El Welily to Face Serme in Women’s World Championship Semi-Finals Despite Rain Halting Play by Sean Reuthe
photos PSA
April 12, 2017
- 2014 runner-up Raneem El Welily ended a four-match losing streak
against 2013 winner Laura Massaro in the last eight of the Orascom
Development PSA Women’s World Championship to set up a semi-final clash
with World No.3 Camille Serme, whose fixture with Joshna Chinappa had
to be relocated to another venue due to rainfall.
On the glass court staged in El Gouna’s New Marina - on the banks of
the Red Sea - the enigmatic World No.5 El Welily came back from a game
down to defeat last year’s finalist Massaro, less than a month after
she lost out to the World No.2 at the same stage of the British Open.
El Welily played some impressive squash matched with a focus that has
sometimes been missing in her game to record an 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-6
victory - avenging last year’s World Championship semi-final defeat to
the Englishwoman in Kuala Lumpur.
“I had absolutely nothing to lose today, I was keen on playing and keeping the rallies going,” said El Welily.
“This has made a huge difference for me mentally today. She's obviously
a very strong player mentally and it's hard to break her. To beat her
today is absolutely fantastic.
“I wasn't doing the wrong things in the first game, I was doing the
right things but I was a bit passive. I tried to find my rhythm and
tried to get in front of her as much as possible and I think that
worked. I'm happy to be in the semi-finals and I'm sure that the next
match is going to be really hard."
France’s Serme will compete in only her second ever World Championship
semi-final after she prevailed in a titanic five-game encounter with
Indian No.1 Joshna Chinappa.
Their match was a casualty of the weather - thus taking place on the
traditional courts - where Chinappa had played her first and second
round matches, while Serme had only practiced on the glass court.
And Chinappa’s experience on the traditional courts showed as she took
Serme all the way to five games, eventually losing 11-3 in the fifth to
send 28-year-old Serme into the last four.
"To be honest, I think it [her experience on the traditional courts]
was an advantage because she has played two matches on there," said
Serme.
"She knew how to play on it and I felt a bit nervous coming back here
because I haven't practised on these courts for a few days. I think it
was an advantage for her, they were tough conditions, we had to change
courts last minute and the crowd was so loud.
"I know it's the same for both players, but it was a tough match."
