Individual Event, 17-22

Kawy with her brother & father

22-Aug
KAWY FULFILLS HER
DESTINY IN CAIRO

Final:
Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) bt Amnah El Trabolsy (Egy)
      9-0, 9-6, 9-4 (23m)

Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy proved without doubt that she is truly on a level of her own when she crushed compatriot Amnah El Trabolsy in straight games in just 23 minutes in the final of the Women's World Junior Squash Championships in her hometown of Cairo.

Despite only celebrating her 18th birthday seven days earlier, Omneya is already a 'veteran' of the WISPA World Tour, boasting two final and three semi-final appearances on the 'senior' international circuit and currently a world ranking of 12.

The final was a one-side affair, with the hot favourite taking the first game with ease without dropping a point. In the second, 3/4 seed El Trabolsy led 4-0, but Omneya refocused to take the next six points and then the game 9-6. The third game was fast and Omneya quickly wrapped up the match, and the long-awaited title, 9-0 9-6 9-4.

Abdel Kawy, Egypt's first winner of the title in the event's 22-year history, received her trophy jointly from Jahangir Khan, President of the World Squash Federation (WSF), and Egypt's Minister of Youth and Sports.

The world title crowns a remarkable association with the Women's World Junior Championships for Egyptian superstar Omneya Abdel Kawy. At just 11 years old, she made her debut for Egypt in the 1997 championships in Rio de Janeiro. Two years later, she reached the semi-finals of the individual event and led Egypt to a historic first-time team title with victory over title-holders England in the final in Belgium Then two years ago, in Malaysia, Omneya was runner-up to Malaysia's Nicol David in the final in Penang.

Following the presentations in Cairo, the World Junior Team event was declared open by His Excellency the Minister of Youth after all the teams marched in a parade. After a rest day, the team event begins on Sunday. Egypt, boasting all four semi-finalists in the individual event, are favourites, with title-holders England seeded two.

"Words cannot express the feelings I have now after being the world junior champion," said Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy after winning the Women's World Junior Individual Championship in her hometown of Cairo. "I feel on top of the world, but of course I am grateful to my parents, family, coaches and my sponsor El-Rashidi, and last but not least, all the Egyptian people that supported me."

Asked when she first thought she could become a world champion, Omneya said: "It all started when we won the World Junior Team Championship in 1999 in Belgium. That is when I realised that it is possible to win the individuals as well. The feelings we all had after being world team champions in 1999 was wonderful and fulfilling.

Two years later, when I lost my individual final against Nicol David in Malaysia 2001, was when I decided that I should win the World Junior Championship so I started working very hard for it. My fear to lose for the second time pushed me to practice more.”
 

 
TEAM EVENT, 24-28 Aug
 
Team Draws & Results
 

The Egyptian team

• Full Individual Draw
    
• Official site from Egypt
   
• Egypt squashes World
• Evolution of Egyptian Squash
  from Al Ahram Weekly
     
• Full details from 2001
• Full event history (pdf)

Women's World Juniors 2003

[1] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy)
  9-2, 9-0, 9-0 (16m)
[9/16] Kyla Grigg (Can)

Sara Badr

 9-0, 9-6, 9-4 (23m)

Amnah El Trabolsy

 5-9, 9-1, 5-9, 9-7, 9-7 (52m)

Nehal Yehia

21-Aug
Kawy to face El Trabolsy in Final

After the first ever all-Egyptian semi-final line-up in the Women's World Junior Squash Championships, top seed Omneya Abdel Kawy and 3/4 seed Amnah El Trabolsy will now face each other in the final in Cairo as Egypt prepares to claim the title for the first time in the event's 22-year history.

As powerful and dominant as ever, world No12 Omneya Abdel Kawy crushed her opponent Sara Badr, a 5/8 seed, 9-0 9-4 9-0 in just 29 minutes to reach her second successive final. Runner-up two years ago in Penang to Malaysia's Nicol David, the remarkable 18-year-old from Cairo has not conceded a game so far - and reached the semi-finals of the event in Belgium in 1999 when just 13 years old!

Kawy's final opponent Amnah El Trabolsy had a significantly tougher ride through to her first final. Twice behind in games, El Trabolsy was 0-4 down to 9/16 seed Nehal Yehia in the fifth game of the other semi-final, but fought back to clinch the match 5-9 9-1 5-9 9-7 9-7 in 52 minutes.

It was one match too far for the brave Yehia, who made her breakthrough in the event by upsetting Australia's No2 seed Kasey Brown, then survived a five-game semi-final against England's Lauren Siddall.

