World Junior Championships Hasta La Vista Club
Wroclaw, Poland
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El
Sherbini World Hat-Trick Makes Squash History In Poland
Egyptian
teenager Nour El Sherbini has become the world's most successful
junior squash player of all-time after winning the WSF Women's World
Junior Championship title for a record third time.
Victory
over compatriot Mariam Ibrahim Metwally in the final of the World
Squash Federation event at the Hasta La Vista Club in the
historic city of Wroclaw in Poland sees the 17-year-old from
Alexandria extend the previous women's double record set by the reigning
world number one Nicol David in 2001, and the twin-title men's record
established by Ramy Ashour - also the current world number one - in
2006.
There was
an upset in the men's final - also an all-Egyptian affair - when No2 seed
Karim Ayman Elhammamy beat favourite Fares Mohamed Dessouki in
four games to keep the trophy in Egyptian hands for the eighth year in a
row.
El
Sherbini is no stranger to record-breaking achievements in the sport: In
August 2009 in India - in her maiden appearance in the World U19
championship - the unheralded 13-year-old swept through the field to become
the youngest world champion ever.
Two years
later she won the Alexandria International Open in her home city to
become the first U16-year-old to win two WSA World Tour titles.
And, after
winning her second World Junior crown a year ago in Qatar, El Sherbini
became the first player to reach a fourth world junior final on Saturday
after success in the semi-finals in Wroclaw.
The
championship favourite reached the final without losing a game - and faced
surprise opponent Metwally, a 5/8 seed to whom she had dropped a game in the
2012 quarter-finals.
Metwally,
a year younger than Sherbini, had reached her maiden final after upsets over
No2 seed Nouran Ahmed Gohar and last year's runner-up Yathreb Adel,
a 3/4 seed.
But El
Sherbini, ranked 11 in the world, could not be stopped: It took just 34
minutes for the 17-year-old to fulfil her dream, beating Metwally 11-7,
16-14, 11-8 to take the title.
The men's
final brought together the event's top two seeds - with top-seeded Dessouki
not only boasting a world ranking more than 200 places above his opponent,
but a victory over Elhammamy in January's British Junior U19 Open
en-route to winning the prestigious title.
But, in a
fittingly dramatic climax to the world individual championships in Wroclaw,
underdog Elhammamy clinched the title 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 13-11 after 83
minutes.
"I've seen
a lot of squash: PSA, senior team event, everything. But this - this was
just something else," said the Poland Team coach Marcin Kozik
afterwards. "These boys flew around the court. What they did there tonight
was crazy and I absolutely loved it!"
Women's
final:
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [5/8] Mariam Ibrahim Metwally (EGY)
11-7, 16-14, 11-8 (34m)
Click on images for larger view
Karim
Ayman Elhammamy and Nour El Sherbini Nour El
Sherbini Victory over compatriot Mariam Ibrahim Metwally
Karim Ayman Elhammamy beat favourite Fares Mohamed Dessouki
World
Championships To Climax In Egyptian Double In Poland
For the
third year in a row, all-Egyptian finals will bring the WSF World Junior
Squash Championships to a climax after more than 160 players have
battled over the past five days in the men's and women's World Squash
Federation events at the Hasta La Vista Club in the historical
city of Wroclaw in Poland.
"I'm very
excited to be in the final as it is my first World Juniors final," said the
jubilant second seed Karim Ayman Elhammamy after beating England's
5/8 seed Richie Fallows 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5 in the hour-long first
men's semi-final.
"He's a
great player," added the 17-year-old from Cairo of his London-based
opponent.
Elhammamy,
the reigning US Junior U19 Open champion, now faces Alexandria-based
Fares Mohamed Dessouki after the top seed defeated 5/8 seed
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi - the first Qatari ever to reach the event's last
four - 11-4, 12-10, 11-7 in 36 minutes.
"It's a
new and very special feeling for me as my previous best was playing in the
quarterfinals," said 18-year-old Dessouki.
"I will
play a player I know very well, which will be tough, but it should also make
for a great match," admitted the 2013 British Junior U19 Open
champion.
History
was made in the women's event when Nour El Sherbini beat fellow
Egyptian Habiba Mohamed Ahmed Alymohmed 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 in 31
minutes to become the first player ever to reach a world junior championship
final for a fourth time.
"I'm
really happy to play in my fourth World Juniors final," said the victorious
17-year-old from Alexandria.
It was an
impressive performance, however, from 9/16 seed Mohamed - a 14-year-old from
El Sherbini's home city who will no doubt be looking to emulate her
compatriot's remarkable record over the next four years.
El
Sherbini will now take on fellow countrywoman Mariam Ibrahim Metwally
in a bid to make yet a further entry in the world squash record books - as
the first ever winner of three world junior titles.
Metwally,
a 5/8 seed, produced the day's only upset when she overcame 3/4 seed
Yathreb Adel 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 13-11 in 64 minutes.
