| |
Women's World Championships 2019/20
Women's Draw
Oct 24 -01 Nov
Cairo,
Egypt,
$430k |
SECOND ROUND
25-26
OCT |
THIRD ROUND
27-28 OCT |
QUARTERS
29-30
OCT |
SEMIS
31 OCT |
FINAL
01 NOV |
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY)
11-8, 12-10, 11-5 (32m)
[18] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) |
Raneem El Welily
11-1, 11-3, 11-4 (24m)
Alison Waters |
Raneem El Welily
7-0 ret. (3m)
Nour El Tayeb |
Raneem El Welily
2-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (38m)
Nouran Gohar |
Raneem El Welily
11-4, 9-11,
11-5, 11-6 (41m)
Nour El Sherbini
|
[11] Alison Waters (ENG)
11-7, 11-7, 11-6 (33m)
[29] Julianne Courtice (ENG) |
[13] Salma Hany (EGY)
11-5, 11-6, 11-9 (29m)
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) |
Salma Hany
13-11, 11-5, 11-4 (30m)
Nour El Tayeb |
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
13-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8 (47m)
[25] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) |
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
11-6, 11-5, 11-3 (21m)
[24] Rachael Grinham (AUS) |
Sarah-Jane Perry
11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (38m)
Tesni Evans |
Sarah-Jane Perry
9-11, 11-8,
13-11, 12-10 (57m)
Nouran Gohar |
[9] Tesni Evans (WAL)
11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (28m)
[31] Coline Aumard (FRA) |
[26] Tinne Gilis (BEL)
11-7, 11-7, 11-3 (26m)
[L] Aifa Azman (MAS) |
Tinne Gilis
11-8, 11-3, 11-6 (24m)
Nouran Gohar |
[4] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
11-1, 11-5, 11-5 (28m)
[17] Nele Gilis (BEL) |
[3] Camille Serme (FRA)
11-4, 11-5, 11-8 (29m)
[21] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) |
Camille Serme
11-6, 11-2, 11-6 (28m)
Yathreb Adel |
Camille Serme
11-7, 11-9,
13-11 (38m)
Hania El Hammamy |
Hania El Hammamy
11-6, 11-2, 11-5 (33m)
Nour El Sherbini |
[15] Yathreb Adel (EGY) v
7-11, 11-13, 13-11, 13-11, 11-9 (67m)
[32] Nada Abbas (EGY) |
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
11-6, 11-8, 11-9 (36m)
[27] Donna Lobban (AUS) |
Hania El Hammamy
11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9 (53m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam |
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
11-4, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9 (40m)
[30] Milou van der Heijden (NED) |
[6] Joelle King (NZL)
11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9 (41m)
[19] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) |
Joelle King
8-11, 11-6, 11-8,
16-14 (49m)
Annie Au |
Joelle King
7-11, 6-11,
11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (69m)
Nour El Sherbini |
[10] Annie Au (HKG)
8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 (48m)
[22] Nadine Shahin (EGY) |
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
11-5, 11-4 retired (12m)
Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) |
Joshna Chinappa
11-5, 11-3, 11-6 (21m)
Nour El Sherbini |
[28] Hollie Naughton (CAN)
13-11, 11-7, 11-4 (26m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) |
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [WC] Sana Ibrahim (EGY)
3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (23m)
[18] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) bt Menna Hamed (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6,
11-5 (31m)
[29] Julianne Courtice (ENG) bt Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-5
(25m)
[11] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [L] Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-0: 11-8, 17-15,
11-7 (36m)
[13] Salma Hany (EGY) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (26m)
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) bt [20] Emily Whitlock (ENG) 3-0: 13-11, 11-8,
16-14 (37m)
[25] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Lucy Turmel (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-0
(27m)
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-0: 11-4, 11-3, 11-7
(22m)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [L] Jemyca Aribado (PHI) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8,
11-6 (25m)
[24] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Sarah Cardwell (AUS) 3-0: 11-8, 11-9, 11-6
(25m)
[31] Coline Aumard (FRA) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-1: 11-9, 12-10,
5-11, 11-6 (42m)
[9] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Nicole Bunyan (CAN) 3-0: 11-1, 11-3, 11-2 (19m)
[L] Aifa Azman (MAS) bt [16] Joey Chan (HKG) 3-2: 14-12, 7-11, 11-6,
7-11, 11-8 (48m)
[26] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Enora Villard (FRA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-5
(28m)
[17] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [L] Sunayna Kuruvilla (IND) 3-1: 8-11, 11-7,
11-4, 11-5 (40m)
[4] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 3-1: 11-13, 11-5, 11-1,
11-0 (37m)
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Salma Youssef (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-2, 11-2
(22m)
[21] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Lee Ka Yi (HKG) 3-2: 9-11, 11-4, 9-11,
11-9, 11-8 (52m)
[32] Nada Abbas (EGY) bt [L] Milnay Louw (RSA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-6
(21m)
[15] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-6 (21m)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6,
11-3 (27m)
[27] Donna Lobban (AUS) bt Ineta Mackevica (LAT) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-9
(21m)
[30] Milou van der Heijden (NED) bt Menna Nasser (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 11-8,
11-8, 11-7 (37m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-2: 9-11, 11-9,
6-11, 12-10, 11-6 (51m)
[6] Joelle King (NZL) bt Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-9, 11-3 (27m)
[19] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Emilia Soini (FIN) 3-1: 13-11, 5-11, 11-3,
12-10 (32m)
[22] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt [L] Cindy Merlo (SUI) 3-0: 12-10, 11-3, 11-7
(20m)
[10] Annie Au (HKG) bt Olivia Fiechter (USA) 3-1: 11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 11-7
(36m)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 3-2: 9-11, 12-10, 8-11,
11-6, 11-6 (49m)
Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) bt [23] Mariam Metwally (EGY) 3-1: 8-11, 11-5, 11-6,
12-10 (41m)
[28] Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-2: 13-11, 10-12,
7-11, 11-4, 11-7 (60m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Rachael Chadwick (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5,
11-4 (25m)
|
SECOND ROUND
25-26
OCT |
THIRD ROUND
27-28 OCT |
QUARTERS
29-30
OCT |
SEMIS
31 OCT |
FINAL
01 NOV |
[1] Ali Farag (EGY)
11-2, 11-8, 11-7 (39m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-0: |
Ali Farag
11-4, 11-8, 11-7 (42m)
Mazen Hesham |
8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 (54m)
Daryl Selby |
Ali Farag
11-7, 11-6,
11-6 (36m)
Paul Coll |
Ali Farag
11-6, 11-8,
11-8 (61m)
Karim Abdel Gawad |
Mazen Hesham (EGY)
8-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8 (40m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) |
Daryl Selby (ENG)
11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9 (57m)
Max Lee (HKG) |
Daryl Selby
11-5, 6-11, 11-4,
7-11, 11-2 (73m)
Chris Simpson |
Chris Simpson (ENG)
12-10, 7-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-5 (73m)
[6] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) |
[5] Paul Coll (NZL)
11-6, 11-2, 11-3 (38m)
Lucas Serme (FRA) |
Paul Coll
13-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-2 (69m)
Gregoire Marche |
Paul Coll
11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 (82m)
Fares Dessouky |
Gregoire Marche (FRA)
11-5, 11-7, 10-12, 4-11, 11-1 (87m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) |
Saurav Ghosal (IND)
11-9, 11-5, 11-4 (43m)
Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) |
Saurav Ghosal
11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (42m)
Fares Dessouky |
Fares Dessouky (EGY)
11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 (61m)
[4] Simon Rösner (GER) |
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
