Team USA’s Sabrina Sobhy making a name for herself on the world squash stage

From a young age, Sabrina Sobhy was surrounded by squash.

Whether it was playing at the squash club where her father was the pro or following her two siblings to tournaments, the sport was always around her.

But now, her ties to squash are no longer through her family — although those still exist — but rather through her play on the court. At 25, Sobhy is one of the premier players in the game, ranked No. 15 in the world and No. 3 in the United States, both career highs.

At times, however, the feeling that she is one of the best can waver in her mind.

“I’m still kind of working on that belief,” Sobhy said in a phone interview. “I think it comes and goes a little bit, but there are definitely moments on [the] court when I’m competing where I think I do have a strong belief that I belong up there with the top pros and can see myself working my way up there as well.”

Despite the questions at times, the body of work is there for Sobhy, a native of Sea Cliff, N.Y. In 2014, she became the youngest player to win the U.S. Championship, defeating her older sister, Amanda, in the championship match. Since then, she has made it to the U.S. nationals title match twice, most recently this year. In 2019, she became a two-time gold medalist in the Pan American Games.

“I’m really proud [of Sabrina],” said Amanda, who is the No. 1 player in the U.S. and No. 5 player in the world. “… I think when you see someone that you love succeed, it makes you feel really proud and really happy for them, especially when you know kind of what goes on behind the scenes.”

Earlier this December, Team USA had its best finish yet in the World Team Championship, advancing to the finals before losing to host Egypt. Sobhy, playing in the No. 3 slot, didn’t lose a set throughout the event.

It was a breakthrough outing for Team USA, which had fallen in the quarterfinals in the last three world championships. The run to the finals coincided with the opening of the Specter Center in Philadelphia, the new headquarters of US Squash.

The Specter Center didn’t officially open until the summer of 2021, but Sabrina moved to Philly in November 2020, calling the center “the driving factor for me moving down here.”

“It’s definitely huge to have a facility like that in the middle [of] two college campuses, very close to the heart of Philadelphia,” Sobhy said. “I think US Squash has all of the right materials to promote the sport tremendously with the Specter Center. … I think they have a lot of potential to create a tremendous amount of growth for the sport, and I really hope that it does get to that point in the future.”

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While Sabrina certainly is making a name for herself, there’s still the reality of being the younger sister of the highest-ranked U.S. player.

On one hand, it can be a great benefit. Sabrina discussed how her sister has become somewhat of a mentor to her as someone who has been through so much as a pro.

On the other hand, it can create pressure.

“I definitely felt like there was a lot of pressure maybe a few years ago or even probably the beginning of last year,” Sabrina said, “and, in a way, there always will be.

“But I think the more I feel comfortable about my own journey with squash and have my own personal motives for competing and being out there striving for my own personal goals, that actually allows me to kind of take a step away from Amanda and her success and kind of trust that I’m just actually doing this not for anyone else’s expectations, not to prove anything other than the fact that it’s my choice and my own enjoyment.”