Favourites Egypt Reclaim Women's World Team Title In Paris by Howard Harding
photos Christian Lortat
November 3, 2016
- Hot favourites Egypt, whose three-woman team boasts the top three
players in the world, beat defending champions England in today's final
of the WSF Women's World Team Squash Championship in the French capital
Paris to reclaim the World Squash Federation title they lost to their
opponents in 2014.
But it was second seeds England who took the lead on the all-glass
court at Palais Des Sports Robert Charpentier in the Paris suburb of
Issy-les-Moulineaux where Laura Massaro, the world No.4, recovered from
a game down to inflict the event's first defeat on Nour El Sherbini,
the world No.1 (both pictured above).
Former world champion Massaro, who went into the match 5/3 ahead in her
career head-to-head battles with the Egyptian, won 11-9, 5-11, 6-11,
6-11 in 49 minutes to put England ahead.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Egyptian number two Nouran Gohar,
the 19-year-old world No.3 making her debut in the championship,
despatched England's experienced Alison Waters (both pictured above)
11-6, 11-4, 12-10 to force a decider. Londoner Waters had a game ball
in the third, but three successive balls into the tin handed victory to
the Cairo teenager.
Squad number threes lined up for the decider - England's Sarah-Jane
Perry, the world No.11 who had played in all England's ties in Paris,
facing Raneem El Welily, the former world number one now ranked two in
the world.
It took 31 minutes for the title to be decided - El Welily keeping on
top throughout the match before emerging victorious 12-10, 11-4, 11-6.
"I have never played a decider for Egypt before and I was hoping I
wouldn't have to," admitted the jubilant El Welily (pictured below)
minutes later. "I didn't know what to expect.
"But I decided to be selfish - I didn't think of the team, only of
myself, to stop the pressure getting to me. This was the tactic I
planned - even if everything went wrong. I had to do a lot of running,
but it worked out in the end.
"Overall, this is a fantastic team to be a part of!"
Egyptian national coach Amr Shabana anticipated the way the tie
started: "Laura came out strong, as expected. She didn't give away any
cheap points. Her fighting spirit won the crucial points.
"Nouran proved why she is number three in the world and Raneem showed her amazing athleticism and her amazing technical prowess.
"I can sum up my feeling in two words: Mission accomplished!"
England national coach David Campion admitted: "Egypt were just too
strong. Raneem and Nouran played at their best levels - but they needed
to as our girls performed well.
"Gohar was relentless and Raneem played fantastic squash."
Beaten semi-finalists France and Hong Kong China both secured Bronze
medals - the fifth-seeded hosts recording a top four finish for the
first time in 16 appearances in the championship since 1987 and Hong
Kong celebrating a second successive last four place.
It was the play-off for fifth place which entertained the crowd earlier
in the day when USA, the No.7 seeds bidding for a second successive
fifth finish, took on Malaysia, the third seeds who were runners-up in
the 2014 championship in Canada.
The top string battle promised to be close - Malaysia's greatest player
of all-time Nicol David, currently ranked 6 in the world, taking on
Amanda Sobhy, the world No.7 who defeated David for the first time only
a month earlier in the USA.
David twice came back from a game behind, but in the decider - with
both players showing the toil of the week's exertions - it was Sobhy
who ultimately prevailed, winning 11-6, 5-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9 in 53
minutes to put USA ahead.
The two opponents in the next match had never met before - Malaysian
Delia Arnold an experienced 30-year-old ranked 17 in the world and
American Reeham Sedky an inexperienced and unranked 19-year-old yet to
embark on a professional career.
Arnold led 2/1 but the hard-hitting US teenager battled back, taking
the fourth after a tie-break and fighting from 4-6 down in the decider
to win 11-7, 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-8 after 77 minutes.
"I'm in shock, I'm speechless," said Sedky, who had never before played
on a glass court in a major competition. "I'm so proud to be in Team
USA - we all worked so hard for this and all credit to our coach
Thierry (Lincou) for what he has done."
Sobhy's win over the player who topped the world rankings for a record
109 months ended David's incredible 38-match unbeaten run in the
championship since 2004.
"Oh my god - I cannot believe I did that," said Sobhy when her feat was
pointed out. "She played a lot better than she did when I last played
her. There was a lot riding on that match.
"It's been a brutal week - and I saved the hardest and longest match of the week to last!!
"I just telling myself to stay in it - I was hanging on by a thread at the end and am glad I had a couple of points go my way.
"I am SO happy!"
New Zealand won the play-off for 7th place to repeat their success four
years ago, while India secured 9th place to better their success in
2014.
Winning the 11th place play-off saw Japan record their best ever finish
in the championship, while Spain achieved 13th place to earn the
highest finish for 20 years.
RESULTS: WSF Women's World Team Squash Championship, Paris, France
Final:
[1] EGYPT bt [2] ENGLAND 2/1 Nour El Sherbini lost to Laura Massaro 11-9, 5-11, 6-11, 6-11 (49m) Nouran Gohar bt Alison Waters 11-6, 11-4, 12-10 (41m) Raneem El Welily bt Sarah-Jane Perry 12-10, 11-4, 11-6 (31m)
Bronze medallists: [5] FRANCE & [4] HONG KONG CHINA
5th place play-off:
[7] USA bt [3] MALAYSIA 2/0
Amanda Sobhy bt Nicol David 11-6, 5-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9 (53m)
Reeham Sedky bt Delia Arnold 11-7, 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-8 (77m)
7th place play-off:
[8] NEW ZEALAND bt [6] AUSTRALIA 2/1
Joelle King bt Donna Urquhart 11-6, 12-10, 11-9 (32m)
Megan Craig lost to Rachael Grinham 11-6, 10-12, 8-11, 11-9, 4-11 (46m)
Amanda Landers-Murphy bt Tamika Saxby 11-6, 12-10, 11-1 (26m)
