Latasha Khan

The American veteran showed that at 38 years old, she still has what it takes to see off the up and coming stars of the future.

The first round saw all the top eight seeds move through to the quarter finals, although for some it was far from easy. Khan, the top seed, eased past young American Sabrina Sobhy, sister of US no.1 Amanda. Second seed Joshna Chinappa also progressed in straight games over another American, Elpinki Clement. There were further straight game victories for German number one Sina Wall, Canada’s Samantha Cornett and South American number one Thaisa Serafini.

The Mexican duo of Nayelly Hernandez and Ivonne Diaz were tested before making it through. Hernandez held off a late challenge from Indian qualifier Aparajitha Balamurukan and Diaz edged past compatriot Imelda Salazar Martinez.

The final seed to make it through was Canada’s Stephanie Edmison. Edmison looked on her way out, down two games to one, but she fought back and finally won in the fifth game tie break against last year’s finalist and former top 25 player Suzie Pierrepont.

The quarter finals brought further success for the top four seeds as they all progressed to the semis. Khan ended Serafini’s challenge whilst Chinappa and Wall disposed of the Mexican pair, Hernandez and Diaz, all in straight games. The last quarter final saw an all Canadian battle between Cornett and Edmison. Cornett moved into a two game lead and looked to be moving into the semi final, but Edmison fought back and pushed the match into a decider. It was Cornett who came out stronger in the fifth game and took it 11-8 to progress.

The first semi final saw Khan take on Wall. Khan’s experience was just too much for Wall she eased through to the final without being tested too much by the German. The second semi final ended in retirement with the match poised at two games all. Chinappa had built up a two game advantage before Cornett stormed back. In the fourth it appeared that Chinappa had a self inflicted injury and she was unable to continue in the fifth.

The final saw a match up between two players separated in age by 18 years! They had met once before back in 2010 at the Sun and Surf with Khan winning in four games. Khan wasn’t to be denied again and she held off the threat from the young Canadian in three games. Cornett had her chances in the second game, pushing it to a tie break but she couldn’t find a way past Khan precise shot making.

Khan at 38 becomes the second oldest player to ever win a tour title, only being eclipsed by England legend Suzanne Horner who was 40 when she won the Swiss Open back in 2003.

For Cornett it was an incredible fifth final of the year and likely place in the world’s top 50 in next month’s rankings.

Final:
[1] Latasha Khan (USA) bt [4] Samantha Cornett (CAN) 11/5 12/10 11/7

Semi Finals:
[1] Latasha Khan (USA) bt [3] Sina Wall (GER) 11/4 11/5 11/5
[4] Samantha Cornett (CAN) bt [2] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 5/11 9/11 11/9 11/2 rtd

Quarter Finals:
[1] Latasha Khan (USA) bt [5] Thaisa Serafini (BRA) 11/8 11/6 11/5
[3] Sina Wall (GER) bt [6] Ivonne Diaz (MEX) 11/5 11/9 11/4
[4] Samatha Cornett (CAN) bt [8] Stephanie Edmison (CAN) 11/7 11/8 8/11 6/11 11/8
[2] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt [7] Nayelly Hernandez (MEX) 11/5 11/8 11/8

1st Round:
[1] Latasha Khan (USA) bt [Q] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 11/7 11/4 11/4
[5] Thaisa Serafini (BRA) bt [Q] Julianne Chu (USA) 11/2 11/6 11/9
[3] Sina Wall (GER) bt Leonie Holt (ENG) 11/9 11/9 11/8
[6] Ivonne Diaz (MEX) bt Imelda Salazar Martinez (MEX) 7/11 11/6 11/7 12/14 11/8
[8] Stephanie Edmison (CAN) bt Suzie Pierrepont (ENG) 7/11 11/9 5/11 12/10 13/11
[4] Samantha Cornett (CAN) bt [Q] Anaka Alankamony (IND) 11/5 13/11 11/9
[7] Nayelly Hernandez (MEX) bt [Q] Aparajitha Balamurukan (IND) 11/7 11/5 10/12 11/8
[2] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Elpiniki Clement (USA) 11/1 11/5 11/8

French star Camille Serme collected her sixth WISPA title on home turf this week at the Silver 20 WISPA des Pyramides tournament in Le Port Marly.

