Women’s World No.2 Laura Massaro claimed the 2016 NetSuite Open title after they defeated United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy, respectively, in San Francisco.
The Women’s final saw Massaro come up against defending champion Sobhy, who triumphed over Massaro’s compatriot, Sarah-Jane Perry, to take the honours at the inaugural Women’s event last year.
It was the Englishwoman who found her length the fastest, taking the ball early to build up a strong rhythm of hitting and she triumphed in a comfortable opening game for the loss of four points, before a strong reaction from World No.6 Sobhy saw the Harvard graduate level the scores in game two.
Massaro got her herself back in front in the third though and moved her opponent around the court well to restore her one-game cushion. Sobhy put up a real fight in the early stages of the fourth game, but an indomitable Massaro was just too strong and feathered in a forehand volley drop on her first match ball to triumph 11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 and earn a share of the $50,000 prize purse, which is double the amount that was on offer last year.
"I’m really happy to get my hands on the title," said Massaro.
"I don’t know how many more years I’ll be playing for it and Amanda is such a good talent coming up, so I’m glad that I managed to get one more win.
"The Tour on the women’s side is perhaps the strongest it’s ever been and it’s a great time to be part of women’s squash because of the parity that’s going on with the men. We all work really hard and I absolutely love playing in front of the crowd in iconic settings just like this. It’s an absolute privilege to play on this court and to get my hands on another title."
2016 NetSuite Open - Women’s Final Result
[1] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-1: 11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 (47m)
