Gohar and David Set up Women’s World Championship Quarter-Final Showdown by Sean Reuthe
photos PSA
April 9, 2017
- World No.5 Nouran Gohar and eight-time World Champion Nicol David
will meet in a mouthwatering quarter-final clash after they saw off
Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb and Annie Au, respectively, on day three of the
Orascom Development PSA Women’s World Championship held in El Gouna,
Egypt.
Gohar, the reigning World Junior Champion, was up against another
former World Junior Champion in El Tayeb and the 19-year-old played
with power and control to come out with a 3-0 victory, taking it 11-8,
12-10, 11-9 in 46 minutes to reach the last eight.
“It will be a tough match for sure [against David]," said Gohar.
"Nicol has so many titles, she's a living legend and she's my idol.
“To play against her is tough mentally and physically. I'm just going to enjoy it and hope that the crowd will be behind me.”
David won the World Championship crown the last time it was held in
Egypt three years ago and she stepped up her efforts to claim the
biggest title on the Women’s Tour for an unprecedented ninth time with
an 12-10, 11-4, 13-11 triumph.
The 33-year-old Malaysian superstar will look to improve on her last
result against Gohar, with the hard-hitting Egyptian ending David’s
10-year unbeaten run at the Hong Kong Open in August en route to a
maiden World Series title.
“I think I played much better today than yesterday,” David said.
“I knew I had to be sharp – she’s very dangerous. In the second game
especially I felt like I put it all together well and I’m really
pleased to come through 3-0 in the end. I had to make sure I played
tight and didn’t allow her the time to mix it up.
“And now I get to play on the glass court which is very exciting. It’s
such a treat to be here and it’s not often I get the chance to play in
a new place and a new location so I’m really excited."
Nour El Sherbini, the defending champion, navigated a tricky tie
against World No.18 Tesni Evans of Wales to seal her quarter-final
berth for a second year in succession.
The 21-year-old World No.1, who is bidding to become the first female
Egyptian ever to lift the prestigious title on two occasions, prevailed
in a crucial first game on the tie-break, which then gave her the
impetus to close out an 13-11, 11-4, 11-4 victory.
“The whole season hasn’t gone that well, so I’m just hoping that this tournament will go well," admitted El Sherbini.
"I’m trying to go through match by match without thinking a lot. Now
I’m into the quarter-finals and I’m thinking ahead to the next round
and that’s it.”
The Egyptian will take on British Open runner-up Sarah-Jane Perry for a
place in the semi-finals, with Perry coming through a four-game scrap
with fellow Englishwoman Victoria Lust to reach the last eight.
Results - Second Round (Top Half): Orascom Development PSA Women’s World Championship
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [16] Tesni Evans (WAL) 3-0: 13-11, 11-4, 11-4 (39m)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [14] Victoria Lust (ENG) 3-1: 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7 (45m)
[6] Nicol David (MAS) bt [10] Annie Au (HKG) 3-0: 12-10, 11-4, 13-11 (37m)
[4] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [11] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 12-10, 11-9 (46m)
Draw - Second Round (Bottom Half): To Be Played April 10
[3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt Olivia Blatchford (USA)
[9] Joelle King (NZL) bt [5] Laura Massaro (ENG)
[8] Alison Waters (ENG) v [12] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[13] Emily Whitlock (ENG) v [2] Camille Serme (FRA)
Draw - Quarter-Finals (Top Half): To Be Played April 11
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[6] Nicol David (MAS) v [4] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
