Perry finally ends PSA Tour jinx against Massaro

PETALING JAYA: Sarah-Jane Perry claimed her first Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour win over compatriot Laura Massaro to storm into the final of the Netsuite Open in the United States.

In an all-British clash, world No. 6 Perry started and finished strongly for an 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 semi-final win over world No. 4 Massaro in San Francisco on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Perry had never taken more than a set off former world champion Massaro in three previous PSA Tour meetings.

But Perry found her range this time to grind out a 68-minute win to reach the Netsuite final for the second time since 2015.

“I beat Laura once – but it wasn’t on the Tour. So this is really my first win over her,” said Perry.

“I probably had a mental block against Laura and she also had a really good game plan, which she executed perfectly and left me very frustrated.

“So I’m really happy to come out with a win against a really tough opponent.”

Perry, who lost to American Amanda Sobhy in the 2015 final, will face either second seed Nicol David or India’s Dipika Pallikal for the title.

In men’s event, Peru’s Diego Elias scored the biggest win of his career by scalping England’s three-time world champion Nick Matthew in the quarter-finals.

The 20-year-old Elias hardly put a foot wrong to beat the 37-year-old Matthew 17-19, 11-6, 11-3, 11-6.

It was a sorry end for Matthew, who is set to retire at the end of the season.

Two-time world junior champion Elias will face top seed Karim Abdel Gawad of Egypt in the last four.