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Beddoes Bags Tenth and Biggest Title in St. Louis

Women's Emerson RC Pro Series Finalist and Champion, Kanzy Emad El Defrawy (L) and Emma Beddoes. (image: Emerson RC Pro Series.
Women’s Emerson RC Pro Series Finalist and Champion, Kanzy Emad El Defrawy (L) and Emma Beddoes. (image: Emerson RC Pro Series.

Report courtesy of the Women’s Squash Association.

England’s Emma Beddoes celebrated the tenth—and biggest—WSA World Tour squash title of her career when she beat Egypt’s Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy in Sunday’s final of the Women’s Emerson RC Pro Series at the Racquet Club of St. Louis in Missouri.

The top seed arrived in Missouri in fine form, having defeated compatriot Laura Massaro, the world No. 3, for the first time at last week’s Windy City Open in Chicago en-route to her first WSA World Series quarterfinal for more than three years.

Beddoes blasted through the WSA Challenger 15 field at The St Louis Racquet Club to reach the final without dropping a game, downing Dane Line Hansen, the third seed, 11-5, 11-3, 11-6 in the semifinals.

Eighth seed El-Defrawy caused a couple of mighty upsets to reach the final against expectation. The twenty-year-old from Cairo beat Japan’s No. 4 seed Misaki Kobayashi in the quarterfinals, then survived a mammoth five-game semifinal battle with second-seeded Indian Joshana Chinappa to make the seventh Tour final of her career.

The young Egyptian, ranked fifty in the world, took an early 9-3 lead in the final—but the experienced world No. 16 Beddoes fought back to draw level. But after twenty minutes, it was El-Defrawy who drew first blood, taking a 13-11 lead after converting her second game-ball.

The opening game clearly took its toll on underdog El-Defrawy as the favorite extended the rallies to good effect to take the second game.

The Egyptian mounted a comeback in the third, keeping the game level until seven-all, at which point it was clear that fatigue was a factor as Beddoes moved ahead to take the game—before running away in a one-sided fourth to win the title 11-13, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2.

“I’m really happy to get my biggest tournament win to date—it was a tough final,” conceded the twenty-nine-year-old from Leeds after her fifty-eight-minute triumph.

“Kanzy was obviously feeling the effects of yesterday’s semifinal but she is a tough competitor and fought with all the energy she had.”