Former Penn star and world No. 15 Aly Abou Eleinen reached the Comcast Business U.S. Open Squash Championships round of sixteen for a second consecutive year with a win over Harvard graduate Timmy Brownell, while Egypt produced nine of sixteen victors Sunday, October 20, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.
Brownell and Eleinen, who first faced each other in the 2019 College Squash Individual Championships, met for just the second time on the PSA Squash Tour and first time in a PSA Platinum event. It was the American who took the opening game 12-10, but Eleinen earned the momentum for the rest of the match, advancing 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 in fifty-nine minutes.
“That’s a big win for me, Timmy is never an easy player to come up against, especially on this court,” Eleinen said. He’s probably the person who trains on this court the most, he probably knows every inch of this court, so it was really tough today. The court was really dead today and I found it tough to find my length, even until the end. I just kept digging deep and fighting.”
Eleinen is one of three College Squash graduates left in the draw alongside world Harvard’s No. 1 Ali Farag and Princeton’s world No. 4 Olivia Weaver.
“It’s so nice playing here,” Eleinen said. “Seeing familiar faces and walking around in Philadelphia, it feels like my second home. I have got my family and friends here, so hopefully I can keep going.”
Eleinen was one of nine victorious Egyptians on the day, including his second round opponent 2022 finalist Tarek Momen.
On the women’s draw, Egypt’s Hana Ramadan and Malak Khafagy are both set for their debuts in the U.S. Open second round.
Team USA’s representation in the tournament waned on Sunday with four Americans exiting the tournament. Top-ten-ranked Belgian sisters Nele Coll and Tinne Gilis defeated Americans Amanda Sobhy and Marina Stefanoni, respectively, and wild card Lucie Stefanoni fell short against Scotland’s Georgia Adderly in four games.
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