Mariam Ibrahim
Metwally produced the day's only upset when she overcame 3/4 seed
Yathreb Adel Karim Ayman
Elhammamy after beating England's 5/8 seed Richie Fallows Nour El Sherbini
beat fellow Egyptian Habiba Mohamed Ahmed Alymohmed Fares Mohamed
Dessouki after the top seed defeated 5/8 seed Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi
Fallows &
Al Tamimi In Bid To Stop Egyptian Double In Poland
Only
Englishman Richie Fallows and Qatar's Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi
stand in the way of an Egyptian double in the WSF World Junior Squash
Championships in Poland after today's quarter-final action in the
World Squash Federation event at the Hasta La Vista Club in
the historical city of Wroclaw.
Fallows, a
5/8 seed and runner-up in the recent European Junior Championship,
claimed an unexpected place in the semi-finals after twice coming from
behind to beat Egypt's Mohamed El Gawarhy 7-11, 11-4, 11-13, 11-8,
11-9 in 80 minutes - the longest match of the tournament so far.
"It was a
really tight game which almost slipped away from me," said the 18-year-old
Londoner afterwards. "I think God was on my side today, especially when I
think about that backhand shot that went off my frame and helped me win the
point at nine-all in the fifth!
"Who would
I rather play in the semis? Nobody really. At this stage it's always
anybody's game."
Fallows
now faces Karim Ayman Elhammamy, the second-seeded Egyptian who ended
Kuwait's historic run in the championship when he recovered from a game down
to remove 5/8 seed Yousif Nizar Saleh 9-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7.
"Losing
the first game was disappointing, but I was still getting into the game,"
said Elhammamy. "I'm that sort of player who gets better as the match
progresses. I play Richie (Fallows) in the semis, who I've never met before.
We'll see how it goes."
Al Tamimi
is also seeded in the 5/8 group - and was also marking his country's debut
appearance at the last eight stage of the championship. The Doha teenager
ended English schoolboy Lyell Fuller's run by beating the unseeded
17-year-old 12-10, 11-8, 11-6.
The
18-year-old Qatari faces his sternest test when he takes on Egypt's Fares
Mohamed Dessouki for a place in the final. Favourite Dessouki stopped
5/8 seed Diego Elias, Peru's first ever competitor in the
championship, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4 in 65 minutes.
But the
biggest upset came in the women's event when Mariam Ibrahim Metwally
ousted Egyptian compatriot Nouran Ahmed Gohar, the No2 seed, 7-11,
11-7, 11-5, 11-13, 11-8 in 74 minutes.
"I
actually have a rather good record against Nouran Gohar," explained the
victorious 5/8 seed later. "I've played her perhaps 20 times in Egypt, not
losing many of these, and I beat her in a tournament two weeks ago, 3/1.
"Today I
could repeat that, having match point at 2/1 up, but I let that chance slip
and she won the game. Luckily I wasn't made to rue that later on," added the
16-year-old.
"Why
wasn't I celebrating at the end? I was in a bit of pain because of cramp in
my foot which I got at 8-5. I somehow managed to get through anyway!"
Metwally
now takes on fellow countrywoman Yathreb Adel, a 3/4 seed who needed
only 25 minutes to overcome Belgium's Nele Gilis 11-4, 11-5, 11-1.
The other
women's semi will also be a surprise all-Egyptian affair between favourite
Nour El Sherbini and 9/16 seed Habiba Mohamed Ahmed Alymohmed.
El
Sherbini, now one match away from her fourth final appearance since 2009,
beat compatriot Salma Hany Ibrahim 11-9, 11-3, 11-6, while
14-year-old Alymohmed upset USA's 3/4 seed Sabrina Sobhy 11-7, 11-7,
11-8.
"I never
played Salma Ibrahim Ahmed in a competitive match before even though we
often play exhibition matches," said El Sherbini, the world No11,
afterwards. "I think I did good, I'm quite satisfied with my performance.
"Tomorrow
I play the young Habiba Mohamed whom I've also never faced before. We're
from the same city, but from different clubs."
A
confident Habiba Mohamed denied being nervous about her semi against fellow
Alexandrian El Sherbini - and not surprised by today's win: "Was I expecting
the win? Perhaps a bit yesterday and much more today. It's a big deal as I'm
younger than her and at only 14 years I'm in the semis!
"Am I
nervous? Not at all. Why should I be? There's no pressure on me from now
on."
Click on images for
larger view
Metwaly (5/8), Egy
beats Gohar (2), Egy
Dessouki (1),Egy in great match beats Elias (5/8), Peru
Fallows, Eng
beats Gwarhy, Egy
Men's
semi-final line-up:
[1] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) v [5/8] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi
(QAT)
[2] Karim Ayman Elhammamy (EGY) v [5/8] Richie Fallows (ENG)
Women's
semi-final line-up:
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [9/16] Habiba Mohamed Ahmed Alymohmed
(EGY)
[5/8] Mariam Ibrahim Metwally (EGY) v [3/4] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
RESULTS: WSF World Junior Squash Championships, Wroclaw,
Poland
Egyptians
Dominate World Championships Quarter-Finals In
Poland
After a further day of action in the WSF World Junior Squash
Championships in Poland, Egypt has reinforced its
status as the powerhouse nation of junior world squash by securing
three places in the men's quarter-finals and six slots in the
women's last eight of the World Squash Federation
championships at the Hasta La Vista Club in the historical
city of Wroclaw.
