Malik & Tong Secure Upsets On Gaynor Cup Opening Day

England's world No.51 Torrie Malik and Hong Kong's world No.48 Tsz-Wing Tong, the two lowest-ranked players at the tournament outside of the wildcard, scored entertaining wins on the first day of the 2025 Cincinnati Gaynor Cup, overcoming England's Lucy Beecroft and Wales' Emily Whitlock respectively as the women's PSA Squash Tour Silver event got underway in Ohio.

Tong saw herself 2/0 down in the last match of the day, as she came into the tournament without a win in over three months. The Hong Kong No.3 began mounting her comeback however, gaining quick ground on the Welshwoman with a 10-4 lead in the third, which Tong converted before going up 9-0 in the fourth.

After restoring parity in the match at two-all, the Hong Kong player couldn't pull away again in game five, as both players traded points to 10-10, but it was Tong who ultimately came out on top, winning the tie-break 12-10 to claim her place in the second round.

In another big upset victory of the night, Torrie Malik beat out English compatriot Lucy Beecroft. Despite a ranking gap of 18 places, Malik looked controlled throughout to score a straight games victory.

The day began with another exciting encounter, as France's Marie Stephan won out in a hard-fought four-game battle with Egypt's Hana Moataz. The match was close throughout, but the Frenchwoman edged the fourth-game tie-break 16-14 to take her place in the second round.

Elsewhere, Egypt's Menna Hamed came out on top in spite of a spirited challenge from 15-year-old wildcard Charlotte Sze. The world No.38 looked commanding in the first two games, but a fightback from Sze saw the home player, ranked 506 in the world, take the third game 11-8. The late momentum wasn't enough to trouble Hamed's winning chances, as the Egyptian saw the game out in four.