The popular stop on the tour, which is just on the outskirts of Paris, saw some incredibly high level of squash all week and the fans were treated to some great matches. The main draw featured sixteen players from eleven different nations, a real international flavour to the tournament.

Serme, 22, was making her return after being a semi finalist back in 2009. She had the pressure of the home fans on her but she started the tournament well, easing past Canadian qualifier Stephanie Edmison. The rest of the top eight seeds all made it through to the quarters without too many problems, although it took Line Hansen over seventy minutes to see off local girl Coline Aumard, recovering from 2-1 down.

Onto the quarter finals and Serme continued to delight the home fans by dispatching Lucie Fialova without any problems. Former champion and number two seed Natalie Grinham ran past Hansen in straight games and this was closely followed by Indian number one Dipika Pallikal who dismantled Tenille Swartz. However, Aisling Blake couldn’t complete the semi final line for the top seeds as she was upset by Joshna Chinappa in four closely fought games.

The semi finals showcased two matches with contrasting styles in both. Serme and Grinham, with their athletic and solid games up against Indian stars Pallikal and Chinappa, two of the best attackers in the game. It was the consistency and retrieving of the top two seeds that won out in both matches with Serme and Grinham both coming through in straight games to set up a mouth watering final.

Grinham, the former world number two , was making her 34th showing in a tour final and a second appearance in a final in two weeks after losing out to Samantha Teran in Mexico last week. Serme was featuring in her first final since losing out at home to Nour El Tayeb in the Open International Feminin de Creteil in February 2010. Their head to heads were tied at one each, although Serme’s victory came as the result of a walkover.

Serme started the final superbly controlling the first two games. Grinham hit back to steal the third. The pressure was on the home player now as the fourth game became very tight, in the end though she held her nerve and closed the match out 11-9 in one hour of gruelling squash. For Grinham it was a second final loss to the home favourite in consecutive tournaments. For Serme it was sweet revenge as she lost out in the semi final here two years ago to Grinham. It was also her first title in over two years.

A wonderful tournament in it’s fifth addition. I am sure we will see it back next year, even bigger than before!

Final:
[1] C Serme (FRA) bt [2] N Grinham (NED) 11-4 11-4 6-11 11-9 (60m)

Semi Final:
[1] C Serme (FRA) bt [3] D Pallikal (IND) 11-6 11-4 11-9 (42m)
[2] N Grinham (NED) bt [6] J Chinappa (IND) 12-10 11-4 11-2 (29m)

Quarter Final:
[1] C Serme (FRA) bt [7] L Fialova (CZE) 11-2 11-2 11-8 (27m)
[3] D Pallikal (IND) bt [8] T Swartz (RSA) 11-9 11-3 11-9 (18m)
[6] J Chinappa (IND) bt [4] A Blake (IRL) 11-9 11-7 9-11 11-3 (47m)
[2] N Grinham (NED) bt [5] L Hansen (DEN) 11-9 11-7 11-8 (30m)

1st Round:
[1] C Serme (FRA) bt [Q] S Edmison (CAN) 11-8 11-4 11-3 (28m)
[7] L Fialova (CZE) bt S Wall (GER) 13-11 2-11 11-7 11-6 (37m)
[3] D Pallikal (IND) bt D Lloyd-Water (ENG) 11-2 15-13 11-2 (45m)
[8] T Swartz (RSA) bt [Q] L Eriksen (NOR) 11-3 11-0 11-2 (20m)
[6] J Chinappa (IND) bt E Whitlock (ENG) 4-11 11-4 11-5 11-8 (41m)
[4] A Blake (IRL) bt [Q] C Allamargot (FRA) 11-9 11-4 11-8 (33m)
[5] L Hansen (DEN) bt [Q] C Aumard (FRA) 11-9 8-11 11-13 11-9 11-5 (74m)
[2] N Grinham (NED) bt A Weir-Nunan (RSA) 11-6 11-4 11-3 (19m)

The promo video:

