The 2010 Women’s World Junior Squash Championship unveiled its eagerly-anticipated semi-final line-up when the top four seeds came through the quarter-finals of the World Squash Federation event at the ACR Sportcenter in Cologne, Germany.
In an all-Egyptian clash, event favourite Nour El Sherbini dropped her first game of the tournament in overcoming seventh seed Nouran El Torky 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7.
The 14-year-old from Alexandria – the youngest player remaining in this U19 championship – now has arguably her toughest test against USA’s third seed Amanda Sobhy.
The 16-year-old New Yorker is the highest-ranked player in the event – and beat El Sherbini in last year’s world junior team championship in straight games in their only previous meeting.
Sobhy is also riding high after making history by becoming the first 16-year-old to win four WISPA World Tour titles. The left-hander, ranked 36 in the world, despatched eighth-seeded Indian Anaka Alankamony 12-10, 11-4, 11-6 in just 22 minutes.
India’s No2 seed Dipika Pallikal lines up against Egypt’s fourth seed Nour El Tayeb in the other semi-final in a repeat of last year’s match at the same stage of the competition – in which El Tayeb upset the then top seed to reach the final.
Pallikal, 18, from Chennai, recovered from a game down to beat Egypt’s fifth seed Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy 9-11, 11-9, 11-2, 12-10 in 50 minutes, while 17-year-old El Tayeb, from Cairo, defeated USA’s No6 seed Olivia Blatchford 11-1, 11-6, 11-7.
Quarter-finals:
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [7] Nouran El Torky (EGY) 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 (41m)
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [8] Anaka Alankamony (IND) 12-10, 11-4, 11-6 (22m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [6] Olivia Blatchford (USA) 11-1, 11-6, 11-7 (29m)
[2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [5] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) 9-11, 11-9, 11-2, 12-10 (50m)
USA & India Celebrate Historic World Championship Success
Hidden behind the fulfilled predictions that the top eight seeds are through to the quarter-finals of theWomen’s World Junior Squash Championship in Germany lies the fact that USA and India are both celebrating the appearance of two players in the last eight of a world championship for the first time.
And all four players marked their historic success with relative ease in the second round of the World Squash Federation event at the ACR Sportcenter in Cologne.
India’s Dipika Pallikal and Anaka Alankamony, both from Chennai, made their breakthroughs after straight games wins. Second seed Pallikal, the only player to be marking her fourth appearance in the championship, beat Salma Hany 12-10, 11-8, 11-2 in 34 minutes – thereby avenging her five-game loss to the 17-year-old Egyptian in January’s British Junior Open.
Anaka Alankamony, the 15-year-old eighth seed, needed only 21 minutes to overcome 18-year-old Colombian Catalina Pelaez 11-8, 11-8, 11-7.
New Yorkers Amanda Sobhy and Olivia Blatchford displayed the same prowess which has seen the US pair make their mark on the WISPA World Tour.
Sobhy, who last month became the first 16-year-old in history to win three Tour titles, fought off the challenge of promising Egyptian Yathreb Adel, beating the 14-year-old from Cairo 11-7, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7.
Olivia Blatchford, 17, dismissed French opponent Melissa Alves 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 in 27 minutes – and will now take on last year’s runner-up Nour El Tayeb, one of four Egyptians in the last eight.
Event favourite Nour El Sherbini claimed one of the quickest victories of the day by beating France’sJulia Lecoq 11-5, 11-6, 13-11 in 21 minutes.
The 14-year-old defending champion from Alexandria now faces fellow countrywoman Nouran El Torky, the No7 seed who survived the toughest second round battle in overcoming Australian Tamika Saxby 7-11, 17-15, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3 in 49 minutes.
