El Welily, Sobhy, Massaro Advance in Women's Worlds by Nathan Clarke
photos mroslanhisam.com
April 25,
2016
- World No.1 Laura Massaro flirted with elimination in the opening
round of the Naza PSA Women’s World Championship after she overcame a
one-game deficit against experienced Mexican Samantha Teran in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
Massaro, who was returning to the
country where she won the 2013 World Championship, looked off the pace
in the early exchanges and went a game down after a tenacious display
from Teran saw her overrun the tournament top seed. After falling 9-7
behind in game two, Massaro dug in and called on all of her mental
strength to launch a spirited comeback to level things up and she
followed that up by taking two further games to record a 9-11, 13-11,
11-6, 11-3 triumph.
"In practice over the last few days, the
court felt really bouncy but, when we got on there, it just seemed to
be dead," said Massaro, who will face Indian No.1 Joshna Chinappa in
the second round.
"In the first two games I was struggling
with my length and leaving the ball short and she was picking me off.
It was quite dead at the front so I wasn’t getting there quick enough.
Maybe I was a little bit flat emotionally, in the first game
particularly.
"In the second game, I had to get my body
language up a little bit. I tried to use a bit more height on the front
wall. I felt like I found my range, but I thought the ball also went a
bit dead in the second game. It’s definitely something to learn from."
Elsewhere,
Egyptian shot-making sensation Raneem El Welily will join Massaro in
round two courtesy of a devastating display against Tesni Evans which
saw the World No.3 advance in straight games.
El Welily
showcased some of her best squash against her Welsh opponent, who began
well in the opening two games but ultimately succumbed to El Welily’s
craft and even saw a strong serve punished with a sumptuous drop from
the back of the court from El Welily in the second.
The
World No.3 maintained an inch-perfect weight of shot throughout the
encounter and forced Evans into a number of defensive positions to
claim an 11-5, 11-2, 11-6 win in just 27-minutes to ensure that she
will take on Joelle King in the last eight.
“It was tough mentally as it was the first match of the tournament,”
said El Welily.
“I
was very excited and very nervous at the same time. I’m happy that I
managed to stay calm. I’m happy with the way I played today and I hope
I can stay as focused in the next match.”
Malaysia’s Delia
Arnold ensured that the home crowd went home happy after she saw off
the challenge of Egyptian teenager Mariam Metwally to set up a second
round showdown with Omneya Abdel Kawy.
Arnold took the lead
in a closely contested match and, despite conceding the second game to
her 19-year-old opponent, held firm to close out the win and seal a
place in the second round of a World Championship for the first time in
her career.
“This was the first time I have played her so I expected a tough
match,” said Arnold.
“I
think that I played well but I lost focus and she caught up. It’s good
I won in four, though I can do better than getting through to the
second round."
Kawy dispatched England’s Emily Whitlock in
three to advance, while United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy and Egypt’s
Nour El Tayeb will line up against each other in the second round after
respective wins over Megan Craig and Liu Tsz-Ling.
Results - First Round
(Top Half): Naza PSA Women’s World Championship