11-9, 11-6, 11-8 (36m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) |
Karim Abdel Gawad
11-6, 4-11, 11-7,
11-9 (48m)
Leo Au |
Karim Abdel Gawad
4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (68m)
Marwan ElShorbagy |
Karim Abdel Gawad
11-8, 11-7,
11-4 (51m)
Joel Makin
|
Leo Au (HKG)
12-10, 5-11, 13-11, 15-13 (69m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) |
Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
11-8, 11-8, 12-10 (43m)
Nathan Lake (ENG) |
Marwan ElShorbagy
11-5, 11-2, 7-11,
7-11, 11-5 (55m)
Mostafa Asal |
Mostafa Asal (EGY)
7-11, 14-16, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (77m)
[7] Diego Elias (PER) |
Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
11-7, 11-8, 11-6 (48m)
[8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) |
Baptiste Masotti
7-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6 (73m)
Eain Yow Ng |
Baptiste Masotti
11-3, 12-14, 11-8, 11-2 (57m)
Joel Makin |
Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 11-6 (60m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) |
Victor Crouin (FRA)
11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (36m)
Zahed Salem (EGY) |
Victor Crouin
11-8, 11-8, 12-10 (56m)
Joel Makin |
Joel Makin (WAL)
11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9 (68m)
[2] Tarek Momen (EGY) |
[1] Ali
Farag (EGY) bye
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bye
Nicolas Müller (SUI) bt Vikram Malhotra (IND) 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 (26m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 13-11, 15-13, 11-8 (45m)
Max Lee (HKG) bt Ivan Yuen (MAS) 10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6 (69m)
[9/16] Daryl Selby (ENG) bye
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Edmon Lopez (ESP) 11-3, 4-0 ret. (10m)
[6] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bye
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) bye
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Shehab Essam (EGY) 11-3, 11-3, 11-1 (26m)
[9/16] Gregoire Marche (FRA) bye
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Mohamed Elsherbini (EGY) 11-9, 11-5, 11-7
(48m)
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bye
Yip Tsz Fung (HKG) bt Mazen Gamal (EGY) 11-7, 11-3, 11-8 (29m)
[9/16] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bye
[4] Simon Rösner (GER) bye
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bye
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 14-13 ret. (30m)
Leo Au (HKG) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 11-5, 11-7, 11-2 (35m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 11-2, 8-11, 10-12, 11-5,
11-7 (65m)
Nathan Lake (ENG) bt George Parker (ENG) 13-11, 12-10, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7
(82m)
[9/16] Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) bye
Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 11-5 (99m)
[7] Diego Elias (PER) bye
[8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bye
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (44m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt [WC] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) 13-11, 11-7, 12-10
(38m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt [WC] Yehia Elnawasany (EGY) 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4
(46m)
Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 10-12, 11-4, 5-11, 11-1, 11-4
(42m)
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY) bye
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL) bye
[2] Tarek Momen (EGY) bye
|
Finals
Egypt’s El Sherbini Claims Fourth World Championship
Crown
Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini celebrated her 24th birthday in style as she
captured her fourth World Championship trophy after overcoming
compatriot and World No.1 Raneem El Welily in front of Cairo’s
spectacular Great Pyramid of Giza to win the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s
World Championship.
El Sherbini is only the fourth - and youngest - female player to win
four World Championship trophies, while she is the first person to win a
World Championship trophy in front of the Pyramids since Australia’s
David Palmer in 2006. Her latest triumph, which comes after an 11-4,
9-11, 11-5, 11-6 win, is made all the more incredible given the fact she
is appearing at her first tournament of the season after suffering with
a knee injury.
That knee injury has seen El Sherbini fall to World No.4 in this month’s
PSA Women’s World Rankings, but she has been in ruthless form throughout
the past week in Cairo and didn’t drop a game until the final, where she
was meeting El Welily in a third World Championship title decider.
El
Welily beat El Sherbini at the 2016 Al Ahram Open as she became the
first woman to win a professional squash title in front of the Pyramids,
but she looked overawed by the occasion as a number of errors in the
opening game handed the lead to her opponent.
She struck back in the second, but from there it was all about El
Sherbini as she attacked all areas of the court to complete the win in
41 minutes to capture the biggest title in women’s squash. El Sherbini
takes home $61,000 in prize money and also qualifies for the
season-ending PSA World Tour Finals, which will take place in June.
“The
last couple of months for me have been really hard,” said El Sherbini
after the 20th PSA Tour title of her career.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do... but I took the risk and took
the decision that I wanted to play this tournament badly, and I wanted
to come and try and see how it goes. I was getting better every match
and I’m very grateful and happy to be standing here right now.
"I missed playing with all the top players and especially Raneem. She is
closest to my heart and it’s very hard to play her mentally and
emotionally, but we try to leave the emotions and focus on squash once
we get inside the court. I think because today is my birthday, I was
making sure not to be sad. I was very relaxed and it took a lot of
pressure off thinking about the messages, so it helped me a lot.
“We are very happy to have this tournament back and playing in front of
the Pyramids was always a dream of mine. I would really like to thank
I-Events, Amr Mansi and his team, and especially CIB for hosting and
helping the women’s game get bigger and for giving the women the chance
to have a prize money bigger than the men’s.
"It is a big risk and hopefully we deserved that and played matches that
were worthy of that. All of the players are very grateful.”
The
women’s World Championship final followed on from the men’s CIB Egyptian
Squash Open, PSA Platinum event, where World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad got
the better of World No.1 Ali Farag in a repeat of the men’s 2016 Al
Ahram Open final.
Gawad became the first man in a decade to win a trophy in front of the
Pyramids when he beat Farag in straight games three years ago, and he
matched that 3-0 scoreline to continue his 100 per cent record at the
iconic landmark.
Gawad was firing on all cylinders during the 61-minute match and, while
Farag stayed in the rallies well, he was unable to fight off a
masterclass from Gawad, who captures his 22nd PSA Tour title. He joins
El Sherbini in qualifying for the World Tour Finals, while he wins
$25,000 in prize money.
“Playing
Ali is always very tough for me, he is the World No.1,” said Gawad.
“He’s always been my competitor since we were seven years old until now.
I know how hard it is, we played in the final [in front of the Pyramids]
in 2016 and now we’re playing again in the final here. He’s dealing with
a lot of hard moments and he is just a champion to be on court with and
he fights until the end with this amazing spirit, best of luck to him
and his family.
“I
talked a lot with my coaches, Omar Abdel Aziz, Mahmoud Abdel Kader and
Ahmed Faragallah. We talked a lot and put together different plans, with
the World No.1 it’s very difficult, so you have to have different plans
and more than a plan to just win. Winning in three today means a lot to
me in such an amazing venue for me and for everyone.”