2nd round:
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [9/16] Julia Lecoq (FRA) 11-5, 11-6, 13-11 (21m)
[7] Nouran El Torky (EGY) bt [9/16] Tamika Saxby (AUS) 7-11, 17-15, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3 (49m)
[8] Anaka Alankamony (IND) bt [9/16] Catalina Pelaez (COL) 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 (21m)
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) 11-7, 11-6, 5-11, 11-7 (35m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [9/16] Farah Abdel Meguid (EGY) 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8 (37m)
[6] Olivia Blatchford (USA) bt [9/16] Melissa Alves (FRA) 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 (27m)
[5] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) bt [9/16] Cyrielle Peltier (FRA) 11-3, 11-7, 11-8 (26m)~
[2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [9/16] Salma Hany (EGY) 12-10, 11-8, 11-2 (34m)
Seeds Survive World Championship Openers
The top 16 seeds duly claimed their places in the second round of the Women’s World Junior Squash Championship in Germany – with Egypt’s hot favourite Nour El Sherbini taking just 11 minutes to overcome her first round opponent in the World Squash Federation event at the ACR Sportcenter in Cologne.
The 14-year-old from Cairo, who last year became the youngest world champion in the history of the sport, despatched 17-year-old Dane Amalie Bornaes 11-2, 11-1, 11-0.
A French opponent awaits El Sherbini in the last sixteen round after Julia Lecoq overcame India’sAparajitha Balamurukan. But higher-ranked Balamurukan, from Chennai, took a 2/1 lead over the 16-year-old from Paris before Lecoq, a 9/16 seed, regained control to win 11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4.
There was Indian success elsewhere, however, as second seed Dipika Pallikal cruised to an 11-1, 11-4, 11-2 victory over Katie Tutrone, from the USA, in just 17 minutes – and eighth seed Anaka Alankamony, also from Chennai, crushed France’s Ashley Tidman 11-4, 11-7, 11-9 in 11 minutes.
The hosts came close to pulling off the only upset on the opening day when unseeded Franziska Hennes faced Australia’s 9/16 seed Tamika Saxby.
Hennes, an 18-year-old senior German international from Homburg, took the opening game and recovered from 2/1 down to force the match into a fifth game decider.
But higher-ranked Saxby, 17, from Coffs Harbour in New South Wales, eventually pulled through to win 8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7 in 42 minutes to set up a second round clash with Egypt’s No7 seedNouran El Torky
Round One:
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Amalie Bornaes (DEN) 11-2, 11-1, 11-0 (11m)
[9/16] Julia Lecoq (FRA) bt Aparajitha Balamurukan (IND) 11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4 (39m)
[9/16] Tamika Saxby (AUS) bt Franziska Hennes (GER) 8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7 (42m)
[7] Nouran El Torky (EGY) bt Elvira Bedjai (FRA) 11-5, 12-10, 12-10 (22m)
[8] Anaka Alankamony (IND) bt Ashley Tidman (FRA) 11-4, 11-7, 11-9 (11m)
[9/16] Catalina Pelaez (COL) bt Maria Elena Ubina (USA) 11-3, 11-2, 11-4 (14m)
[9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Nikki van der Heijden (NED) 11-3, 11-5, 11-0 (13m)
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Nana Frederiksen (DEN) 11-1, 11-1, 11-1 (11m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Oxane Ah Hu (FRA) 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 (21m)
[9/16] Farah Abdel Meguid (EGY) bt Anwesha Reddy (IND) 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 (19m)
[9/16] Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 11-7, 11-5, 11-9 (31m)
[6] Olivia Blatchford (USA) bt Caroline Sayegh (GER) 11-4, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5 (26m)
[5] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) bt Tessa ter Sluis (NED) 11-4, 11-4, 11-4 (17m)
[9/16] Cyrielle Peltier (FRA) bt Sharya Guruge (SRI) 11-4, 11-7, 11-9 (22m)
[9/16] Salma Hany (EGY) bt Sandra Polak (AUT) 11-3, 11-3, 11-8 (18m)
[2] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Katie Tutrone (USA) 11-1, 11-4, 11-2 (17m)