June 9, 2011-Heba
El Torky kept her perfect record in WISPA finals intact this week at
the Tour 8 Egyptian Circuit tournament, held in Alexandria.
The draw was made up of a full Egyptian contingent of rising stars and up-and-coming juniors.
El Torky, 20, had an easy start to the tournament when Laila Omar
retired after five points in the first round. However, from then on she
had to work hard to win the title. In the quarter final, she was taken
the full distance my Salma Hany, fending off fight-backs to close out a
comfortable fifth game after over an hour. The semi-final was a
straight- game win, but it was far from easy. Farah Abdel Meguid matched
El Torky all the way through the match, but just a few crucial points
going the way of the top seed swung the match her way.
On the opposite side of the draw, second seed Kanzy El Dafrawy had a
smooth passage to the final. The 17-year-old sped through her first
two matches and although Nouran El Torky proved to be a difficult semi
final opponent, El Dafrawy was never troubled.
The final between the top two seeds was a close affair. Heba, in the
end had the edge over her younger compatriot and came through in four
games, just shy of the hour mark.
The win marks El Torky’s fifth WISPA title in as many finals and
second title of the year, following her win in the first Egyptian
Circuit tournament. El Torky has the best finals record of any player
on the tour.
The win will likely see her land a place in the world’s top-30 in next month’s rankings for the first time.
El Dafrawy is still seeking her first WISPA title, after making her
third final. She is the highest ranked player yet to capture a WISPA
title. Although at only seventeen, she has plenty of time.
Final:
[1] H El Torky (EGY) bt [2] K El Dafrawy (EGY) 11-4 11-9 9-11 11-4 (59m)
Semis:
[1] H El Torky (EGY) bt [4] F Abdel Meguid (EGY) 16-14 11-8 11-6 (40m)
[2] K El Dafrawy (EGY) bt [3] N El Torky (EGY) 11-5 11-4 11-5 (39m)
Quarters:
[1] H El Torky (EGY) bt [6] S Hany (EGY) 11-8 6-11 11-7 11-13 11-2 (61m)
[4] F Abdel Meguid (EGY) bt N Alaa Bayoumi (EGY) 11-3 11-3 11-5 (20m)
[3] N El Torky (EGY) bt [5] Y Adel (EGY) 10-12 17-15 11-7 11-4 (67m)
[2] K El Dafrawy (EGY) bt N Ahmed Gohar (EGY) 11-8 11-3 11-6 (24m)
1st Round:
[1] H El Torky (EGY) bt L Omar (EGY) 5-0 rtd
[6] S Hany (EGY) bt S Hany Ibrahim (EGY) 12-10 6-11 11-9 11-7 (45m)
[4] F Abdel Meguid (EGY) bt [Q] H Allah Hesham (EGY) 11-6 12-10 6-11 8-11 11-6 (59m)
N Alaa Bayoumi (EGY) bt [7] M Ely Ezzo (EGY) 11-13 11-4 11-9 11-9 (40m)
[5] Y Abdel (EGY) bt S Hatem Youssef (EGY) 12-14 11-7 8-11 11-9 14-12 (45m)
[3] N El Torky (EGY) bt [Q] M Ibrahim Metwally (EGY) 11-6 10-12 11-7 rtd
N Ahmed Gohar (EGY) bt [8] N Elkalaawy (EGY) 10-12 4-11 11-7 11-8 11-7 (53m)
[2] K El Defrawy (EGY) bt M Nasser (EGY) 11-4 11-2 11-6 (26m)