WSA Texas Semis Report by Howard Harding April 13, 2014
- After pulling off significant upsets in the semi-finals of the
Women's Champion Fiberglass Texas Open in the USA, India's No4 seed
Dipika Pallikal and Egyptian qualifier Nour El Sherbini will contest
the final of the Women's Squash Association Gold 50 event at The
Downtown Club at the Met in Houston.
Former Asian Junior
Champion Pallikal marched into the biggest Tour final of her career in
sensational style. The 22-year-old world No12 from Chennai battled for
75 minutes - enduring three tie-break games - to beat second seed
Madeline Perry, the Irish number one ranked four places higher in the
world, 11-7, 11-13, 13-11, 10-12, 11-4.
The win, which levels
her Tour head-to-head record with Perry to two-all, takes Pallikal
(pictured above, left, with Perry) into her first Tour final of the
year, but the 12th of her career.
El Sherbini maintained
the magnificent form which saw the teenager become the youngest player
in history to reach the WSA World Championship final last month when,
unseeded, she scored a series of upsets in Malaysia - including the
scalp of the world number one Nicol David.
In her fifth Tour
meeting with third seed Camille Serme, the 18-year-old from Alexandria
defeated the world No6 from France 11-5, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6 in 55 minutes
to move into the seventh Tour final of her career.
El Sherbini (pictured
above with Serme, left) leapt from 27 to 13 in the WSA World Rankings
after her historic World Championship run in March - and can already be
sure to improve on this position in the May list.
The final will mark
the third Tour meeting between Pallikal and El Sherbini since June 2010
- with Pallikal looking for her maiden win.
RESULTS: Women's Champion Fiberglass Texas Open, Houston, USA
