Khan & Cortes Contest Second Emerson RC Pro Series

Latasha Khan, world No. 50 and WSA veteran, takes on the Liberty Bell Open
Latasha Khan takes on the Emerson RC Pro Series for the second time

Women’s Squash Association (WSA) veteran and world No. 60 Latasha Khan, with world No. 78 Cece Cortes, take to St. Louis to compete in the second edition of the $15,000 Emerson RC Pro Series, hosted this week, March 4-8, by the St. Louis Racquet Club in Missouri.

The sixteen deep draw features players from twelve countries—including Argentina, India, and the Netherlands—and players ranked as high as world No. 15, and as low as 170. Three spaces are reserved for qualification players, however only two of four will be competing for a place in the main draw.

Khan faces Danish world No. 28 Line Hansen in the first round. Of their two previous match-ups,

Latasha Khan and Line Hansen jump on court (Image: Tim Kelley)
Latasha Khan (R) and Line Hansen (L) jump on court (Image: Tim Kelley)

Khan and Hansen have split wins. Hansen won most recently in the 2013 Orange County Open, besting the American in three games in thirty-seven minutes.

Update: Khan fell to Hansen in three progressively shorter games 11-8, 11-5, 11-3. Cortes will play Chinappa in one hour.

In their first career match-up, Cortes faces second seed and India’s world No. 21 Joshna Chinappa in the main draw. The two face off Friday at 5:30pm local time.

The sole qualifying match—as the other two players received byes—will be played this evening at 5:30pm local time between Mexico’s world No. 140 Reyna Pacheco and Kong Kong’s world No. 156 Georgina Stoker. Main draw play begins Friday, March 5, with the earliest matches at 1pm local time.

Top seed, England’s Emma Beddoes—who shocked world No. 3 Laura Massaro in the Windy City Open this week, capturing the biggest upset (thus far) of her career—will look to build on that confidence boost as she powers through the Emerson RC Pro Series, facing Pakistan’s Maria Toorpakai Wazir, world No. 58, for the second time in their careers.

For more information, see the official Emerson RC Pro Series tournament page.

Emerson RC Pro Series Main Draw: 
[1] Emma Beddoes (ENG) v Maria Toorpakai Wazir (PAK )
[6] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Cataline Pelaez (COL)
[3] Line Hansen (DEN) v Latasha Khan (USA)
[5] Aisling Blake (IRL) v Antonella Falcione (ARG)
[8] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) v Ivonne Diaz (MEX)
[4] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) v  [Q]
[7] Milou van der Heijden (NED) v Anna Kimberley (ENG)
[2] Joshana Chinappa (IND) v Cecelia Cortes (USA)