The next stop on the PSA World Tour will be Doha, Qatar for the 2019-20
PSA Men’s World Championship, which takes place at the Khalifa
International Tennis & Squash Complex.
|
Semi Finals
El Welily and El Sherbini to Face Off in World
Championship Final
Three years on from becoming the first female squash players in history
to contest a final in front of Cairo’s spectacular Great Pyramid of
Giza, World No.1 Raneem El Welily and World No.4 Nour El Sherbini will
once again go head-to-head at one of the most iconic locations in global
sport after the Egyptian duo booked their places in the final of the CIB
PSA Women’s World Championship earlier today.
El Welily and El Sherbini have been the pre-eminent players on the
women’s tour over the intervening three years and have already met in
two World Championship finals since their 2016 Al Ahram Open final
clash. El Sherbini won the first of those in El Gouna when they met in
the final of the 2016 edition, while El Welily avenged that defeat in
Manchester in 2017.
El Welily beat El Sherbini in five games in that Al Ahram final, and the
30-year-old continued her 100 per cent record in front of the last
remaining wonder of the ancient world as she came back from a game down
to beat the in-form Nouran Gohar.
An error-strewn first game from El Welily handed Gohar the lead, but an
onslaught of attacking squash from the world’s leading female player saw
her come back to book her fourth World Championship final berth.
“I
was sharp, I was prepared, I knew what I was doing but it just wasn’t
working the way I wanted," said El Welily.
"She was on fire obviously, but I’m very pleased to back it up in the
second game and to manage to find a way somehow and not look back. She
hits it hard and now she lobs as well. She’s varying the pace and mixing
it up, so it’s not about the hard hitting anymore, it’s about adjusting
to whatever she is firing at you.
“Her variety of shots has gotten so much better than last season, even
though last season she was playing well. She’s playing well this season
and I’m just pleased to be through. Thanks to the preparation of my
coaches, I was able to prepare well today. It’s a big crowd today and
quite a few friends and family members [in the audience] as well.”
Meanwhile, El Sherbini will celebrate her 24th birthday with a sixth
World Championship final appearance as she aims to become the fourth
woman to win four World Championship titles.
El
Sherbini - who is the third woman to reach a fifth successive World
Championship after the legendary Nicol David and Susan Devoy - is
appearing at her first PSA Tour event of the season after shrugging off
a knee injury, and she maintained her perfect tournament so far as she
defeated World Junior Champion Hania El Hammamy to make it five 3-0 wins
in a row.
El Hammamy caused one of the biggest shocks of the tournament as she
came back
from two games down in the quarter-finals against World No.5 Camille
Serme to reach the semi-finals for the first time, meaning a single
nation made up all of the semi-final spots for the first time in World
Championship history.
But she was outplayed against El Sherbini, going down by an 11-6, 11-2,
11-5 scoreline to ensure El Sherbini and El Welily will do battle for
the first time this season.
“Hania is an amazing player, she is only 19 and is playing in the
semi-final of the World Championship,” said El Sherbini after her 300th
PSA Tour match.
“She got a huge win yesterday and I’m sure that it is still in her mind.
I wanted to start from the first point in the match and just to keep
going as much as I could. I’m really grateful that I’m standing here
right now and I’m playing this tournament. I’m in the final, so I’m
really grateful and hopefully not losing a game will give me a good
advantage tomorrow.”
The men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open is taking place alongside the women’s
event this week and that final will also be a repeat of the Al Ahram
Open title decider, with World No.1 Ali Farag and World No.4 Karim Abdel
Gawad set to line up in the final.
Farag lost out on that day as Gawad became the first Egyptian since the
legendary Ahmed Barada to win a trophy in front of the Pyramids, but the
27-year-old will have the opportunity to avenge that defeat after a
composed display saw him defeat New Zealand’s Paul Coll in straight
games.
Their last match over a best-of-five format saw Farag prevail after 77
minutes of intense action during May’s British Open, but today was a
more straightforward fixture for the reigning World Champion as he
controlled proceedings to win 11-7, 11-6, 11-6.
“We
had a game plan together, myself, Karim Darwish and Nour [El Tayeb] and
my brother as well," Farag said.
"I know a lot of players have already mentioned it numerous times, but I
want to thank CIB and the entire institution for supporting us all the
way through. It’s something we are really grateful for and thanks to Amr
Mansi and I-Events for bringing this back. You see so many pictures of
this venue and you can never get bored of it.”
Local man Gawad will look to repeat his 2016 success after he vanquished
Welshman Joel Makin to reach his first PSA Tour final of the season.
Makin, appearing in his first PSA Platinum semi-final, was two games up
against the Egyptian in their last meeting at January’s Tournament of
Champions before injury struck and he was forced to retire from the
match.
The World No.12 started strongly in the opening two games once again to
make things tough for former World Champion Gawad. However, the quality
of the Egyptian shone through in the end as he kept Makin at bay, before
storming to victory in the third to complete an 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 win.
“You
can’t not enjoy playing squash in this venue,” said Gawad afterwards.
“Since day one, I have come here and just wanted to give myself another
chance to come on court and play. Of course there is some pressure
playing in your home country. Last time we played he had to retire
through injury and I was 2-0 down, so I knew today was going to be a
tough match for me. I just wanted to play good squash, focus on my
length and play some good winners.”
The finals begin on Friday November 1 at 19:00 (GMT+2) with the women’s
World Championship final following the men’s Egyptian Open title
decider. Play will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport
Player (Europe only) and the official
Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.
For more information on the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, visit the
official website of the PSA World Tour or follow the event on
Twitter and
Facebook.
|
Quarter Finals
El Hammamy Stuns
Serme to Reach Semis
Egyptian
World Junior Champion Hania El Hammamy claimed the biggest win of her career to
date as she completed a stunning comeback from two games down to upset World
No.4 Camille Serme at the foot of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza - meaning she
will appear in the semi-finals of the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship for the
first time in her career.
19-year-old El Hammamy - who was crowned World Junior Champion in August - was
appearing in her maiden senior World Championship quarter-final and initially
found it difficult against the intensity of her opponent, with Serme stepping up
the court and attacking at the front of the court to go two games ahead.
But the French player lost her attacking game in the third and El Hammamy came
out firing on all cylinders, giving it everything in her arsenal, taking that
game and the fourth to draw level. A shellshocked Serme went 5-1 down in the
decider, but fought back from the brink to level at 9-9.
A stroke then put El Hammamy match ball up, and she followed that up with a
perfect forehand drive in the next rally to book her spot in the last four of
the most prestigious tournament on the women’s tour.
“I’m over the moon, I can’t believe that I was 2-0 down, I thought I’d lost but
I wanted to keep fighting and enjoy it," El Hammamy said afterwards.
“I’m playing in the quarters, which is an achievement for me, and I wanted to
keep fighting, even if I lost. I think when I never gave up, that was the key,
and I played the best squash I had in the last three games.
