Amanda fights back from the brink to beat sister Sabrina in epic Steel City Open quarters

Amanda Sobhy produced a stunning fightback to beat her younger sister Sabrina on quarterfinals day at the Steel City Open 2026, saving a match ball at 10-9 down in the third along the way.

The Sobhy sisters were going head-to-head in the last match of the day and for the third time this season, having only met twice before in their PSA Tour careers.

The most recent of those other encounters had seen Sabrina record a first ever Tour win over Amanda, in Hong Kong, and 20 minutes into this one it looked as though she might follow it up with another success here in Pittsburgh, as she raced into a two-game lead.

The 29-year-old was playing some sensational squash, dictating the pace and moving the ball around to all four corners, showing attacking intent and exceptional accuracy to the front.

She fell 4-0 behind in the third but quickly rallied to level at 5-5 and soon had victory within reach on match ball at 10-9. But a drop shot into the tin handed Amanda a lifeline, a lifeline she would take full advantage of across the next few minutes.

After clinching the game-three tiebreak, Amanda held her nerve in a tense game four, closing it out 11-8 on a stroke down the right-hand side.

Sabrina had initially fought back from 5-0 down to draw level at 8-8 in that fourth game, and seeing her efforts fall short perhaps took its toll, as Amanda stormed out to an 8-3 lead in game five once the players returned to court.

This time, there would be no further twist, as a tight backhand down the line from Amanda’s racket glued itself to the wall on match ball at 10-6, leaving Sabrina unable to return it and handing victory to Amanda.

Sister act: Amanda and Sabrina Sobhy share a lighter moment before their quarterfinal match. Pics: PSA Squash Tour 

The 32-year-old raised her arms to the sky – her racket taking flight in the process – in celebration, before being joined on court by her new-found fan club – the children of the family she has been staying with this week – who had been cheering her on throughout the contest.

Georgina enters semis

She will now turn her attentions to a semifinal showdown with No.2 seed Georgina Kennedy, who came from a game down to beat Rowan Elaraby earlier in the day.

Elaraby returned from a nine-month injury layoff in her round-two win over Hannah Craig, and displayed plenty of the shot-making capabilities today that saw her sit well inside the world’s top 10 before the setback.

Ultimately, though, she was unable to match Kennedy’s movement and physicality for the duration of the match, going down 3-1 in 47 minutes.

The other semifinal will see No.2 seed Satomi Watanabe take on fourth seed Jasmine Hutton, after their respective wins over Saran Nghiem and Melissa Alves.

Watanabe was pushed hard by Nadien Elhammamy in round two, but outclassed her English opponent 24 hours later, needing just 24 minutes to wrap up a straight-games win.

Hutton, meanwhile, overcame Alves in a 52-minute, four-game battle to open the day’s play, recording her third consecutive victory over the French No.1 in the process.

Results (quarterfinals): 4-Jasmine Hutton (ENG) beat 5-Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-1: 12-10, 7-11, 11-4, 11-9 (52m); 1-Satomi Watanabe (JPN) beat Saran Nghiem (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 (24m); 2-Georgina Kennedy (ENG) beat 6-Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 3-1: 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (47m); 3-Amanda Sobhy (USA) beat 8-Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-2: 8-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-6 (53m).