Whitlock Wins Title No.4
Four in Madison, USEmily
Whitlock won her fourth WSA World Tour
title yesterday after beating Victoria Lust in the Tour10
Madison Open in the US.
The 18-year-old Englishwoman played to her top seeding by defeating
qualifier Antonella Falcione and fellow Englishwoman
Carrie Ramsey in the opening rounds, both in straight games.
Last month’s British Junior Under 19 Champion then ended the run of
giant-killing qualifier Habiba Mohamed Ahmed Alymohmed, who
in her third ever WSA event, dispatched fifth and third seeds
Deon Saffrey and Megan Craig. Astonishingly aged just
13-years-old, Alymohmed claimed both scalps in five-games, but was
unable to repeat the feat in the semi-finals and Whitlock sent the
Egyptian home after a four-game win.
In the final she faced another English compatriot, Victoria Lust.
The 23-year-old winner of last month’s NSA Fall Classic in Toronto
was yet to drop a game entering the final, but had seen off a
tiebreak game in each of her previous matches. USA’s Sabrina
Sobhy was dispatched in the first round, followed by England’s
Zephanie Curgenven in the quarters and Orla Noom of
the Netherlands in the semi-final.
Playing her 14th WSA final, the older finalist sprung an early lead
on Whitlock, as the younger player failed to mount a threat. This
was reversed in the second game, as Whitlock came back at her
compatriot with a dominant display, shutting out Lust’s attempts to
hold her lead. A narrower third game saw both players tested, but
it was the teenager who showed a steadier nerve to take the lead,
before ending the contest in the fourth game.
Neither player is due to appear in the Cayman Islands World Open
later this month, but Whitlock is seeded first in the Colwyn
Classic in Wales at the end of Decemer.
Final:
[1] Emily Whitlock
(ENG) bt [2] Victoria Lust (ENG) 4-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-6
Semi-finals:
[1] Emily Whitlock
(ENG) bt [Q] Habiba MA Alymohmed (EGY) 6-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5
[2] Victoria Lust
(ENG) bt [4] Orla Noom (NED) 12-10, 11-3, 11-6
Quarter-finals:
[1] Emily Whitlock
(ENG) bt [6] Carrie Ramsey (ENG) 11-7, 11-4, 11-1
[Q] Habiba MA
Alymohmed (EGY) bt [3] Megan Craig (NZL) 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 7-11,
11-2
[4] Orla Noom (NED) bt
[8] Celia Allamargot (FRA) 11-6, 11-4, 11-9
[2] Victoria Lust
(ENG) bt [7] Zephanie Curgenven (ENG) 12-10, 11-4, 11-9
First Round:
[1] Emily Whitlock
(ENG) bt [Q] Antonella Falcione (ARG) 11-2, 11-1, 11-3
[6] Carrie Ramsey
(ENG) bt [Q] Salma Nassar (EGY) 11-9, 11-9, 11-9
[3] Megan Craig (NZL)
bt Julia Lecoq (FRA)11-9, 11-1, 11-8
[Q] Habiba MA
Alymohmed (EGY) bt [5] Deon Saffery (WAL) 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4,
11-5
[8] Celia Allamargot (FRA)
bt Alix Younger (CAN) 8-11, 14-12, 8-11, 12-10, 11-3
[4] Orla Noom (NED) bt
[Q] Cyrielle Peltier (FRA) 11-8, 11-2, 4-11, 11-9
[7] Zephanie Curgenven
(ENG) bt Cecelia Cortes (USA) 11-4, 11-2, 5-11, 11-7
[2] Victoria Lust
(ENG) bt Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 11-9, 14-12, 11-6