Top seed Fares Mohamed Dessouki(right) reached the
men's quarter-finals for the second successive year after beating
Pakistan's 9/16 seed Tayyab Aslam 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 in 54
minutes.
RESULTS: WSF World Junior Squash Championships, Wroclaw,
Poland
4th round:
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Sachika Ingale (IND)
11-1, 11-3, 11-1 (21m)
[5/8] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY) bt [9/16] Ho Ka Po (HKG)
11-2, 11-5, 11-8 (31m)
[9/16] Habiba Mohamed Ahmed Alymohmed (EGY) bt [5/8]
Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) 13-11, 11-3, 11-6 (33m)
[3/4] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt [9/16] Nada Elkalaawy
(ENG) 7-11, 11-2, 11-8, 13-11 (39m)
[3/4] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Lily Taylor (ENG) 11-2,
11-4, 6-11, 11-3 (26m)
[5/8] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Anna Kimberley (ENG) 11-6,
9-11, 11-9, 11-8 (47m)
[5/8] Mariam Ibrahim Metwally (EGY) bt Maria Elena Ubina
(USA) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 (22m)
[2] Nouran Ahmed Gohar (EGY) bt Rebecca Barnett (NZL)
11-3, 11-2, 11-3 (19m)
Britons
Lead Upsets In World Junior Championships In Poland
After
two rounds of men's action in the WSF World Junior Squash
Championships today in the Polish city of Wroclaw,
unseeded Britons Angus Gillams, Lyell Fuller and
Joel Makin joined Egyptian Omar Elatmas in securing
unexpected places in the last 16 round at the new 20-court Hasta
La Vista Club.
Englishman Gillams, a 17-year-old from Hertfordshire, survived his
second five-game match of the day by upsetting Switzerland's 9/16
seed Robin Gadola 4-11, 13-11, 11-3, 11-13, 11-5.
Fuller, a 17-year-old Englishman from Devon, followed a five-game
win over senior US international Dylan Murray by taking out
18-year-old Indian Rishi Tandon 11-4, 11-5, 12-14, 11-7.
Elatmas took four games to see off Israeli 9/16 seed Daniel
Poleshchuk 11-7, 10-12, 11-8, 11-3. The 17-year-old now faces
second-seeded compatriot Karim Ayman Elhammamy, who defeated
Argentina's Federico Cioffi 11-6, 11-7, 11-4.
Top seed Fares Mohamed Dessouki also had a straightforward
win, beating Swiss opponent Remo Handl 11-2, 11-4, 11-2.
There were no notable surprises in today's second round of the
women's event. Egyptian favourite Nour El Sherbini brushed
aside Belgium's Tinne Gilis 11-7, 11-8, 11-3.
There was better news for the Gilis family, however, when Nele
Gilis - a 5/8 seed - beat Canadian Alison Richmond 11-5,
11-1, 11-6 to claim her anticipated place in the third round.
France's 17-year-old Marie Stephan gave herself a
confidence-boosting place in the next round when she defeated Sue
Ann Yong 11-4, 11-8, 14-12 - avenging her defeat to the
18-year-old Malaysian in last week's Dutch Junior Open final
in Amsterdam!
RESULTS: WSF World Junior Squash Championships, Wroclaw,
Poland
World
Junior Championships Highlight
Global Reach Of Squash
The growing reach of Squash around the world has never been more
emphatically demonstrated than by the seeding for next month's
WSF World Junior Squash Championships in Poland.
The top eight seeds for the men's event hail from seven different
nations and four separate continents - with players from Jordan
and Qatar seeded in the elite group for the first time in the
U19 event's 33-year history, and 16-year-old 5/8 seed Diego Elias
becoming the event's first ever representative from
Peru.
More than 150 players from a record 37 nations will compete in the
2013 Men's & Women's World Junior Individual Championships
and the Women's World Junior Team Championship at the new
15-court Hasta La Vista Club in Wroclaw from 16-27
July - the event's first staging in Poland.
The three titles are expected to remain in Egyptian hands, however.
Fares Mohamed Dessouki is the men's favourite, whilst a
historic first is predicted of the top women's seed Nour El
Sherbini.
The 17-year-old from Alexandria - who became the sport's youngest
ever world champion in 2009 by winning the title aged just 13 - is
now set to outdo greats like world number ones Nicol David
and Ramy Ashour by claiming the title for an unprecedented
third time!
Egypt
is also seeded to win the biennial world junior team title for the
fourth time in a row - in a further first for successive titles.
"This breadth of challengers for our world titles really is very
global," said World Squash Federation President N Ramachandran.
"It clearly demonstrates how many countries have worked hard on
their junior programmes. I am delighted to see this. The result is
that these World Juniors promise to be more exciting than ever."
