Hopes of Home Winner Alive as Naughton Impresses in Toronto

Hollie Naughton will lead the charge for a home winner at the 2023 Canadian Women’s Open after reaching the quarter finals of the Bronze event at the Allen Lambert Galleria in Toronto.

The Canadian No.1 was initially troubled by the pace and accuracy of Egyptian 19-year-old Kenzy Ayman before finding her rhythm to pull away from 4-3 down to an 11-9 winner in game one.

No.5 seed Naughton, roared on by the capacity crowd, seemed increasingly assured as the match progressed, with the World No.18 hitting a number of exciting winners as she took the match in straight games with 11-5 and 11-4 wins.

Afterwards, Naughton said: “I was definitely a bit nervous coming out here and playing in front of this crowd.

“It’s special to have an event here and get this opportunity to play in front of everyone, I’m just happy to be on and off in three and get into my groove for the next round.”

Naughton will play top seed Amanda Sobhy in the quarter final after the World No.5 cruised past England's Millie Tomlinson.

Elsewhere, Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam recorded her first World Tour win since returning from an eight-month absence following a serious traffic accident with an impressive 3-0 win over Switzerland’s Cindy Merlo.