“I wanted to win so bad, I was so excited in the beginning, I didn’t really
focus on my game plan or what my coaches told me. When I was 2-0 down, I thought
I need to keep focusing on what they said and I’m glad it worked. I have my
grandma here with me, and every time she is here I make her upset. She was here
with me at Black Ball when I beat Nour El Tayeb, so I think she is my lucky
person.”
Defending champion El Sherbini will be El Hammamy’s semi-final opponent after
she moved to within one win of a sixth World Championship title decider courtesy
of an 11-7, 11-9, 13-11 victory over New Zealand’s Joelle King, meaning all four
semi-final spots will be taken up by Egyptian players.
El Sherbini is appearing at her first tournament of the season after a knee
injury forced her to pull out of both the Oracle NetSuite Open and U.S. Open,
but the three-time World Champion has dominated her opponent’s so far in Cairo,
claiming four successive victories without dropping a game.
“I’m
back into the semis in my first tournament back," said El Sherbini, who
celebrates her 24th birthday on the day of the final.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on myself, I just want to enjoy my squash and
the atmosphere and the crowd gives me the support and I’m going to take it as an
advantage. It’s really good that we have a tournament here in Egypt, so that
young juniors can come and watch, and hopefully they can learn and we can see
them in the future.”
Meanwhile,
Welshman Joel Makin has reached his first PSA Platinum semi-final after
overcoming French giant-killer Baptiste Masotti 11-3, 12-14, 11-8, 11-2 in the
men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open, which is taking place alongside the women’s
tournament at the Pyramids.
Masotti was appearing in the quarter-finals of a Platinum event for the first
time after successive upsets against former top five players Borja Golan and
Miguel Rodriguez, while he also upset Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng to earn his place
on the glass court in front of the Pyramids.
He looked overawed by the occasion in the opening stages, taking just three
points as he went a game down, but he struck back to take the second on the
tie-break, and put the World No.12 under serious pressure in the third with some
impressive shot-making.
However,
Makin’s experience saw him over the line in the third, and that seemed to drain
his opponent’s confidence, with a comfortable fourth game victory seeing Makin
advance to the last four.
“He was attacking freely and going in short and the ball was quite dead,” said
Makin.
“Credit to him in the middle, the first two games he was clinical in the middle.
The third game was crucial, I had to get the length across the backhand, and
once I did that it took the middle away and I had a few more chances."
World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad will play Makin in the semis after beating World
No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy 4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 to continue his 100 per cent
record in front of the Pyramids.
He became the first man in a decade to win a trophy in front of the iconic
landmark when he beat current World No.1 Ali Farag to win the 2016 Al Ahram
Open, and he will look to make it back-to-back finals when he takes on Makin
next.
“I had to take care of every shot and in the first game I couldn’t even get past
him in the middle, so I had to focus on that and put him in the back corners and
attack from the middle a little bit more," said 28-year-old Gawad.
I’m really happy to get through to the semi-finals at my favourite tournament
ever. I love playing in my home country and in front of the audience here. You
get a lot of support here, and I feel like I’m just practicing, driving to the
venue and then going back home, so I feel like it’s just practice and not a
tournament.”
The semi-finals take place on Thursday October 31, with play getting under way
at 18:30 (GMT+2). Action will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world),
Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official
Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian subcontinent).
Tickets for the event are available
here.
For more information on the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, visit the
official website of the PSA World Tour or follow the event on
Twitter and
Facebook.
|
Quarter FInals Top Half
El Welily Advances to Semis After El Tayeb Retires
World
No.1 Raneem El Welily will appear in the semi-finals of the 2019-20 CIB
PSA Women’s World Championship in front of Cairo’s historic Great
Pyramid of Giza after her quarter-final fixture with World No.3 Nour El
Tayeb was cut short after just three minutes.
El Welily and El Tayeb have met in all three PSA World Tour events they
have played this season, with El Tayeb winning two of them, including
their last meeting earlier this month in the U.S. Open semi-finals.
But she shook hands with her opponent after conceding seven points in a
row in the opening game, meaning El Welily moves through to last four
for the seventh successive time. El Welily is the only female squash
player to win a tournament in front of the Pyramids and she is now one
win away from appearing in the final in front of the last remaining
wonder of the ancient world.
Meanwhile,
World No.5 Nouran Gohar will feature in the third World Championship
semi of her career after overturning a one-game deficit against
England’s Sarah-Jane Perry to win 9-11, 11-8, 13-11, 12-10 in 57
minutes.
U.S. Open champion Gohar has been one of the form players on the women’s
tour over the past six months, winning the British Open and reaching the
final of the El Gouna International. She came close to going 2-1 behind,
but fought back from two game balls down to take the lead, before
closing out the decider on the tie-break.
“I don’t show a lot of emotion on court, so to do that shows a lot,”
said 22-year-old Gohar.
“I reached a semi-final here [in Egypt] twice I think, one of them was
in El Gouna, so Egypt is my lucky place and I play my best squash here
because the crowd give me great energy, even when at the beginning I
wasn’t at 100 per cent. They had to give me that push to play and I
didn’t want to disappoint them.
“I’m going to enjoy my rest day as a normal athlete because the last
time I had an exam. I’m going to try and recover really well because
each point was really tough. She didn’t give up at all, I was up in the
third and the fourth but it was like she was leading. I’m really looking
forward to my semi-final match now in a couple of days.”
Men’s
World No.1 Ali Farag appeared on court after wife El Tayeb’s match, and
he had to recover from a game down to get the better of English veteran
Daryl Selby, who was appearing in his first PSA Platinum quarter-final
since 2017.
Farag had won all four of his matches against the 36-year-old, including
a 3-0 victory over the World No.17 in the opening round of the 2018-19
PSA World Championship. Selby played some consistent squash in the
opener to take a game against the Egyptian for the first time.
Selby had a further opportunity in the third game when, after Farag
levelled in the second, he led 9-6 after some trickery and deception
enabled him to rattle off a succession of points. Farag came back at him
though and held firm in the fourth to close out the win by an 8-11,
11-7, 11-9, 11-5 scoreline.
"Thanks to Nour [El Tayeb] and Karim [Darwish], they kept pushing me,”
said Farag.
“I’m just very happy to be through that one for sure. I hope it’s
another great match against Paul and that we can give the crowd a good
one.”
New Zealand’s Paul Coll lies in wait in the last four after the World
No.5 overcame Egypt’s Fares Dessouky in a physical, five-game battle.
Coll was on the front foot after the first game, but Dessouky showed
signs of his sublime racket skills to draw level. The match had been
relatively free-flowing up to that point, but it soon became a scrappy
affair as each player took a game apiece to set up a decider.
Some big calls from the referees played their part in adding to the
drama of the match as a conduct stroke was awarded against Dessouky for
blocking at 7-7 in the fifth, and Coll was able to maintain a cool head
to close out an 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 victory in a mammoth 82
minutes.
The Kiwi will now aim to reach a maiden Platinum final but has beaten
Farag in just one of their previous 10 matches, losing nine matches in a
row. It will be their second fixture in a Platinum semi-final, with
Farag winning 3-2 in the last four of the British Open back in May after
77 minutes of brutal squash.
“I’m
really enjoying this new period of my game," Coll said.
