Makin & Sobhy Survive Five-Game Scares to Reach Optasia Quarters

Welsh world No.5 Joel Makin and USA's world No.12 Amanda Sobhy had to be at their battling best to navigate five-game scares on day two of the Optasia Championships, prevailing in respective matches against New Zealand's Joelle King and England's Curtis Malik in the PSA Squash Tour Gold event at The Wimbledon Club in London.

Current British National Champion Makin was tested all the way through his 77-minute encounter with unseeded Malik, with the Englishman rallying from 2/0 down to force a decider with some impressive squash.

However, No.3 seed Makin rediscovered his tight lines and lengths at just the right time, racing into a 7-0 lead in the decider and soon after moving through to take the win after 77 minutes of pulsating action.

"Me and Curtis have done plenty of work together, and he went about the match exactly as he should do," Makin said after the match.

"He was disruptive, he varied the pace and hit quick angles, which caught me flat-footed a few times. He could play freely and he had nothing to lose, he was very aggressive, so fair play to him. My lines weren't good enough and he capitalised.

"But I got back in and did what I do well, I closed the court down, got back in front and won the big points when it mattered."

No.6 seed Sobhy, meanwhile, had to survive some quality periods of squash from former world No.3 King before eventually coming through her second-round match by a 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5 scoreline.

The American No.2, with mental coach Jesse Engelbrecht in her corner, fought back from numerous deficits during the 52-minute encounter - most notably overturning an 8-2 scoreline in the second game and later rallying from 2/1 behind to claim the win.

Elsewhere, respective top seeds Hania El Hammamy and Mostafa Asal kickstarted their quests for silverware in London with emphatic victories, defeating Egypt's Salma Eltayeb and Colombia's Juan Vargas, respectively.