1st round:
[1] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt Anaka Alankamony (IND) 11-9, 11-3, 17-15 (32m)
[7] Tenille Swartz (RSA) bt [Q] Lakshya Ragvendra (IND) 11-3, 11-6, 11-3 (19m)
[3] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) bt Laura Pomportes (FRA) 11-4, 11-3, 11-6 (19m)
[5] Siti Munirah Jusoh (MAS) bt [Q] Aparajitha Balamurukan (IND) 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-2 (44m)
[6] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) bt Sarah Cardwell (AUS) 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 (29m)
[4] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Olga Ertlova (CZE) 11-9, 11-3, 11-5 (30m)
[8] Melody Francis (AUS) bt Adel Weir-Nunan (RSA) 11-4, 11-6, 11-3 (18m)
[2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Siyoli Waters (RSA) 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-0 (38m)

Quarter-finals:
[1] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [7] Tenille Swartz (RSA) 11-8, 14-12, 11-6 (34m)
[3] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) bt [5] Siti Munirah Jusoh (MAS) 11-9, 11-9, 11-4 (34m)
[4] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt [6] Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 (25m)
[2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [8] Melody Francis (AUS) 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (27m)

Semi-finals:
[1] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [3] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 (39m)
[4] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt [2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6 (60m)

Final:
[1] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [4] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 (39m)

A new champion at The Indian Challenger 2011.

Australia’s Donna Urquhart dashed home hopes of success in the Women’s Indian Challenger when she beat Joshna Chinappa in the final of the WISPA World Tour 12 squash event at the Indian Squash Academy in the southern Indian city of Chennai.

It was after beating third-seeded compatriot Lisa Camilleri in the semi-finals that event favourite Urquhart, from New South Wales, reached her second successive WISPA Tour final, and the 12th of her career.

But Chinappa, the fourth seed from Chennai, made her breakthrough in the other semi where she beat higher-ranked national rival Dipika Pallikal, the No2 seed, in five games to also reach the 12th Tour final of her career.

And Chinappa, the reigning and ten times Indian national champion, took the opening game against Urquhart – and looked set to repeat her upset over the world No16 in their last meeting in Malaysia over two years ago.

But the Indian star, ranked 20 places lower, was unable to push on as Urquhart increased her variety of strokes to wrap up the match with confidence, winning 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 in 39 minutes.

Donna continues her fine run in India.

“After losing the first game, I tightened up my serves as Joshna was able to return with elan,” explained the 24-year-old Australian left-hander afterwards. “I am happy that most often I succeeded with my double boasts and was able to push to the corner to score points.”

“Mainly, I concentrated on my game instead of trying to counter Joshna today,” added Urquhart after securing her sixth WISPA Tour title.

Men’s 1st round:
[Q] Olivier Pett (ENG) bt [1] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-6, 11-8, 11-7
Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) 8-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-7, 12-10
[Q] Mark Heather (ENG) bt Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) 11-9, 11-4, 11-7
[Q] Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [3] Scott Arnold (AUS) 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8
[4] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt Jonas Laursen (DEN) 13-11, 11-3, 11-5
[Q] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt Shaun le Roux (ENG) 11-9, 6-11, 11-3, 11-4
Dick Lau (HKG) bt Matthew Serediak (CAN) 7-11, 11-3, 6-11, 11-8, 11-2
[2] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Fred Reid (CAN) 11-2, 8-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9

Quarter-finals:
[Q] Olivier Pett (ENG) bt Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-4, 11-2, 6-11, 3-11, 11-6
[Q] Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [Q] Mark Heather (ENG) 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7
[4] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt [Q] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6
[2] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Dick Lau (HKG) 12-14, 11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9

Semi-finals:
[Q] Olivier Pett (ENG) bt [Q] Rex Hedrick (AUS) 11-6, 11-9, 11-9
[2] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [4] Julien Balbo (FRA) 11-5, 8-11, 4-11, 11-9, 12-10

Final:
[Q] Olivier Pett (ENG) bt [2] Jan Koukal (CZE) 13-11, 11-6, 11-4

Women’s 1st round:
[1] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt Kristen Lange (USA) 11-9, 11-8, 11-6
[6] Miranda Ranieri (CAN) bt Caroline Lemoine (USA) 11-5, 11-2, 11-4
[4] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Imelda Salazar Martinez (MEX) 11-3, 11-7, 11-5
[8] Stephanie Edmison (CAN) bt Erika LaCerda (USA) 11-5, 11-6, 11-6
[5] Alexandra Norman (CAN) bt Lily Lorentzen (USA) w/o
[3] Latasha Khan (USA) bt Randy Dupree (USA) 11-1, 11-4, 11-1
[7] Ivonne Diaz (MEX) bt Katja Amir (GER) 11-6, 9-11, 12-10, 11-8
[2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Heather Johnston (USA) 11-2, 11-4, 11-2

