Leonard Wins Maiden WSDA Title in Boston

The 2018 MFS Pro-Am Doubles women’s final, (l-r): Fernanda Rocha, Suzie Pierrepont, Amanda Sobhy, Kayley Leonard

Report courtesy of WSDA

The 2018 MFS Boston Pro-Am featured an exciting mix of youth and experience with a number of new teams and a promising array of talented young players. Fresh from winning the Briggs Cup in December, Amanda Sobhy and Niki Todd were back in action, this time with different partners. Sobhy paired with fellow Boston based pro, Fernanda Rocha while Todd paired with the younger Sobhy sister, Sabrina. Todd/Sobhy won through qualifying to meet fellow PSA professionals, Lumi and Elani Landman. The match was a close 3-1 with both teams displaying the excellent court coverage you would expect from such great athletes and it was just a few poorly timed errors from the Landman twins that separated the two teams.

In the first semi final Todd/Sobhy found themselves 2-0 down to #2 seeds Kayley Leonard and Suzie Pierrepont before they were able to establish themselves on the court. The young pair managed to draw the match level at 2-2 before Leonard/Pierrepont were able to reassert themselves to win the 95 minute marathon. In the top half of the draw, “local” team Sobhy/Rocha dispatched 3rd seeds Dana Betts and Latasha Khan to meet top seeds Meredeth Quick and Stephanie Hewitt in the second semi final. Sobhy/Rocha started the match strongly, taking a close first game and following a mismatched second game looked on course to take the match 3-0. Quick/Hewitt fought back however and with some excellent shot making from Quick they were able to take the third game and establish a strong lead in the fourth before Sobhy/Rocha used their superior strength and court coverage to secure the match 3-1.

The final was an excellent all court match between two evenly matched teams. Pierrepont/Leonard took a close first game before a number of Pierrepont racket errors gave Rocha/Sobhy the second game. The two teams traded points for the majority of the 3rd game before Pierrepont/Leonard were able to pull away towards the end. The 4th game saw 21 year old, Harvard Junior Kayley Leonard play her best squash doubles to date, producing a number of crucial winners under extreme pressure to secure the match. Leonard showed the tenacity and composure that made her a top junior and will certainly make a player to watch in the future.

This year’s event was co hosted by the University Club of Boston and the Harvard Club of Boston. Now in it’s 27th year, this was the 2nd time the Boston Pro-Am has featured a women’s draw. Thank you to tournament organizers Lenny Bernheimer, Tom Pour and Stephen Columbia along with head pro’s Sharon Brady and Chris Spahr. Thanks also to title sponsor MFS and everyone else who supported the event.

WSDA Final:
#2 Suzie Pierrepont/Kayley Leonard bt. Amanda Sobhy/Fernanda Rocha 8,(10),12,9

(l-r) Sharon Bradey, Lenny Bernheimer, Kayley Leonard, Suzie Pierrepont, Fernanda Rocha, Amanda Sobhy, Tom Poor