|
Final:
[1] EGYPT bt [6] HONG KONG 2/0
Heba El Torky bt Liu Tsz-Ling 11-6, 2-11, 11-5, 11-6 (27m)
Nour El Sherbini bt Tong Tsz-Wing 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (20m)
Nour El Tayeb v Carmen Lee (dead rubber - match not played)
3rd place play-off:
[2] INDIA bt [5] USA 2/1
Dipika Pallikal bt Olivia Blatchford 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 (25m)
Surbhi Misra lost to Amanda Sobhy 3-11, 6-11, 12-10, 4-11 (24m)
Anaka Alankamony bt Julie Cerullo 3-11, 11-5, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8 (42m)
5th place play-off:
[4] CANADA bt [7] ENGLAND 2/0
Laura Gemmell bt Kimberley Hay 11-7, 11-6, 11-0 (18m)
Samantha Cornett bt Julianne Courtice 11-7, 11-8, 14-12 (25m)
7th place play-off:
[3] MALAYSIA bt [8] NEW ZEALAND 2/0
Tan Yan Xin bt Lana Harrison 13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7 (35m)
Nessrine Ariffin bt Amanda Landers-Murphy 11-6, 9-11, 9-11, 14-12, 11-4 (38m)
9th place play-off:
[10] FRANCE bt [13] GERMANY 2/0
Emilie Lamilango bt Lisa-Marie Sedlmeier 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (20m)
Cyrielle Peltier bt Caroline Sayegh 11-5, 15-13, 8-11, 8-11, 12-10 (43m)
11th place play-off:
[9] AUSTRALIA bt [12] SOUTH AFRICA 2/0
Sarah Cardwell bt Cheyna Tucker 11-8, 11-7, 3-11, 12-10 (30m)
Tamika Saxby bt Alexandra Fuller 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (21m)
13th place play-off:
[11] NETHERLANDS bt [14] DENMARK 2/0
Ilona Lagerweij bt Bine Lind 11-3, 8-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-5 (40m)
Anne Jongerden bt Anna Sophie Jensen 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 (21m)
15th place play-off:
[16] SWEDEN bt [15] SPAIN 2/1
Matilda Ravn-Holm bt Ana Arosa Rodriguez 13-11, 11-7, 11-5 (26m)
Jennie Lindstrom lost to Sara Esperon 11-8, 5-11, 6-11, 11-5, 9-11 (34m)
Eira Mooney bt Marina Lopez 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (21m)
Egypt
Retain World Junior Team Title In Chennai
Egyptian teenager Nour El Sherbini clinched the second world title for
her country in less than a week when she beat Hong Kong's Tong Tsz-Wing
in straight games in the final of the Women's World Junior Team Squash
Championships to ensure that Egypt retained the title in the World
Squash Federation (WSF) championship at the Indian Squash Academy in
Chennai, India.
The
13-year-old from Alexandria stunned the world of Squash last week when she
became the sport's youngest ever world champion after defeating her fellow
countrywoman Nour El Tayeb - ranked more than 30 places higher in the
world - in the world junior individual final.
Team
number one Heba El Torky gave favourites Egypt the lead with an 11-6,
2-11, 11-5, 11-6 victory over Hong Kong top string Liu Tsz-Ling.
"I
was going for winners today, even when I was leading," 18-year-old El Torky said
after the opening match of the tie. "I don't know what happened in the second,
it just wasn't working, and when I was 4-0 down in the fourth I just kept
telling myself I had to push through this time.
"It
was important to put the team into the lead. It's nice when it's finished and
you've done your job. Now it's up to the others!"
After a surprise loss in the semi-finals 24 hours earlier, it was a confident El
Sherbini who then took to the court in the battle of the second strings - and
needed just 20 minutes to despatch her 17-year-old Hong Kong opponent 11-8,
11-6, 11-6 to give Egypt the title for the fourth time since 1999.