"I started with a new coach, mental and tactical, so I’m really enjoying
the start of the season, I’ve had a few good wins and a couple of good
results. This is my first time playing in front of the Pyramids and it
is another incredible experience in my squash career to be playing in
this amazing location tonight.”
Quarter-finals continue on Wednesday October 30 from 18:30 onwards at
the Pyramids. Matches will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world),
Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official
Facebook
page of the PSA World Tour.
Tickets for the event are available
here.
For more information on the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, visit the
official website of the PSA World Tour or follow the event on
Twitter and
Facebook.
|
Round 3 Lower Half
El Hammamy
Reaches Quarter-Finals
For First
Time
World
Junior Champion Hania El Hammamy has claimed her first ever
quarter-final berth at the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship after
overcoming Malaysia’s World No.48 Sivasangari Subramaniam earlier today
in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
19-year-old El Hammamy claimed the most prestigious title in junior
squash in Kuala Lumpur in August of this year, and she has made waves on
the PSA Tour, rising to No.11 in the world after semi-final finishes at
the China Open and Open de France. Subramaniam, 20, has impressed at
this tournament, upsetting No.8 seed Amanda Sobhy and the higher ranked
Milou van der Heijden to book her last 16 berth.
The World No.42 fought back from a game down to level, but El Hammamy
had the edge as she took the next two games to complete an 11-8, 10-12,
11-8, 11-9 victory which will see her play France’s Camille Serme for a
place in the semi-finals of the biggest event on the women’s tour.
“I’m so pleased that I got through this match,” said El Hammamy.
“I was a little bit nervous at the beginning of the match. We have
played so many times throughout our junior careers and I’m sure we’re
going to have a lot more matches on the PSA Tour.
“I know that Siva likes to hold and make the opponent run all over the
court, so I wanted to keep my shots tight and push her into the back
corners. I ran out of my plan a little bit in the middle of the match,
but I’m glad I managed to win."
Serme got the better of Egypt’s Yathreb Adel to earn her quarter-final
spot. The French World No.4 was at her clinical best in the first two
games to comfortably build up a two-game lead. Adel came back at Serme
in the third, but the Frenchwoman comfortably dealt with it to secure a
place in the quarter-finals of this event for the seventh successive
season.
“I
think I was more more precise today than the first match,” said
30-year-old Serme afterwards.
“I found good targets and better rhythm as well, so I’m happy with my
performance tonight. I’m looking forward to facing Hania. I played her
in France in Nantes not so long ago and it was a really good match, so
I’m ready for a battle.”
Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini also booked her spot in the last eight after
dismantling India’s Joshna Chinappa in a comfortable 11-5, 11-3, 11-6
victory. The defending champion completed the win in just 21 minutes,
and will line up against New Zealand’s Joelle King in the next round.
“I
think I felt sharper tonight. I’m getting better every match and I’m
more confident," El Sherbini said.
"I’m really happy to be in the quarters and I’m looking forward to the
next round. Joelle is very tough and one of the best players on tour.
It’s always a tough match against her, but I’m really looking forward to
it and I can’t wait to get back on court.”
She will take on New Zealand’s Joelle King for a place in the semis,
with King overcoming World No.10 Annie Au. The last time the two players
met was also in Egypt and it was the Hong Kong player who walked away
with the victory. However, King turned things around to reign victorious
this time around, showing her mental resilience to claim an 8-11, 11-6,
11-8, 16-14 victory.
Elsewhere, France’s Baptiste Masotti reached the quarter-finals of a PSA
Platinum event for the first time as he overcame Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng
at the Shooting Club 6th of October in round three of the men’s CIB
Egyptian Squash Open.
World No.59 Masotti has been one of the success stories of the
tournament so far, beating two former top five players in Borja Golan
and Miguel Rodriguez to get to the last 16, and he backed that up with a
come from behind victory against World No.32 Eain Yow to seal his place
on the glass court in front of the Pyramids.
“I'm
just so glad to win today, my dream was to play in front of the
Pyramids, and in two days I will play there," Masotti said.
"I can't wait to go there and play in front of them. At match ball I
told myself not to make any mistakes, to just put the ball on the wall,
and I think the match ball was the best part of the match. I'm so happy
to win this one, it's unbelievable to be in the quarters. I have a day
off, so I will prepare myself for the next match in front of the
Pyramids."
He will play Welshman Joel Makin, who got the better of Masotti’s
compatriot, Victor Crouin.
The World No.12 got off to a fast start, putting a lot of work into the
legs of the young Frenchman by extending the rallies with Crouin, who
was struggling with the pace set by the Makin. The Frenchman came back
strongly and showed some nice touches and held two game balls in the
third, but Makin held firm to earn his place in the last eight of a
Platinum event for only the second time in his career.
Meanwhile, World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad made his return to the Pyramids
three years after becoming the first man since the legendary Ahmed
Barada in 1998 to win a trophy in front of the Pyramids.
He beat Hong Kong’s Leo Au in four games to ensure he will play World
No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy, who beat World Junior Champion Mostafa Asal in
five games. World No.25 Asal had fought back from two games down to
upset No.7 seed Diego Elias in the previous round and threatened to do
the same against ElShorbagy.
But the older Egyptian held his nerve during a scrappy decider to earn
his spot in the next round.
Action from both tournaments continues with the quarter-finals on
Tuesday October 29th. Play begins at the Pyramids from 18:30 (GMT+2).
Fixtures from the Pyramids will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of
world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official
Facebook
page of the PSA World Tour.
Fixtures from the Pyramids will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world),
Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official
Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.
Tickets for the event are available
here.
For more information on the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, visit the
official website of the PSA World Tour or follow the event on
Twitter and
Facebook.
|
Round 3 Top Half
El Welily and El Tayeb to Face Off in Mouthwatering
Quarter-Final
World
No.1 Raneem El Welily and World No.3 Nour El Tayeb will face off in a
blockbuster quarter-final contest at the CIB PSA Women’s World
Championship after the pair claimed respective wins over England’s
Alison Waters and Egypt’s Salma Hany in round three in front of Cairo’s
famous Great Pyramid of Giza.
El Welily - who is the only female to win a professional squash
tournament in front of the Pyramids - and El Tayeb met at the semi-final
stage of last season’s World Championship in Chicago, with El Tayeb
taking the honours after 64 minutes of intense squash.
The pair have met three times already this season, with El Tayeb winning
two of them, including her semi-final triumph two weeks ago at the FS
Investments U.S. Open. They will now meet against the backdrop of the
iconic Egyptian landmark courtesy, with both players claiming
comfortable 3-0 wins in their third round fixtures.
“I’m pleased with the way I played, I couldn’t have asked for a better
performance today,” said El Welily afterwards.
“Alison is such a strong player, she is one of those players that I have
seen since day one and she, along with Laura [Massaro], Jenny [Duncalf]
and many other English girls took the game to a new level. I’m always
pleased to be with Alison on court, I was just trying to stay in every
rally as much as possible and not let anything go loose.
“Nour
[El Tayeb] is at the top of her game right now and playing very good
squash. She has had very good results so far this season, and I know
it’s not going to be an easy match, but I’m definitely up for the
challenge.”
