Alison Waters Tops Omneya Abdel Kawy to Capture 41st Carol Weymuller Open by Linda Elriani October 6, 2014
- Today was the final day of our 2014 Carol Weymuller Open. It’s been a
tremendous week of squash and the WSA players have definitely left
everyone inspired and motivated. We sometimes have the honor of Carol
Weymuller herself coming to watch the final, but Carol hasn’t been able
to make it here over the last couple of years. Carol started the junior
squash program here at The Heights Casino many years back and it has
obviously grown and grown along with the sport. We always like to thank
Carol for all her hard work and dedication at the start, as we wouldn’t
be where we are today with our program if she had not been forward
thinking enough to develop squash in this area.
At 7.30pm the
bleachers were packed with eager members, anticipating the outcome.
Alison and Omneya first played in a WSA event back almost 11 years ago,
but their rivalry started back when they were both juniors in the
British Open U14 final, where Omneya won 3-1!! Alison won the last time
they played back in February in a long hard 3-2, so we knew that the
match tonight was very likely to be a great one.
The first game started
a little gingerly with both players trying to find their rhythm, but
they soon settled into some wonderful, long and skillful rallies. The
points went back and forth evenly until 7-7 with an array of different
winners around the court. Ali was concentrating on keeping the ball out
the middle where Omneya is so deadly and managed to do so for the most
part but as soon as the ball was off the wall Omneya would step in with
her volley drops and finish the point. With a couple of winners and a
stroke against Ali, Omneya edged ahead to go 10-7 up for her first game
ball. This is when Ali gave a huge push and really found her length and
kept the T and a backhand volley drop tin and a backhand boast error
from Omneya helped Ali to climb back to 9-10. Just when we started to
think that Ali was going to equalize, Omneya hit a lovely hard flat
forehand drive that died perfectly in the back corner. First game 11/9
to the experience and flamboyant Egyptian.
The second game
started with a very similar pattern and momentum as the first. Both
players were playing very clean, attacking squash with some wonderful
retrieving and creative winners. The points stayed even throughout up
to 6-6 but then suddenly Omneya managed to squeeze ahead again to take
the lead to 9-6. Omneya has an amazing ability to inject some serious
pace on her drives when she chooses to and then a second later she is
using her incredible touch to stop the ball perfectly in the front! She
really looked like she was having fun out there! There was an amazing
rally where Ali got back so many great shots and tried so hard to
reapply the pressure, but she ended up in the front backhand corner
where a crosscourt lob may have saved her, but Ali chose the straight
drive at full stretch, probably to keep the ball out the middle and
away from Omneya’s racket but it ended in a stroke. 10-8 game ball to
Omneya to go 2-0!! But Ali wasn’t about to give up! With an amazing
counter drop from Ali, a couple of tins from Omneya and a perfect
forehand drop, Ali snatched away the second game from under Omneya’s
nose to win 12/10!!
The third game started
perfectly for Ali, showing so much focused and discipline. Ali went 3-0
up before we knew it and it seemed that Omneya was still thinking about
the last game that she should have just won. Omneya started to look
like some tiredness may be creeping into her movement as she labored
for a couple of shots and the referee called them ‘not up’. More
pressure and precise squash from Ali and errors on the short shots from
Omneya took Ali through to win the third game pretty convincingly 11/5.
The fourth game was
did a complete 360 degree turn at the beginning, with Omneya getting a
very fast and easy lead of 6-1, mainly from Ali’s unforced errors.
Omneya continued through and at 8-3 we were definitely all thinking
that this match was going to five games. Yet once again Ali was not
going to give up lightly, she pushed up the court, started to volley
more, took some wonderful short shots in and changed the momentum in
her favor. Ali went from 4 to 9 in one hand and with the game now at
9-9 we wondered who would play these last big points the best. Next
there was a wonderful rally where Allie retrieved Omneya’s forehand
drop so incredibly well and played the most perfect counter drop of the
match, which ended in a ‘no let’ when Omneya asked. This took Ali to
her first match ball! Ali got slightly edgy and hit a tin to even it
out again at 10-10. Ali took advantage of a slight opening that Omneya
gave her, hitting a powerful winning forehand kill to gave her a second
match ball. There was a great rally from both players trying to out
maneuver one another but a loose ball on the backhand from Omneya got
Ali a stroke to take the final point she needed to become the 2014
Carol Weymuller Open Champion!!!!!
Ali Waters, the
comeback queen, said happily after her victory “I’m really really
delighted to have won! It’s been 2 years since I won a title and to win
it here of all places is extra special!! Another tough match….Omneya
played really well and I could have gone 2-0 down! I’m pleased with how
I stuck in there and just kept going, which was key all week in all my
matches. That’s what I’m most happy with, is my attitude and commitment
to it. I’m off to Philadelphia on Thursday for the US Open, so
hopefully I can take this forward for next week.”
I went over to Omneya
after the final and told her that she’d had a great week….she said “I
wanted to finish it good, but it was still a good week. I was playing
well and took the 1st game and in the second I was up 10-8 and my head
started to think stuff!! So I put pressure on myself which was the last
thing I wanted to do this week. But it happened and my shots weren’t
working as well as when I was relaxed. My volley drop was great and in
the end it wasn’t as accurate. Ali played really well, she pushed hard
and I think that she felt when I got tense and that’s where she pushed
and pressured me while I wasn’t relaxed. Overall this week was great
for me and hopefully I’ll continue playing good squash and keep going
and enjoying it!!”
I’d like to say a HUGE
thank you to some key people who have put a lot of time, effort and
generosity into making this tournament what it is.
Firstly our corporate
sponsors Corcoran, who generously support us year after year and help
so much towards the prize fund and Leslie Marshall for helping us with
this.
To Lassen and Hennigs
who very generously provided a wonderful spread of breakfast food for
our players each day. It’s very much appreciated and enjoyed!
To all our amazing
members who bought tickets for the quarters, semis and finals which
contributed to the prize fund. We wouldn’t have a tournament if we
didn’t have this incredible support. We had such a great entry yet
again and the matches were so strong and of such high caliber all the
way through from the qualification to the final.
To all the WSA players
for choosing to come and play our event and for playing such beautiful
squash and inspiring all of us, especially our juniors. Their
sportsmanship this week has been remarkable.
To all our members who
opened up their homes to house the players and to Eliza Alsop who
excellently organized all housing of the players.
To all the social media that put up my reports and photos so quickly and brilliantly every day.
To Will Bunn, our adult squash chair for all his support throughout the Weymuller and this new squash year.
To Ashley Bernhard and
Judy Scofield Miller for co-chairing of the Weymuller so wonderfully
again this year. They did a tremendous job as always.
To Paulina Rojek, our
media manager for the Weymuller. She helped with so many aspects of the
tournament including the face book page, tweeting, instagram and
general tournament running.
To Jean Ervasti who is
our Weymuller photographer. Jean takes such wonderful photos and we
appreciate her taking the time to do this for us.
To Annelize, our
tournament DJ and fantastic pro, who is did all our music at the
Weymuller, by the courts and also at our party on Saturday night. It
was so much fun and adds such a great vibe to the tournament.
Then last but
certainly not least, Cristian, Tiberius, Jayson, T, Carson, Frank and
ALL our Heights Casino staff. We have an amazing team of dedicated
people here at The Heights Casino, who all pull together and make every
event we run here a success. Thanks SO much.
Thanks again and we
hope you all enjoyed the 2014 Carol Weymuller Open as much as we did
and we look forward to running it again next year.
Congratulations again to Alison and good luck to all the WSA players for the next week at the US Open and beyond!
