El Weleily Sets Up All-Egyptian Finals In Hurghada by Howard Harding
May 19, 2011-A
major upset by Raneem El Weleily in the women's semi-finals of the
Hurghada International has set up all-Egyptian finals in the
international squash circuit event in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of
Hurghada. El Weleily was facing Australia's
three-time champion Rachael Grinham in the WISPA World Tour Silver 20
event celebrating its tenth year in Hurghada. In a match described by event
spokesman Hesham El Attar as "a beautiful tactical battle", fourth seed
El Weleily, the world No12 from Alexandria, took just 31 minutes to
defeat the top-seeded Queenslander 11-4, 12-10, 11-9. Grinham was expected to reach the
final for the seventh time – but the El Weleily's second upset
over the illustrious former world number one this year takes the
22-year-old Egyptian into her first Hurghada final, and the seventh
Tour final of her career.
El Weleily will face national
rival Omneya Abdel Kawy, the Egyptian number one bidding for her fourth
successive title, beat fast-rising compatriot Nour El Tayeb, the
18-year-old world No18, 9-11, 15-13, 11-7, 11-7.
Abdel Kawy, the world No8 from Cairo, is celebrating her 27th appearance in a WISPA Tour final. The climax of the men's PSA World
Tour International 70 event will be the battle between two of the top
three players in the world predicted by the seedings.
Favourite Ramy Ashour fended off Gregory Gaultier, beating his third-seeded French rival 11-8, 12-10, 11-7 in 48 minutes.
It was the pair's 14th Tour clash
since December 2005, but world No2 Ashour was celebrating his seventh
win in a row over the world No6 from Aix-en-Provence, but only his
second straight games victory. In a repeat of the 2010 final, Ashour will line up against Cairo compatriot Karim Darwish, the world No3. Darwish ended Olli Tuominen's brave run in the event, beating the unseeded Finn 11-3, 11-6, 11-4 in just 29 minutes.
Tuominen, the world No22 from
Helsinki who made his breakthrough in the first round where he toppled
France's No4 seed Thierry Lincou, was playing for the second time in
the day after having to continue his quarter-final match after
excessive humidity in the outdoor court the previous night caused the
match to be halted.
Ashour and Darwish have
appeared in more than 60 PSA Tour finals between them –
23-year-old defending champion Ashour marking his 33rd, while
29-year-old Darwish is in his 35th.
RESULTS: Hurghada International, Hurghada, Egypt