El Tayeb said: "I was just getting used to the court and the conditions,
so I’m very glad to stick in the first game. The first game is very
important and builds a lot of confidence so it was important to take
that one.
“It’s all the pressure combined in one event – it’s the World
Championship, Pyramids – everything. I’m playing well so I want to keep
the momentum going as well and I’m very glad to be in the
quarter-finals. I hope I can come back the next round and play well.”
England’s
Sarah-Jane Perry continued her fine record at the Pyramids as she got
the better of fellow Brit Tesni Evans, dominating the Welsh World No.9
to win by an 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 scoreline.
Five of their previous 10 matches had gone the distance to five games,
with Evans winning their last match in five during the semi-finals of
May’s Manchester Open. But it was a one-sided affair this time around as
Perry established her game plan on the match right from the off, and she
will play the in-form World No.4 Nouran Gohar in the next round.
“She has beaten me three out of the last four times,” said
Birmingham-born Perry afterwards.
“The last time we played was in Manchester and we both had match ball,
but she won. Today, I just wanted to play how I wanted to play and stamp
my authority on the game and hopefully that was good enough, so I’m
really pleased with that."
In
the men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open, England’s Daryl Selby reached his
first PSA Platinum quarter-final in two years as he came through a
73-minute, five-game battle with compatriot Chris Simpson, winning 11-5,
6-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-2 at the Shooting Club 6th of October.
Neither player played well at the same time, with momentum shifting
between each Englishman on a game-by-game basis. Twice, Selby found
himself a game ahead but Simpson, playing less than 24 hours after
upsetting No.6 seed Mohamed Abouelghar, clawed his way back into the
encounter both times. In the fifth it was all Selby and he closed out
the win to set up a last eight match with Egypt’s World No.1 Ali Farag.
“Abou has been out for a little bit, but they said it was such a high
quality match, and I know what Chris is capable of quality-wise, it’s
very high and the last few times we’ve played with we’ve always had a
3-2," 36-year-old Selby said.
“I think we’ve shared the spoils a little bit, so I knew it was going to
be tough but he finished a bit later than me yesterday, so tactically I
just wanted to start really fast, really strong and show him that he was
going to be in for a hard game, and if he had any stiffness or anything
from yesterday, I wanted to try and expose that early on."
Farag defeated compatriot Mazen Hesham in straight games, while New
Zealand’s Paul Coll and World No.14 Fares Dessouky were the other men’s
winners.
Round three action at both the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship and
CIB Egyptian Squash Open continues on Monday October 28. Play at the
men’s tournament begins at 12:00 (GMT+2) at the Shooting Club 6th of
October, while the women’s matches at the Pyramids get under way at
17:30.
Fixtures from the Pyramids will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world),
Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official
Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.
Tickets for the event are available
here.
For more information on the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, visit the
official website of the PSA World Tour or follow the event on
Twitter and
Facebook.
|
Round 2 Lower Half
El Sherbini Books Round Three Berth at World Champs as Squash Returns to
Pyramids
Defending
champion Nour El Sherbini recovered from a slow start against Canada’s Hollie
Naughton to book her third round spot at the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
as the highest-profile tournament in the sport returned to the iconic Great
Pyramid of Giza for the first time since the men’s World Championship in 2006.
El Sherbini reached the final of the last tournament to be held at the Pyramids
- the Al Ahram Open in 2016 - and she made it back-to-back wins since returning
from a knee injury, following up an opening day win over Rachael Chadwick with a
13-11, 11-7, 11-4 win in 26 minutes.
"It was very important for me to win the first game, that’s what made the
difference for the whole match,” said 23-year-old El Sherbini.
“I think I was a bit nervous in the first game, it’s the first match on the
glass court and it’s in front of the Pyramids, so it’s not that easy. I’m still
trying to get in my mind that I’m back on tour playing, it’s the first time
playing her so I didn’t really know what to expect.
“I’ve been dreaming of playing at this venue since I was seven years old and
when I first had the injury I thought I wouldn’t have surgery before this
tournament, so I did a lot to come and play here. I’m looking forward to this
week.”
El Sherbini will play India’s Joshna Chinappa in the last 16, with Chinappa
progressing at the expense of Hong Kong’s Ho Tze-Lok, who retired with a foot
injury after just 12 minutes.
There were also wins for France’s World No.4 Camille Serme and New Zealand’s
Joelle King at the Pyramids as they beat Millie Tomlinson and Zeina Mickawy,
respectively. Serme will line up against World No.16 Yathreb Adel in the next
round, while King will clash with Hong Kong’s Annie Au.
Four
matches also took place at the Shooting Club 6th of October, with Malaysia’s
Sivasangari Subramaniam continuing her superb run as she followed up her opening
round upset of No.8 seed Amanda Sobhy with victory over World No.29 Milou van
der Heijden to reach the third round of the World Championships for the first
time.
28-year-old van der Heijden got engaged in front of the Pyramids earlier on in
the day, and she tested Subramaniam, drawing level after going a game down. But
the World No.48 narrowly edged the final two games to earn her spot on the glass
court in front of the Pyramids, where World Junior Champion Hania El Hammamy
will lie in wait.
“I feel confident after beating Amanda [Sobhy] in the first round, obviously
Milou is a good player and she has been playing well, so I had to take every
game and every point one at a time," van der Heijden said.
"I tried not to think about getting that far and playing in front of the
Pyramids, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m playing Hania and she is my
junior rival as well, we have played a few times at junior level and now at PSA.
Hopefully we can both play good squash and the better player wins, but I’m
really excited.”
In the men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open, five of the top eight seeds crashed out.
Welshman Joel Makin claimed a huge upset he ousted Egypt’s No.2 seed Tarek Momen
to get his first win over the World No.3 at the third attempt.
The
Welshman has tested Momen in their previous two encounters, taking a game each
time, but he executed his game plan to perfection to nullify Momen’s attacking
intent, winning 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9 to ensure he will play Frenchman Victor
Crouin in the last 16. Crouin overcame World No.15 Zahed Salem to reach round
three of a major PSA event for the first time.
“That was massive for me,” said 24-year-old Makin afterwards.
“I have had two tight losses to him recently. He played well and he is tricky,
he moves the ball quickly around the court, he’s got into some really consistent
form over the last few years and he hasn’t really lost to anyone lower down for
a while."
Meanwhile, England’s Chris Simpson completed the biggest win of his career as he
stunned World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar in a five-game thriller. Abouelghar was
making his first appearance of the season after recovering from a shoulder
injury, but Simpson played some of the best squash of his career to win 12-10,
7-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-5 in 73 minutes, setting up a meeting with compatriot Daryl
Selby.
“It’s the most unexpected win of my career,” said the Englishman afterwards.
“I’ve had an awful summer. Injuries, literally almost no squash and that’s
sometimes just the way it goes. I was relaxed, I went on and knew he had been
injured as well and after having such a good end to the season maybe he put a
bit of pressure on himself, but I just wanted to do myself justice and to be
honest I didn’t have any considerations about winning."