---

20-Aug
All-Egyptian semis in Cairo
Two Egyptians lost today in the quarter-finals of the Women's World Junior Championships, but Raneem El Weleily and Hend Osama both lost to compatriots, guaranteeing all-Egyptian semi-finals and an Egyptian champion.

Hot favourite Omneya Abdel Kawy, already ranked twelve in the world, cruised past India's Joshna Chinappa, and meets Sara Badr, the 3/4 seed who recovered after losing the first game against Raneem El Welily to make the semi-finals.

Egypt's other 3/4 seed, Amnah El Trabolsy, was stretched all the way by Hend Osama, eventually clinching a 9-7 win in the fifth.

To complete the all-Egyptian line-up, Nehal Yehia scored the closest victory of the night, squeezing past England's Lauren Siddall 10-8 in the fifth in an hour's play.

19-Aug
Egyptians run riot in Cairo
Egypt dominated the last 16 stage of the individual event in Cairo, providing no less than six of the eight quarter-finalists.

Top seed and hot favourite Omneya Abdel Kawy needed just 16 minutes to advance to the quarter-finals at the expense of Canada's Kyla Grigg, and meets India's Joshna Chinappa for a place in the semi-finals.

The middle section of the draw features two All-Egyptian quarter-finals in Sara Badr v Raneem El Weilily and Amnah El Trabolsy v Hend Osama - Osama scored a sensational 9-7 in the fifth victory over England's 3/4 seed Susie Pierrepont, the Egyptian was less nervous than her opponent and played wonderful short balls, often wrong-footing the reigning European Junior Champion

England's Lauren Siddall provides the only realistic chance of preventing all-Egyptian semi-finals. The Pontefract girl squeezed past Canada's giant-killer Miranda Ranieri in five games, and in the bottom quarter now faces Nihal Yehia, who completed an upset victory over Australia's second seed Kasey Brown, who, according to Austaliia's Inform Connection, has been suffering with a gastro infection. Brown took the opening game, but then offered little further resistance as Yehia raced to a 2-9 9-1 9-0 9-1 victory in 33 minutes.

"With six Egyptian players in the quarter finals, this is the moment I've been waiting for for 10 years," said leading Egyptian official Dr Samiha Aboulmagd. "Now all of Egypt can watch their girls on top. This is great for ladies squash in Egypt and it is certain to increase the number of lady players. Now the ring is complete," added Aboulmagd.

18-Aug
Ranieri Run Continues in Cairo
Canada's Miranda Ranieri followed up her opening day upset of 5/8 seed Margaux Moros-Pitarch with a 7-9, 9-7, 9-7, 3-9, 9-2 win over Scotland's Lauren Gray, and now faces England's Lauren Siddall in today's last 16.

The only other unseeded players in the last 16 face each other - Egypt's Hend Osama beat 9/16 seed Katherine McLeoeud in three, bringing the host nation up to six of the last 16, while India's Vaidehi Reddy shocked English 5/8 hope Emma Beddoes 9-7, 9-4, 2-9, 9-6.

Top seed and overwhelming favourite Omneya Abdel Kawy cruised into the last 16, dropping just six points, but Australia's second seed Kasey Brown suffered a fright, needing 69 minutes to overcome Malaysia's Lim Yoke Wah 9-6, 2-9, 5-9, 9-2, 5-9.

Team Champions:
Australia  1985, 1993, 1995;  Egypt  1999;  England  1987, 1989, 1991, 1997, 2001

WORLD'S BEST JUNIORS
HEAD FOR CAIRO
Cairo is the venue for the biennial World Junior Women's Squash Championships 2003, organised by the World Squash Federation.

The 2001 event saw a home winner in the individual event as Malaysia's Nicol David delighted a massive crowd in Penang to win the world title for a second time.

This year the Cairo crowd will be cheering on Egypt's own Omneya Abdel Kawy, who, as winner of the last three British Junior Opens, runner-up to David in 2001, and current world number 12, starts a hot favourite for the title.

In the 16-nation team event defending champions England, who beat Malaysia in the 2001 final thanks to a comeback from Laura-Jane Lengthorn from 0-2, 2-7 in the deciding match, will face stern competition from the home team.

The individual runs from 17th to 22nd August, with the 23rd being a rest day before the team event starts. The team event starts in pool format, followed by a knockout phase. Seedings are adjusted after the individual event.

Nicol David wins in 2001