R1 : King 2-0 Sobhy

[7] Joelle King (Nzl) 2-0 [4] Amanda Sobhy (Usa) 11-5, 11-8 (26m)

Masterclas from Joelle tonight. She was playing at her best, in the zone as they say. She had a few performances like that in BlackBall, where she was fluidly finding both length and delicate boast that time and time again, Amanda just couldn’t read.

I think also that warm conditions just don’t suit the American’s game that well. She is much more comfortable in cooler conditions – that’s her half American genes I blame! But to be fair, I don’t think she did much wrong today. Joelle was flying on there, just perfect in every way!

Well, she looked a bit trying to finish too soon from 8/4 in the second but quickly reassess, with Amanda never giving up trying.

Joelle : “I felt good out there, I thought I was playing the court well,

“Physically I felt really good. Amanda is class, if you give her a little inch, she is going to come back at you, which she did at the end. Probably the only thing I can say for my matches going forward is to keep my foot on the pedal.

“As I’ve got older, I’ve had to change my game. Physically when I was younger, I was stronger but probably not as smart as what I am now, so my game has evolved over time and I’m always trying to work on those things.

“In this format, every point, every game counts, even losing 2-1 can set you up for the next round that you might get through the pool. I didn’t want to come off during that one at all and just try and win that one 2-0.”

Amanda : No excuses, today, she just played very well.