"I
was disappointed to lose yesterday, but I got over it by the end of the day,"
explained El Sherbini later. "I was nervous at the start, yes - but from the
beginning I always thought I would win. Yesterday I had so much pressure, and
I'd played ten matches, but today it was the final, the last one.
"I
thought I played nice, and it was so good to win it for the team."
There was as much delight from the home crowd in the play-off for third place
when hosts India recovered from losing the second match to fifth-seeded
opponents USA to come back in the third to clinch a 2/1 win - and
claim the best finish in five appearances in the championship since 1999.
Strong squad number one Dipika Pallikal put India into the lead with a
convincing 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 win over US junior and senior international
Olivia Blatchford, aged only 16. But US second string Amanda Sobhy
then levelled the tie by beating Surbhi Misra 11-3, 11-6, 10-12, 11-4 -
spoiling the Indian's last day as a junior, as Misra turns 19 tomorrow!
Spurred on by the crowd, however, India's third string Anaka Alankamony
became the toast of the nation when she beat US hotshot Julie Cerullo
3-11, 11-5, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8 to give India the bronze medal - an impressive
improvement on their previous best-ever fourth place finish in 2003.
"It's a great achievement for India and a really good performance from the
girls," exclaimed team manager Major S Maniam.
"Dipika put in a sterling performance, as she has all week, but I thought we
might be in trouble against Amanda Sobhy, who had such a good win yesterday.
Surbhi has had a couple of hard matches but still played well.
"I
needed some fresh legs for the decider, which was why we played Anaka today. She
came back well after losing the first game, but seemed to hit the wall when she
was ahead in the fifth. The girls kept telling her "no pressure, no pressure",
and she finally pulled through.
"We
are all absolutely overjoyed with the best ever performance from an Indian team
in the world junior championships."
The
fifth place play-off produced a 2/0 win for Canada - and the team's best
performance in the event since 1997 - but losers England, champions five
times from 1987 to 2001, slumped to their worst finish ever.
Semi-finals:
[1] EGYPT bt [5] USA 2-1
Heba El Torky bt Olivia Blatchford 11-5, 11-6, 13-15, 11-7 (34m)
Nour El Sherbini lost to Amanda Sobhy 6-11, 6-11, 8-11 (22m)
Nour El Tayeb bt Julie Cerullo 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (17m)
[6] HONG KONG bt [2] INDIA 2-1
Liu Tsz-Ling lost to Dipika Pallikal 4-11, 12-10, 8-11, 6-11 (31m)
Tong Tsz-Wing bt Anwesha Reddy 12-10, 11-6, 11-8 (29m)
Carmen Lee bt Surbhi Misra 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 (40m)
5th - 8th place play-offs:
[7] ENGLAND bt [3] MALAYSIA 2-1
Millie Tomlinson bt Low Wee Nee 12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 14-12 (38m)
Kimberley Hay bt Tan Yan Xin 5-11, 12-14, 11-6, 12-10, 11-4 (45m)
Julianne Courtice lost to Nessrine Ariffin 8-11, 10-12 (14m)
[4] CANADA bt [8] NEW ZEALAND 3-0
Laura Gemmell bt Lana Harrison 7-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-9 (55m)
Samantha Cornett bt Amanda Landers-Murphy 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 (24m)
Jennifer Pelletier bt Emma Millar 11-8, 11-4
9th - 12th place play-offs:
[10] FRANCE bt [9] AUSTRALIA 2-1
Emilie Lamilango bt Sarah Cardwell 9-11, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5 (45m)
Cyrielle Peltier bt Tamika Saxby 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 3-11, 11-6 (38m)
Julia Lecoq lost to Christine Nunn 8-11, 6-11
[13] GERMANY bt [12] SOUTH AFRICA 2-1
Lisa-Marie Sedlmeier lost to Cheyna Tucker 4-11, 9-11, 11-4, 1-11 (23m)
Caroline Sayegh bt Robyn Baptiste 7-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4, 11-2 (34m)