Meanwhile, Frenchman Baptiste Masotti also claimed his best career win as he
played some immaculate squash to defeat World No.9 Miguel Rodriguez, 24 hours
after he upset former World No.5 Borja Golan. He will now play off against
Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng for a place in the quarter-finals, with Ng beating
Germany’s Raphael Kandra.
Elsewhere, Egypt’s World No.25 Mostafa Asal came back from two games down to
upset World No.7 Diego Elias in a fractious 77-minute match. No.4 seed Simon
Rösner was the other seed to bow out after he fell to Egypt’s Fares Dessouky.
The third round of both the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship and CIB Egyptian
Squash Open gets under way on Sunday October 27. Play starts at the Pyramids at
17:30, with two matches also taking place at the Shooting Club 6th of October
from 12:00 onwards.
Fixtures from the Pyramids will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world),
Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official
Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.
Tickets for the event are available
here.
For more information on the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, visit the
official website of the PSA World Tour or follow the event on
Twitter and
Facebook.
|
Round 2
Top Half
El Welily, El Tayeb and Gohar all Secure Wins on Day Two
World No.1 Raneem El Welily, World No.3 Nour El Tayeb and World No.5
Nouran Gohar all claimed wins on day two of the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s
World Championship to secure a place on the iconic glass court held in
front of Cairo’s famous Great Pyramid of Giza - the only remaining
wonder of the ancient world.
This
season’s women’s World Championship is the first to be held in front of
the stunning landmark since the men's World Championship in 2006 and El
Welily is the only woman ever to win a trophy in front of the Pyramids
courtesy of her Al Ahram Open victory three years ago.
She will appear there again in round three after getting the better of
United States No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne at the Shooting Club 6th of
October, winning 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 in 32 minutes.
“All in all, I was very prepared for Olivia today given how well she is
playing this season,” said El Welily after her 11-8, 12-10, 11-5
triumph.
“She must be very disappointed to go out in the second round of this
tournament. I honestly think with her level of squash this season she
could have gone further. I wish her all the best in her next tournament.
“It’s definitely very good for us [playing at the Pyramids] but I’m not
really thinking about it that much. I’m thinking about the glass court,
that’s all it is for me. We’ve been looking at the Pyramids all week
long, so by now it’s okay for me."
The 30-year-old will play the experienced Englishwoman Alison Waters for
a place in the last eight after she defeated compatriot Julianne
Courtice, while 2018-19 World Championship runner-up El Tayeb defeated
fellow Egyptian Rowan Elaraby in four games.
It was a meeting of two former World Junior Champions just two weeks
after El Tayeb comfortably dispatched Elaraby at the U.S. Open but the
latter proved much more of a test this time around, fighting back from
three match balls down to force a fourth game this time around.
But
El Tayeb held firm to win 13-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8, and she will take on
Egypt’s Salma Hany in round three.
"I fell into the trap of being match ball up and thinking that the match
was over, but I was very glad that I was able to come back in the fourth
and win," El Tayeb said.
“It's the one tournament you want to do well at, especially in front of
the Pyramids and with it being the World Championship. I'm sure there is
going to be a lot of pressure on both of us, but hopefully we can enjoy
it and play well.”
Gohar,
who comes into the back of this match after winning her third PSA
Platinum title at the U.S. Open - beating El Tayeb in the process - was
in dominant form against Belgium’s Nele Gilis as she powered to an 11-1,
11-5, 11-5 victory in just 28 minutes.
She will take on Nele’s younger sister, World No.26 Tinne, in the next
round, with Tinne overcoming Malaysia’s Aifa Azman 3-0.
"It was a little bit tricky to play this tournament straight after the
U.S. Open, but I am just trying to take each game and forget about the
U.S. Open and I’m really looking forward to my next match," said Gohar.
“It feels extra special to be playing on the glass court. The last time
we had a tournament there, I didn’t get to play on the glass because I
lost first round, so to make it to the glass court in front of the
Pyramids is huge and I can’t wait to be there on Sunday.”
There were also wins for the likes of England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and
Tesni Evans of Wales. Perry dispatched 2007 champion Rachael Grinham -
the 42-year-old playing an unprecedented 300th career PSA tournament -
while Evans defeated France’s Coline Aumard and they will go
head-to-head in round three.
The
men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open got under way today, with Frenchman
Victor Crouin picking up the biggest win of his career to date as he
twice came back from a game behind to upset World No.22 Cesar Salazar.
Crouin - ranked No.61 in the world - was making his first appearance at
a Platinum tournament, but wasn’t overawed by the occasion as he twice
came back from a game down to win 10-12, 11-4, 5-11, 11-1, 11-4 in a
battling performance.
Salazar’s level of performance varied dramatically as he looked to be
struggling with a hamstring issue at times which stunted his normally
impeccable retrieval abilities.
Crouin took advantage as he forced his opponent into some long, testing
rallies down the forehand side to force some errors, and he never looked
back after going 2-1 down as Salazar dropped off considerably.
“Although he was injured, it’s my best win ever, he is 22nd [in the
world], and I’m so happy to get to the next round, even in the
circumstances," Crouin said.
“I had a good start to the season, I won the Marietta Open, then was
runner-up against [Greg] Lobban in Cleveland, I was happy with that
match, I just lacked consistency I felt.”
Round two action at the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship continues
tomorrow from 12:45 (GMT+2) onwards, while the second round of the CIB
Egyptian Squash Open begins at 12:00.
Matches at the Great Pyramid of Giza begin at 17:30 and will be shown
live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only).
Tickets for the event are available
here.
For more information on the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, visit the
official website of the PSA World Tour or follow the event on
Twitter and
Facebook. |
Round 1
Malaysia’s Subramaniam Causes Sobhy Shock on Opening Day
Malaysia’s
World No.48 Sivasangari Subramaniam caused the biggest upset on day one
of the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship as she shocked United
States No.1 Amanda Sobhy at Cairo’s Shooting Club 6th of October to
claim her first ever win over a top 10 player.
The 20-year-old from Sungai Petani Kedah put in some noteworthy
performances at the U.S. Open earlier this month – beating England’s
Alison Waters and testing World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry – but she outlined
her credentials as one to watch in the future with an 9-11, 11-9, 6-11,
12-10, 11-6 triumph over Sobhy in 51 minutes.
Sobhy, whose father hails from Egypt, struggled from the beginning of
the match and didn’t seem her usual self on court, but the World No.8
fought on to go 2-1 up and 6-1 up in the fourth. But her energy levels
dropped and she finally succumbed to fatigue as Subramaniam put her
through her paces to come back and win the tie-break, before finally
getting the better of Sobhy in the decider to reach round two for the
first time.
"It definitely means a lot to me getting the big win in my PSA career,"
said Subramaniam afterwards.
"I’m really happy today and I gave it all I could. I was 6-1 down in the
fourth and then I just tried to push myself because I was doing too many
errors. I tried to hang in there and I ended up getting the win.
"I'm training under my coach, David Palmer, and he's really working on
my movement and squash tactics. I think it's working, I'm happy with how
I'm playing right now, so hopefully I can maintain and do better in the
next round."
