01/07/2009
MIRO CLASSIC
Kheirallah Conquers Teen El Sherbini In Cairo Classic Final
ATCO
Miro Classic 2009
26-29 Jun, Cairo, Egypt, $8k |
Round One
27 Jun |
Quarters
27 Jun |
Semis
28 Jun |
Final
29 Jun |
[1] Engy Kheirallah (Egy)
11/4, 11/4, 11/4
[Q] Haida Lala (Egy) |
Engy Kheirallah
11/7, 11/4, 11/6
Nour Baghat |
Engy
Kheirallah
11/5, 11/6, 11/4 (20m)
Amanda Sobhy |
Engy Kheirallah
11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7
Nour El Sherbini |
[8] Milou Van Der Heijden (Ned)
11/8, 11/4, 11/3
Nour Baghat (Egy) |
[3] Lucie Fialova (Cze)
11/8, 11/8, 11/5
Salma Hany (Egy) |
Lucie Fialova
11/7, 4/11, 11/4, 11/4
Amanda Sobhy |
[7] Amanda Sobhy (Usa)
11/6, 9/11, 11/6, 11/6
Salma Nassar (Egy) |
[Q] Yathreb Adel (Egy)
11/8, 11/8, 12/10
[5] Olivia Blatchford (Usa) |
Yathreb Adel
11/8, 8/11, 11/7, 11/5
Kanzy El Defrawy |
Kanzy El Defrawy
12/10, 11/6, 11/6 (45m)
Nour El Sherbini |
Merhan Amr Mahmoud (Egy)
4/11, 11/1, 11/7, 11/3
[4] Kanzy El Defrawy (Egy) |
Farah Abdel Meguid (Egy)
11/6, 11/4, 11/5
[6] Linda Hruzikova (Svk) |
Linda Hruzikova
11/5, 11/2, 11/4
Nour El Sherbini |
Nour El Sherbini (Egy)
11/9, 11/7, 11/6
[2] Heba El Torky (Egy) |
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Kheirallah Conquers Teen El Sherbini In Cairo Classic Final
Nour El Sherbini,
the 13-year-old Egyptian who made history by becoming the youngest player ever
to reach the final of a WISPA World Tour squash event, almost claimed a
further record when she took experienced compatriot Engy Kheirallah to a
fifth game decider in the climax of the ATCO Miro Classic No1 at the
National Squash Stadium in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
Kheirallah, the 27-year-old top seed ranked 22 in the world, took
the opening two games against her novice opponent - ranked more than 140 places
lower.
But unseeded, and undaunted, El Sherbini - competing in only her
third Tour event - battled back to draw level.
The favourite pulled ahead 7-1 in the fifth - but the
never-say-die youngster again fought back to lead 8-7. But former world No12
Kheirallah kept her composure and regained the lead before winning 11-8, 11-9,
7-11, 7-11, 11-7 in a dramatic encounter which lasted well over one hour.
"I'm so glad I got that start in the fifth, I wouldn't have won
without it," explained the relieved winner afterwards. "After I got to 7-1, I
was rushing to finish it - but these juniors, they have no pressure: they just
go on playing until the end!
"She's such a good player, one of the best under-nineteens in the
world already. You really can't call her a junior any more playing like that,
she doesn't play junior squash.
"She played really well in the third and fourth. I lost
concentration a little and panicked after a few calls went against me - but in
the end I'm happy to get away with that one."
It was Kheirallah's second Tour final appearance on home soil in
two months - but her first title triumph since November 2005.
El Sherbini Is
Youngest WISPA Tour Finalist
Nour El Sherbini,
a 13-year-old Egyptian competing in only her third WISPA World Tour
squash event, became the youngest finalist in the history of the Women's
International Squash Players' Association when she reached the climax of the
ATCO Miro Classic No1 at the National Squash Stadium in the
Egyptian capital Cairo.
Unseeded, El Sherbini made her breakthrough in the opening round
of the $8,000 event when she beat second-seeded compatriot Heba El Torky
- an 18-year-old seeded to reach next month's world junior championship final -
11-9, 11-7, 11-6.
Only seven months into her teens, El Sherbini went on to beat
sixth-seeded Slovakian Linda Hruzikova, also in straight games, before
toppling fellow countrywoman Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy, the No4 seed, 12-10,
11-6, 11-6 in 45 minutes to reach her historic final.
The youngster, the reigning British Junior U15 Open
champion, now meets top seed Engy Kheirallah in the final. Kheirallah, a
former world No12 more than twice El Sherbini's age, has also reached the final
without dropping a game.
In the other semi-final, the 27-year-old world No22 from Cairo
took only 20 minutes to beat Amanda Sobhy, the No7 seed from the USA,
11-5, 11-6, 11-4.
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