Hutton Shocks Kennedy To Make Maiden Platinum Quarter-Final At ToC

World No.20 Jasmine Hutton progressed to a career-first PSA Squash Tour Platinum quarter-final after upsetting England teammate Georgina Kennedy in five games at the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York.

Playing her first-ever match on the all-glass court inside the iconic Grand Central Terminal, Hutton delivered a power-packed performance to overcome the British No.1 by a 10-12, 11-6, 7-11, 11-3, 11-8 scoreline.

Hutton, who had lost all three of her previous Tour encounters with Kennedy, showed impressive resolve to fight back from 2/1 down, utilising a change of ball at the start of the fourth to her advantage.

The 25-year-old dropped just three points in the fourth and continued to dominate the 'T' in the deciding game, wrapping up victory after 58 minutes to set up a quarter-final tie with world No.3 Hania El Hammamy.

After the match, Hutton said: "I'd say it's up there as probably one of my biggest [career] highlights to date.

"I've never played on the glass here before, so it's even more special to get a first win on it. I've always dreamed of playing in this venue and a lot of the time I've had good opportunities in the past, and I've really messed them up.

"So to come here and get a win on it today, I couldn't have asked for anything better."

Elsewhere, world No.6 Joel Makin saved a match ball on his way to a dramatic second-round victory over Youssef Ibrahim, winning a fifth-game tie-break 12-10 after almost an hour-and-a-half of breathtaking action.

In front of a packed house at Grand Central Terminal, Makin and Ibrahim delivered a match worthy of the stunning setting, with the Welsh No.1 eventually edging the match by a 15-13, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 12-10 scoreline.

Momentum swung this way and that in a tense deciding game, with Ibrahim fighting from 8-3 down to hold a match ball on his racket at 10-9 up. However, Makin showed all his resolve to hang in and force a tie-break, before being awarded a stroke to seal his last eight spot.

Other winners on day four included five-time champion Nour El Sherbini and 2023 champion Diego Elias, who defeated Scotland's Georgia Adderley and Egypt's Mohamed Abouelghar, respectively.