Franziska Hennes bt Alexandra Fuller 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8 (43m)
13th - 16th place play-offs:
[11] NETHERLANDS bt [15] SPAIN 3-0
Ilona Lagerweij bt Ana Arosa Rodriguez 11-9, 11-3, 11-3 (24m)
Anne Jongerden bt Sara Esperon 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (15m)
Tessa ter Sluis bt Marina Lopez 11-8, 12-10 (12m)
[14] DENMARK bt [16] SWEDEN 2-1
Bine Lind bt Matilda Ravn-Holm 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 (28m)
Anna Sophie Jensen lost to Jennie Lindstrom 9-11, 7-11, 11-6, 8-11 (31m)
Millie Jensen bt Eira Mooney 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (19m)
Hong Kong
Oust Hosts To Reach World Final In Chennai
Sixth seeds Hong Kong continued their 'giant-killing' run in the
Women's World Junior Team Squash Championships when they upset hosts
India, the No2 seeds, in today's (Friday) semi-finals of the World Squash
Federation (WSF) championship at the Indian Squash Academy in
Chennai to reach the final for only the second time in the nation's history.
Indian star Dipika Pallikal, the second-highest-ranked player in the
tournament, delighted the crowd when she put the hosts in the lead with a
four-game win over Hong Kong number one Liu Tsz-Ling. But Hong Kong
number two Tong Tsz-Wing struck back to beat Anwesha Reddy 12-10,
11-6, 11-8 to level the tie - before third string Carmen Lee clinched the
shock win by beating India's Surbhi Misra 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 to put
Hong Kong into the final for the second time since 2005.
"I
just went on to win, I couldn't lose," the ecstatic 17-year-old said
afterwards. "I knew I had to break a leg to win this match - I lost to India in
the Asian Junior teams and I was just thinking I can't lose to them again.
"I
could hear the crowd shouting, but I knew the only way to keep them quiet was to
keep winning, not give them anything to cheer about," added Carmen Lee.
"It's unbelievable, we're 5/8 seeds, we shouldn't be in the final, but we are -
it's just impossible! We're not supposed to win tomorrow, but we'll try our
best!"
Hong
Kong will face defending champions Egypt - but the top seeds were given a
shock by fifth seeds USA when, after squad number one Heba El Torky
put the favourites ahead, New Yorker Amanda Sobhy came back to play the
game of her life to beat Egypt's new world junior individual champion Nour El
Sherbini 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 in just 22 minutes.
"Forget what I said about beating Laura Gemmell being my best match ever, I just
beat the World Champion!" gushed Sobhy, the 16-year-old left-hander who is
making her US debut in these world championships.
"Coming into the match I was sure I was going to get destroyed, so I didn't go
on with a plan, I just went on and played - and I never had so much fun on a
court in my life! I wasn't even getting nervous towards the end. Even if I'd
lost it would have been to the world champion, so there was no pressure."
Despite dropping their first match in the championship, Egypt soon restored
order when squad number three Nour El Tayeb, aged 16, defeated
18-year-old Julie Cerullo 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 in just 17 minutes. The win
puts Egypt, champions three times since 1999, into the final for the fourth time
in a row.
There was also a significant upset in the 5th-8th place play-offs when former
champions England beat third seeds Malaysia 2/1. It was a notable
outcome for the No7 seeds, whose winners Millie Tomlinson and
Kimberley Hay both beat higher-ranked opponents - Low Wee Nee and
Tan Yan Xin, respectively - to record England's unexpected result.
The
2001 champions have the chance to repeat last year's fifth place finish in the
play-off for fifth place against Canada, the fourth seeds who beat eighth
seeds New Zealand 3/0.
