Egypt’s
World No.1 Nour El Sherbini made history as she clinched the Carol
Weymuller Open title for the third year in a row as she dispatched New
Zealand’s Joelle King in straight games.
King – who overcame Raneem El Welily for the first time in her career to
reach the final – had built up a reputation for becoming a ‘giant
killer’ as she has beaten most of the top five so far this season and
she continued to show that form as she built up a 3-1 lead. However, El
Sherbini soon found her length and range to erode the Kiwi’s lead to
take the first game 11-7.
The Egyptian then doubled her advantage in the second as she played some
flawless squash to overcome a relentless King, 11-5. Before going onto
win 11-3 in the third as King just couldn’t stop an in form El Sherbini
– who made history by becoming the first player to ever win the
tournament three times in a row.
“I think it’s my best match since I’ve been in the US for the last two
weeks,” said the 21-year-old Egyptian.
“My shots were working, I was moving well and I was thinking not to
finish everything too quickly. I felt confident going for my shots and I
think it was my day!
“Joelle has been killing it in the last two weeks, I think that she has
beaten most of the top five now – Nour, Raneem, Nicol, Laura, everyone!
I’m glad it wasn’t my turn.”
King said: “I wasn’t seeing the ball quite as sharp and my decision
making was not quite as crisp and I was kind of behind the whole way,
maybe it was a bit of fatigue.
“But credit to her, she didn’t give me anything and played great squash.
The last six weeks have been amazing, it’s been a great block. Now it’s
a couple of weeks training and then onto Hong Kong.”
Egyptian
shot-making sensation Raneem El Welily moved into the quarter-finals of
the 2017 Carol Weymuller Open as seeded players in Brooklyn made it four
wins out of four on the second day of main draw action.
Inside the Heights Casino, 2011 champion El Welily played with patience
and precision against India’s Dipika Pallikal Karthik to claim a 12th
successive win over the World No.21 by an 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 margin.
El Welily, who was a losing finalist in last week’s U.S. Open, will take
on England’s World No.15 Victoria Lust in the next round after Lust
dispatched tournament wildcard Emilia Sioni in straight games.
“I was trying to set my attitude right, after the big tournament last
week I have to reset my mentality,” said World No.3 El Welily.
“I’m so happy with the way the match went. Hopefully I can carry the
same attitude into the next match. I don’t think that I have ever played
Vicky but I’m looking forward to it.”
The in-form Joelle King continued her strong start to the 2017/18 season
after the 2015 runner-up downed Millie Tomlinson by a 3-0 scoreline.
King, who reached her first World Series semi-final in over three years
at the U.S. Open dominated the ’T’ in the opening two games to take them
11-7, 11-5 and she prevailed in a third-game tie-break to seal the win
after Tomlinson had fought back from 7-2 down.
”I thought I started pretty well,” King said.
“I felt I was playing my games and had a good start. Then she came back
strong towards the end of the first. I relaxed a little and before I
knew it, it was tight. I started getting a bit frustrated but managed to
win that one.
“The second was pretty good at the start but then Millie settled down
and got a few good points. The third was similar, I was always up and
then she got in front of me and all of a sudden it was 10-9 game ball. I
guess from there I played the next few points solidly and finished it
12-10.”
The day’s other match saw Hong Kong’s Annie Au beat Belgian qualifier
Nele Gilis and she will take on King for a place in the last four.