in the men's edition of the PSA Squash Tour Silver event in Cleveland, USA.

Despite the two players being separated by just six spots in the world rankings, Watanabe had never even taken a game from her English opponent in their three previous Tour meetings, but the Japanese No.1 ended that streak at the first time of asking, taking the opening game 11-9.

Among the highlights of game one was a lengthy rally at 9-8, which lasted more than a minute and ended with the Japanese star letting out a huge roar of emotion.

Watanabe also displayed plenty of her attacking prowess and continued to impress in game two, matching Kennedy when the No.1 seed tried to up the pace, combining some delicate drops with some well-disguised winners.

The 26-year-old from Yokohama - who celebrated her birthday 24 hours earlier - saw one game ball come and go at 10-9 but would not be denied a second time, pumping her fist as she headed off court with a 2/0 lead after taking the tiebreak 12-10.

At 7-4 up in game three, it looked as though she was cruising towards victory, too, but Kennedy was never going to throw in the towel, and battled her way back to 8-7 up, reeling off four points on the bounce.

The pace and physicality remained high with neither player giving up on anything, and tension mounting inside the theatre.

But if Watanabe herself was tense, she certainly didn't show it and was soon celebrating victory, doing so in style with another well-disguised backhand winner that sent Kennedy the wrong way on match ball.

"All three matches I played before, I think I nearly got a game, but I couldn't really close it," she said after victory, discussing the different between today's win and her previous three defeats to Kennedy.

"Every time, the reason was that I just could not be patient and towards the end I just wanted those few points, easy points, quick points, but it wouldn't work against her.

"So I was just telling myself today - and with the scoreline as well, it was really close - well, this is the rally you're going to play for an hour, this is the point you have to play really long.

"But at the same time, I cannot be too defensive because she has such a great boast and great drop from the backhand. So yeah, I think I was mentally well-prepared this time."

That match was followed by an epic, five-game duel between Bryant and Momen, which saw the unseeded 19-year-old Englishman push both the Egyptian - and his own body - to the limits.

Bryant had needed all five games to win each of his first two matches here in Cleveland this week, spending almost two-and-a-half hours on court in beating Bernat Jaume and Leonel Cardenas, last year's two finalists in this event.

His win over Cardenas had seen him save two match balls at 10-8 down in the fifth, setting up a mouthwatering matchup with No.3 seed Momen on the all-glass court at the Playhouse Square Outcalt Theatre.

The English teenager is one of the most exciting prospects in the men's game but through the first two games, it appeared as though this would be a step too far, as Momen established a two game lead, doing the basics well throughout and making the court big for his opponent.

Those inside the theatre could have been forgiven for thinking Bryant was feeling the physical effects of his two previous encounters, but instead he appeared to get stronger as the match wore on, showing extraordinary athleticism on his way to levelling the score by winning games three and four.

By the time game five started, the crowd was cheering every point Bryant won, sitting in silence during the rallies, gripped by the action on court.

Almost every rally was long and punishing, with Bryant continuing to chase down Momen's attacks, but he would ultimately fall short of completing a fairytale fightback.

Still, even at 10-7 down and cramping badly, Bryant left everything out on the court, ultimately collapsing to the floor in exhaustion as Momen closed out victory.

The total match time was 77 minutes, taking Bryant's time on court this week towards the four-hour mark, and speaking on court after his win, Momen was full of praise for his young opponent.

"I can't believe what he was doing, coming back the way he did after those two tough matches," he said on court afterwards.

"I think this is the hardest match I've played physically in a long time. I either lose quicker than this or win quicker than this but I haven't played for this long in a while.

"I'm very happy with the way I managed to re-group in the end. I thought I was playing super well in the first two games, and then my length dropped significantly and I was very disappointed with that.

"The length just wasn't going back the way I wanted and he took full advantage coming back at me, but I still couldn't believe the amount of effort he kept putting on court."

Earlier in the day, Mohamed ElShorbagy impressed in a 3/0 win over Youssef Ibrahim, while Amina Orfi came from a game down to beat compatriot Farida Mohamed.