Egypt’s former runner-up Omneya Abdel Kawy halted the advance of ‘giant-killer’ Nouran Gohar in the Wadi Degla Women’s World Squash Championship in Cairo when she beat her 17-year-old compatriot in the second round of the WSA championship at the Wadi Degla club in the Egyptian capital.
It was just 24 hours earlier that championship debutante Gohar despatched 2013 runner-up Nour El Sherbini, the event’s fourth seed, to create the opening round’s biggest upset.
But 10th seed Abdel Kawy, losing finalist in the event’s last staging in Egypt in 2010, made sure of her place in the last eight by beating the teenager 13-11, 11-6, 13-11 – saving three game-balls in the third – in 38 minutes.
In her seventh appearance in the quarter-finals since 2005, the world No.10 from Cairo will face No.7 seed Low Wee Wern.
The world No.7 from Malaysia survived her second five-game marathon in two days when she outlasted unseeded IndianJoshana Chinappa 6-11, 11-3, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8 in 64 minutes to reach the last eight for the fifth time in a row.
The quarter-final clash will mark only the third meeting of Wee Wern and Abdel Kawy’s careers – with their head-to-head poised on one-all.
“Omneya has one of the best hands of the circuit – it’s only going to get harder from here,” said the 24-year-old Malaysian.
Favourite Nicol David secured her anticipated place in the last eight – but only after being pushed for two games by English qualifier Emily Whitlock.
The 20-year-old world No.29 led for virtually all of the first game, only to see David snatch it 12-10, and was 9-8 ahead in the second, which the world number one took 11-9. David dominated the third, closing out the match 11-1.
Bidding to win a record eighth title, David will face French rival Camille Serme in a repeat of their 2013 world championship quarter-final clash.
Serme, the No.6 seed from Creteil, battled for 50 minutes to overcome Emma Beddoes, the 16th seed from England, 11-5, 11-13, 11-4, 11-4.
Both players commented on the match via Twitter: “Happy with my win 3-1 over a strong Emma Beddoes,” said Serme. “Happy to make the quarter final of this world open.”
Beddoes was also upbeat: “My world champs are over as I lost 3/1 to Camille tonight. But what an amazing 2014 it’s been, now for Christmas!”
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