The top two seeds battled for almost an hour in the final of the Des Pyramides Open in France before favourite Annie Au emerged triumphant in the $17,250 WISPA World Tour squash event at Squash Pyramides in Le Port Marly, near Paris.
Au, the world No16 from Hong Kong, reached the tenth Tour final of her career after beating England’s fourth seed Emma Beddoes – while Dominique Lloyd-Walter, the second seed from England, ended the courageous run of South African qualifier Tenille Swartz in the other semi.
Left-hander Au was calm throughout the final – her fast and attacking game ultimately proving decisive against her more experienced 29-year-old English opponent.
Lloyd-Walter drew level after losing the first game, but 21-year-old Au struck back to win the next two to record her title-winning 11-6, 10-12, 11-7, 11-2 triumph.
The win sees Au increase her career WISPA Tour title tally to seven – but it also marked Lloyd-Walter’s first ever defeat in a Tour final since reaching her first in May 2004.
Semi-finals:
[1] Annie Au (HKG) bt [4] Emma Beddoes (ENG) 11-7, 11-9, 13-11 (51m)
[2] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) bt [Q] Tenille Swartz (RSA) 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 (43m)
Final:
[1] Annie Au (HKG) bt [2] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) 11-6, 10-12, 11-7, 11-2 (52m)
Juniors Reach End Of The Road In Port Marly
Just days after winning the Women’s World Junior Squash Championship title in Germany, Amanda Sobhy bowed out of the Des Pyramides Open in France after losing to fourth seed Emma Beddoes in the quarter-finals of the $17,250 WISPA World Tour event at Squash Pyramides in Le Port Marly, near Paris.
Sobhy, the 17-year-old fifth seed from the USA, began her maiden senior campaign as world junior champion in convincing style, seeing off Czech number one Lucie Fialova in straight games.
But experienced Beddoes, the world 24-year-old world No33 from England, proved too strong for the New York teenager, winning 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 in 29 minutes.
It was the end of the road too for former world junior champion Nour El Sherbini, whom Sobhy beat in the Cologne semi-finals.
The 14-year-old Egyptian also survived the first round in Port Marly, but was forced to concede her quarter-final againstTenille Swartz – giving the South African qualifier a trouble-free passage through to the last four.
1st round:
[1] Annie Au (HKG) bt [Q] Lotte Eriksen (NOR) 11-8, 11-3, 11-4 (27m)
[Q] Sina Wall (GER) bt [6] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 13-11, 3-2 ret.
[4] Emma Beddoes (ENG) bt Heba El Torky (EGY) 11-4, 11-7, 9-11, 7-11, 11-3 (71m)
[5] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Lucie Fialova (CZE) 11-7, 11-6, 11-2 (26m)
[7] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Olivia Blatchford (USA) 11-9, 10-12, 11-6, 11-3 (45m)
[Q] Tenille Swartz (RSA) bt [3] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (37m)
[8] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) bt Maud Duplomb (FRA) 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (30m)
[2] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) bt [Q] Laura Hill (ENG) 11-7, 11-2, 11-3 (35m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Annie Au (HKG) bt [Q] Sina Wall (GER) 11-4, 11-4, 11-3 (24m)
[4] Emma Beddoes (ENG) bt [5] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (29m)
[Q] Tenille Swartz (RSA) bt [7] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) w/o
[2] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) bt [8] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) 11-3, 12-10, 11-8 (50m)