BJO Semis Report by Steve Cubbins
photos courtesy Steve Cubbins
January 5, 2014
Egypt lose grip on Drysdale Cup but still have seven chances
While seven of the top
seeds made it through to the finals of the Tecnifibre Junior Open in
Sheffield, there were upsets aplenty in today’s semi-finals held at the
Abbeydale and Hallamshire clubs.
The Boys U19 title -
the Drysdale Cup - will be won by someone other than an Egyptian for
the first time since 2005, with Peru and Jordan claiming first-time
finalists in two dramatic semis at Abbeydale.
Diego Elias, who won
the U17 title last year, beat top seed and world junior champion Karim
El Hammamy in straight games to reach the final without dropping a
single game. England’s George Parker came close to taking Amhad Alsaraj
to a decider, but the Jordanian saved six game balls from 7-10 down in
the fourth to clinch it 15-13 on his own first match ball.
The girls U19 final
will return to Egyptian hands with top seeds Mariam Metwally and
Yathreb Adel set to contest the final after winning all-Egyptian
semi-finals. For Mariam it will be a second BJO final - after losing to
Yathreb in the 2010 U15 climax - and for Yathreb an amazing sixth in a
row.
Despite their troubles
in the B19 event, Egypt still have the chance to win seven of the eight
titles, while Malaysia will be pleased with their haul of three
finalists. Top seeds Siv Subramanian - who won 16-14 in the fifth on
her sixth match ball after saving just one - and Ng Eain Yow are joined
by Aifa Azman who beat the second seed in her G13 semi.
Full coverage on the official site: www.BJOsquash.com