That means Subramaniam is one win away from appearing on the iconic
glass court in front of the stunning Great Pyramid of Giza - the only
remaining ancient wonder of the world - which will be used from Saturday
October 26 onwards. To get there, she must take on Dutchwoman Milou van
der Heijden, who came from a game behind to beat Egypt’s Menna Nasser.
Elsewhere, defending champion Nour El Sherbini made her first appearance
of the season after shaking off a knee injury to beat England’s Rachael
Chadwick in straight games.
The World No.2 has missed out on appearing at the Oracle NetSuite Open
and FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships in recent weeks due to
the problem, but it took her just 25 minutes to overcome today’s
opponent as she began her attempts to win the prestigious trophy for a
fourth time after winning in 2015 and 2016, in addition to the 2018-19
event.
“I really missed the tour and the matches,” said El Sherbini, who will
take on Canada’s Hollie Naughton in front of the Pyramids in round two.
“I was really excited about today’s match and I just wanted to get on
court and see how it goes, but it went really well. I was playing good
and I’m really happy to be back.
“In the first game [my knee] was in my head a little bit, but I was
running ok and it felt good. I didn’t have any problems and hopefully it
is going to be like this the whole week.
“I’m really looking forward to playing in front of the Pyramids and this
court is very special. You can play and see the Pyramids, so it is very
special and I’m really looking forward to playing my next round there.”
World No.1 Raneem El Welily also began her attempts to win a second
World Championship title after easing to an 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 victory
over wildcard Sana Ibrahim.
El Welily became the first female squash player in history to win a
trophy in front of the Pyramids when she won the Al Ahram Open in 2016,
and will need to beat United States No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne in the
next round if she is to compete in front of the landmark again this
year.
“I'm looking forward to that [appearing in front of the Pyramids] but
I'm just here now thinking about what I just did and what I should be
doing to get to tomorrow's match and hopefully I get through," said
Egypt’s El Welily afterwards.
“Sometimes there are nerves, sometimes I'm more motivated. It's an
emotional feeling [playing a World Championship on home soil] but I'm
trying to keep positive and energised. These are exciting times for
squash in Egypt, so I'm happy to be home.”
England No.1 Perry was another of the players to book her place in the
last 32 as she overcame Jemyca Aribado, who became the first Filipino
squash player in history to appear at the PSA Women’s World
Championship.
Speaking after her 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 victory, Perry said that coming up
against new players from across the globe is part of the charm of the
World Championships.
“It’s amazing to see different countries coming into the sport and
giving squash a go,” she said.
“It’s always interesting to play different players, it makes it a bit
different and that’s something that’s special about the World
Championships. There’s always that extra group of players that you’re
not necessarily that familiar with. Although I’d seen her name on the
Challenger Tour, I hadn’t actually seen her play before, which isn’t
common."
Perry - who beat the likes of legendary Malaysian Nicol David and
France’s World No.4 Camille Serme during a breakthrough tournament last
time she appeared in front of the Pyramids - will play 2007 World
Champion Rachael Grinham in the last 32.
Elsewhere, South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller reached round two of this
event for the first time after upsetting the higher-ranked Emily
Whitlock, while Malaysia’s Aifa Azman and Hong Kong’s Ho Tze-Lom also
caused upsets against Joey Chan and Mariam Metwally, respectively.
Round two begins on Friday October 25 at 12:45 (GMT+2), while the CIB
Egyptian Squash Open - a men’s PSA Platinum tournament - gets under way
tomorrow at the same venue, with play beginning at 12:00.
Tickets for the event are available
here.
For more information on the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, visit the
official website of the PSA World Tour or follow the event on
Twitter and
Facebook
|
Tickets on sale for CIB PSA Women's World Championship
and CIB Egyptian Open
Tickets
are on sale now for the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship and
the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, with the best squash players in the world
set to play in front of the iconic Great Pyramids of Giza between
October 24-November 1.
This season’s Women’s World Championships marks the 40th anniversary of
the tournament, which took place in Sheffield, England back in 1979,
where Heather McKay took the title.
Three-time
and reigning World Champion Nour El Sherbini is set to make her return
from injury after missing the Oracle NetSuite Open and U.S. Open. World
No.1 Raneem El Welily and Australia’s Rachael Grinham will be the other
previous winners in the 64-strong field in Egypt at the end of the
month.
Alongside the women’s event, there will also be a men’s Platinum event,
the Egyptian Squash Open, which will also be hosted on the same glass
court with the backdrop of the Pyramids.
World No.1 Ali Farag will headline the entry list for the men’s event,
with compatriots Tarek Momen, Karim Abdel Gawad, Mohamed Abouelghar and
Marwan ElShorbagy also amongst those who will be challenging for the
second PSA Platinum title of the season.
Tickets for the event are available
here.
For more information on the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship
and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open, visit the
official website of the PSA World Tour or follow the event on
Twitter and
Facebook
|
History
Of The Womens World Championships
The inaugural Men’s World Championship began in 1976 in London – with
the whole tournament being played at the old Wembley Stadium, home of
the English football team.
Whilst the Women’s Tour also first began that year in 1976, when the
iconic Heather McKay lifted the first of her two titles, beating Marion
Jackman on home soil in Brisbane, Australia.
Fellow Australians Rhonda Thorne and Sarah Cardwell followed in McKay’s
footsteps before the legendary Susan Devoy became the first
non-Australian player to get her hands on the coveted trophy in 1985, at
which point the tournament was a biennial event.
Since then, the Men’s and Women’s tournaments have been staged in all
four corners of the globe, with the competition being held in countries
such as the United States, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Hong Kong and
Germany to name a few.
Martine Le Moignan was the first Englishwoman to capture the title,
before Devoy took the next two titles in 1990 and 1992, with the
tournament switching to an annual format from that point onwards.
Australia dominated the women’s event over the next decade, with
Michelle Martin’s triumph in 1993 bringing about a period that saw the
title shared between her (three wins), Sarah Fitz-Gerald (5) and Carol
Owens (1) in nine of the 10 tournaments held between 1993-2002.
England’s Cassie Campion was the only player to put a dent in the
Australian dominance of the 90s, with her 1999 triumph over Martin
seeing her become the first female English World Champion in 10 years.
Over the next few years, the legendary Malaysian Nicol David made her
mark on the tournament, claiming her maiden World Championship title in
Hong Kong in 2005 courtesy of a win over Australian Rachael Grinham,
before retaining her title the following year with a win over Grinham’s
younger sister, Natalie.
The Grinham sisters met in the final in 2007, with Rachael being the
victor, but David responded with an incredible five wins on the bounce
in an unprecedented spell of dominance.
That run eventually came to an end in the 2013 edition, which saw
England’s Laura Massaro claim her first World title in Penang, beating
then 18-year-old Nour El Sherbini in the showpiece finale.
But El Sherbini soon got her hands on the sport’s biggest prize when she
battled back from two games down to become the youngest ever Women’s
World Champion at the age of 20 – eclipsing the record set by Devoy 31
years earlier.
Tickets are priced from just $30 and are
available for purchase on
Ticketmaster.
For more information on the 2018/19 PSA
World Championships, follow the tournament on
Twitter,
Facebook or the
Event's website.
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