Final line-up:
[1]
EGYPT v [6] HONG KONG
3rd place play-off:
[2]
INDIA v [5] USA
5th place play-off:
[4]
CANADA v [7] ENGLAND
7th place play-off:
[3]
MALAYSIA v [8] NEW ZEALAND
9th place play-off:
[10]
FRANCE v [13] GERMANY
11th place play-off:
[9]
AUSTRALIA v [12] SOUTH AFRICA
13th place play-off:
[11]
NETHERLANDS v [14] DENMARK
15th place play-off:
[15]
SPAIN v [16] SWEDEN
Quarter-finals:
[1] EGYPT bt
[3] MALAYSIA 3-0
Nour El
Sherbini bt Tan Yan Xin 9-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-1 (27m)
Heba El
Torky bt Low Wee Nee 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 (16m)
Nour El
Tayeb bt Nessrine Ariffin 11-1, 11-9 (10m)
[5] USA bt [7]
ENGLAND 2-1
Amanda Sobhy
lost to Kimberley Hay 8-11, 10-12, 9-11 (21m)
Olivia
Blatchford bt Millie Tomlinson 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 (31m)
Julie
Cerullo bt Rachael Chadwick 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 (25m)
[6] HONG KONG
bt [8] NEW ZEALAND 3-0
Tong Tsz-Wing
bt Amanda Landers-Murphy 7-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 (36m)
Liu Tsz-Ling
bt Lana Harrison 12-10, 11-9, 12-10 (32m)
Carmen Lee
bt Emma Millar 11-7, 11-9 (14m)
[2] INDIA bt
[4] CANADA 2-1
Anwesha
Reddy lost to Samantha Cornett 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 2-11 (30m)
Dipika
Pallikal bt Laura Gemmell 11-8, 11-3, 11-9 (28m)
Surbhi Misra
bt Jennifer Pelletier 13-11, 11-8, 3-11, 11-6 (34m)
9th - 16th
place play-offs:
[9] AUSTRALIA
bt [15] SPAIN 3-0
Tamika Saxby
bt Sara Esperon 12-10, 11-8, 11-3 (21m)
Sarah
Cardwell bt Ana Arosa Rodriguez 5-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (27m)
Rheanne
Niebling bt Marina Lopez 11-8, 11-6 (12m)
[10] FRANCE bt
[11] NETHERLANDS 3-0
Cyrielle
Peltier bt Ilona Lagerweij 11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-6 (35m)
Emilie
Lamilango bt Milou van der Heijden 10-12, 11-6, 12-10, 11-9 (40m)
Julia Lecoq
bt Anne Jongerden 11-9, 11-5 (13m)
[12] SOUTH
AFRICA bt [16] SWEDEN 3-0
Alexandra
Fuller bt Jennie Lindstrom 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (18m)
Robyn
Baptiste bt Matilda Ravn-Holm 10-12, 11-7, 11-4, 12-10 (28m)
Elani
Landman bt Eira Mooney 11-4, 11-6 (11m)
[13] GERMANY
bt [14] DENMARK 3-0
Caroline
Sayegh bt Anna Sophie Jensen 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 (22m)
Lisa-Marie
Sedlmeier bt Bine Lind 10-12, 11-3, 11-9, 11-4 (29m)
Franziska
Hennes bt Millie Jensen 11-4, 11-4 (11m)
USA & Hong
Kong March Into World Semi-Finals In Chennai
USA
and Hong
Kong - fifth and sixth seeds, respectively - claimed places in the
semi-finals of the Women's World Junior Team Squash Championships after
convincing victories in the quarter-finals at the Indian Squash Academy
in Chennai, India.
In what is
almost certainly the first ever team squash win by USA over England, the fifth
seeds defeated former champions England 2/1 - with 18-year-old New Yorker
Julie Cerullo winning the important decider for the second time in 24 hours
by beating Rachael Chadwick, from Cheshire, 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 in a
tense 25-minute clash.