Quarter-finals:
[1] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt [6] Miranda Ranieri (CAN) 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7
[4] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt [8] Stephanie Edmison (CAN) 11-5, 5-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9
[3] Latasha Khan (USA) bt [5] Alexandra Norman (CAN) 11-8, 11-4, 11-7
[2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [7] Ivonne Diaz (MEX) 11-4, 11-1, 11-1

Semi-finals:
[4] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt [1] Aisling Blake (IRL) 11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6
[2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [3] Latasha Khan (USA) 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 10-12, 2-0 ret.

Final:
[4] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt [2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11-4, 6-11, 12-10, 2-11, 11-6

Pett & Chinappa Storm To Windy City Success

England’s Olivier Pett and India’s Joshna Chinappa were the surprise winners of the men’s and women’s titles, respectively, in the Brit Insurance Metrosquash Windy City Squash Open at the University Club of Chicago in Chicago, USA.

Pett, a 22-year-old qualifier from Sussex, made his breakthrough in the opening round of the men’s PSA World Tour Challenger 10 event when he toppled top seed Ryan Cuskelly, of Australia, in straight games.

Competing in his first Tour event for ten months, Pett went on to overcome two more Australians before reaching his maiden Tour final, where he faced Jan Koukal – the second-seeded Czech number one who was celebrating his 24th PSA final appearance.

Undaunted by his more experienced opponent, Pett conquered Koukal 13-11, 11-6, 11-4 to record the first Tour title success of his career.

The women’s WISPA World Tour 8 event reached an all-Indian climax between fourth seed Joshna Chinappa and the 19-year-old No2 seed Dipika Pallikal, both from Chennai.

Chinappa notched up her 11th Tour final appearance after upsetting Ireland’s top seed Aisling Blake in a five-game semi-final. Pallikal earned her anticipated place in the final after beating Latasha Khan, but the third seed was forced to retire early in the fifth game with an injury.

In the final, Chinappa survived her third successive five-game encounter, beating her younger compatriot 11-4, 6-11, 12-10, 2-11, 11-6 to win the fifth WISPA title of her career.

Some say that the Asian Games Athletes’ Village was a replica of the one at the Beijing Olympics and we had the luxury of experiencing this in Guangzhou. The Competition venue was within the surroundings of the Games Village and that made travelling a lot easier for us squash players. I have never seen these art-form buildings being built specially for an event and we got to enjoy the facilities as well.

The Malaysian contingent got started on other events before our squash team began. The individual event was represented by the top 2 players of each country and this year was the first time the Asian Games introduced the team event too.

Individuals

Round 1 with Park Eun Ok of Korea
Park Eun Ok has been to many Asian tournaments and we’ve met a number of times. This time she really brought her best game out on court. We exchanged some long rallies throughout the match and at the end of the 3^rd game, she started making some mistakes and I won 3-0.

Quarter finals with Dipika Pallikal of India

Pix with thanks to Glenn Guan of The Star.

Playing Dipika Pallikal is never easy especially with some of her deceptive shot plays and boasts that she brings into her game. It can be difficult to anticipate thus I was working hard to take those away from her. There were moments when I just got a roll with my own game and she began to hit the tin a little bit more at the end. It was a 3-1 win but it definitely felt longer.

Semi finals with Low Wee Wern of Malaysia
After having an amazing comeback being down 2-0 with Joshna Chinappa, Low Wee Wern came into the semis, probably not completely hundred percent on court. As she’s moved up the rankings, I still expected her to keep those rallies in play and I had to force the pressure on her when I could. The first game was close but in the second and third games, she stepped back slightly and I took the opportunities at the right time to win 3-0.

Finals with Annie Au of Hong Kong

Annie Au is a feisty young player pushing a lot of the top players in the circuit currently. This was her first Asian Games finals and she wanted it badly. Throughout the match, there was no particular time she ever let up. She was firing shots everywhere at any time she could put her racket onto the ball early enough. The intensity was high and we both played well, creating the hype with the exuberant atmosphere at the glass court. When we equalled at 1-1 in games, I needed to step up my play and take it on. I won 3-1 but was very pleased to win the Gold.

