Watanabe Overcomes Wonderkind Singh to Reach Maiden ToC Quarterfinal

Japan’s Satomi Watanabe came back from 2-0 down against Indian starlet Anahat Singh to reach her first career quarterfinal at the Sprott Tournament of Champions presented by Crowd Street while veterans Karim Gawad and Gregoire Marche put on a spectacle for the second year running Saturday, January 24, at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

Watanabe entered her fifth ToC this week ranked in the world’s top ten and a top eight seeding, while seventeeb-year-old Singh marked her debut in a PSA Platinum event. It was the two-time Indian national champion who started on on the front foot, catching Watanabe off guard with her precise winners and movement to take the first two games.

The Japanese No.1 altered her game plan from her familiar offensive style to a more conservative brand of squash to quell the relentless attacks from Singh. Watanabe overturned 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 [Anahat Singh] played such amazing squash and her winners were insane,” Watanabe 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 quarterfinal appearance in New York City after downing 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 El Sherbini 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 quarterfinals.

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.

Today’s 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. For the second year in a row, the match up left the Vanderbilt Hall crowd on their feet.

World Champion Mostafa Asal beat World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria in a monumental 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 U.S. No.1 3-0, and Youssef Ibrahim held off Baptiste Masotti 3-1.

Sunday will see the second half of the second round play out from 12pm noon local time.