“It’s very
exciting – in all my years playing for the US we never managed to beat Canada or
England, and now we’ve beaten them both in two days," exclaimed an excited US
team manager Meredith Quick afterwards. "They were both great wins but
this one is especially good.
"The girls
played incredibly tough. England came out strong and the girls had to work hard
to get through. Julie was tremendous in the decider - it’s always hard to play
last but she’s had to do it two days in a row now and pulled us through both
times."
Hong Kong,
winners of the title in 2005, despatched eighth seeds New Zealand 3/0 -
with 17-year-old Tong Tsz-Wing recovering from a game down to beat Kiwi
number two Amanda Landers-Murphy 7-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 to put the former
champions in the driving seat.
"It’s an
outstanding result for Hong Kong, it’s what you dream about," said former Hong
Kong Squash chief Heather Deayton. "All of our players are kids who have
come through our Junior Development Programme, so it’s obviously working!
They’re taking over from the group that won us the title in 2005 in Belgium -
this is the next generation.
"Joey [Chan]
and Annie [Au] have gone on to perform well at the senior level, and I’m sure
these players can do the same," added the World Squash Federation Vice
President.
Hosts India
are in a strong position to record their best finish ever after beating fourth
seeds Canada 2/1. The second-seeded squad fought back after dropping the
opening match when Dipika Pallikal, the 17-year-old from Chennai who had
been favourite to take the individual crown, beat Canadian number one Laura
Gemmell 11-8, 11-3, 11-9.
Squad number
three Surbhi Misra clinched victory for India with a 13-11, 11-8, 3-11,
11-6 win over Canadian Jennifer Pelletier in 34 minutes.
"It became a
bit closer than we expected, but in the end the girls played well to come
through," said Indian team manager Major Maniam. "Dipika did what we
expected of her, and Surbhi played well in the decider. Jennifer played
brilliant squash, she hung in well, but my girl had a bit more in the end, it
was her finishing shots that made the difference."
Indian
National Coach Cyrus Poncha added: "It was 2003 in Egypt that we last
made the semi-finals with a very good team. Now this team has at least emulated
them, and with three of the four coming through the academy, we must be doing
something right!"
New world
junior champion Nour El Sherbini led title-holders Egypt to a 3/0
win over third seeds Malaysia. The 13-year-old squash sensation beat
Tan Yan Xin 9-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-1 in 27 minutes. Squash number one Heba
El Torky put the result beyond doubt after an 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 win over
Malaysian top string Low Wee Nee.
Semi-final
line-up:
[1] EGYPT v
[5] USA
[2] INDIA v
[6] HONG KONG
5th - 8th place play-offs:
[3] MALAYSIA v
[7] ENGLAND
[4] CANADA v
[8] NEW ZEALAND
9th - 12th place play-offs:
[9] AUSTRALIA
v [10] FRANCE
[13] GERMANY v
[12] SOUTH AFRICA
13th - 16th place play-offs:
[11]
NETHERLANDS v [15] SPAIN
[14] DENMARK v [16] SWEDEN
Final
qualifying rounds
- Pool A:
[9]
AUSTRALIA bt [16] SWEDEN 3-0
Tamika
Saxby bt Jennie Lindstrom 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 (21m)
Sarah
Cardwell bt Matilda Ravn-Holm 13-11, 11-7, 11-2 (19m)
Christine
Nunn bt Eira Mooney 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 (19m)
[1]
EGYPT bt [8] NEW ZEALAND 3-0
Nour El