On to the Team Event

The team event was straight after the individuals and we got going right away. We beat Japan and Korea in our pool matches to make our crossover semi finals match against India.

Semis against India
In the match against India, we had our full team with me at number 1, Low Wee Wern at number 2 and Delia Arnold at number 3. Unfortunately, Dipika hurt her leg in the pool matches and they had to rest her when we played them. We won 2-0 with Wee Wern beating Anaka Alankamony 3-0 and I beat Joshna 3-0. Once there’s a clear 2-0 win, the third player doesn’t have to play.

Finals against Hong Kong

Pix with thanks to Glenn Guan of The Star.

It was Hong Kong in the finals and Wee Wern was up first against Rebecca Chiu. It was nerve wrecking because I hardly play team tournaments and watching teammates play is the hardest part. The match was really close and it could have gone either way but Wee Wern stood her ground to win that first point for Malaysia. I had to face Annie again and I was fired up after Wee Wern’s win that I went full speed ahead til I won 3-0. We were all overjoyed with this victory and it was even more special as we clinched the 9th Gold for the Malaysian Contingent.

The other results from the guys’ matches—Mohd Azlan Iskandar got the Individual Gold and Ong Beng Hee got the Bronze while the Men’s team got the Silver after losing to Pakistan in the finals.

The Asian Games was a success overall and the team gave it their best to do well in the Games. Thanks team for a fantastic result.

The Women’s World Teams was straight after and reports will follow. Another team experience!

Nicol

Extras!

Some video interviews with Nicol by SwitchUp.tv (thestaronline)

Part 1:

Part 2:

The games tagline.

The Games was finally here and every Commonwealth nation was set to compete for their country in Delhi. Liz and I arrived in the Games Village, welcomed by the Malaysian contingent officials and squash team into our five bedroom apartment. We were sharing with the Malaysian table tennis team so it was good company throughout the duration of the Games.

The glass court of the Siri Fort Complex

The competition venue at the Siri Fort Squash Complex was spectacular. The glass court and 10 courts are one of the best in the world and were definitely ready to host the top players for an exciting Games.

Round 2 against Damindhi of Sri Lanka, 11-2, 11-4, 11-2 (18m)

Many of us got a bye in the first round. I played Sri Lankan Damindhi Udangawa in my first match and she managed to get into the swing of things in the third game. Some of her shots came in but I worked my lengths well to win 3-0.

Round 3 against Joshna of India, 11-5, 12-10, 11-7 (29m)

Played Joshna Chinappa and it was a lot of attacking shots headed her way and I was keeping her out of her comfort zone as much as I could in the first but the second went her way til 9-3. I didn’t want it to slip away too easily and fought hard to level it but she got game  ball and served out to get to deuce, giving me the opportunity to take it and win the next game for the match.

Quarter finals against Laura Massaro of England, 11-5, 11-3, 11-7 (28m)

Laura Massaro and I were finding our rhythm at the start as our scores were close. In the middle of the first, my shots were tighter and I kept onto it right through that game and the next 2 games. Coming from the side courts into the glass court today, she may have mistimed a few shots that made her step back slightly throughout the rallies. I won it 3-0 but I knew she wasn’t playing at her best.

Semi finals against Kasey Brown of Australia, 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 (38m)

After a great comeback last night against Madeline Perry in five games—surprise semi finalist and fellow Squash Stars Ambassador Kasey Brown brought her game on right from the very beginning. However, I felt really good being in the semis myself and played a very steady match with one focus in mind and that is to work hard and move well. It definitely worked out for me and Kasey also started to make a couple of mistakes at times. No doubt it was intense but the scores in those 3 games didn’t show how tough it was out there.

