Watanabe Stages Dramatic Comeback To Avoid L16 ToC Shock

World No.7 Satomi Watanabe staged a dramatic comeback against unseeded Anahat Singh to avoid a shock defeat to the Indian teenager in round two of the Sprott Tournament of Champions presented by Crowd Street in New York City.

The Japanese No.1, bidding to reach the quarter finals of the Tournament of Champions for the first time, was 2/0 down to Singh, with the 17-year-old world No.31 featuring in her first PSA Squash Tour Platinum event.

Watanabe altered her game plan from her familiar offensive style to a more conservative brand of squash to quell the relentless attacks from Singh, eventually overturning the 2/0 deficit to triumph 6-11, 6-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-6 in 47 minutes.

"It was a really difficult match for me - she played such amazing squash and her winners were insane," she said.

"All I could do was retrieve those ones which weren't straight to the point. I was trying to get my game going, but it wasn't quite happening today. I'm just happy to get through today.

"In the first two games I couldn't find my rhythm. I tried to forget about what happened in the first two games and play my rhythm and game from the third game onwards.

"I'm glad it worked in the third game - it was like a wakeup call in the last two games. It was a real tough one."

Elsewhere, England's Jasmine Hutton earned her second straight quarter-final appearance in New York City after upsetting No.7 seed Tinne Gilis 3/0.

Reigning champion Hania El Hammamy notched a 3/0 success of her own against fellow Egyptian Kenzy Ayman, while five-time Tournament of Champions winner Nour ElSherbini downed Sana Ibrahim 3/1.

In the men's half of the draw, 2017 champion Karim Gawad avenged his 2025 defeat to Gregoire Marche by beating the Frenchman in a five-game epic to progress to the quarter finals.

Gawad was defeated by Marche in a 3/2, 76-minute thriller in the first round 12 months ago. However the former world No.1 prevailed in the rematch to advance to the last eight for the first time in six years.

The encounter mirrored their 2025 showdown, with Marche leading 2/1 before Gawad restored parity to force a fifth game. With some enterprising squash played throughout by both, it was Gawad this time who came out on top, winning 7-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5 in 62 minutes.

World Champion Mostafa Asal beat World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria in a monumental all-Egyptian 75-minute battle, with the opening game 46 minutes in duration alone. Jonah Bryant ended Timothy Brownell's run in New York by taking down the US No.1 3/0, and Youssef Ibrahim held off Baptiste Masotti 3/1.