El Tayeb wins Squash Player’s Player of the Month award
Egypt’s
Nour El Tayeb is Squash Player’s Women’s Player of the Month, after
winning the Windy City Open on Wednesday, her second PSA World Series
title.
The 24-year-old seventh seed, who claimed her first World Series title
at the U.S. Open in October, achieved her second by winning four
five-game matches in a row, coming from behind in three of them.
She beat top seed Nour El Sherbini in the quarter-finals, no.8 seed
Sarah-Jane Perry in the semis and ninth seed Joelle King in the final,
where she saved two championship balls before triumphing 11-8, 10-12,
11-13, 11-9, 12-10 in 78 minutes.
“I can’t believe it,” said El Tayeb, whose first-round opponent, Yathreb
Adel, retired injured in the second game.
“I felt like I lost this match three or four times! I was down in the
fourth, then I was down in the fifth, but looking over at Haitham [Effat]
and Ali [Farag] - they gave me the encouragement.
“Every day that I’ve woken up I’ve felt tired, but I knew that I could
do it. I don’t think I’ve ever only played five-setters in a tournament.
I think I will have to give my physical fitness coach a very big bonus!"
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