Sherbini bt Amanda Landers-Murphy 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (18m)
Heba El
Torky bt Lana Harrison 11-4, 11-1, 11-7 (18m)
Nouran El
Torky bt Emma Millar 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (28m)
Final positions: 1 Egypt, 2 New Zealand, 3 Australia, 4 Sweden
Pool B:
[13]
GERMANY bt [10] FRANCE 2-1
Caroline
Sayegh bt Cyrielle Peltier 11-8, 8-11, 15-13, 5-11, 11-7 (50m)
Lisa-Marie Sedlmeier lost to Emilie Lamilango 9-11, 9-11, 12-10, 9-11 (33m)
Franziska
Hennes bt Julia Lecoq 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9 (26m)
[2]
INDIA bt [7] ENGLAND 3-0
Surbhi
Misra bt Kimberley Hay 11-9, 11-3, 11-7 (20m)
Dipika
Pallikal bt Millie Tomlinson 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 (23m)
Anaka
Alankamony bt Julianne Courtice 15-13, 8-11, 14-12, 9-11, 11-7 (49m)
Final positions: 1 India, 2 England, 3 Germany, 4 France
Pool C:
[11]
NETHERLANDS bt [14] DENMARK 2-1
Ilona
Lagerweij bt Anna Sophie Jensen 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 (20m)
Milou van
der Heijden bt Bine Lind 12-10, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5 (27m)
Tessa ter
Sluis lost to Millie Jensen 11-5, 11-6, 13-15, 10-12, 6-11 (43m)
[6] HONG
KONG bt [3] MALAYSIA 3-0
Tong Tsz-Wing
bt Tan Yan Xin 11-7, 7-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6 (54m)
Liu Tsz-Ling
bt Low Wee Nee 11-9, 11-7, 11-7 (28m)
Carmen
Lee bt Nessrine Ariffin 15-13, 11-6, 11-9 (25m)
Final positions: 1 Hong Kong, 2 Malaysia, 3 Netherlands, 4 Denmark
Pool D:
[5] USA
bt [4] CANADA 2-1
Amanda
Sobhy bt Samantha Cornett 7-11, 11-13, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8 (38m)
Olivia
Blatchford lost to Laura Gemmell 5-11, 12-14, 5-11 (34m)
Julie
Cerullo bt Jennifer Pelletier 11-5, 13-11, 14-12 (27m)
[12]
SOUTH AFRICA bt [15] SPAIN 3-0
Robyn
Baptiste bt Sara Esperon 11-3, 11-9, 11-2 (14m)
Cheyna
Tucker bt Ana Arosa Rodriguez 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (20m)
Alexandra
Fuller bt Marina Lopez 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 (17m)
Final positions: 1 USA, 2 Canada, 3 South Africa, 4 Spain
Hong Kong Lead Upsets On Final
Qualifying Day In Chennai
Hong
Kong caused the biggest upset in the
final qualifying rounds of the Women's World Junior Team Squash Championships
when they beat third seeds Malaysia 3/0 at the Indian Squash Academy
in Chennai.
Both teams
had already assured themselves of places in Thursday's quarter-finals, but sixth
seeds Hong Kong, Pool C winners, will now face New Zealand, the No8
seeds, with a better chance of a surprise place in the semi-finals.
There was
also an upset in Pool D where fifth seeds USA shocked North American
rivals Canada, the fourth seeds, 2/1 - with Julie Cerullo
clinching the decider with an 11-5, 13-11, 14-12 win over Canadian Jennifer
Pelletier.
Hosts
India justified their elevation to second seeds in the tournament with a
decisive 3/0 win over former champions England in Pool B. India go on to
line up against Canada in the quarter-finals - while seventh seeds England face
USA.
Defending
champions Egypt coasted to success in Pool A with a 3/0 triumph over New
Zealand. The favourites now face unexpected opponents Malaysia in the last
eight.
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] EGYPT v
[3] MALAYSIA
[5] USA v
[7] ENGLAND
[6] HONG
KONG v [8] NEW ZEALAND
[2] INDIA v
[4] CANADA
9th
- 16th place play-offs:
[9]
AUSTRALIA v [15] SPAIN
[11]
NETHERLANDS v [10] FRANCE
[12] SOUTH
AFRICA v [16] SWEDEN
[13]
GERMANY v [14] DENMARK
| 
