Masotti Stuns 4th Seed Gawad At Hong Kong Open

World No.18 Baptiste Masotti delivered a quality performance to topple No.4 seed Karim Gawad on the opening day of the 2025 Milwaukee Hong Kong Open, upsetting the former world No.1 in a thrilling five-game encounter at the Platinum-level event.

In a match which was packed with drama, no moment more so than late in the third game when Gawad sustained a significant nose injury when colliding with the back of his opponent, it was Masotti who eventually claimed his first-ever win over the Egyptian by an 11-8, 9-11, 13-11, 7-11, 13-11 scoreline.

After returning to court following a 15-minute injury break and seeing the third game slip through his grasp, Gawad responded impressively to firstly send the game to a decider, and later save four match balls to take the fifth game into a deserved tie-break.

Masotti saw a fifth match ball come and go before finally clinching victory when he clipped a powerful forehand beyond the defences of Gawad.

After the 88-minute win, Masotti said: "I wish Karim a good recovery for his nose. It was accidental - he went on my back, it was a loose shot, and I tried to give him access. I can feel it wasn't great and I'm so sorry.

"Karim is someone I respect so much. I'm so proud of keeping my nerve today, especially in the fifth when I was 10-6 up, and I played some awful shots. I was tense because beating these kind of guys is huge and I respect him a lot."

Elsewhere, world No.44 Sabrina Sobhy claimed her first-ever PSA Squash Tour victory over older sister Amanda after fighting back from 2/1 down to defeat the world No.11.

Sabrina, who lost out to Amanda at the US Open in October, turned the tables from that day with an impressive performance of her own, moving through to the second round by a 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6 scoreline.

"I'm still in a bit of disbelief," Sabrina said after the match.

"It was a very emotional match for me - I'm incredibly happy as I've never beaten her before in a legitimate tournament in 10 plus years. Regardless of beating Amanda, it's more about how I played in that match. I feel like I was down and out in the fourth, but I pulled it together and I didn't want to go home. I was really happy with that."

Elsewhere, four-time Hong Kong Open champion Mohamed ElShorbagy marked his 15th consecutive year in the top ten of the PSA Men's Rankings with a four-game victory over Egypt's Fares Dessouky, while world No.4 Joel Makin survived a major scare as he battled past England's Declan James in a marathon five-game, 94-minute encounter.

Hong Kong wildcard Sin Yuk Chan was the one home player to book her spot in the second round after she claimed a three-game win over England's Grace Gear.