Finals against Jenny Duncalf of England, 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 in (38 mins)

My very first finals in the Commonwealth Games and I was meeting Jenny Duncalf in probably our 5th final of a major event this year. I was well hyped to get going and step on that court to start our match. The crowd packed up the complex and the atmosphere was buzzing. All I could think of was that I had no other way of getting through this final without a tough battle. Jenny and I kept some high-paced rallies going in the first game. As the match went on, I was fuelled by adrenaline. She made a few errors as she was trying to play more winners. In the third game, she was slightly relaxed while coming out with some amazing shots as I was leading but I needed to stay with her til the end. It ended with a stroke awarded to me. Not the way I would have liked it to end but once I heard that I won, everything was a whirlwind around me. Nothing can describe how I felt that very moment.

Finally in my hands!

As the medal winners got called onto court to stand on the podium, I still couldn’t believe all that was happening. Once my name was announced as the Gold Medal winner and I actually stood on the podium, I was on such a high. Hearing the Malaysian National anthem during the flag raising is definitely a memorable moment for me and I will cherish that always.

A good result in the Mixed Doubles with my partner Ong Beng Hee as we managed to get the Bronze medal to finish a fantastic Games. Thanks Beng Hee, for keeping me in good form throughout the doubles event. It wasn’t easy bringing my focus together after winning in the Individuals but he was very supportive and positive during our matches.

Beng Hee & me with our bronze medals

Thanks once again to our SquashStars crew for being the true support team in Delhi. Also, to everyone who has been supporting me, a big THANK YOU always!

Get your sombreros ready as the next tournament is in Mexico!

RESULTS: El-Kersh Heliopolis Open, Cairo, Egypt

Quarter-finals:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Nouran El Torky (EGY)
11-5, 11-3, 11-5 (27m)
[3] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Heba El Torky (EGY)
7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 (64m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [7] Lucie Fialova (CZE)
11-7, 11-4, 11-8 (24m)
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [2] Line Hansen (DEN)
12-10, 13-11, 9-11, 12-10 (55m)

Nour is WISPA's 2009 Young Player of the Year

Egyptian youngster Nour El Sherbini produced the upset of the day in the El-Kersh Women’s Heliopolis Open when she battled to a 55-minute win over Denmark’s second seed Line Hansen to reach the semi-finals of the $25,300 WISPA World Tour squash event at the Heliopolis Sporting Club in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The 14-year-old fifth seed from Alexandria, surprise winner of the World Junior (U19) Championship title last year when just 13, showed remarkable determination to defeat the experienced Dane, ranked 29 in the world, 12-10, 13-11, 9-11, 12-10 in 55 minutes.

“It was a good match,” admitted the Egyptian teenager after her second victory over Hansen this year. “Last time I won 3/2, today it is 3/1 – and in each game I was 10/8 down and I was able to come back!”

El Sherbini will now face fellow Egyptian teenager Nour El Tayeb, the 17-year-old No4 seed from Cairo who defeated Czech Republic’s Lucie Fialova 11-7, 11-4, 11-8.

“I played a good game – I was confident and played better than yesterday,” said El Tayeb. “She hit the ball so hard – I had to slow down the pace so she wasn’t able to hit the ball as hard.”

The other semi-final will be an Australian/Indian affair between Rachael Grinham, the top seed from Queensland, and Indian number one Joshna Chinappa, the No3 seed.

Grinham, the former world number one who has been based in Cairo for many years, ousted 17-year-old unseeded Egyptian Nouran El Torky 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 in 27 minutes – while Chinappa was forced to fight back from two games down against Heba El Torky, also unseeded, before beating Nouran’s 19-year-old sister 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 in 64 minutes.

“It was a hard match, mentally and physically, and I am happy I won,” conceded Chinappa, the world No34 from Chennai. “I’m looking forward to playing Rachael tomorrow.”

Semi-final line-up:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v [3] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)

Welcome to Kaoh Siung!

Today is the start of the squash event at the Martial Arts Stadium and I was first up on the glass court. Played with Helga Kecse-Nagy from Hungary and it’s her first participation in the World Games. The World Games encourages players from various countries to represent their country so it’s great to see new faces here. I won 3-0 and I had to be ready for my second match later in the day.

Later, I played against Joshna Chinappa from India after she had a tough five setter with Sharon in the morning. This gave me a bit of a head start when we got on court and she made quite a few mistakes as well. The second game she got into the rallies better and it was close right through the game. Then I knew I couldn’t let her in and put more pressure on my shots to win the match.

It’s Joey Chan next in the Quarter finals. I’ll keep you posted.